speech to text book writing app

Table of Contents

Why Use Speech Recognition Software?

• Dictation vs. Transcription

Why Use Dictation?

Why use transcription.

• Do You Need Special Recording Equipment?

The Best Transcription Services

The 5 best dictation software options, the best dictation software for writers (to use in 2023).

A lot of Authors give up on their books before they even start writing .

I see it all the time. Authors sit down to write and end up staring at a blank page. They might get a few words down, but they hate what they’ve written, harshly judge themselves, and quit.

Or they get intimidated by the prospect of writing more and give up. They may come back, but if so, it’s with less and less enthusiasm, until they eventually just stop.

In order to break the pattern, you have to get out of your own head. And the best way to do that is to talk it out.

I’m serious. Who ever said that you have to write your book? Why not speak it?

Authors don’t need to be professional writers. You’re publishing a book because you have knowledge to share with the world.

If you’re more comfortable speaking than writing, there’s no shame in dictating your book.

Sure, at some point, you’ll have to put the words on a page and make them readable, of course.

But for your first draft, you can stop focusing on being a perfect writer and instead focus on getting your ideas out in the world.

In this post, I’ll cover why dictation software is such a great tool, the difference between dictation and transcription, and the best options in each category.

When Authors experience writer’s block , it’s not usually because they have bad ideas or because they’re unorganized. The number 1 cause of writer’s block is fear.

So, how do you get rid of that fear?

The easiest solution is to stop staring at the screen and talk instead.

Many Authors can talk clearly and comfortably about their ideas when they aren’t put on the spot. Just think of how easy it is to sit down with colleagues over coffee or how excited you get explaining your work to a friend.

There’s a lot less pressure in those situations. It’s much easier than thinking, “I’m writing something that thousands of people are going to read and judge.”

When that thought is in your head, of course you’re going to freeze.

Your best bet is to ignore all those thoughts and really focus on your reader . Imagine you’re speaking to a specific person—maybe your ideal client or a close friend. What do they want to know? What can you help them with? What tone do you use when you talk to them?

When you keep your attention on the reader you’re trying to serve, it helps quiet your fear and anxiety. And when you speak, rather than write, it can help you keep a relaxed, confident, and personable tone.

Readers relate to Authors’ authentic voices far more than overly-crafted, hyper-intellectual writing styles.

Speaking will also help you finish your first draft faster because it helps you resist the desire to edit as you go.

We always tell Scribe Authors that their first draft should be a “vomit draft.”

You should spew words onto a page without worrying whether they’re good, how they can be better, or whether you’ve said the right thing.

Your vomit draft can be—and possibly will be—absolute garbage.

But that’s okay. As the Author of 4 New York Times bestsellers, I can tell you: first drafts are often garbage. In the end, they still go on to become highly successful books.

It’s a lot easier to edit words that are already on the page than to agonize over every single thing you’re writing.

That’s why speech recognition software is the perfect workaround. When you talk, you don’t have time to agonize. Your ideas can flow without your brain working overtime on grammar, clarity, and all those other things we expect from the written word.

Of course, your spoken words won’t be the same as a book. You’ll have to edit out all the “uh”s and the places you went on tangents. You might even have to overhaul the organization of the sections.

But remember, the goal of a first draft is never perfection. The goal is to have a text you can work with.

What’s the Difference between Dictation & Transcription?

If you know you want to talk out your first draft, you have 2 options:

• Use dictation software
• Use a transcription service

1. Dictation Software

With dictation software, you speak, and the software transcribes your words in real-time.

For example, when you give Siri a voice command on your iPhone, the words pop up across the top of the screen. That’s how dictation software works.

Although, I should point out that we aren’t really talking about Apple’s Siri, Amazon’s Alexa, or Microsoft’s Cortana here. Those are AI virtual assistants that use voice recognition software, but they aren’t true dictation apps. In other words, they’re good at transcribing a shopping list, but they won’t help you write a book.

Some dictation software comes as a standalone app you use exclusively for converting speech to text. Other dictation software comes embedded in a word processor, like Apple’s built-in dictation in Pages or Google Docs’ built-in voice tool.

If you’re a fast speaker, most live dictation software won’t be able to keep up with you. You have to speak slowly and clearly for it to work.

For many people, trying to use dictation software slows them down, which can interrupt their train of thought.

2. Transcription Services

In contrast, transcription services convert your words to text after-the-fact. You record yourself talking and send the completed audio files to the service for transcription.

Some transcription services use human transcription, which is exactly what it sounds like: a human listens to your audio and transcribes the content. This kind of transcription is typically slower and more expensive, but it’s also more accurate.

Other transcription services rely on computer transcription. Using artificial intelligence and advanced voice recognition technology, these services can turn around a full transcript in a matter of minutes. You’ll find some mistakes, but unless you have a strong accent or there’s a lot of background noise in the recording, they’re fairly accurate.

Dictation is the way to go if you want to sit in front of your computer and type—but maybe just type a little faster. It’s especially useful for people who want to switch between talking and typing.

It’s probably not your best option if you want to speak your entire first draft. Voice recognition software still requires you to speak slowly and clearly. You might lose your train of thought if you’re constantly stopping to let the software catch up.

With dictation software, you may also be tempted to stop and read what the software is typing. That’s an easy way to get sucked into editing, which you should never do when you’re writing your first draft.

I recommend using dictation as a way to shake up your writing process, not to replace typing entirely.

If you want to get your vomit draft out by speaking at your own natural pace, we recommend making actual recordings and sending them to a transcription service.

Transcription is also preferable if you’re being interviewed or if you have a co-author because it can recognize multiple voices. It’s also a lot more flexible in terms of location. People can interview you over Zoom or in any other conferencing system, and as long as you can record the conversation, it will work.

Transcription is also relatively cheap and works for you while you do other things. You can record your content at your own pace and choose when you want a computer (or person) to transcribe it. You could record your whole book before you send the audio files for transcription, or you could do a chapter at a time.

Transcription may not work well for you if you are a visual person who needs to see text in order to stay on track. Without a clear outline in front of you, sometimes the temptation to verbally wander or jump around can be too great, and you’ll waste a lot of time sorting through the transcripts later.

Do You Need Any Special Recording Equipment?

No. Most people don’t need anything special.

Whether you’re using transcription or dictation, don’t waste your money on fancy audio equipment. The microphone that comes with your computer or smartphone is more than adequate.

Some people find headsets useful because they can move around while they’re speaking. But you don’t want to multitask too much. If you’re trying to dictate your book while you’re cooking, you’ll be distracted, and the ambient noise could mess up the recording.

Scribe recommends 2 transcription services:

Temi works well for automated transcription (i.e., transcribed by a computer, not a human).

They charge $.25 per audio minute, and their turnaround only takes a few minutes.

Their transcripts are easy to read with clear timestamps and labels for different speakers. They also provide an online editing tool that allows you to easily clean up your transcripts. For example, you can easily search for all the “um”s and remove them with the touch of a button.

You can also listen to your audio alongside the transcript, and you can adjust the playback speed. This is very useful if you’re a fast talker.

If you prefer to work on the go, Temi also offers a mobile app.

Rev offers many of the same features as Temi for automated transcripts. They call this option “Rough Draft” transcription, and it also costs $.25 per audio minute. The average turnaround time for a transcript is 5 minutes.

What sets Rev apart is that they also offer human transcription. This service costs $1.25 per minute, and Rev guarantees 99% accuracy. The average turnaround time is 12 hours.

Human transcription is a great option if your audio file has a lot of background noise. It’s also great if you have a strong accent that automatic transcription software has trouble recognizing.

1. Google Docs Voice Typing

This is currently the best voice typing software, by far. It’s driven by Google’s AI software, which applies Google’s deep learning algorithms to accurately recognize speech. It also supports 125 different languages.

One of the best aspects of Voice Typing is that you don’t need to use a specific operating system or install any extra software to use it. You just need the Chrome web browser and a Google account.

It’s also easy to use. Just log into your account and open a Google Doc. Go to “Tools” and select “Voice Typing.”

A microphone icon will pop up on your screen.

Click it, and it will turn red. That’s when you can start dictating.

Click the microphone again to stop the dictation.

Voice Typing is highly accurate, with the typical caveats that you have to speak clearly and at a relatively slow pace.

It’s free, and because it’s embedded in the Docs software, it’s easy to integrate into your pre-existing workflow. The only potential downside is that you need a high-quality internet connection for Voice Typing, so you won’t be able to use it offline.

2. Apple Dictation

Apple Dictation is a voice dictation software that’s built into Apple’s OS/ iOS. It comes preloaded with every Mac, and it works great with Apple software.

If you’re on an iPhone or iPad, you can access Apple dictation by pressing the microphone icon on the keyboard. Many people use this feature to dictate texts, but it also works in Pages for iPhone. It can be a useful option for taking notes or dictating content while you’re away from your desktop.

If you’re on a laptop or desktop, you can enable dictation by going to System Preferences > Keyboard.

Apple Dictation typically requires an internet connection, but you can select a feature in Settings called “Enhanced Dictation” that allows you to continuously dictate text when you’re offline.

Apple Dictation is great because it’s free, it works well with Apple software across multiple devices, and it generates fairly accurate text.

It’s not quite as high-powered as some “professional” grade dictation programs, but it would work well for most Authors who already own Apple products.

3. Windows Speech Recognition

The current Windows operating system comes with a built-in voice dictation system. You can train the system to recognize your voice, which means that the more you use it, the more accurate it becomes.

Unfortunately, that training can take a long time, so you’ll have to live with some inaccuracies until the system is calibrated.

On Windows 10, you can access dictation by hitting the Windows logo key + H. You can turn the microphone off by typing Windows key + H again or by resuming typing.

Windows Speech Recognition is a good option if you don’t own a Mac or don’t use Google Docs, but overall, I’d still recommend one of the other options.

4. Otter.ai

Otter allows you to “live transcribe” or create real-time streaming transcripts with synced audio, text, and images. You can record conversations on your phone or web browser, or you can import audio files from other services. You can also integrate Otter with Zoom.

Otter is powered by Ambient Voice Intelligence, which means it’s always learning. You can train Otter to recognize specific voices or learn certain terminology. It’s fast, accurate, and user-friendly.

Otter is based on a subscription plan with basic, premium, and team options. I’ll only mention the basic and premium plans since most Authors won’t need the team features.

The free basic plan allows 600 minutes of transcription per month, which should be plenty—but the maximum length of each file is only 40 minutes. You also can’t import audio and video, and you can only export your transcripts as txt files, not pdf or docx files.

The premium plan is $8.33 per user per month, and it grants you access to a whopping 6,000 monthly minutes, with a max speech length of 4 hours. More importantly, you can import recordings from other apps and export your files in multiple formats (which will make your writing process much smoother).

Dragon is one of the most commonly recommended programs for standalone dictation software. It has high-quality voice recognition, but that high quality comes with a hefty price tag. The latest version, Dragon Home 15, costs $150, but it’s not compatible with Apple’s operating system. Mac users have to upgrade to the Professional version ($300).

With all the solid free options available—several of which are better than Dragon—I don’t recommend buying Dragon.

The Scribe Crew

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The Best Dictation and Speech-to-Text Apps for Writers (2024)

by Guest Blogger | 0 comments

If you're more comfortable talking through your ideas than typing them out, you may want to try one of these speech to text apps for writers. Dictation and transcription provide quick solutions for everything from working through interviews to recording story ideas and chapters. Check out our guide by guest writer Jamie Biggs and see which one is the best fit for you! 

Welcome to one of our favorite community members and writers Jamie Biggs who loves to use dictation as she writes. You can read more about Jamie at the end of her article, and for a full run-down of the Best Book Writing Software, see our post here . 

What is dictation software?

Dictation software is a type of speech-to-text technology that allows you to create written documents without having to type or write them out. The voice recognition software converts your speech into text and then saves the document in an easily shareable format.

It’s perfect for writers, students, and professionals who need to get their ideas down quickly. With dictation software, you can save yourself time by speaking your thoughts rather than writing them out.

Why use dictation?

Want an edge in writing? I gave speech-to-text dictation a try, and find it’s a must-have for anyone who wants to up their creativity game and work smarter.

Whether you're writing fiction or nonfiction, prepping interview transcripts for ghostwriting, or just trying to get your ideas out of your head fast, dictation software can expedite the process.

Many people find it easier to express their thoughts and ideas aloud, and speaking is quicker than typing (in most cases). It's perfect for writers who want to record their story ideas, and it can also be a useful tool to overcome writer’s block. When you’re having trouble organizing your thoughts, speaking those ideas instead of facing a blank page can be helpful.

Dictation is also an effective way to decrease physical strain. Typing for long periods can lead to physical discomfort or repetitive strain injuries. If you're spending hours behind a keyboard, consider trying it out. Dictation software provides an alternative method of text input, helping to ease strain on the fingers, hands, and wrists.

And of course, the convenience of writing on the go. Dictation software on mobile devices allows you to capture ideas or notes while on the move without needing to stop and type. We can capture writing during a walk outside, commuting to and from work, or even while waiting in line at a gas station using an app on your phone. 

Features of a strong dictation app

There are a few features that I looked at when testing these apps out. Here are the features I found most important: 

Accuracy: The most critical factor in any dictation app is its ability to accurately convert spoken words to written text. A great app needs accurate voice recognition for diverse accents and speech styles.

Real-time Transcription: Real-time transcription can provide writers with instant feedback on their dictation, enabling them to identify areas where they need to improve their writing skills.

Punctuation and Formatting: An app’s punctuation and formatting controls can make it possible for you to speak naturally without naming each punctuation mark.

Customization: The ability to control saving, sharing, and navigating through voice commands is available on some dictation apps. Customization options, such as language models or personalized dictionaries, can also improve accuracy. Adding an unusual name or unfamiliar word to your personalized dictionary will save you editing time.

Let's take a look at the best dictation apps I tried for writers. Note: some of the links below are affiliate links. 

The best dictation apps for writers:

Dragon naturally speaking (dragon professional individual).

Dragon NaturallySpeaking (now called Dragon Professional Individual) has been a leading force in the speech-to-text software market for a long time. The tool provides high accuracy, advanced punctuation and formatting options, support for multiple languages, and can be easily integrated with writing tools.

Initially, there is a learning curve for using this software. You will need time to train it to recognize your voice and speech patterns accurately. Learning how to use voice commands effectively can also take time.

Nuance Communications, the makers of Dragon NaturallySpeaking no longer supports iOS. They offer it for Windows only. However, they have an Apple application called Dragon Anywhere Mobile that is available on both iOS and Android devices. It is a scaled-down version of the Windows application.

I don't have a Windows PC and have not used the Dragon Professional Individual version for Windows. However, I use the Dragon Anywhere Mobile App on my iPad Pro.

The menu is easy to navigate and aside from a couple of missed words, it does a good job transcribing my voice.

Dragon is a little pricey compared to the other apps, but its level of accuracy and customization options might make it an investment worth making as a writer.

Dragon NaturallySpeaking – single user license Price: $699.00

Dragon Anywhere Mobile App Price: $150 yearly subscription or $15 monthly subscription

Here are some of the main pros and cons for the Dragon Apps: 

Otter.ai transcribes speech in real-time, making note-taking easy during interviews, or brainstorming sessions. Writers can easily record and organize content with this feature and not forget important details.

Otter.ai integrates with writing apps, allowing easy transfer of transcribed text. Writers can keep their writing workflow while using speech-to-text technology for productivity and creativity.

You can access Otter.ai by visiting their website (otter.ai) using a web browser on your computer. It is also available for both iOS and Android devices.

I found Otter.ai to be user-friendly, and it accurately transcribed speech. It automatically added punctuation, and did not require me to give punctuation commands as I dictated. 

The app added a time stamp with every start and stop. It was designed for meeting transcription and can identify multiple speakers within the meeting.

Writer’s will need to copy and paste the transcribed text into an editing software application to edit and remove the time stamps. If you are on a budget, the Basic subscription is a great place to start.

Otter.ai is available as a monthly or annual subscription based on monthly transcription minutes. BASIC – 300 monthly transcription minutes; 30 minutes per conversation. Price: Free

PRO – 1200 monthly transcription minutes: 90 minutes per conversation. Price: $99.99 yearly subscription or $16.99 monthly subscription

Otter.ai is a strong place to start if you're new to speech-to-text apps, as you can try those free features before committing to the larger subscription. 

Speechnotes

Speechnotes offers a user-friendly interface for quick and effortless dictation. Real-time transcription provides instant feedback, improving productivity and usability.

This website application was easy to navigate allowing me to immediately jump in and begin. You have the option to speak punctuation as you go, or to go back and insert by clicking the needed punctuation from the side menu.

You can dictate offline with Speechnotes, but with limitations. Multiple languages are supported, catering to diverse backgrounds and accommodating native language dictation.

It also offers a few ways to move your newly transcribed document from the dictation screen to upload into a Google Doc, Word Doc, or txt file. It also gives you the option to email or print your work from the same screen.

I liked this app. If you get past the ads at the bottom of the screen, then the price is definitely right.  But if ads are bothersome for you, the Premium subscription is very affordable.

Speechnotes Plans Dictation – Online dictation notepad and voice typing Chrome extension Price: Free

Dictation Premium – Premium online dictation notepad and voice typing Chrome extension. Support from the development team. No Ads. Price: $1.90 per month

Transcription – Pay as you go – no subscription Audio & Video recordings. $0.10 per minute of audio

Google Docs Voice Typing

Google Docs Voice Typing is a built-in feature of Google Docs that offers real-time transcription, offline support, and extensive language options. It also integrates seamlessly with Google's productivity suite, making it a convenient choice for writers who use Google Workspace.

Google Docs Voice Typing is a built-in feature of Google Docs, available to all Google account users at no additional cost. It's easily accessible and user-friendly for Google Docs users.

The feature transcribes spoken words into text in real-time.

Text-to-Speech with Google Voice is easy to set up from the Google Docs file menu. Select “tools” from the menu bar, and select “voice typing” from the drop down.

It is simple to use. click the microphone to start and stop transcribing. Google Voice Typing accurately transcribed for me, but required me to give punctuation voice commands which slowed the process, but you can even dictate and apply text styles using voice commands.

