Your Mac does the work.
You stay in control.

Your work stays close

Beam runs speech recognition and optional AI cleanup on Apple silicon. Meeting transcription and note summaries run on the same Mac. Download the required models once, then use these features offline while your trial or license entitlement remains valid. Model downloads, updates, purchases, and license activation or renewal require connectivity.

Local personalization uses dictionary entries, retained history, and usage statistics on your Mac. Beam does not upload this content to train model weights. Text you place into another app is then subject to that app’s privacy and sync settings.

Access that matches the task

• Microphone: captures the speech you ask Beam to transcribe.
• Accessibility: inserts text into other apps.
• System audio: captures Mac audio for meetings, when you choose that feature. This requires macOS 14.4 or later.

You manage these permissions in macOS System Settings. App profiles select cleanup preferences using the active app’s identity; they do not mean Beam reads the surrounding conversation or document.

Local files, clear boundaries

Transcripts, notes, preferences, and history are stored locally. Dictation audio is processed in memory; meeting capture uses temporary local files. Successful transcription removes temporary meeting audio, while interrupted captures may remain for recovery. You can review or delete saved content and turn off dictation history.

Local storage still depends on your Mac’s security, user access, and backup settings. It is not a substitute for protecting the device or reviewing the apps where you send text.

What connects to our services

Beam connects for model downloads, updates, current plan information, and licensing. Purchase and licensing services handle contact details, plan and transaction references, license status, activation identifiers, and relevant timestamps. Infrastructure also receives normal request metadata. These services do not receive your recordings or transcripts for AI processing.

Cloudflare, Stripe, Resend, and Google support distinct parts of delivery and service. Some model downloads also come from Hugging Face. Support receives only what you choose to send. The Privacy Policy explains these data flows, website measurement, and your choices.

See how it works on your Mac

Beam’s release process includes Developer ID signing and Apple notarization. Sparkle updates use signature verification.

1. Try your real workflow. Install Beam, download your models, and dictate into the apps you use. Review the result before sending it.
2. Try it offline. With a valid entitlement and models ready, disconnect from the internet and test dictation and cleanup.
3. Inspect the details. Your security tools can inspect Beam’s network activity. Local files and macOS permissions provide additional evidence of how your setup works.

These checks help assess a particular build and configuration. They are not a substitute for an independent security audit.

A straightforward assurance statement

Beam has not undergone a SOC 2 audit and is not ISO 27001 certified. This page documents its architecture and data handling to support your assessment; it does not certify a regulated workflow.

If you handle regulated information, assess your recording consent, device controls, destination apps, and support process before use. Local processing alone does not determine HIPAA obligations or whether an agreement is needed. HHS explains how vendor access affects that assessment.

A direct line to SparQan

Beam is published by SparQan LLC in Texas. For security concerns, send reproduction steps and the affected version to [email protected]. Use sample content where possible. For workplace requirements, contact us before purchase so we can discuss your setup and what is supported.