If you regularly use Google Docs for writing, this is can be easily added to your work in progress.

Google Docs Voice Typing Price: Free with any Google account

The price is right for this one, but it doesn't have the additional features or accuracy and sensitivity as some of the other paid app services. 

Apple Pages Dictation

Apple Pages Dictation offers users a hands-free writing experience with real-time transcription. It supports multiple languages and dialects.

There is some set-up required in order to utilize speech to text on Apple Pages. You will need to access settings from your Apple menu, click keyboard settings and turn on Dictation. Once this is completed, voice transcription is activated by double tapping the control key on the keyboard.

It has basic punctuation command capabilities like adding a comma or period. But it was not able to add a new paragraph or new line on command. I had to stop and add the new line manually and then restart by double clicking the control key again.

If you are testing the waters with speech to text, this is an option worth experimenting with if you are an Apple user. Pages comes with every Apple system.

Apple Dictation Price: Included in all Apple Devices

What is transcription?

Transcription and dictation are two related yet distinct processes. While dictation involves directly speaking into a program that instantly converts your words into text on the page, transcription follows a slightly different path.

For transcription, you provide the app with an audio file, which it then meticulously transcribes, transforming spoken content into written form. 

Why use transcription?

Using a transcription service offers a straightforward and user-friendly alternative voice recognition software. Transcription services eliminate the need to memorize and execute specific voice commands for punctuation, formatting, and editing. Instead, you simply upload your audio files, and the service handles the transcription process, delivering accurate written content.

This approach is particularly advantageous for individuals who may not be comfortable with or have the time to master complex voice commands. Transcription services cater to a wide range of users, including those without technical expertise. The process is as simple as submitting an audio file and receiving a transcribed text in return.

In contrast, mastering speech-to-text commands requires familiarization with a set of commands, which might vary across different platforms or software. It involves a learning curve that might not align with everyone's preferences or requirements.

Ultimately, utilizing a transcription service streamlines the process, making it accessible to users of varying technical skill levels. It allows individuals to focus on content creation, without the need to navigate intricate command structures, resulting in a smoother and more efficient transcription experience.

Do you need any special recording equipment?

In most cases, special recording equipment isn't necessary for using voice dictation and transcription. Modern voice dictation software is designed to work with the built-in microphones of devices like smartphones, laptops, and tablets. These microphones are generally sufficient for capturing your spoken words accurately. However, if you're in an environment with significant background noise, using an external microphone or a noise-canceling headset can improve the accuracy of the transcription.

For professionals who require high-quality recordings, such as podcasters or journalists conducting interviews, investing in a good-quality external microphone might be beneficial to ensure clear and crisp audio. Additionally, using a quiet environment without excessive ambient noise can enhance the accuracy of voice dictation.

Ultimately, while specialized recording equipment can enhance the quality of your recordings, it's not a strict requirement. 

The best transcription services for writers

Writers are increasingly turning to transcription services as invaluable tools to streamline their work processes and enhance productivity. Here are four online transcription services, features and benefits to consider.

Rev is a popular transcription service that provides accurate and quick transcription for audio and video files. They offer human-generated transcriptions and have options for different turnaround times.

Rev's interface is user-friendly and easy to navigate. select the type of order you would like to place and then upload your file.

Rev Services Pricing:

TranscribeMe

TranscribeMe offers both automated and human-powered transcription services. They specialize in providing accurate transcriptions for various industries.

Uploading an audio file was simple and straightforward, drag and drop.

TranscribeMe Services Pricing:

Happy Scribe

Happy Scribe offers both automated and human-assisted transcription services. They also provide options for translating transcripts into different languages.

The website is easy to navigate and upload your audio file. They offer the first 5 minutes of your audio file transcribed for free, giving you an opportunity to test drive their service.

Happy Scribe Pricing:

Scribie is another transcription service that offers human-generated transcriptions. They focus on providing accurate transcriptions and offer a variety of turnaround options.

 I have used Scribie for my own transcription needs and found the service quick and accurate. The have recently changed their pricing to a flat rate for human verified transcripts, no longer offering the AI transcribed files option. 

Scribie pricing:

Useful tips for dictation or transcription

By following these tips, you can make your dictation and transcription processes more efficient and accurate, ensuring that your spoken content is accurately transformed into written text.

Dictation tips

• Speak Clearly and Calmly : Enunciate your words clearly and speak at a moderate pace. Avoid speaking too fast or mumbling to ensure accurate transcription.
• Punctuation and Formatting Commands : Learn and use voice commands for punctuation (“period,” “comma,” “new line”) and formatting (“bold,” “italics”) to maintain proper structure in your text.
• Practice Makes Perfect : Familiarize yourself with the voice recognition system's response time and accuracy by practicing dictation with shorter passages before tackling longer content.
• Break Down Complex Sentences : For complex sentences, break them into smaller, manageable phrases to enhance accuracy.
• Proofread and Edit : After dictating, proofread and edit the transcribed text for any errors or discrepancies that might have occurred during dictation.
• Minimize Background Noise : Choose a quiet environment to reduce background noise that could interfere with accurate transcription.

Transcription tips

• Use Quality Audio : Provide clear and high-quality audio file recordings for accurate transcription. Minimize background noise and ensure the speakers' voices are distinct.
• Speaker Identification : If multiple speakers are involved, indicate speaker changes or use timestamps to differentiate speakers during transcription.
• Provide Context : Give transcribers context by sharing any relevant information about the subject, speakers, or terminology used in the recording.
• Accent and Jargon Awareness : If you have an accent or are using industry-specific jargon, consider using a transcription service or software that's familiar with these nuances.
• Review and Edit : After receiving the transcription, review and edit it for any errors or inconsistencies. Sometimes, context-based errors can occur.
• Time Management : Transcribing can be time-consuming. Consider using transcription services or software to expedite the process, especially for longer recordings.
• Backup and Security : Keep your audio recordings secure and backed up to prevent loss of valuable content.
• Regular Breaks : If you're transcribing for extended periods, take regular breaks to avoid fatigue and maintain accuracy.

Speech to text apps for writers can be incredibly useful tools, allowing them to quickly transcribe their spoken words into written form. By following these simple tips, you can make sure that your dictation and transcription processes are more efficient and accurate.

Pick a favorite paragraph or scene from your work in progress and convert it using a speech-to-text software or a transcription service.

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The best dictation software in 2024

These speech-to-text apps will save you time without sacrificing accuracy..

The early days of dictation software were like your friend that mishears lyrics: lots of enthusiasm but little accuracy. Now, AI is out of Pandora's box, both in the news and in the apps we use, and dictation apps are getting better and better because of it. It's still not 100% perfect, but you'll definitely feel more in control when using your voice to type.

I took to the internet to find the best speech-to-text software out there right now, and after monologuing at length in front of dozens of dictation apps, these are my picks for the best.

The best dictation software

Windows 11 Speech Recognition for free dictation software on Windows

Dragon by Nuance for a customizable dictation app

Google Docs voice typing for dictating in Google Docs

Gboard for a free mobile dictation app

Otter for collaboration

What is dictation software?

When searching for dictation software online, you'll come across a wide range of options. The ones I'm focusing on here are apps or services that you can quickly open, start talking, and see the results on your screen in (near) real-time. This is great for taking quick notes , writing emails without typing, or talking out an entire novel while you walk in your favorite park—because why not.

Beyond these productivity uses, people with disabilities or with carpal tunnel syndrome can use this software to type more easily. It makes technology more accessible to everyone .

If this isn't what you're looking for, here's what else is out there:

AI assistants, such as Apple's Siri, Amazon's Alexa, and Microsoft's Cortana, can help you interact with each of these ecosystems to send texts, buy products, or schedule events on your calendar.

AI meeting assistants will join your meetings and transcribe everything, generating meeting notes to share with your team.

AI transcription platforms can process your video and audio files into neat text.

Transcription services that use a combination of dictation software, AI, and human proofreaders can achieve above 99% accuracy.

There are also advanced platforms for enterprise, like Amazon Transcribe and Microsoft Azure's speech-to-text services.

What makes a great dictation app?

How we evaluate and test apps.

Our best apps roundups are written by humans who've spent much of their careers using, testing, and writing about software. Unless explicitly stated, we spend dozens of hours researching and testing apps, using each app as it's intended to be used and evaluating it against the criteria we set for the category. We're never paid for placement in our articles from any app or for links to any site—we value the trust readers put in us to offer authentic evaluations of the categories and apps we review. For more details on our process, read the full rundown of how we select apps to feature on the Zapier blog .

Dictation software comes in different shapes and sizes. Some are integrated in products you already use. Others are separate apps that offer a range of extra features. While each can vary in look and feel, here's what I looked for to find the best:

High accuracy. Staying true to what you're saying is the most important feature here. The lowest score on this list is at 92% accuracy.

Ease of use. This isn't a high hurdle, as most options are basic enough that anyone can figure them out in seconds.

Availability of voice commands. These let you add "instructions" while you're dictating, such as adding punctuation, starting a new paragraph, or more complex commands like capitalizing all the words in a sentence.

Availability of the languages supported. Most of the picks here support a decent (or impressive) number of languages.

Versatility. I paid attention to how well the software could adapt to different circumstances, apps, and systems.

I tested these apps by reading a 200-word script containing numbers, compound words, and a few tricky terms. I read the script three times for each app: the accuracy scores are an average of all attempts. Finally, I used the voice commands to delete and format text and to control the app's features where available.

I used my laptop's or smartphone's microphone to test these apps in a quiet room without background noise. For occasional dictation, an equivalent microphone on your own computer or smartphone should do the job well. If you're doing a lot of dictation every day, it's probably worth investing in an external microphone, like the Jabra Evolve .

What about AI?

Before the ChatGPT boom, AI wasn't as hot a keyword, but it already existed. The apps on this list use a combination of technologies that may include AI— machine learning and natural language processing (NLP) in particular. While they could rebrand themselves to keep up with the hype, they may use pipelines or models that aren't as bleeding-edge when compared to what's going on in Hugging Face or under OpenAI Whisper 's hood, for example. 

Also, since this isn't a hot AI software category, these apps may prefer to focus on their core offering and product quality instead, not ride the trendy wave by slapping "AI-powered" on every web page.

Tips for using voice recognition software

Though dictation software is pretty good at recognizing different voices, it's not perfect. Here are some tips to make it work as best as possible.

Speak naturally (with caveats). Dictation apps learn your voice and speech patterns over time. And if you're going to spend any time with them, you want to be comfortable. Speak naturally. If you're not getting 90% accuracy initially, try enunciating more.  

Punctuate. When you dictate, you have to say each period, comma, question mark, and so forth. The software isn't always smart enough to figure it out on its own.

Learn a few commands . Take the time to learn a few simple commands, such as "new line" to enter a line break. There are different commands for composing, editing, and operating your device. Commands may differ from app to app, so learn the ones that apply to the tool you choose.

Know your limits. Especially on mobile devices, some tools have a time limit for how long they can listen—sometimes for as little as 10 seconds. Glance at the screen from time to time to make sure you haven't blown past the mark. 

Practice. It takes time to adjust to voice recognition software, but it gets easier the more you practice. Some of the more sophisticated apps invite you to train by reading passages or doing other short drills. Don't shy away from tutorials, help menus, and on-screen cheat sheets.

The best dictation software at a glance

Best free dictation software for apple devices, apple dictation (ios, ipados, macos).

Look no further than your Mac, iPhone, or iPad for one of the best dictation tools. Apple's built-in dictation feature, powered by Siri (I wouldn't be surprised if the two merged one day), ships as part of Apple's desktop and mobile operating systems. On iOS devices, you use it by pressing the microphone icon on the stock keyboard. On your desktop, you turn it on by going to System Preferences > Keyboard > Dictation , and then use a keyboard shortcut to activate it in your app.

If you want the ability to navigate your Mac with your voice and use dictation, try Voice Control . By default, Voice Control requires the internet to work and has a time limit of about 30 seconds for each smattering of speech. To remove those limits for a Mac, enable Enhanced Dictation, and follow the directions here for your OS (you can also enable it for iPhones and iPads). Enhanced Dictation adds a local file to your device so that you can dictate offline.

You can format and edit your text using simple commands, such as "new paragraph" or "select previous word." Tip: you can view available commands in a small window, like a little cheat sheet, while learning the ropes. Apple also offers a number of advanced commands for things like math, currency, and formatting. 

Apple Dictation price: Included with macOS, iOS, iPadOS, and Apple Watch.

Apple Dictation accuracy: 96%. I tested this on an iPhone SE 3rd Gen using the dictation feature on the keyboard.

Recommendation: For the occasional dictation, I'd recommend the standard Dictation feature available with all Apple systems. But if you need more custom voice features (e.g., medical terms), opt for Voice Control with Enhanced Dictation. You can create and import both custom vocabulary and custom commands and work while offline.

Apple Dictation supported languages: 59 languages and dialects .

While Apple Dictation is available natively on the Apple Watch, if you're serious about recording plenty of voice notes and memos, check out the Just Press Record app. It runs on the same engine and keeps all your recordings synced and organized across your Apple devices.

Best free dictation software for Windows

Windows 11 speech recognition (windows).

Windows 11 Speech Recognition (also known as Voice Typing) is a strong dictation tool, both for writing documents and controlling your Windows PC. Since it's part of your system, you can use it in any app you have installed.

To start, first, check that online speech recognition is on by going to Settings > Time and Language > Speech . To begin dictating, open an app, and on your keyboard, press the Windows logo key + H. A microphone icon and gray box will appear at the top of your screen. Make sure your cursor is in the space where you want to dictate.

When it's ready for your dictation, it will say Listening . You have about 10 seconds to start talking before the microphone turns off. If that happens, just click it again and wait for Listening to pop up. To stop the dictation, click the microphone icon again or say "stop talking."  

As I dictated into a Word document, the gray box reminded me to hang on, we need a moment to catch up . If you're speaking too fast, you'll also notice your transcribed words aren't keeping up. This never posed an issue with accuracy, but it's a nice reminder to keep it slow and steady. 

To activate the computer control features, you'll have to go to Settings > Accessibility > Speech instead. While there, tick on Windows Speech Recognition. This unlocks a range of new voice commands that can fully replace a mouse and keyboard. Your voice becomes the main way of interacting with your system.

While you can use this tool anywhere inside your computer, if you're a Microsoft 365 subscriber, you'll be able to use the dictation features there too. The best app to use it on is, of course, Microsoft Word: it even offers file transcription, so you can upload a WAV or MP3 file and turn it into text. The engine is the same, provided by Microsoft Speech Services.

Windows 11 Speech Recognition price: Included with Windows 11. Also available as part of the Microsoft 365 subscription.

Windows 11 Speech Recognition accuracy: 95%. I tested it in Windows 11 while using Microsoft Word. 

Windows 11 Speech Recognition languages supported : 11 languages and dialects .

Best customizable dictation software

Dragon by nuance (android, ios, macos, windows).

In 1990, Dragon Dictate emerged as the first dictation software. Over three decades later, we have Dragon by Nuance, a leader in the industry and a distant cousin of that first iteration. With a variety of software packages and mobile apps for different use cases (e.g., legal, medical, law enforcement), Dragon can handle specialized industry vocabulary, and it comes with excellent features, such as the ability to transcribe text from an audio file you upload. 

For this test, I used Dragon Anywhere, Nuance's mobile app, as it's the only version—among otherwise expensive packages—available with a free trial. It includes lots of features not found in the others, like Words, which lets you add words that would be difficult to recognize and spell out. For example, in the script, the word "Litmus'" (with the possessive) gave every app trouble. To avoid this, I added it to Words, trained it a few times with my voice, and was then able to transcribe it accurately.

It also provides shortcuts. If you want to shorten your entire address to one word, go to Auto-Text , give it a name ("address"), and type in your address: 1000 Eichhorn St., Davenport, IA 52722, and hit Save . The next time you dictate and say "address," you'll get the entire thing. Press the comment bubble icon to see text commands while you're dictating, or say "What can I say?" and the command menu pops up. 

Once you complete a dictation, you can email, share (e.g., Google Drive, Dropbox), open in Word, or save to Evernote. You can perform these actions manually or by voice command (e.g., "save to Evernote.") Once you name it, it automatically saves in Documents for later review or sharing. 

Accuracy is good and improves with use, showing that you can definitely train your dragon. It's a great choice if you're serious about dictation and plan to use it every day, but may be a bit too much if you're just using it occasionally.

Dragon by Nuance price: $15/month for Dragon Anywhere (iOS and Android); from $200 to $500 for desktop packages

Dragon by Nuance accuracy: 97%. Tested it in the Dragon Anywhere iOS app.

Dragon by Nuance supported languages: 6 languages and dialects in Dragon Anywhere and 8 languages and dialects in Dragon Desktop.  

Best free mobile dictation software

Gboard (android, ios).

Gboard, also known as Google Keyboard, is a free keyboard native to Android phones. It's also available for iOS: go to the App Store, download the Gboard app , and then activate the keyboard in the settings. In addition to typing, it lets you search the web, translate text, or run a quick Google Maps search.

Back to the topic: it has an excellent dictation feature. To start, press the microphone icon on the top-right of the keyboard. An overlay appears on the screen, filling itself with the words you're saying. It's very quick and accurate, which will feel great for fast-talkers but probably intimidating for the more thoughtful among us. If you stop talking for a few seconds, the overlay disappears, and Gboard pastes what it heard into the app you're using. When this happens, tap the microphone icon again to continue talking.

Wherever you can open a keyboard while using your phone, you can have Gboard supporting you there. You can write emails or notes or use any other app with an input field.

The writer who handled the previous update of this list had been using Gboard for seven years, so it had plenty of training data to adapt to his particular enunciation, landing the accuracy at an amazing 98%. I haven't used it much before, so the best I had was 92% overall. It's still a great score. More than that, it's proof of how dictation apps improve the more you use them.

Gboard price : Free

Gboard accuracy: 92%. With training, it can go up to 98%. I tested it using the iOS app while writing a new email.

Gboard supported languages: 916 languages and dialects .

Best dictation software for typing in Google Docs

Google docs voice typing (web on chrome).

Just like Microsoft offers dictation in their Office products, Google does the same for their Workspace suite. The best place to use the voice typing feature is in Google Docs, but you can also dictate speaker notes in Google Slides as a way to prepare for your presentation.

To get started, make sure you're using Chrome and have a Google Docs file open. Go to Tools > Voice typing , and press the microphone icon to start. As you talk, the text will jitter into existence in the document.

You can change the language in the dropdown on top of the microphone icon. If you need help, hover over that icon, and click the ? on the bottom-right. That will show everything from turning on the mic, the voice commands for dictation, and moving around the document.

It's unclear whether Google's voice typing here is connected to the same engine in Gboard. I wasn't able to confirm whether the training data for the mobile keyboard and this tool are connected in any way. Still, the engines feel very similar and turned out the same accuracy at 92%. If you start using it more often, it may adapt to your particular enunciation and be more accurate in the long run.

Google Docs voice typing price : Free

Google Docs voice typing accuracy: 92%. Tested in a new Google Docs file in Chrome.

Google Docs voice typing supported languages: 118 languages and dialects ; voice commands only available in English.

Google Docs integrates with Zapier , which means you can automatically do things like save form entries to Google Docs, create new documents whenever something happens in your other apps, or create project management tasks for each new document.

Best dictation software for collaboration

Otter (web, android, ios).

Most of the time, you're dictating for yourself: your notes, emails, or documents. But there may be situations in which sharing and collaboration is more important. For those moments, Otter is the better option.

It's not as robust in terms of dictation as others on the list, but it compensates with its versatility. It's a meeting assistant, first and foremost, ready to hop on your meetings and transcribe everything it hears. This is great to keep track of what's happening there, making the text available for sharing by generating a link or in the corresponding team workspace.

The reason why it's the best for collaboration is that others can highlight parts of the transcript and leave their comments. It also separates multiple speakers, in case you're recording a conversation, so that's an extra headache-saver if you use dictation software for interviewing people.

When you open the app and click the Record button on the top-right, you can use it as a traditional dictation app. It doesn't support voice commands, but it has decent intuition as to where the commas and periods should go based on the intonation and rhythm of your voice. Once you're done talking, Otter will start processing what you said, extract keywords, and generate action items and notes from the content of the transcription.

If you're going for long recording stretches where you talk about multiple topics, there's an AI chat option, where you can ask Otter questions about the transcript. This is great to summarize the entire talk, extract insights, and get a different angle on everything you said.

Not all meeting assistants offer dictation, so Otter sits here on this fence between software categories, a jack-of-two-trades, quite good at both. If you want something more specialized for meetings, be sure to check out the best AI meeting assistants . But if you want a pure dictation app with plenty of voice commands and great control over the final result, the other options above will serve you better.

Otter price: Free plan available for 300 minutes / month. Pro plan starts at $16.99, adding more collaboration features and monthly minutes.

Otter accuracy: 93% accuracy. I tested it in the web app on my computer.

Otter supported languages: Only American and British English for now.

Is voice dictation for you?

Dictation software isn't for everyone. It will likely take practice learning to "write" out loud because it will feel unnatural. But once you get comfortable with it, you'll be able to write from anywhere on any device without the need for a keyboard. 

And by using any of the apps I listed here, you can feel confident that most of what you dictate will be accurately captured on the screen. 

Related reading:

The best transcription services

Catch typos by making your computer read to you

Why everyone should try the accessibility features on their computer

What is Otter.ai?

The best voice recording apps for iPhone

This article was originally published in April 2016 and has also had contributions from Emily Esposito, Jill Duffy, and Chris Hawkins. The most recent update was in November 2023.

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Miguel Rebelo

Miguel Rebelo is a freelance writer based in London, UK. He loves technology, video games, and huge forests. Track him down at mirebelo.com.

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Home / Book Writing / The Best Dictation Software for Authors in 2024

The Best Dictation Software for Authors in 2024

Which dictation software is best for you?

The best voice dictation software for authors is Dragon Professional Individual , with Dragon Home as a slightly cheaper option if you don't need to write on the go.

If you are looking for a free option: Windows Speech Recognition, Apple Dictation, and Google Doc Voice Typing are all great options.

• The different features that make each software unique
• Why you should choose Nuance’s Dragon products
• Which free options are the best for you
• A few additional Dragon alternatives

Table of contents

• What is Dictation Software?
• Why Use Dictation Software?
• A Side by Side Comparison
• Dragon Home
• Dragon Professional Individual
• Windows 10 Speech Recognition
• Apple Dictation
• Google Docs Voice Typing
• Braina Dictation Software
• Dragon Anywhere
• So Which is the Best Dictation Program for Writers?
• How accurate are speech-to-text programs?
• Can you write a book using dictation?
• Are dictation programs expensive?
• Does Dragon Dictation Need the Internet?
• Can Dragon Dictation transcribe audio files?
• How much does Dragon dictation software cost?
• What is the best dictation software for Mac?

Dictation software, as it is relevant for authors, is an app or program that allows you to write a book with your voice.

It can significantly speed up the writing process, at least after you've gotten used to how it works, and is a great alternative for authors who choose not to type, or who can't type due to complications from something like carpal tunnel.

There are many different platforms on the market, but the most commonly used for dictating books is the suite of software from Nuance known as Dragon Dictation.

However, most major platforms have some kind of inbuilt technology for voice to speech, and those versions are free. In this article, we will be looking at some of the pros and cons of each, and why you might want to spend the extra money for a really good dictation software.

Why should you use dictation software? The simple answer is because you will write faster.

Now, before you come at me saying that you tried dictation software in the past, and it didn't work for you, let me just say that this is totally normal. Dictation does not work for a lot of different authors.

That said, a lot of authors have found that dictation considerably frees up their writing process, and gives them extra time to either write more, or spend more time with family, friends, and other pursuits. And just think of when the computer first became a viable upgrade from the typewriter. There were (and still are) people who refused to upgrade because of what they were used to. But technology changes, and with a little adaptation, we can use it to improve our process.

In short, dictation software allows you to do one of three things:

• increase the amount of words you are able to write
• decrease the amount of time it takes you to write
• protect your hands from carpal tunnel or general fatigue

For example, if you find you write 1000 words a day in the time that you have, imagine if you could double that each day. 2000 words a day is 730,000 words in a year, which is at least 10 books if not more.

Or imagine if you could write that thousand words in half the time, what would you do with that extra time?

Personally, I find both of those options to be very attractive. So without further ado, let's look at the best dictation software for authors, so you can get off to a good start.

First, let’s take a look at a side-by-side comparison of all the leading software. I didn’t pick every single speech to text platform out there, but I did pick those that were most relevant for authors.

Price: $200

Platforms: Windows

Accuracy Score: A+

Best For: Most authors who use a PC

• Works in browsers, Word, and any text field
• Boasts 99% accuracy (and that's about right)
• Has a playback feature
• Easy to add new words, specific jargon, to tailor to your needs
• Very pricey
• Takes time to adjust to your voice
• Missing some key features in Dragon Professional
• Does not support Mac

Dragon Home (formally Dragon NaturallySpeaking) is my go-to recommendation for most authors. It's not cheap, but it's the best accuracy and value that money can buy, with just a few missing features that can only be found in Dragon Professional Individual.

However, most authors will not need Dragon Professional Individual, or won't want to pay the additional $300. In all truth, Dragon Home provides you with everything you need for enhanced dictation.

Dragon provides a high degree of accuracy, and one of its best features is the way you can train it to understand your pronunciation, your voice, and even specific words that might not be common in your language. For example, if you use unusual names in your book, you can train Dragon to recognize what it sounds like when you speak those names, so that it will accurately use them in the text.

Once you get used to it, you can easily speak at a normal, conversational rate, and Dragon will have no trouble with it.

Unfortunately, Dragon is not available on Mac, so you will have to use another alternative, which I get into below.

But when it comes to quality, there really is nothing better.

Price: $500

Best For: Authors who want to dictate on the go

• All the same pros as Dragon Home
• An incredible accuracy rating
• The ability to transcribe recordings
• Extremely pricey
• Like Dragon Home, it can take some time to learn your voice
• Not available on Mac

Dragon Professional Individual is the cream of the crop, it is your best option for dictation. Period.

The problem, though, is the hefty price tag. It used to be that Dragon Professional Individual cost about $300. Now that cost has increased to $500.

That’s a steep price to ask of anyone who just wants to dictate a book.

That is why I recommend Dragon Home for most authors, but Dragon Professional Individual for a select group of authors that have specific needs or desires.

The one feature that sets this program apart from Dragon Home, in my opinion, is the ability to transcribe audio recordings.

The reason this is such a big deal is because it allows you to be mobile. You can take your phone, or whatever audio recording equipment you want, with you on a walk, on a road trip, or literally wherever you want. Then you can take that audio recording, plug it into Dragon, and it will do the transcription for you.

This is also effective, if you are a podcaster, YouTuber, or have any other need to transcribe audio files.

In short, this is the one reason why I might suggest getting Dragon Professional Individual over Dragon Home.

There are a few more advantages, such as the ability to sync your customizations with the Dragon Anywhere mobile dictation app, but most authors will not need these types of extras.

All that being said, I can understand that the price is a hang up. That is why, for the next few suggestions, I've picked completely free options.

Price: Free

Accuracy Score: B+

Best For: Windows users seeking a free option

• Possibly the most accurate free version
• Learns and adapts to your voice
• Has custom language models for different dialects and terminologies
• Does not need the cloud to operate
• Not as accurate as Dragon
• Can take a long time to train
• Doesn't have the advanced adaptation of Dragon

The three free options that I have listed here are all very similar to each other. The question of which you use will likely be dependent on what platform you have.

That said, of all the free options, Windows Speech Recognition is possibly the best. The reason for this is that Microsoft owns Nuance, the creators of Dragon software, so you can expect it to share some technology. That's not to say that the free version of Windows Speech Recognition is just as good as Dragon, or the same technology as Dragon. Instead, it uses similar machine learning to understand what you're saying, but lacks the advanced adaptation and AI to really be a competitor with Dragon.

This tool has a substantial advantage over Dragon in that it is free, which for most authors is a huge selling point.

And for a free program, Windows 10 speech recognition does a great job.

I tested it briefly, and can accurately say that it did the job. It was not as accurate as using any of the Dragon products, but a little bit of editing would fix that up neatly.

So if you are a Windows user, and you do not have the funds to spend on the Dragon products, then I highly recommend giving this one a shot.

Perhaps you do not even know if you want to dictate your books, which is another reason why you might want to use a free program like this one. It's a great way to at least start out learning how to dictate.

Then perhaps, once you have mastered the basics, and are sure that voice recognition is right for you, then you can move on to Dragon Home or Dragon Professional Individual.

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Platforms: Macintosh

Accuracy Score: B

Best For: Mac users seeking a free option

• Is available for free
• Has decent accuracy for a free program
• Is available for Mac users
• Does not need an Internet connection (unless you're using an iOS app)
• Is not as accurate as the Dragon software, or even the free Windows version
• The iOS app can only handle 40 seconds at a time
• Lacks the advanced adaptation features of Dragon

The Mac equivalent of Windows Speech Recognition is Apple Dictation or Siri if you’re using an iPhone.

On the whole, it does about as well as any other free feature, but since Dragon is owned by Windows, the Apple version has to create its own speech to text software, which is not nearly as accurate as the Windows product or the Dragon products.

However, if you are a Mac user, there are few better options out there. And this option is free.

So if you are a Apple user, I do highly recommend using Apple Dictation is your primary source of dictating software. It has a lot of the same features that you'll find in Windows dictation or in Google Docs Voice Typing, including voice recognition and adaptation, and an acceptable degree of accuracy.

As mentioned it will not be as good as the Dragon software, but as long as you're okay with the additional editing, it shouldn't be too much of a problem.

The sad reality is, there really isn't a better option for Mac users. Dragon used to have an available software, but they have since discontinued its use.

Platforms: Web Browser

Best For: Authors seeking a free option

• The accuracy is decent
• Can be used on a wide variety of platforms
• The accuracy is not perfect
• Requires an Internet connection to use

Like the other two free options above, you can use Google Docs Voice Typing with a relatively decent degree of accuracy. Voice typing in Google Docs is backed by… Google, so you know that you've got a powerhouse tech company behind this software.

Unlike the first two free options on this list, Google Docs is available on virtually any platform that has an Internet connection. That means you can use it on a Mac machine, on a Windows machine, Linux, or Chromebook.

The big downside here is that you must have an Internet connection for it to work. So if you're used to doing your writing with the Wi-Fi turned off, then you're out of luck, and I would recommend using the Windows or Mac equivalent instead.

That said, the accuracy and basic functionality of Google's voice to text software is not all that different from what Windows and Apple have.

In fact, all three of these software's could really be considered to be about the same, will with the real differentiator being the platform on which they are used.

Personally, before I switched to Atticus , I used Google Docs as my primary form of writing, so I did make use of Google Docs dictation. However I found the accuracy to be less than what I wanted to be worth all of the editing required, so I eventually converted to Dragon Professional Individual.

But Google Docs dictation is a great place to start and get a sense of what voice dictation is like, just like the other two programs about.

Price: $79/year, Lifetime of $199

Accuracy Score: A-

Best For: Authors who have other needs besides book dictation

• Has a variety of features to control your PC through voice command
• Allows for multiple languages
• The accuracy is pretty good
• Cheaper than Dragon
• Requires an Internet connection
• Not designed for long-form dictation

Braina dictation software is probably the second best on this list. However, it's not one that I would recommend to most authors, due to the fact that it is not designed with long form dictation in mind.

Now, you can use long form dictation, but the primary purpose of Braina is to be a virtual assistant for those that need it.

It excels at tasks such as controlling your computer, searching through music and media files, opening programs and files, and taking notes.

The degree of accuracy is second only to Dragon, in my opinion, which makes it an attractive option. Add to that the lifetime price is only $200, which is $100 cheaper than Dragon Home. So in that sense, it may be worth it to you.

However, it's only available for PC, and I would still consider it of subpar standard when compared to Dragon. If you want my recommendation, use one of the free programs until you can afford Dragon Home or Dragon Professional Individual.

Price: Free version or $8.33/month

Best For: Authors who write less and want a more accurate free version

• Has a free version
• Has one of the best accuracy scores for a free program
• Excellent for podcasts, business meetings, and integrating with Zoom
• Not designed for writers
• Limitations on the free version

Otter.ai is a relative newcomer to the speech recognition software space, but already it's doing rather well.

The best perk about otter, is that it has one of the best accuracy scores of any software on this list, excluding the Dragon software.

It's also free, but only up to 600 minutes of transcribing a month. For some authors, that will be enough. But for authors who make a living selling books, or who write significantly each month, you will definitely need more than 600 minutes.

The Pro plan starts at $8.33 a month, which gives you unlimited transcription time.

The best part about otter, is that it is built on a similar AI/miss machine learning set up to Dragon, which accounts for much of its accuracy. I might even say that is slightly more accurate than Windows speech recognition.

So this might be a software that you might want to check out, even though it is not designed for writers . But since it does have a free option, and the accuracy is good, it might be a good one to consider.

One thing to note, though, is that otter.AI does not have verbal commands for punctuation, line-breaks, etc. It was primarily diet designed transcribed meetings and podcasts, and other similar sound files. However, it does add its own punctuation automatically, which is something that other programs do not do. However, I think you will find that a lot of its automatic punctuation is not accurate, and will require editing later on.

For that reason, I still recommend the other free options above, or the Dragon products if you're willing to spend money.

Price: $14.99/month

Platforms: iOS and android

Best For: Mac users, or authors on the go

• Easily the best mobile app for dictation
• Has the same dictation technology backing the other Dragon products
• Lets you add custom vocabulary
• Must be bought separately

I had to end with Dragon Anywhere , the mobile version of the Dragon voice recognition software.

I actually used Dragon Anywhere for some time, because I wanted to take my dictation out on the go, and at the time I had a Mac and could not afford Dragon Professional Individual to transcribe audio files.

And if that describes you, then you might want to give Dragon Anywhere a try. It has the same technology and AI machine learning that you will get with Dragon home or Dragon Professional Individual, but without this deep upfront price.

If you are a Mac user, I might actually recommend this is your best paid option, because it's the only way to get that Dragon technology to work on an Apple product.

That said, it does have a few drawbacks. For one I did not find it to have the same level of accuracy that you might find in Dragon's flagship products. It also requires an Internet connection, and your phone must be open on the app the whole time.

What this means is that if you plan to take it hiking to some remote location, and you turn your screen off, or you lose your cellular coverage, then you are out of luck.

On the flipside, if you are writing from your home, in a controlled audio environment, with a decent microphone, that you are likely to see a lot more success.

One perk that actually isn't as attractive as it's cracked up to be, is the fact that it syncs with Dragon Professional Individual. What this means is that the training that you have given Dragon using its flagship product, will be transferred to the Dragon app to improve accuracy. The problem is, you need to own both software's. So if you've already shelled out the $500 it takes to get Dragon Professional Individual, you will still need to pay the $15 a month for your use of Dragon Anywhere. And you don't even need to do this, because Dragon Professional Individual will transcribe audio recordings. So if you want to record on the go, all you need is a microphone and a way to record your voice while you're out. So the need for both software platforms is completely unnecessary.

That's why I recommend Dragon Anywhere mostly for Mac users, or for someone who wants to test out Dragon's technology without paying the huge upfront cost. Just know that Dragon Anywhere is still slightly inferior to Dragon Home and Dragon Professional Individual.

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If you are willing to spend the money, I recommend Dragon Home. For those who want to write on the go I recommend Dragon Professional Individual.

If you do not have the money, or use a Mac, then I would recommend one of the speech recognition software that comes with your machine. Or you could use an app like Dragon Anywhere to fit most of your needs.

But even then, I would use this as a way to test out dictation to see if it's right for you. If you decide that it is, I would still highly recommend you save up and use the money on one of the Dragon products.

Additional Information on Speech to Text Software

There are a number of specific questions that a lot of people have about the software platforms, so let me answer a few of them in quick succession.

Most are reasonably accurate, but the best come with the biggest price tag. Even the best software will not be 100% accurate. Dictation requires editing afterward to make sure everything is okay.

Yes you can, in fact many do. This is especially true in the self-publishing world, where speed of writing is imperative. Voice recognition software allows authors to write their books and a lot less time, at least after they've gotten used to the new method of writing.

There are plenty of free versions, but the best speech recognition software does cost money, in some cases a lot of money.

Dragon Home and Dragon Professional Individual do not require an Internet connection. If you are using the mobile app Dragon Anywhere, you will need an Internet connection for that app.

Dragon Professional Individual can transcribe audio files. Dragon Home and Dragon Anywhere, the other two dominant Dragon platforms, do not transcribe audio files.

Dragon Home costs $200. Dragon Professional Individual cost $500. The mobile app Dragon Anywhere costs $14.99 a month.

The best voice recognition software solution for Mac users is the built in Apple Dictation software, but they can also use the Dragon Anywhere app to similar effect. This is the only way to use a Dragon dictation tool if you are an Apple user.

Jason Hamilton

When I’m not sipping tea with princesses or lightsaber dueling with little Jedi, I’m a book marketing nut. Having consulted multiple publishing companies and NYT best-selling authors, I created Kindlepreneur to help authors sell more books. I’ve even been called “The Kindlepreneur” by Amazon publicly, and I’m here to help you with your author journey.

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Notta Speech to Text Apps for Writers

Transcribe interviews, podcasts, and thoughts out loud with real-time transcription. Convert speech audio with the best dictation software for writers.

Be one of 1,000,000+ Productive Notta Users

How Writers Can Convert Speech to Text with Notta

Once you’ve logged in, head to the dashboard. From here, you can start a new transcription, or view all recordings and their transcripts in the future.

On the right-hand side of the dashboard, you’ll find a transcription menu. You can choose to record directly into Notta using your favorite microphone by clicking ‘record an audio’, or upload an existing audio file with ‘import files’. If you record directly, the real-time transcription starts immediately and you can stop it at any time using the player at the bottom of the screen. If you want to upload a file, you can either drag and drop an audio file from your device or paste a link to audio stored online.

Once your transcription is ready, you can edit it further. Add notes, images, change the names of the speakers, and make corrections to the transcript text. All changes save automatically to your Notta account, so you can access them. When you’re ready to use your transcript, click ‘download’.

Why Should Writers Choose Notta?

Notta’s AI summary tool can analyze your transcript and create an automated summary in seconds, including a condensed version of your transcript, important chapters, and action points.

We’re constantly improving the accuracy of our voice recognition with advanced machine-learning algorithms. With a high-quality audio file, Notta can transcribe with up to 98.86% accuracy, making it one of the most accurate dictation apps for writers.

We protect your data by encrypting it with AWS' RDP and S3 services. Notta strictly complies with SSL, GDPR, APPI, and CCPA security regulations.

Our voice recognition can detect and convert 58 languages from audio to text and translate them into 42 languages.

Work on multiple devices—Notta supports Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad, Android tablets, and web browsers such as Google Chrome, Safari, Microsoft Edge, and Firefox.

Notta captures and converts audio to text in real-time, transcribing ongoing conversations such as webinars, podcasts, and interviews. Invite Notta to join live meetings in Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom to transcribe as you speak. Already got a conversation recorded? Upload it and Notta can transcribe that, too.

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“I didn’t realize how much time I could save dictating my thoughts and recordings instead of writing it all out manually. As a journalist, I have to interview a lot of people and it used to take hours to listen to everything and write it out correctly. Notta helps save me time because I can just focus on writing quality pieces while the automatic transcription is done for me.”

I spend every night writing my book. So much so that I was beginning to get sore wrists and hands from typing. Recording me speaking to give my hands a break is actually much faster than typing, even though there are some words that don’t quite transcribe correctly. It’s no big deal as I need to go back through and edit my work anyway. Notta has been really helpful for that.

“Writing reports is a lot easier when I can just have Notta transcribe meeting audio and then create a summary with the AI tool. It helps me remember important points that I have to include, but doesn’t take anywhere near as long as it would if I had to listen to the whole meeting and take notes manually.”

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Best speech-to-text app of 2024

Free, paid and online voice recognition apps and services

Best overall

Best for business, best for mobile, best text service, best speech recognition, best virtual assistant, best for cloud, best for azure, best for batch conversion, best free speech to text apps, best mobile speech to text apps.

• How we test

The best speech-to-text apps make it simple and easy to convert speech into text, for both desktop and mobile devices.

1. Best overall 2. Best for business 3. Best for mobile 4. Best text service 5. Best speech recognition 6. Best virtual assistant 7. Best for cloud 8. Best for Azure 9. Best for batch conversion 10. Best free speech to text apps 11. Best mobile speech to text apps 12. FAQs 13. How we test

Speech-to-text used to be regarded as very niche, specifically serving either people with accessibility needs or for  dictation . However, speech-to-text is moving more and more into the mainstream as office work can now routinely be completed more simply and easily by using voce-recognition software, rather than having to type through members, and speaking aloud for text to be recorded is now quite common.

While the best speech to text software used to be specifically only for desktops, the development of mobile devices and the explosion of easily accessible apps means that transcription can now also be carried out on a  smartphone  or  tablet . 

This has made the best voice to text applications increasingly valuable to users in a range of different environments, from education to business. This is not least because the technology has matured to the level where mistakes in transcriptions are relatively rare, with some services rightly boasting a 99.9% success rate from clear audio.

Even still, this applies mainly to ordinary situations and circumstances, and precludes the use of technical terminology such as required in legal or medical professions. Despite this, digital transcription can still service needs such as basic  note-taking  which can still be easily done using a phone app, simplifying the dictation process.

However, different speech-to-text programs have different levels of ability and complexity, with some using advanced machine learning to constantly correct errors flagged up by users so that they are not repeated. Others are downloadable software which is only as good as its latest update.

Here then are the best in speech-to-text recognition programs, which should be more than capable for most situations and circumstances.

We've also featured the best voice recognition software .

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The best paid for speech to text apps of 2024 in full:

Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

1. Dragon Anywhere

Our expert review:

Reasons to buy

Reasons to avoid.

Dragon Anywhere is the Nuance mobile product for Android and iOS devices, however this is no ‘lite’ app, but rather offers fully-formed dictation capabilities powered via the cloud. 

So essentially you get the same excellent speech recognition as seen on the desktop software – the only meaningful difference we noticed was a very slight delay in our spoken words appearing on the screen (doubtless due to processing in the cloud). However, note that the app was still responsive enough overall.

It also boasts support for boilerplate chunks of text which can be set up and inserted into a document with a simple command, and these, along with custom vocabularies, are synced across the mobile app and desktop Dragon software. Furthermore, you can share documents across devices via Evernote or cloud services (such as Dropbox).

This isn’t as flexible as the desktop application, however, as dictation is limited to within Dragon Anywhere – you can’t dictate directly in another app (although you can copy over text from the Dragon Anywhere dictation pad to a third-party app). The other caveats are the need for an internet connection for the app to work (due to its cloud-powered nature), and the fact that it’s a subscription offering with no one-off purchase option, which might not be to everyone’s tastes.

Even bearing in mind these limitations, though, it’s a definite boon to have fully-fledged, powerful voice recognition of the same sterling quality as the desktop software, nestling on your phone or tablet for when you’re away from the office.

Nuance Communications offers a 7-day free trial to give the app a try before you commit to a subscription. 

Read our full Dragon Anywhere review .

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2. Dragon Professional

Should you be looking for a business-grade dictation application, your best bet is Dragon Professional. Aimed at pro users, the software provides you with the tools to dictate and edit documents, create spreadsheets, and browse the web using your voice.   

According to Nuance, the solution is capable of taking dictation at an equivalent typing speed of 160 words per minute, with a 99% accuracy rate – and that’s out-of-the-box, before any training is done (whereby the app adapts to your voice and words you commonly use).

As well as creating documents using your voice, you can also import custom word lists. There’s also an additional mobile app that lets you transcribe audio files and send them back to your computer.   

This is a powerful, flexible, and hugely useful tool that is especially good for individuals, such as professionals and freelancers, allowing for typing and document management to be done much more flexibly and easily.

Overall, the interface is easy to use, and if you get stuck at all, you can access a series of help tutorials. And while the software can seem expensive, it's just a one-time fee and compares very favorably with paid-for subscription transcription services.

Also note that Nuance are currently offering 12-months' access to Dragon Anywhere at no extra cost with any purchase of Dragon Home or Dragon Professional Individual.

Read our full Dragon Professional review .

Otter is a cloud-based speech to text program especially aimed for mobile use, such as on a laptop or smartphone. The app provides real-time transcription, allowing you to search, edit, play, and organize as required.

Otter is marketed as an app specifically for meetings, interviews, and lectures, to make it easier to take rich notes. However, it is also built to work with collaboration between teams, and different speakers are assigned different speaker IDs to make it easier to understand transcriptions.

There are three different payment plans, with the basic one being free to use and aside from the features mentioned above also includes keyword summaries and a wordcloud to make it easier to find specific topic mentions. You can also organize and share, import audio and video for transcription, and provides 600 minutes of free service.

The Premium plan also includes advanced and bulk export options, the ability to sync audio from Dropbox, additional playback speeds including the ability to skip silent pauses. The Premium plan also allows for up to 6,000 minutes of speech to text.

The Teams plan also adds two-factor authentication, user management and centralized billing, as well as user statistics, voiceprints, and live captioning.

Read our full Otter review .

Verbit aims to offer a smarter speech to text service, using AI for transcription and captioning. The service is specifically targeted at enterprise and educational establishments.

Verbit uses a mix of speech models, using neural networks and algorithms to reduce background noise, focus on terms as well as differentiate between speakers regardless of accent, as well as incorporate contextual events such as news and company information into recordings.

Although Verbit does offer a live version for transcription and captioning, aiming for a high degree of accuracy, other plans offer human editors to ensure transcriptions are fully accurate, and advertise a four hour turnaround time.

Altogether, while Verbit does offer a direct speech to text service, it’s possibly better thought of as a transcription service, but the focus on enterprise and education, as well as team use, means it earns a place here as an option to consider.

Read our full Verbit review .

5. Speechmatics

Speechmatics offers a machine learning solution to converting speech to text, with its automatic speech recognition solution available to use on existing audio and video files as well as for live use.

Unlike some automated transcription software which can struggle with accents or charge more for them, Speechmatics advertises itself as being able to support all major British accents, regardless of nationality. That way it aims to cope with not just different American and British English accents, but also South African and Jamaican accents.

Speechmatics offers a wider number of speech to text transcription uses than many other providers. Examples include taking call center phone recordings and converting them into searchable text or Word documents. The software also works with video and other media for captioning as well as using keyword triggers for management.

Overall, Speechmatics aims to offer a more flexible and comprehensive speech to text service than a lot of other providers, and the use of automation should keep them price competitive.

Read our full Speechmatics review .

6. Braina Pro

Braina Pro is speech recognition software which is built not just for dictation, but also as an all-round digital assistant to help you achieve various tasks on your PC. It supports dictation to third-party software in not just English but almost 90 different languages, with impressive voice recognition chops.

Beyond that, it’s a virtual assistant that can be instructed to set alarms, search your PC for a file, or search the internet, play an MP3 file, read an ebook aloud, plus you can implement various custom commands.

The Windows program also has a companion Android app which can remotely control your PC, and use the local Wi-Fi network to deliver commands to your computer, so you can spark up a music playlist, for example, wherever you happen to be in the house. Nifty.

There’s a free version of Braina which comes with limited functionality, but includes all the basic PC commands, along with a 7-day trial of the speech recognition which allows you to test out its powers for yourself before you commit to a subscription. Yes, this is another subscription-only product with no option to purchase for a one-off fee. Also note that you need to be online and have Google ’s Chrome browser installed for speech recognition functionality to work.

Read our full Braina Pro review .

7. Amazon Transcribe

Amazon Transcribe is as big cloud-based automatic speech recognition platform developed specifically to convert audio to text for apps. It especially aims to provide a more accurate and comprehensive service than traditional providers, such as being able to cope with low-fi and noisy recordings, such as you might get in a contact center .

Amazon Transcribe uses a deep learning process that automatically adds punctuation and formatting, as well as process with a secure livestream or otherwise transcribe speech to text with batch processing.

As well as offering time stamping for individual words for easy search, it can also identify different speaks and different channels and annotate documents accordingly to account for this.

There are also some nice features for editing and managing transcribed texts, such as vocabulary filtering and replacement words which can be used to keep product names consistent and therefore any following transcription easier to analyze.

Overall, Amazon Transcribe is one of the most powerful platforms out there, though it’s aimed more for the business and enterprise user rather than the individual.

8. Microsoft Azure Speech to Text

Microsoft 's Azure cloud service offers advanced speech recognition as part of the platform's speech services to deliver the Microsoft Azure Speech to Text functionality. 

This feature allows you to simply and easily create text from a variety of audio sources. There are also customization options available to work better with different speech patterns, registers, and even background sounds. You can also modify settings to handle different specialist vocabularies, such as product names, technical information, and place names.

The Microsoft's Azure Speech to Text feature is powered by deep neural network models and allows for real-time audio transcription that can be set up to handle multiple speakers.

As part of the Azure cloud service, you can run Azure Speech to Text in the cloud, on premises, or in edge computing. In terms of pricing, you can run the feature in a free container with a single concurrent request for up to 5 hours of free audio per month.

Read our full Microsoft Azure Speech to Text review .

9. IBM Watson Speech to Text

IBM's Watson Speech to Text works is the third cloud-native solution on this list, with the feature being powered by AI and machine learning as part of IBM's cloud services.

While there is the option to transcribe speech to text in real-time, there is also the option to batch convert audio files and process them through a range of language, audio frequency, and other output options.

You can also tag transcriptions with speaker labels, smart formatting, and timestamps, as well as apply global editing for technical words or phrases, acronyms, and for number use.

As with other cloud services Watson Speech to Text allows for easy deployment both in the cloud and on-premises behind your own firewall to ensure security is maintained.

Read our full Watson Speech to Text review .

1. Google Gboard

If you already have an Android mobile device, then if it's not already installed then download Google Keyboard from the Google Play store and you'll have an instant text-to-speech app. Although it's primarily designed as a keyboard for physical input, it also has a speech input option which is directly available. And because all the power of Google's hardware is behind it, it's a powerful and responsive tool.

If that's not enough then there are additional features. Aside from physical input ones such as swiping, you can also trigger images in your text using voice commands. Additionally, it can also work with Google Translate, and is advertised as providing support for over 60 languages.

Even though Google Keyboard isn't a dedicated transcription tool, as there are no shortcut commands or text editing directly integrated, it does everything you need from a basic transcription tool. And as it's a keyboard, it means should be able to work with any software you can run on your Android smartphone, so you can text edit, save, and export using that. Even better, it's free and there are no adverts to get in the way of you using it.

2. Just Press Record

If you want a dedicated dictation app, it’s worth checking out Just Press Record. It’s a mobile audio recorder that comes with features such as one tap recording, transcription and iCloud syncing across devices. The great thing is that it’s aimed at pretty much anyone and is extremely easy to use. 

When it comes to recording notes, all you have to do is press one button, and you get unlimited recording time. However, the really great thing about this app is that it also offers a powerful transcription service. 

Through it, you can quickly and easily turn speech into searchable text. Once you’ve transcribed a file, you can then edit it from within the app. There’s support for more than 30 languages as well, making it the perfect app if you’re working abroad or with an international team. Another nice feature is punctuation command recognition, ensuring that your transcriptions are free from typos.   

This app is underpinned by cloud technology, meaning you can access notes from any device (which is online). You’re able to share audio and text files to other iOS apps too, and when it comes to organizing them, you can view recordings in a comprehensive file. 

3. Speechnotes

Speechnotes is yet another easy to use dictation app. A useful touch here is that you don’t need to create an account or anything like that; you just open up the app and press on the microphone icon, and you’re off.   

The app is powered by Google voice recognition tech. When you’re recording a note, you can easily dictate punctuation marks through voice commands, or by using the built-in punctuation keyboard. 

To make things even easier, you can quickly add names, signatures, greetings and other frequently used text by using a set of custom keys on the built-in keyboard. There’s automatic capitalization as well, and every change made to a note is saved to the cloud.

When it comes to customizing notes, you can access a plethora of fonts and text sizes. The app is free to download from the Google Play Store , but you can make in-app purchases to access premium features (there's also a browser version for Chrome).   

Read our full Speechnotes review .

4. Transcribe

Marketed as a personal assistant for turning videos and voice memos into text files, Transcribe is a popular dictation app that’s powered by AI. It lets you make high quality transcriptions by just hitting a button.   

The app can transcribe any video or voice memo automatically, while supporting over 80 languages from across the world. While you can easily create notes with Transcribe, you can also import files from services such as Dropbox.

Once you’ve transcribed a file, you can export the raw text to a word processor to edit. The app is free to download, but you’ll have to make an in-app purchase if you want to make the most of these features in the long-term. There is a trial available, but it’s basically just 15 minutes of free transcription time. Transcribe is only available on iOS, though.   

5. Windows Speech Recognition

If you don’t want to pay for speech recognition software, and you’re running Microsoft’s latest desktop OS, then you might be pleased to hear that speech-to-text is built into Windows.

Windows Speech Recognition, as it’s imaginatively named – and note that this is something different to Cortana, which offers basic commands and assistant capabilities – lets you not only execute commands via voice control, but also offers the ability to dictate into documents.

The sort of accuracy you get isn’t comparable with that offered by the likes of Dragon, but then again, you’re paying nothing to use it. It’s also possible to improve the accuracy by training the system by reading text, and giving it access to your documents to better learn your vocabulary. It’s definitely worth indulging in some training, particularly if you intend to use the voice recognition feature a fair bit.

The company has been busy boasting about its advances in terms of voice recognition powered by deep neural networks, especially since windows 10 and now for Windows 11 , and Microsoft is certainly priming us to expect impressive things in the future. The likely end-goal aim is for Cortana to do everything eventually, from voice commands to taking dictation.

Turn on Windows Speech Recognition by heading to the Control Panel (search for it, or right click the Start button and select it), then click on Ease of Access, and you will see the option to ‘start speech recognition’ (you’ll also spot the option to set up a microphone here, if you haven’t already done that).

Aside from what has already been covered above, there are an increasing number of apps available across all mobile devices for working with speech to text, not least because Google's speech recognition technology is available for use. 

iTranslate Translator  is a speech-to-text app for iOS with a difference, in that it focuses on translating voice languages. Not only does it aim to translate different languages you hear into text for your own language, it also works to translate images such as photos you might take of signs in a foreign country and get a translation for them. In that way, iTranslate is a very different app, that takes the idea of speech-to-text in a novel direction, and by all accounts, does it well. 

ListNote Speech-to-Text Notes  is another speech-to-text app that uses Google's speech recognition software, but this time does a more comprehensive job of integrating it with a note-taking program than many other apps. The text notes you record are searchable, and you can import/export with other text applications. Additionally there is a password protection option, which encrypts notes after the first 20 characters so that the beginning of the notes are searchable by you. There's also an organizer feature for your notes, using category or assigned color. The app is free on Android, but includes ads.

Voice Notes  is a simple app that aims to convert speech to text for making notes. This is refreshing, as it mixes Google's speech recognition technology with a simple note-taking app, so there are more features to play with here. You can categorize notes, set reminders, and import/export text accordingly.

SpeechTexter  is another speech-to-text app that aims to do more than just record your voice to a text file. This app is built specifically to work with social media, so that rather than sending messages, emails, Tweets, and similar, you can record your voice directly to the social media sites and send. There are also a number of language packs you can download for offline working if you want to use more than just English, which is handy.

Also consider reading these related software and app guides:

• Best text-to-speech software
• Best transcription services
• Best Bluetooth headsets

Speech-to-text app FAQs

Which speech-to-text app is best for you.

When deciding which speech-to-text app to use, first consider what your actual needs are, as free and budget  options may only provide basic features, so if you need to use advanced tools you may find a paid-for platform is better suited to you. Additionally, higher-end software can usually cater for every need, so do ensure you have a good idea of which features you think you may require from your speech-to-text app.

How we tested the best speech-to-text apps

To test for the best speech-to-text apps we first set up an account with the relevant platform, then we tested the service to see how the software could be used for different purposes and in different situations. The aim was to push each speech-to-text platform to see how useful its basic tools were and also how easy it was to get to grips with any more advanced tools.

Read more on how we test, rate, and review products on TechRadar .

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Brian has over 30 years publishing experience as a writer and editor across a range of computing, technology, and marketing titles. He has been interviewed multiple times for the BBC and been a speaker at international conferences. His specialty on techradar is Software as a Service (SaaS) applications, covering everything from office suites to IT service tools. He is also a science fiction and fantasy author, published as Brian G Turner.

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Speak Your Book: Dictation Software to Write Faster

POSTED ON Jul 14, 2021

Written by Gloria Russell

The use of dictation software might not sound controversial. However…

For those of you who stay blessedly out of toxic internet circles: there used to be, and in some places still is, a debate as to whether audiobooks count as ‘real books,’ and whether listening to an audiobook counts as ‘real reading.’ Obviously, listening to an audiobook is still consuming the book–there’s more than one way to read, it turns out, and audiobooks make reading more accessible. 

As it happens, there’s also more than one way to write. Every author has their preference, whether it be keyboard, longhand, or even typewriter, but we often forget that for most of human history, stories were told orally, and weren’t written down at all. 

And in the twenty-first century, there’s a way to keep telling stories out loud while also writing them down–have you heard of dictation software? 

This guide to dictation software covers:

• What is dictation software?

Should I use dictation software?

• Dictation software for writing books
• Free – Apple Dictation
• Free – Google Docs
• Free – Speechnotes
• Free – Speechtexter
• Paid – Dragon Professional
• Paid – Dragon Anywhere
• Paid – Braina Pro
• Paid – Microsoft Word

What is dictation software? 

Dictation software is software that listens to what you’re saying and writes it down. Sometimes, it also uses voice commands to perform tasks on a computer–something like Siri or Alexa uses dictation software to translate what you’re saying into a command that can turn on your lights or order groceries. 

Essentially, it lets you transcribe your work. You say it out loud, just as you would write it, and the software types it up for you. This might sound newfangled, but it’s actually pretty standard. 

There’s a long history of authors dictating their work. John Milton, for example, dictated all of his work after going completely blind (since he was writing in the 1650’s, though, he had other people transcribe for him in lieu of Google Voice to Text). Dan Brown, author of The Da Vinci Code, claims to have used dictation software to write his rough drafts. 

There are plenty of reasons why an author might choose to dictate their book .

We’ll go through a few of those reasons, and then we’ll talk about some free software options to try, as well as some paid options. 

Well, it can’t hurt to try, regardless of your background. Some writers like to use a mix of longhand and typing to write their work, while others swear by one or the other–I personally like to use longhand for outlining or brainstorming, since longhand forces me to slow down and think through my work. For a rough draft, on the other hand, I like to type, since I want to get the words down as soon as possible. 

That being said, there are a few reasons why you might want to transcribe over longhand or typing. 

1. You’re a great orator 

If you’re great at giving speeches or talks, or if your friends have often told you that you’re a fantastic storyteller in-person, you might be a candidate for dictation software. This way, you can work in the medium you’re most comfortable in, get all your best ideas down, and go back and edit them when you’ve finished. 

This can be especially helpful for people writing memoirs , self-help books, or other personal pieces. Saying your story out loud might make it flow more easily than if you wrote it down–it might feel more like telling a friend, and that can come through in your finished product. 

2. You struggle with typing speed or clear handwriting 

If you’re not the best typist, voice-to-text can be a lifesaver. Struggling to write legibly or type at a pace consistent with the flow of your ideas can get super frustrating, and there’s no need to struggle through that! 

Dictation software can help you work through your ideas and tell your story at your own pace, and since it’s typing everything out for you, you’ll have a perfectly clear body of work to look back on, which can make revisions way easier.

Since these software options all boast pretty good accuracy rates and allow you to go back and edit, you’ll be able to spend much less time at the keyboard and much more time writing . 

3. You like talking through your ideas 

If you love methods like the rubber ducky method or phoning a friend for your stories, look no further. Sometimes, thoughts and concepts can get trapped in our head and stuck. The brainstorming stage is supposed to help with this, but honestly, there are times that we find ourselves just staring at that blank Word doc and wondering why it won’t come through. 

Speech-to-text lets you talk it out and keep a copy of what you’ve said. This will save you from having your ideas slip through the cracks–everything you worked through will be right there for you to refer to, edit , or plop into your draft. 

If this sounds like something you’re interested in, keep reading for a list of free and paid dictation software options to try today! 

Dictation software for writing books 

Looking to try dictation software, but not sure if it’s for you? There’s no need to break the bank!

There’s a ton of free software options available for writers looking to try out this new format–and honestly, a few of these options will even suffice in lieu of a more expensive alternative. 

Free dictation software

Authors-to-be fresh on their way to full authordom often don't have much to spare with expenses. For that reason, we've highlighted both free and paid options for you to choose from.

Apple Dictation

If you’ve got an iPhone or a Mac computer, then you’ve already got access to some pretty good voice-to-text software. The standard version allows you to dictate in thirty-second chunks, but if you have OS X v10.9 or newer, you can use Enhanced Dictation to dictate for longer periods of time. iPhone users looking for a convenient way to use speech-to-text software on the go, look no further! This is also fantastic if you’re an iPhone user who doesn’t have access to a computer. 

Google Docs voice typing 

This is another free feature for Google Docs users. You have to use Chrome to access this feature, but the accuracy is solid, and being built into Google Docs, it’s pretty convenient to use. Additionally, this software supports a huge variety of languages, and it’s constantly working to add more! 

Speechnotes

Compatible with Google Chrome, Speechnotes is a very streamlined speech to text app. It’s a little bare-bones, but it does exactly what it’s supposed to–hit record, start talking, and it transcribes for you. If you prefer to transcribe in longer sessions, this might be ideal. One notable downside is that this app doesn’t have a very efficient storage function, so sorting through lots of files might get difficult. 

Speechtexter

This is another Chrome-compatible speech-to-text software. It allows you to save documents as Word docs or .txt docs, and it has an autosave feature to keep you from losing your work as you go. 

Paid dictation software

If you’ve tried free software and found it lacking, or if you’re looking for a little bit of an upgrade, there are a few professional options to try. These often boast more extensive features and higher accuracy rates, and they’ll generally let you work with more file types. 

Again, if you’re looking to use dictation software, it’s not necessary to spring a few hundred bucks right out the gate. The features on Google Docs or Microsoft Word will be just fine. But if you crave something more, or if you need those additional features, here are a few other options: 

Dragon Professional Individual 

PRICE: $500 (comes with a compatible headset) 

PROS: This software is considered by some to be ‘industry standard.’ It allows you to transcribe existing audio files, its vocabulary grows the more you use it, and it allows you to surf the web, all of which can go a long way in keeping your hands-free experience truly hands-free. 

Dragon Anywhere

PRICE: $150/year (also comes with a week-long free trial) 

PROS: If you need a professional-grade voice-to-text software on your phone, this might be a good option for you. Dragon Anywhere lets you export using a variety of different file types, as well. The free trial is perfect for users who need to complete a short project. 

Braina Pro  

PRICE: $79/year, available on Windows

PROS: This is a great speech to text for someone who wants to get a lot of words down without the software pausing to auto-correct. That said, the software has about 99% accuracy, so you’re not sacrificing much. There’s also a command feature to answer user questions, like a Siri or Google Help might. You can pay either monthly or yearly, so the price is flexible. 

Microsoft Word Speech to Text 

PRICE: If you’re a writer who already uses Microsoft Word, great news! This is a feature you can check out for no additional cost–it’s been waiting for you all along. If not, then you will need to purchase Microsoft 365 for your computer. 

PROS: No setup or installation required–this software is accessible directly through your MS Word document. This software recognizes multiple languages and enables the user to add punctuation and formatting changes using voice commands. Since you access it using a single click from your document, it’s an obvious choice for existing MS Word fans. 

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Best dictation software for writers 2021

The best dictation software can potentially triple your writing output — in no time flat

Dictation software has been a work in progress over the past few decades, but in recent years it has finally become a reliable offshoot of mobile tech. Siri users already know the value of voice recognition, since Apple made the technology famous years ago, but harnessing such software is especially useful in the multicultural multiverse of mobile tech, more specifically in the realm of writing. 

Every wordsmith has a different practice, but we’ve come a long way since the analog typewriter . With all the productivity apps available for your phone , tablet and laptop , choosing the right digital assistant for your project can mean the difference between an afternoon lost to procrastination, or a word count worth bragging about. 

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In the age of ever-learning AI algorithms, you don’t need to look far for the best dictation software. In fact, your favorite writing tool might already be right under your nose. 

The best dictation software:

Why you can trust Laptop Mag Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test .

Speaking of conspicuous nostrils, would you consider a dragon for your desktop? You might like this one. Nuance Dragon Home (v15) has a hefty price tag, but this software suite represents a one-stop shop for voice recognition and dictation. It’s well worth the extra spend for professional writers of any caliber. 

Fun fact: voice typing is baked right into Google Docs , which turns any typing exercise into a lightspeed endeavor of speech-to-text. Give Google’s gadgetry a spin and watch your typing speed increase at an exponential rate. No joke.

Apple dictation is no slouch, of course, and MacBook users may be pleasantly surprised to find what their notebook has to offer in terms of built-in voice recognition and dictation capabilities. It’s already part of the OS; all you have to do is activate the feature.

1. Nuance Dragon Home (v15)

Specifications, reasons to buy, reasons to avoid.

Dragon’s breath is the bane of any writer’s morning routine, but with Nuance Dragon Home (v15), your hot air can breathe new life into that novel, script, or homework assignment you’ve been putting off working on. There are plenty of free dictation software options out there, but if money is no object, you can’t do much better than Dragon Home’s next-generation speech engine that adapts to your voice — and the surrounding environment — in real time, allowing you to triple your typing speed with up to 99% recognition accuracy. Nuance has been perfecting this software since 1997, and the technology sure has come a long way.

As any professional scrivener can tell you, most writing projects involve some degree of research. Luckily, Dragon does double duty with Google Chrome , Firefox and Internet Explorer compatibility, which lets you search the web for Wikipedia articles, news clippings and more. It’s great for dictating, editing and sending emails, too.  

On-the-go authors may want to consider Dragon Anywhere , an app customized for both Android and iOS devices, but if you’re a Windows user who’s usually near your desk when the muse strikes, Nuance Dragon Home is an ever-evolving speech recognition platform that promises to boost your productivity, creativity and connectivity in one fell swoop.

2. Google Docs voice typing

With support for more than 100 different languages, Google Docs ’ voice typing tool is perhaps the platform’s worst-kept secret, as it’s hiding in plain sight whenever you open a document to edit. Driven by the company’s deep-learning algorithms, there’s no prerequisite software to install. All you need is a Chrome browser, an internet connection, and a steady flow of words coming out of your mouth. (Never an issue in my home.) 

Granted, no-strings-attached voice recognition was a persnickety pipe dream not so long ago, but just like Dragon, Google’s been working on the backend (since 2010-ish) to improve their software’s overall accuracy and usability. Nestled in the middle of the Tools dropdown menu, voice typing might be one of the most useful things on the whole list. Clicking that option adds a floating microphone widget to your doc, which you move anywhere you like. Next, click the mic icon to utilize dictation mode at will. You can even use voice commands to select text (ex, “Select last line”), format your document (ex, “Strikethrough”), and edit as you go (ex, “Insert bookmark,” “Decrease font size,” “Align justified”).

When it comes to browser-based, voice-recognition platforms, writers of any industry can’t do much better than this baked-in futurism, especially if you already use Google’s robust suite of productivity apps to organize your creative hustle. If you’re a Chromebook owner, voice typing is perfect for on-the-go dictation, no matter what you’re working on.

3. Apple dictation

Whether you’re crafting emails or wordy work documents, any text-heavy task is made easier with Apple’s internal voice control software, which — similar to Windows Speech Recognition — comes baked right into the MacBook OS. Powered by (who else?) Siri, Apple’s improved speech-recognition engine is easy to activate, and just as easy to use.

When enabled, the on-screen microphone icon lets you know Big Mac is listening — kind of like Google Docs ’ voice typing feature, except Apple flavored. Whereas the former is found within Google Drive, Apple’s voice control feature is activated from your MacBook’s settings, allowing you to instantly navigate web pages, rearrange windows, and (most importantly for writers) convert the spoken word to the written one in any document, email, or text field.

Siri’s software understands contextual clues, too, which means you can seamlessly transition between dictation and computer commands without missing a beat. It’s not ideal for longer dictation sessions, according to some reviewers, but for shorter bouts of voice-to-text inspiration, Apple’s voice recognition is more than simply “good enough.” 

4. Otter.ai

Can an otter take on a dragon? Surprisingly, the answer is “kind of.” Students, business professionals and creative collaborators of all types are bound to appreciate Otter’s robust feature list, which includes custom vocabulary lists, live note captioning for Google Meet and mindful Zoom integration. Oh, and you can convert your voice to text in a snap, regardless of accent or dialect.

For writers working in teams, there’s an awful lot to like about Otter’s feature set. For example, the software is perfect for group brainstorming sessions, since it can differentiate between various speakers and transcribe text accordingly. You can import audio and video files directly into the app, and there’s even Android/iOS support for when random (read: mobile) inspiration strikes. 

Journalists are sure to appreciate sharing Otter with other editors, and the company’s tiered pricing plans give you more control of the features you need —  and the ones you don’t. If covering live events with multiple collaborators is part of your writing hustle, Otter’s always-learning AI tech might be the team player you never knew you were missing.

As a profession, wrangling the written word rarely comes with a personal assistant, which is why from my perspective, it’s an exciting time to be alive. Braina (Brain Artificial) bills itself as an “intelligent personal assistant, human language interface, automation and voice recognition software.” Similar to Google’s offering, it’s compatible with more than 100 languages. 

But dictation is just the beginning. You can use Braina to control your PC from your phone; create customized voice commands for your desktop; solve complex math problems; search for files and a whole lot more. Like other dictation software on this list, there’s a free version to test drive before making any commitments, but if you like what you see, you can lock in a lifetime subscription for $199. 

Braina isn’t smarter than you are (yet), but when it comes to speeding up multifaceted writing projects, it’s sure to give your noggin a boost, and your fingers a rest. 

How to choose the best dictation software for you

Converting speech to text is potentially useful for any writer, but not every writer needs the same tools. Here are a few questions to ask yourself before plunking down any coin on the best dictation software: 

What’s your budget like? This is a good place to start, as newer laptops already have some kind of voice recognition and/or dictation tech baked right into the OS. For dedicated dictation, some companies offer their software for a one-time fee, while others operate under tiered pricing plans.

What do you need dictation software for? If you plan on using voice recognition to simply jot down notes as you jetset across town, make sure your dictation software of choice has some mobile options. Some dictation software, however, like Nuance Dragon Home (v15), is desktop-only, which is only beneficial if you tackle writing projects from your desk. 

Do you write alone, or in groups? Some software is smarter than others. For example, Otter’s AI algorithms can tell the difference between multiple speakers, which is ideal for busy brainstorming sessions. If you’re a lone wolf, however, such functionality might be overkill for your day-to-day workflow. 

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As a freelance journalist, TJ has over a decade of multi-medium storytelling under his belt. Leveraging a quarter century of collective coddiwompling amid the ever-evolving landscape of wireless gadgetry, his unique editorial background allows him to explore a variety of tech-centric subsectors on this fascinating planet. When he's not field testing new gear in the Catskills, Adirondacks, or an actual field, he can be found sipping Negronis in his living room and crafting Dr. Seussian poetry inside a tattered moleskin.

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Best Speech to Text Software: 8 Top Choices (2024)

In this guide, we test and review the best speech to text software options, both free and paid.

Do you spend hours time sitting in front of the computer writing and editing documents? If so, you understand how physically demanding typing is. I remember the first time I felt a shock of pain in my wrists. 

I was so scared that I was developing carpal tunnel syndrome. I instantly started looking for ways to save my wrists, knowing that if I could not type, I could not do my job. That is where I uncovered speech-to-text software.

Speech-to-text software programs are great because they use artificial intelligence programs to translate your spoken words to text. Then, this software program transcribes it into text for you, displaying it on the screen.

In addition to enabling faster work, you can also prevent the development of wrist problems, including carpal tunnel syndrome .

There are numerous software programs available. In this guide, we try and test some of the best speech-to-text software options available.

Testing Criteria

1. dragon anywhere, 2. windows speech recognition, 3. braina pro, 4. google docs voice typing, 5. speechnotes, 6. dragon professional individual.

• 7. Apple Dictation or Siri

8. Otter.AI

Why you can trust us, final word: the best speech to text software.

• Are speech-to-text programs accurate?

How Does Voice Recognition Software Work?

Are dictation programs expensive, does dragon naturallyspeaking need the internet, can dragon naturallyspeaking transcribe audio files, how much does dragon speech to text software cost, what’s the best dictation software for mac, what’s the best dictation app for writers, what is the best voice recognition software, voice dictation resources.

Dragon offers professional-grade speech to text with near 95% accuracy. It's available on iOS and Android.

I tested each of these speech-to-text apps in this review extensively. I picked a paragraph of text from The Irish Times newspaper and read it into each different apps. I used a set of Apple Airpods Pro and an iPhone 7 and also an iMac. I also commissioned a third-party freelance writer who dictates freelance articles extensively to share his experiences.

The original text reads as follows:

The interim analysis by a committee of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) determined that serious side effects of rare blood clots are likely to occur in 1 out of 100,000 vaccinated people, the regulator said in a statement.

Before we get into the software choices, remember these tips to ensure better accuracy:

• Use a quality headset (the Apple Airpods work well)
• Speak in slow, complete sentences
• Dictate in a quiet environment
• Avoid editing and dictating at the same time

This is the best speech-to-text software for dictating on mobile devices. It’s also the best choice for Mac users. Cost: $14.99 per month

If you need a dictation software program for your mobile device, then consider Dragon Anywhere, available through Nuance.

This program has excellent speech recognition capabilities similar to those on the desktop version. Even though there may be a delay in spoken words showing up on the screen, this application is responsive, fast, and accurate. You can also share documents easily using cloud services, including Dropbox.

Here is Dragon Anywhere‘s output for my test (Errors in bold):

The interim analysis by a committee of  the European medicines agency  determined that serious side-effects of their blood clots are likely to occur in 1/100,000 vaccinated people, the regulator said in a statement.

I currently use Dragon Anywhere regularly via my iPhone 11 as it’s accurate, portable, and fast. It’s my recommended choice for writers and Mac users who take dictation seriously.

• Works well on mobile devices
• Exceptional functionality when compared to other dictation apps
• Works well the desktop Dragon program (if you’re on Windows)
• Expensive subscription service
• Delay in the spoken text showing up on the screen
• Editing dictated text is a challenge

This is the best free speech-to-text software for Windows 10 and upwards. Cost: Free

If you need free speech-to-text software for Windows, the freelance writer I worked with on this review recommends Windows 10 Speech Recognition.

This program is available on Microsoft’s desktop OS. It has solid voice recognition abilities included in the operating system, even if it is not named Cortana.

It’s not always an accurate program, particularly when compared to Dragon, but it won’t cost you extra money. Furthermore, documents improve as the program learns your vocabulary and manner of speech.

Here are the results (errors in bold)

The interim analysis by a pity of the European Edison Agency determines that serious side effects of rare flood clot are likely to occur in 1/10000 fractured people the regulator said in a statement.

• Integrates with your existing operating system
• Becomes more accurate as it learns your voice
• Not that accurate compared to other choices
• Can freeze up if you speak too quickly

This is the best speech-to-text software to use as a virtual assistant. Cost: $49 per year

Braina Pro is a speech recognition software that handles dictation but also acts as a virtual assistant for your PC. It supports transcription through third-party software programs and not only English but dozens of other languages as well.

You can also instruct this virtual assistant to start your computer for files, browse the internet, or set alarms. It can even read a book out loud for you or play an MP3 file using customized commands. Here are the results, errors in bold:

The interim analysis by a committee of the European Medicineregency determined that sirius side effects of rare blood clots are likely to occur in 1 out of 100000 vaccinated people the regulator said in a statement.

• Handles dictation in different languages
• Searches your computer, the internet, and even play music files
• Supports and Android application for remotely controlling your PC
• Subscription service can be expensive
• Works online only

A good choice if you use Android apps or want to transcribe text on the go. Cost: Free

If you are looking for voice recognition software you can use for free, then consider the voice typing feature from Google Docs. All you have to do is open up a Google Document via the Google Chrome Browser, turn on the microphone, and start speaking. 

This is a sensitive dictation program that can even pick up your voice if you are across the room. Of course, that means that if there’s any background noise, this could mess up your dictation. This is a great way to try out real-time dictation software for the first time. 

Here is the Google Docs output of my test (errors in bold):

The  interim analysis by a committee of the European medicines agency emea determines  that serious side effects are rare blood types are likely to occur  in one hour vaccinated people  the regulator said in a statement

• Free and widely available
• Short learning curve
• Background noise interferes with the program from time to time
• Software lags if speak too quickly

This is a good online choice if you don’t want to create an account or take out a subscription. Cost: Free

Speechnotes is another dictation program that is easy to use. One of the things that set this program apart is that you do not need to create an account to use it.

You simply have to open the application, press the microphone, and get started. This application is powered by the same software that powers Google’s voice recognition technology.

You can also dictate punctuation marks and formatting using voice commands as well. Finally, you can also include greetings, signatures, and names using custom keys that you set up on the keyboard.

Here is the output of my test (errors in bold):

The  age of analysis by a committee of the European medicines agency emea determines  that serious side effects are rare blood types are likely to occur  in one hour vaccinated people  the regulator said in a statement .

• You do not need to create an account
• A mobile application is intuitive to use
• The program is free to use
• No iOS mobile app available for Mac or Apple products, such as the iPhone
• You need to purchase additional features to access TK

This is the best choice for businesses that run Windows machines. Cost: $500

If you need a dictation software program for your business, then consider Dragon Professional. When I need to quickly type up records at work, Dragon Professional is invaluable.

I can speak at 150 words per minute easily with almost complete accuracy, even if I’m using industry jargon. I am also able to import customized word lists with ease.

A flexible, powerful tool, Dragon Professional significantly reduces the amount of time I spend going through records. The company behind it also offers different versions for medical and legal companies with specific needs.

I used an older version of this tool for several years on my Mac machine. The test results were similar to Dragon Anywhere, not surprising considering they are powered by the same technology.

Unfortunately, the older versions are buggy and unreliably on Mac. What’s more, the developers no longer support it for Mac. Microsoft recently purchased Nuance for $19.7 billion. It’s unclear if they’ll support a new Mac version (I suspect unlikely).

Here is  the output for my test (Errors in bold):

• Powerful and accurate
• Handles industry jargon well
• One of the fastest dictation programs available
• Can control your computer too
• One of the most expensive software programs available
• Takes time to learn your voice, which impairs accuracy
• No longer supported on Mac

7.  Apple Dictation or Siri

Apple Mac and iOS users can dictate text for free using Siri . Cost : Free

This option works well for short dictation sessions via your iOS device or Mac. On iOS, Siri handles 30-40 seconds at a time. This makes it ideal for jotting down notes or sending short texts.

This program also has a voice-to-text feature that controls commands on a Mac computer. It doesn’t work well for dictating large pieces of content, however.

Here is Siri‘s output (errors in bold):

The interim analysis by a committee of the European medicines agency  the term is that serious side-effects are where clock clocks are likely to occur in one and a 100,000 vaccinated people.

• Online and offline features
• Works well for note-taking
• Compatible with iOS devices
• Not a dictation app for long pieces
• Handles 40 seconds at a time
• Comparably inaccurate to Dragon

Otter works well if you want to transcribe phone calls, meetings, and interviews. Cost: Free/from $8.33 per month.

Otter.ai is a transcribing tool for speeches and conversations that works online and via a mobile app. You can take it into your business meeting to get a quick transcript of what was said. You can also add speaker notes, audio files, images, and video files to the transcript after the meeting.

Otter has a free version that has 600 minutes of transcription time a month. It also has several premium plans based on your needs. It’s a good choice for transcribing meetings and interviews, although don’t expect 100% accuracy. That said, it performed well with my test.

Here are the results:

The interim analysis by a committee of the European Medicines Agency FMEA  determines that  serious side effects of rare blood clots are likely to occur in one out of 100,000 vaccinated people, the regulator  said in the statement .

• Free option
• Built-in team collaboration options
• Real-time captioning
• Excellent accuracy
• Limited minutes on the free version
• Not designed for writers
• No desktop version

I’ve written and published dozens of articles for newspapers, magazines, and online publications including Forbes and Lifehacker. I’m also a best-selling non-fiction author and a trained journalist.

Speech-to-text software forms a key part of my writing workflow for non-fiction. I regularly outline articles and then dictate first drafts using some of the software options in this guide.

My recommended choices are Dragon Anywhere and Otter.ai. The price point and accuracy should meet the needs of most writers and those with dictation needs.

When selecting speech-to-text software for your project or work, consider your operating system, budget, and whether you’re using a desktop or mobile device. It’s also a good idea to consider what you’re dictating. For example, Otter.ai works well for meetings and podcasts whereas Dragon is ideal for articles.

Remember, it takes time to adapt to writing via speech to text. However, the rewards are great. You’ll rapidly increase a daily word count and save your wrists from developing overuse injuries. Remember, always proofread and edit your work before submitting to clear up dictation errors!

FAQs About Best Speech To Text Software

Are  speech-to-text  programs accurate.

Most speech-to-text programs are relatively accurate. Many of the programs get more accurate as you use them because they learn your voice. Some programs will prompt you to correct unclear dictation issues to expedite this learning process.

Voice recognition software recognizes your speech and uses artificial intelligence to transform that into typed words. Many programs also use voice commands to handle formatting and punctuation needs.

They do not have to be expensive. Even though the best programs can require a significant investment, there are free options available. You may want to try out these free options before you figure out exactly what features you are willing to pay for.

Once you activate your software you can dictate while offline.

You can upload a personal audio file or one from social media to Dragon NaturallySpeaking and it will transcribe it. You may have to clean up the result.

Dragon costs anywhere from $59 to $300. It depends on which version you buy.

If you’re on a budget, use the inbuilt dictation software first until you’re comfortable dictating. After that, your best choice is Dragon Anywhere, which is usable via an iOS or Android device. You could also use Rev.

Dragon Naturally Speaking is a good dictation app for writers as you can train it to recognize character names and unusual words. Rev is a popular transcription alternative.

Dragon products regularly top the list of best voice recognition software because of their robust features, tutorials and integration into most operating systems. However, the best software for your needs will be the one that fits your budget and has the features you need for your work.

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Bryan Collins is the owner of Become a Writer Today. He's an author from Ireland who helps writers build authority and earn a living from their creative work. He's also a former Forbes columnist and his work has appeared in publications like Lifehacker and Fast Company.

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Multi-Lingual Support

Dictanote supports speech recognition in over 50+ languages and 80+ dialects.

Voice Commands

Use voice commands to insert punctuation, technical terms and to correct mistakes.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Use keyboard shortcuts to start/stop dictation and easily switch languages.

New Audio Scribe

Smart ai writing assistant.

Audio Scribe converts your voice notes into clearly summarized text using power of AI.

Dictate your messy thoughts. Audio Scribe transcribes your audio notes using a very high-accuracy model and rewrites the transcript into clear text. It automatically adds punctuations (like periods), removes filler words, repetitions, and 'umms'.

Learn More →

Questions & answers

Find tutorials & help guides in our documentation .

What are the system requirements to use Dictanote?

Dictanote works on the following platforms: * Desktop: Windows/Linux/Mac in Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge. You can install it as a standalone app * Android: in Google Chrome. You can install it as a standalone app * iPhone: Safari 12+ (only editing, no voice dictation support) Additional hardware: inbuilt/external microphone

Are Dictanote and Voice In different products?

Yes, Dictanote and Voice In are two separate products built by the same team addressing different use cases. Dictanote is a note-taking app with built-in voice-to-text integration. Writers use it to write their books, students use it to take notes, etc. Dictanote automatically syncs your notes to the cloud and makes them available on all your devices. Learn more about Dictanote . Voice In is a chrome extension that lets you use speech-to-text to type on any website in Chrome. Use it to type emails in Gmail, enter data into Teladoc, write blogs in WordPress, etc.

Can I convert audio files to text?

Yes, checkout Dictanote Transcribe . Transcribe lets you convert pre-recorded audio files to text.

How does Dictanote keep my data safe?

At Dictanote, we take your privacy seriously. All your notes are stored securely encrypted on Dictanote servers. We do not store or process any of your audio. We rely on Chrome's speech to text API to convert audio to text.

How do I manage my subscription?

To manage your account, go to Account Settings .

To cancel your subscription, on the same page click on “Cancel Subscription” within your account profile. Follow the instructions and the subscription will be cancelled immediately afterward. If you cancel before the end of your subscription period, you will still be able to use your Dictanote Pro account (up to the last day of the subscription).

I need help with Dictanote

Need help with Dictanote? You may find answers to your questions in our Help Center .

Also you can checkout the user forum or contact us via email at [email protected] , we’ll be glad to help!

We may take a few hours to answer your message depending on the time of the day. Usually we answer right away or under 24 hours.

Can I use Dictanote offline?

Dictanote does come up offline-support. You can access and edit your notes while offline. Dictation requires a working internet connection .

Try Dictanote Now

8 Best Speech to Text Apps for Writers

Even if you are a visual person and actually like to write your thoughts down, you can’t deny the allure of the time savings speech dictation can bring. And after using these apps, you may never use pen and paper again. If you are the creative type who just hates to sit at your desk and write or type, your solution is in this article. Inspiration doesn’t always happen at your desk, either, and while your Android can help you capture these ideas on the go. Who enjoys typing on their phone, anyway?

Furthermore, if you are dyslexic, writing can seem a cumbersome chore, but it no longer has to. Even if you just have bad handwriting, and/or are slow at typing, speech to text apps make these problems a non-issue. Not all voice recognition apps are equal though—especially if you have a quiet voice or an accent. So which Android voice-to-text apps are the most accurate and have the best features?

Best Speech to Text Apps for Android

Note: Any prices mentioned before are as of 16th of August 2019 and might change in time.

1. Google Docs – Free

Google Docs is an all-around fantastic app for writers, as you can access it from anywhere, collaboratively work with others, and format with ease. It is also more encompassing and accurate than say, Word, when it comes to the spell checking of online resources.

• Speech to Text Features
• Share and Collaborate in the same document
• Add and Respond to Comments

The app also does well in terms of accurately deciphering spoken words, and offers the dictation feature in 43 different languages. In addition to the speech to text functionality  all of these apps possess, Docs stands out by letting you add formatting, make selections, and navigate through the use of simple spoken phrases.

2. Speechnotes – Speech to Text – Free with In-app Purchases

Speechnotes prides itself in making voice typing efficient and easy—and rightfully so. The user interface is designed to reduce distractions (important, in the era of the Internet) and inspire creativity by mostly just focusing on the words you are speaking being transformed into text. Write as you are in the car (but don’t be a distracted driver) or walking around, via Bluetooth. The app also struck me as being pretty easy-going and non-invasive because no login or registration is required, and the app itself is free.

• Google Drive Back-up
• Quick Timestamps
• Works offline

You can place the app/widget on your home screen and begin dictation with a simple tap. For the most immersive writing experience, you can dictate and type simultaneously. Apply punctuation by voice or keyboard. Speechnotes also offers emojis and custom key setup. It was a shoo-in as one of the best speech to text apps for writers.

3. ListNote – Speech to Text Notes – Free

ListNote is another app that’s one of the best for a writer to have around for a multitude of reasons. It was designed to help you keep track of your ideas securely, and one of the ways it does so is by offering a voice to text feature. When we can’t think of the way we want to word a phrase or title at work, honestly, the best thing for us to do sometimes is to take a break from the desk. We’re still thinking of what we want to say; it’s just that for some reason, the moment we stop trying so hard is when it comes to us.

• Share your notes
• Color coding and categories
• SD back-up and restore

Notes are searchable and can be encrypted and/or password-protected. It also gives you several ways to organize your notes, such as starring, categorization, and color-coding. Additional features include a Continue button to add more text to a certain note after pausing, built-in text editors, and a setting to allow yourself some time to breathe before your next sentence.

4. Google Assistant – Free

You’ve probably already heard, or have installed, the Google Assistant App. On the first glance, you might find it peculiar that it is on this list but, as you probably know, Google Assistant can do many things, and that includes converting speech to text. It can send messages, draft emails, organize your already written note or take new ones. If you want to know more about Google Assistant, we suggest you read our article “Every OK Google Command -160 Voice Commands for Google Assistant” .

• Make phone calls/ send messages
• Preview upcoming events
• Voice recognition

You can even use IFTTT(If This Than That) to put all of your notes into a spreadsheet. Or, if you find nothing convenient, you can also create your own applet to suit your needs, in order to use Google Assistant at its full potential! If you don’t have it already built-in, you can download Google Assistant Go by clicking on the button below.

5. Braina PC Remote Voice Control – Free

The Braina app basically converts your Android into a microphone, from which you can control your desktop. You might be thinking, “What does that have to do with dictation?” Braina has both text to speech and speech to text functionalities, and these can be used in conjunction with PC apps like Microsoft Word.

• Speech to text dictation
• Computer Control

Braina gives you the ability to remotely control your keyboard and mouse and comes equipped with a dictionary and thesaurus. You’ll be able to remotely open and close programs like Notepad, perform searches for folders and files or for information on the Internet and control a PowerPoint presentation. A Wi-Fi connection is required.

6. iTranslate Translator & Dictionary – Free with In-app Purchases

This app offers a 7-day trial before you have to buy a subscription. This app offers lots of features, like translating from any language by voice-to-voice translation. Therefore, even though you can’t take notes, this app will make communicating with anyone, anywhere, a breeze.

• over 100 languages
• listen to translations
• dictionary & thesaurus
• voice-to-voice conversations

iTranslate also has a comprehensive phrasebook with most used sentences to help you while you’re traveling. It also lets you modify or complete the suggested sentences so that they fit perfectly to the situation you’re trying to communicate. If you’d like to know more about speech-to-text translators, we suggest you read our article “Stranger in a Foreign Land? Use These Android Voice Translator Apps to Translate Speech-to-Text Easily” .

7. Voice Writer – Free

One of the coolest things about Voice Writer is not only its ability to transform your voice into text but that it can also convert one language into another . From within the Translate tab, you can press Input to specify the language you are going to speak and Output to select the language you want your words converted into.

• Share your text

This is one of the best apps to make your writing available to audiences all over the world. If you’ve no need for any language translation, just use the Home tab to see your speech automatically transformed into text. Voice Writer also makes it easy to email or send your writing to other apps.

8. Dictadroid Voice Recorder – $3.27

There is a free Lite version, but this is a case where you get what you pay for. With the paid version quality is noticeably better, and you can then share using FTP, email, Google Drive, Box, DropBox, or Google Drive.

Start playing/recording with a single tap, play/record when the screen if off to preserve battery, automatically compress audio files, and use Volume buttons to fast forward, rewind, pause, and play. Although we don’t expect you to have many problems, if you do, Dictadroid Support is eager to help.

However, an app isn’t always enough. If you’re looking for something more professional, we recommend you check out this Voice Recorder on Amazon. It has 8GB of memory, noise reduction and it can transcribe the audio recordings directly, with the help of an app.

Speech to Text Dictation – Improve  Productivity

We hope that this article has helped you find the best speech to text app to aid you in your writing. Whether you are freelancing, part-time, or full-time, it’s always hard to find enough time. Speech to text apps have gotten a lot better at recognition, and this can lead to greater time savings for you. But that’s only if they are some of the best.

Have you tried any of these? Let us know what worked or didn’t work for you in the comments.

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As an ardent newsreader, Lace stays informed on what's happening in the Android world. Her investigative skills and research prowess make her an outstanding news writer, and she loves to share all the buzz. Lace enjoys reading, singing, playing the guitar, and hopes to travel around the world someday.

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What is this comment of yours ” although one person complained about Arabic”, why do you have to single out an Arab speaking person.

Hi, Bob. We want our Arabic speaking readers to be aware that while this app does offer voice to text capabilities for Arabic, there are some questions about the quality of the output for Arabic. A voice to text app that doesn’t have questions about the quality may be a better choice for Arabic speakers. I have edited the post so that the wording is more clear.

Touchy for no good reason, dude. Anyway, great and helpful article! It’s hard to find an actual good writer on the internet these days… And especially one with good grammer, and who actually edits their work! Proud of you. I’ve finally found someone to follow!

Really, think about it like this. Yes not singling out anyone. But you seem to be. It was just an observation on Bob’s part. Since we have a lot of Arabic speaking people and myself being one of them. I was gratified that bob pointed that out to me. Now I won’t waste my time downloading that app. It seems you find it a thrill to instigate. When on reality bob did a great job putting this together.

Interesting article, I was thinking that it would have been great for your comments here to have a “try leaving a voice to text comment” button. Off to YouTube for more research.

Hi Michael, thank you for the interesting suggestion. Out of these apps, can we know which is your favourite one?

Gostei desse artigo, é bastante amplo e útil para quem deseja ter ua visão ampla e sincera.

There is a text to speech app specifically for authors called Edit Out Loud. You should check that one out. You may want to add to the list at http://www.editoutloud.com .

Hi Dustin, thank you for sharing that suggestion

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Speech to Text - Voice Typing & Transcription

Take notes with your voice for free, or automatically transcribe audio & video recordings. secure, accurate & blazing fast..

~ Proudly serving millions of users since 2015 ~

I need to >

Dictate Notes

Start taking notes, on our online voice-enabled notepad right away, for free.

Transcribe Recordings

Automatically transcribe audios & videos - upload files from your device or link to an online resource (Drive, YouTube, TikTok and more).

Speechnotes is a reliable and secure web-based speech-to-text tool that enables you to quickly and accurately transcribe your audio and video recordings, as well as dictate your notes instead of typing, saving you time and effort. With features like voice commands for punctuation and formatting, automatic capitalization, and easy import/export options, Speechnotes provides an efficient and user-friendly dictation and transcription experience. Proudly serving millions of users since 2015, Speechnotes is the go-to tool for anyone who needs fast, accurate & private transcription. Our Portfolio of Complementary Speech-To-Text Tools Includes:

Voice typing - Chrome extension

Dictate instead of typing on any form & text-box across the web. Including on Gmail, and more.

Transcription API & webhooks

Speechnotes' API enables you to send us files via standard POST requests, and get the transcription results sent directly to your server.

Zapier integration

Combine the power of automatic transcriptions with Zapier's automatic processes. Serverless & codeless automation! Connect with your CRM, phone calls, Docs, email & more.

Android Speechnotes app

Speechnotes' notepad for Android, for notes taking on your mobile, battle tested with more than 5Million downloads. Rated 4.3+ ⭐

iOS TextHear app

TextHear for iOS, works great on iPhones, iPads & Macs. Designed specifically to help people with hearing impairment participate in conversations. Please note, this is a sister app - so it has its own pricing plan.

Audio & video converting tools

Tools developed for fast - batch conversions of audio files from one type to another and extracting audio only from videos for minimizing uploads.

Our Sister Apps for Text-To-Speech & Live Captioning

Complementary to Speechnotes

Reads out loud texts, files & web pages

Reads out loud texts, PDFs, e-books & websites for free

Speechlogger

Live Captioning & Translation

Live captions & translations for online meetings, webinars, and conferences.

Need Human Transcription? We Can Offer a 10% Discount Coupon

We do not provide human transcription services ourselves, but, we partnered with a UK company that does. Learn more on human transcription and the 10% discount .

Dictation Notepad

Start taking notes with your voice for free

Speech to Text online notepad. Professional, accurate & free speech recognizing text editor. Distraction-free, fast, easy to use web app for dictation & typing.

Speechnotes is a powerful speech-enabled online notepad, designed to empower your ideas by implementing a clean & efficient design, so you can focus on your thoughts. We strive to provide the best online dictation tool by engaging cutting-edge speech-recognition technology for the most accurate results technology can achieve today, together with incorporating built-in tools (automatic or manual) to increase users' efficiency, productivity and comfort. Works entirely online in your Chrome browser. No download, no install and even no registration needed, so you can start working right away.

Speechnotes is especially designed to provide you a distraction-free environment. Every note, starts with a new clear white paper, so to stimulate your mind with a clean fresh start. All other elements but the text itself are out of sight by fading out, so you can concentrate on the most important part - your own creativity. In addition to that, speaking instead of typing, enables you to think and speak it out fluently, uninterrupted, which again encourages creative, clear thinking. Fonts and colors all over the app were designed to be sharp and have excellent legibility characteristics.

Example use cases

• Voice typing
• Writing notes, thoughts
• Medical forms - dictate
• Transcribers (listen and dictate)

Transcription Service

Start transcribing

Fast turnaround - results within minutes. Includes timestamps, auto punctuation and subtitles at unbeatable price. Protects your privacy: no human in the loop, and (unlike many other vendors) we do NOT keep your audio. Pay per use, no recurring payments. Upload your files or transcribe directly from Google Drive, YouTube or any other online source. Simple. No download or install. Just send us the file and get the results in minutes.

• Transcribe interviews
• Captions for Youtubes & movies
• Auto-transcribe phone calls or voice messages
• Students - transcribe lectures
• Podcasters - enlarge your audience by turning your podcasts into textual content
• Text-index entire audio archives

Key Advantages

Speechnotes is powered by the leading most accurate speech recognition AI engines by Google & Microsoft. We always check - and make sure we still use the best. Accuracy in English is very good and can easily reach 95% accuracy for good quality dictation or recording.

Lightweight & fast

Both Speechnotes dictation & transcription are lightweight-online no install, work out of the box anywhere you are. Dictation works in real time. Transcription will get you results in a matter of minutes.

Super Private & Secure!

Super private - no human handles, sees or listens to your recordings! In addition, we take great measures to protect your privacy. For example, for transcribing your recordings - we pay Google's speech to text engines extra - just so they do not keep your audio for their own research purposes.

Health advantages

Typing may result in different types of Computer Related Repetitive Strain Injuries (RSI). Voice typing is one of the main recommended ways to minimize these risks, as it enables you to sit back comfortably, freeing your arms, hands, shoulders and back altogether.

Saves you time

Need to transcribe a recording? If it's an hour long, transcribing it yourself will take you about 6! hours of work. If you send it to a transcriber - you will get it back in days! Upload it to Speechnotes - it will take you less than a minute, and you will get the results in about 20 minutes to your email.

Saves you money

Speechnotes dictation notepad is completely free - with ads - or a small fee to get it ad-free. Speechnotes transcription is only $0.1/minute, which is X10 times cheaper than a human transcriber! We offer the best deal on the market - whether it's the free dictation notepad ot the pay-as-you-go transcription service.

Dictation - Free

• Online dictation notepad
• Voice typing Chrome extension

Dictation - Premium

• Premium online dictation notepad
• Premium voice typing Chrome extension
• Support from the development team

Transcription

$0.1 /minute.

• Pay as you go - no subscription
• Audio & video recordings
• Speaker diarization in English
• Generate captions .srt files
• REST API, webhooks & Zapier integration

Compare plans

Privacy policy.

We at Speechnotes, Speechlogger, TextHear, Speechkeys value your privacy, and that's why we do not store anything you say or type or in fact any other data about you - unless it is solely needed for the purpose of your operation. We don't share it with 3rd parties, other than Google / Microsoft for the speech-to-text engine.

Privacy - how are the recordings and results handled?

- transcription service.

Our transcription service is probably the most private and secure transcription service available.

• HIPAA compliant.
• No human in the loop. No passing your recording between PCs, emails, employees, etc.
• Secure encrypted communications (https) with and between our servers.
• Recordings are automatically deleted from our servers as soon as the transcription is done.
• Our contract with Google / Microsoft (our speech engines providers) prohibits them from keeping any audio or results.
• Transcription results are securely kept on our secure database. Only you have access to them - only if you sign in (or provide your secret credentials through the API)
• You may choose to delete the transcription results - once you do - no copy remains on our servers.

- Dictation notepad & extension

For dictation, the recording & recognition - is delegated to and done by the browser (Chrome / Edge) or operating system (Android). So, we never even have access to the recorded audio, and Edge's / Chrome's / Android's (depending the one you use) privacy policy apply here.

The results of the dictation are saved locally on your machine - via the browser's / app's local storage. It never gets to our servers. So, as long as your device is private - your notes are private.

Payments method privacy

The whole payments process is delegated to PayPal / Stripe / Google Pay / Play Store / App Store and secured by these providers. We never receive any of your credit card information.

More generic notes regarding our site, cookies, analytics, ads, etc.

• We may use Google Analytics on our site - which is a generic tool to track usage statistics.
• We use cookies - which means we save data on your browser to send to our servers when needed. This is used for instance to sign you in, and then keep you signed in.
• For the dictation tool - we use your browser's local storage to store your notes, so you can access them later.
• Non premium dictation tool serves ads by Google. Users may opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Ads Settings . Alternatively, users can opt out of a third-party vendor's use of cookies for personalized advertising by visiting https://youradchoices.com/
• In case you would like to upload files to Google Drive directly from Speechnotes - we'll ask for your permission to do so. We will use that permission for that purpose only - syncing your speech-notes to your Google Drive, per your request.

SpeechTexter is a free multilingual speech-to-text application aimed at assisting you with transcription of notes, documents, books, reports or blog posts by using your voice. This app also features a customizable voice commands list, allowing users to add punctuation marks, frequently used phrases, and some app actions (undo, redo, make a new paragraph).

SpeechTexter is used daily by students, teachers, writers, bloggers around the world.

It will assist you in minimizing your writing efforts significantly.

Voice-to-text software is exceptionally valuable for people who have difficulty using their hands due to trauma, people with dyslexia or disabilities that limit the use of conventional input devices. Speech to text technology can also be used to improve accessibility for those with hearing impairments, as it can convert speech into text.

It can also be used as a tool for learning a proper pronunciation of words in the foreign language, in addition to helping a person develop fluency with their speaking skills.

Accuracy levels higher than 90% should be expected. It varies depending on the language and the speaker.

No download, installation or registration is required. Just click the microphone button and start dictating.

Speech to text technology is quickly becoming an essential tool for those looking to save time and increase their productivity.

Powerful real-time continuous speech recognition

Creation of text notes, emails, blog posts, reports and more.

Custom voice commands

More than 70 languages supported

SpeechTexter is using Google Speech recognition to convert the speech into text in real-time. This technology is supported by Chrome browser (for desktop) and some browsers on Android OS. Other browsers have not implemented speech recognition yet.

Note: iPhones and iPads are not supported

List of supported languages:

Afrikaans, Albanian, Amharic, Arabic, Armenian, Azerbaijani, Basque, Bengali, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Burmese, Catalan, Chinese (Mandarin, Cantonese), Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Filipino, Finnish, French, Galician, Georgian, German, Greek, Gujarati, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Javanese, Kannada, Kazakh, Khmer, Kinyarwanda, Korean, Lao, Latvian, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Malay, Malayalam, Marathi, Mongolian, Nepali, Norwegian Bokmål, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Sinhala, Slovak, Slovenian, Southern Sotho, Spanish, Sundanese, Swahili, Swati, Swedish, Tamil, Telugu, Thai, Tsonga, Tswana, Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu, Uzbek, Venda, Vietnamese, Xhosa, Zulu.

Instructions for web app on desktop (Windows, Mac, Linux OS)

Requirements: the latest version of the Google Chrome [↗] browser (other browsers are not supported).

1. Connect a high-quality microphone to your computer.

2. Make sure your microphone is set as the default recording device on your browser.

To go directly to microphone's settings paste the line below into Chrome's URL bar.

chrome://settings/content/microphone

To capture speech from video/audio content on the web or from a file stored on your device, select 'Stereo Mix' as the default audio input.

3. Select the language you would like to speak (Click the button on the top right corner).

4. Click the "microphone" button. Chrome browser will request your permission to access your microphone. Choose "allow".

5. You can start dictating!

Instructions for the web app on a mobile and for the android app

Requirements: - Google app [↗] installed on your Android device. - Any of the supported browsers if you choose to use the web app.

Supported android browsers (not a full list): Chrome browser (recommended), Edge, Opera, Brave, Vivaldi.

1. Tap the button with the language name (on a web app) or language code (on android app) on the top right corner to select your language.

2. Tap the microphone button. The SpeechTexter app will ask for permission to record audio. Choose 'allow' to enable microphone access.

3. You can start dictating!

Common problems on a desktop (Windows, Mac, Linux OS)

Error: 'speechtexter cannot access your microphone'..

Please give permission to access your microphone.

Click on the "padlock" icon next to the URL bar, find the "microphone" option, and choose "allow".

Error: 'No speech was detected. Please try again'.

If you get this error while you are speaking, make sure your microphone is set as the default recording device on your browser [see step 2].

If you're using a headset, make sure the mute switch on the cord is off.

Error: 'Network error'

The internet connection is poor. Please try again later.

The result won't transfer to the "editor".

The result confidence is not high enough or there is a background noise. An accumulation of long text in the buffer can also make the engine stop responding, please make some pauses in the speech.

The results are wrong.

Please speak loudly and clearly. Speaking clearly and consistently will help the software accurately recognize your words.

Reduce background noise. Background noise from fans, air conditioners, refrigerators, etc. can drop the accuracy significantly. Try to reduce background noise as much as possible.

Speak directly into the microphone. Speaking directly into the microphone enhances the accuracy of the software. Avoid speaking too far away from the microphone.

Speak in complete sentences. Speaking in complete sentences will help the software better recognize the context of your words.

Can I upload an audio file and get the transcription?

No, this feature is not available.

How do I transcribe an audio (video) file on my PC or from the web?

Playback your file in any player and hit the 'mic' button on the SpeechTexter website to start capturing the speech. For better results select "Stereo Mix" as the default recording device on your browser, if you are accessing SpeechTexter and the file from the same device.

I don't see the "Stereo mix" option (Windows OS)

"Stereo Mix" might be hidden or it's not supported by your system. If you are a Windows user go to 'Control panel' → Hardware and Sound → Sound → 'Recording' tab. Right-click on a blank area in the pane and make sure both "View Disabled Devices" and "View Disconnected Devices" options are checked. If "Stereo Mix" appears, you can enable it by right clicking on it and choosing 'enable'. If "Stereo Mix" hasn't appeared, it means it's not supported by your system. You can try using a third-party program such as "Virtual Audio Cable" or "VB-Audio Virtual Cable" to create a virtual audio device that includes "Stereo Mix" functionality.

How to use the voice commands list?

The voice commands list allows you to insert the punctuation, some text, or run some preset functions (#newparagraph, #undo, #redo) using only your voice. On the first column you enter your voice command. On the second column you enter a punctuation mark or a function. Voice commands are case-sensitive. Available functions: #newparagraph (insert new paragraph), #undo (undo the last change), #redo (redo the last change)

To use the function above make a pause in your speech until all previous dictated speech appears in your note, then say "insert a new paragraph" and wait for the command execution.

Found a mistake in the voice commands list or want to suggest an update? Follow the steps below:

• Navigate to the voice commands list [↑] on this website.
• Click on the edit button to update or add new punctuation marks you think other users might find useful in your language.
• Click on the "Export" button located above the voice commands list to save your list in JSON format to your device.

Next, send us your file as an attachment via email. You can find the email address at the bottom of the page. Feel free to include a brief description of the mistake or the updates you're suggesting in the email body.

Your contribution to the improvement of the services is appreciated.

Can I prevent my custom voice commands from disappearing after closing the browser?

SpeechTexter by default saves your data inside your browser's cache. If your browsers clears the cache your data will be deleted. However, you can export your custom voice commands to your device and import them when you need them by clicking the corresponding buttons above the list. SpeechTexter is using JSON format to store your voice commands. You can create a .txt file in this format on your device and then import it into SpeechTexter. An example of JSON format is shown below:

{ "period": ".", "full stop": ".", "question mark": "?", "new paragraph": "#newparagraph" }

I lost my dictated work after closing the browser.

SpeechTexter doesn't store any text that you dictate. Please use the "autosave" option or click the "download" button (recommended). The "autosave" option will try to store your work inside your browser's cache, where it will remain until you switch the "text autosave" option off, clear the cache manually, or if your browser clears the cache on exit.

Common problems on the Android app

I get the message: 'speech recognition is not available'..

'Google app' from Play store is required for SpeechTexter to work. download [↗]

Where does SpeechTexter store the saved files?

Version 1.5 and above stores the files in the internal memory.

Version 1.4.9 and below stores the files inside the "SpeechTexter" folder at the root directory of your device.

After updating the app from version 1.x.x to version 2.x.x my files have disappeared

As a result of recent updates, the Android operating system has implemented restrictions that prevent users from accessing folders within the Android root directory, including SpeechTexter's folder. However, your old files can still be imported manually by selecting the "import" button within the Speechtexter application.

Common problems on the mobile web app

Tap on the "padlock" icon next to the URL bar, find the "microphone" option and choose "allow".

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• Online Course

Dragon Dictation For Writers (Use Voice for Writing Tasks)

Are you looking to use Dragon Dictation as a writer?

You can increase your productivity as a writer by up to 300% (if you’re a fast talker) and complete your tasks much faster using this simple app.

Why should you dictate rather than type?

Fortunately, there are tons of resources and tools available for writers that allow them to put their complex thoughts and ideas into simple, clear language. One such powerful tool is speech-to-text or dictation software . Dictation is known by many names: speech-to-text , speech recognition, voice recognition, or voice dictation . But they are all the same. Dictation is a powerful assistive technology that helps you speed up the writing process by using speech-to-text apps. Well, it’s much easier to speak than to write or type and it helps you finish faster, whether you’re writing a blog post, emailing, drafting a newsletter, or even writing a book.

What is Dragon Dictation For Writers?

Dictation programs are a perfect workaround for writing more words per hour without breaking a sweat. There are lots of dictation tools to speed up your writing process and prevent the development of wrist problems . Dragon is probably the most recognized name in the speech-to-text software world. It is one of the most trusted programs for standalone dictation and it’s designed for business and professional writing . Developed by Nuance Communications, Dragon Dictation started as a speech-to-text service for iOS devices but later expanded its support to the Android operating system. There’s a Dragon version for everyone who wants to do more by speaking rather than typing.

How to get more done with your voice?

Dragon speech recognition program helps you voice-type rather than type with your fingers, and the best part is you don’t even have to worry about spelling errors. You just need to talk, and your spoken words appear on the screen. Dragon is three times faster than typing and it’s 99% accurate (if you use the right microphone and work in a relatively quiet environment ). Your voice is the command. From browsing the web and launching programs to creating reports and spreadsheets, Dragon lets you do it all by your voice. Dragon uses a “Voice Profile” to characterize your voice and uses information in that profile to decipher your speech and convert it into words – fast and efficiently.

Dragon for PC – Dragon Naturally Speaking

Dragon Naturally Speaking is one of the world’s bestselling speech recognition tools that lets you get more done on your personal computer with your voice. Think of it as you think about your keyboard and mouse – it deciphers your spoken words into text or ordinary PC commands. Dragon uses deep neural networks to adjust to your voice or environmental variations, increasing accuracy and minimizing the number of corrections.

Here are five specific things Dragon Naturally Speaking can do for you:

• Browse the web
• Control your applications
• Control your desktop
• Write reports, documents, and emails
• Dictate into a digital recorder and let it transcribe using Naturally Speaking

Dragon for Mobile – Dragon Anywhere

Dragon Anywhere is a professional-grade mobile dictation app for iOS and Android. It is a perfect tool for those who need a professional-grade voice recognition tool to accomplish their work on the go. Dragon Anywhere is one of the most accurate dictation services that make it easy to dictate long-form documents, and edit, format, and share them directly from your Android or iOS device or any other mobile device.

You can increase your productivity by dictating to your mobile devices, and the following features are available:

• High recognition accuracy.
• Editing and formatting right on your mobile device.
• Continuous dictation and no limit on speaking length.
• Document sharing by email, Dropbox, and more.
• Easy spelling correction from the Correction Menu.

Tips for Talking to Dragon

If you’re used to typing on a keyboard, dictating text may seem a little clumsy at first. With Dragon, you must do things a bit differently than when you type. For instance, some words sound the same but have different meanings and spellings. For example, weather and weather, no and know, there and their, here and hear, jeans and genes, etc. If the words have the same pronunciation , it becomes much more difficult for Dragon to make the correct decision.

Following are a few tips to make dictating easier:

• Speak as clearly as possible and try to use our neutral accent.
• Try not to dictate the entire sentence, with all the punctuation, all at once; instead, try to dictate in phrases.
• Punctuate and capitalize the text as you speak.
• Use the tools “Playback” and “Read That” to proofread what you have dictated.
• Do not use unusual or classic texts; instead, try to use normal, day-to-day language.
• Try to maintain a balance between using your voice and the keyboard as you speak.

Getting Started with Dragon

By now, you have chosen the version of Dragon that’s right for you, and you’ve concluded that your device meets all the hardware configuration requirements.

Now you’re sitting in front of your computer already. You can refer to the following steps to get started:

1. Install the program

Install the software and activate it using the license key that comes with the installation disc. Keep the key safe so you can easily find it again.

2. Plug in the microphone

Plug the headset into the desired port on the computer. You also get a headset and a quick start guide in the software box. You can also use the built-in microphone. Dragon automatically detects which microphones are available to use.

3. Create a Profile

This is probably the most important step and the reason why Dragon maintains a 99% accuracy. The secret is in the user profile. In just a few steps, you can create your profile that learns your unique speech patterns and word choices.

4. Get to know the Dragon Bar

It is the Dragon’s control panel docked at the top of the screen. You can use Dragon Bar to access various tools for customizing and improving the performance of your Dragon. You can also get all the help at your fingertips with the Learning Center.

5. Start dictating

After you’re all set up and running, you can turn on the microphone and start speaking, and your words appear on the screen as you speak.

Additional Use Cases For Dragon Dictation

• The Dragon mobile app could be very useful for sending reminders to yourself while on or away from your computer. You can also use Dragon to send short emails.
• Dragon Speech Recognition is used across various industries for data entry, report writing, and editing, reading documents, creating documentation, etc. It also saves time answering correspondence.
• Many physicians use Dragon Medical for dictating progress and taking notes after seeing patients. The records are seamlessly integrated into all major EHR platforms for convenience.
• Dragon Law Enforcement is a professional productivity solution that provides law enforcement officials with a convenient and faster way to create incident reports by voice.
• Dragon makes it easier for students to dictate their ideas rather than write them. Dragon also enables students to work independently and create their ideas, which helps them gain confidence in their writing ability and maximize their potential.
• Dragon also contributes hugely to people who for whatever reason, can’t use a keyboard or mouse. Dragon is an invaluable tool for people with speech issues and other disability conditions.

Dragon is not a single product; it’s a family of products. Depending on why you’re interested in Dragon in the first place, there’s a Dragon for each one of your requirements . All the products of the Dragon family are based on the same underlying voice recognition system. You get what you pay for, and I can honestly recommend using this program if you want to truly boost your productivity .

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Hey there, welcome to my blog! I'm a full-time entrepreneur building two companies, a digital marketer, and a content creator with 10+ years of experience. I started RafalReyzer.com to provide you with great tools and strategies you can use to become a proficient digital marketer and achieve freedom through online creativity. My site is a one-stop shop for digital marketers, and content enthusiasts who want to be independent, earn more money, and create beautiful things. Explore my journey here , and don't miss out on my AI Marketing Mastery online course.

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Text-to-Speech (and Speech-to-Text) Tools to Address Reading and Writing Challenges

Text-to-speech and speech-to-text tools can assist students with reading and writing challenges. learn how these technologies work, and understand how available programs and tools can make all the difference in your child’s education..

Students with ADHD who struggle academically often benefit from using Text-to-Speech and Speech-to-Text tools. But how do these technologies work?

• Text-to-Speech (TTS) converts text into automated speech
• Speech-to-Text (STT) enables speech to be converted to text

These tools can improve your student’s reading comprehension , reading fluency, vocabulary, and writing skills .

TTS and STT free up working memory — an executive function essential for writing essays and remembering what is read — by allowing the student to focus on the task at hand and not be overwhelmed with too much information.

Because schools continue to upgrade and focus on technology, many helpful TTS and STT tools are readily available to help students with reading and writing challenges.

Speech-to-Text for Writing Challenges

Students who are strong in verbal expression but have difficulties organizing their thoughts on paper , or struggle with slow processing speed, can use STT to demonstrate their knowledge.

[ Free Download: 9 Teaching Strategies for ADHD Learning Hurdles ]

For students who are frustrated by the task of written work, STT can aid with the complex skills of writing essays or reports.

In addition, when students have trouble paying attention in class, STT can be used to record the lecture and convert it to text. That way, students can process the information by hearing and seeing the words simultaneously.

STT Tools and Programs

• Google Docs Voice Typing allows dictation on Google Docs and Google Slides, Google’s online word processor and presentation apps. To use it, you must be connected to the Internet with Google Chrome on Windows, MacOS, or Chromebook devices.
• Windows Speech Recognition enables dictation on PCs running Windows Vista or more recent operating systems.
• Dictation Keyboard allows dictation on iPad and IOS devices (configured in settings).
• Google Gboard Keyboard enables dictation on Android devices.
• Dragon Anywhere offers fully formed dictation powered via the cloud. Pricing varies.
• Otter is a cloud-based program that offers real-time transcription for lectures. The free plan includes 600 minutes/month, while the “Pro” paid plan includes 6,000 minutes/month.

Text-to-Speech for Reading Challenges

Reading academic material can be challenging, whether it’s due to difficulties with holding attention/interest, with remembering important facts, or with reading fluency. Having the ability to read and listen to the material can aid in increasing comprehension and interest. Text-to-speech tools do just that.

Beyond converting text to audio, these tools also offer other assistive features – like highlighting, text and background changes, and underlining text for focus — to personalize and meet individual needs.

[ Read: The “Write” Assistive Tech Tools for Kids with ADHD ]

TTS Tools and Programs

• Immersive Reader is a reading enhancement tool available in Office 365 that works with Word, OneNote, and Outlook.
• Voice Dream Reader is an app that converts PDFs, Web pages, Microsoft Word documents, and other formats to spoken word. It also offers book marking, note taking, and a built-in dictionary.
• Read&Write is a Google Chrome extension that provides comprehensive support for Google Docs and the Web.
• Speak Screen is built-in screen reader software that can read aloud the contents of the screen on iPad and iOS devices.
• Voice Assistant/TalkBack is a Google screen reader included on Android devices.
• Bookshare is a service that’s free for students with qualifying disabilities. It offers textbooks, bestsellers, children’s books, and career resources. Non-eligible students and individuals may purchase the service for $50/year.
• Learning Ally offers test prep, popular fiction, classic literature, textbooks, and study aids for $135/year.
• Libby App is a free app that allows the reader to borrow ebooks, digital audiobooks, and magazines.

Online libraries or your library system’s website may also provide access to audio books, textbooks, and magazines.

STT and TTS tools can be used in a variety of ways. For example, students can create and share voice recordings with classmates as part of a group project. They can also send quick verbal reminders to themselves or keep track of their thoughts.

Text-to-Speech and Speech-to-Text can also be written into your child’s IEP or 504 Plan to help build skills. Prioritize your child’s needs and focus on one area at a time that needs strengthening. Practicing these skills will increase confidence and reduce your child’s frustration.

Text-to-Speech & Speech-to-Text: Next Steps

• Free Download: Learning Tools That Improve Productivity, Reading and Writing Skills
• Read: 18 Assistive Technology Apps and Extensions for Struggling Students
• Self-Test: Could My Child Have a Learning Disability?

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• Copilot Studio

Building your own copilot with Copilot Studio

Richard Riley , , Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Learn how you can use Copilot Studio to build your own copilot, available on multiple channels, designed for your audiences, and tailored specifically to your business processes and workflows.

In November, we introduced Microsoft Copilot Studio , a conversational AI platform that allows you to customize Copilot for Microsoft 365 and build your own copilot.

Copilot for Microsoft 365 offers AI assistance to create, find, and ask for information across Microsoft 365 apps and provides a Copilot chat available across several employee experiences like Microsoft Teams, Windows, and Bing. However, sometimes you may want generative AI assistants that can reach users on multiple channels outside of those, like embedding on your internal websites, mobile apps, and social channels. You may want to design individual AI assistants that can serve employees, customers, and partners. Or you might want a custom copilot that you can tailor to specific roles and functions, where you can control the orchestration of your large language model using the dialog manager for managed topics with specific workflows.

When you create your own copilot with Copilot Studio, you are building intelligent chat experiences using ready-made large language models, a dialog manager, 1200+ data connectors, and more within a low code SaaS. These custom copilots are AI assistants that help humans with complex cognitive tasks using your organization’s knowledge, connectors to LOB applications, and your own custom topics. For example, a copilot for IT support, a copilot to help your customers choose the right product, or even help your suppliers track the status of orders.

How Copilot Studio works

Let’s talk through the steps to building your own copilot. You can start by logging in to Copilot Studio which will spin up all of the required services for you so it’s ready for building in a matter of minutes.

Imagine you wanted to create a custom copilot to serve customers on your website, for example assisting with product knowledge questions and order management.

First, start by grounding your copilot in your data. Using generative answers , you can enable multi-turn chat over your organizations real-time data—from local files to SharePoint sites, from public websites to data in your own custom backends creating the ability to chat over a wide set of topics within minutes. For this scenario, you would use your public website including your product information.

For critical topics such as account management, which involves handling customer details, you can design the specific conversational flow that you want Copilot to follow. You have the option to use visual authoring or natural language to design these prioritized topics before proceeding to generative AI. For instance, consider a topic that collects user details, authenticates the user, and interacts with your order management systems following a specific sequence of steps. Another example of a managed topic is discounting, where responses may involve legal and compliance matters, and therefore, you provide the managed response.

With generative actions , you can now provide a list of plugins to the copilot, selecting from 1200+ data connectors like SAP, Workday, Salesforce etc, and these will be dynamically executed to help the copilot take action. This allows copilot to effortlessly handle complex queries that were unforeseen or not previously constructed.

For developers that want more custom development, you can use Azure models and services with Copilot Studio. This hybrid approach of low code with custom pro code integration  allows you to bring custom language models , Azure OpenAI on your data , knowledge bases , image generation with DALL-E, telemetry, and more into your Copilot Studio copilot.

When you’re ready, you can publish your copilot to multiple channels which can be internal or external facing to interact with users across different platforms, such as websites, Microsoft Teams, social apps, mobile apps, Azure Bot Service channels and more. You can also escalate the conversation to 1st party Dynamics 365 and 3rd party tools like Genesys, LivePerson, Salesforce and ServiceNow when the copilot requires human assistance.

Once the copilot is live, be sure to review the copilot performance with the built-in analytics dashboard that helps makers monitor key metrics, evaluate performance, and find new copilot topics. Secure and manage your copilot with governance and control features with the central admin center to protect copilot data with data loss prevention policies, role-based access control, environment management and more.

These are just some of the foundational steps to getting started, but there are many other features you can include in your copilot.

How Copilot Studio will evolve in the future

When you build custom copilots using Copilot Studio today, you are designing chat-based experiences to support users with knowledge discovery, such as finding answers to their queries, and task/business process completion, such as calling APIs and following workflows.

We are continuously enhancing the capabilities of Copilot Studio in the upcoming months through several key areas of focus:

• Generative AI knowledge sources– Generative Answers currently supports several data sources to ground your Copilot. Today, you can chat over unstructured data by providing your URLs and data sources. We are expanding both the number of sources and sizes over time. Learn about the existing capabilities today .
• Multi-modality – You can design powerful text-based Copilots today, and even create copilots optimized for speech , which can be used with Dynamics 365 or Interactive Voice Response (IVR) ISVs. Over time, we will provide even more ways to interact with your chat-based experiences.
• Generative AI availability – Copilot Studio is available across several regions, languages, and data centers which we are expanding here .

Be sure to read the Copilot Studio in Copilot for Microsoft 365 blog for information on plugins .

We appreciate your ongoing feedback and suggestions as we continue to improve the experience. Stay tuned for more updates at Microsoft Build.

What else can you do with Copilot Studio

Copilot Studio offers features that can be consumed both within your custom copilots and Copilot for Microsoft 365 via plugins, such as 1200+ data connectors, workflow design, and generative answers all through the low code authoring canvas. The difference is in the channel and audience in which the copilot/plugin is consumed.

If you have invested in Copilot for Microsoft 365 today, you may look to use Copilot Studio to bring in your data outside of Copilot for Microsoft 365 into the Copilot chat, design custom workflows or help control the conversation for specific topics. You would achieve this by designing plugins in Copilot Studio which is included in the Copilot for Microsoft 365 user license for customization of Copilot for Microsoft 365 only. Custom copilot development requires a standalone license . There is no dependency to purchase Copilot for Microsoft 365 to make your own custom copilot.

With Copilot Studio in Copilot for Microsoft 365, you can create plugins for various transactional scenarios. For example, if you want to know how much travel budget is left for the rest of the quarter, you can design a plugin to query a SAP connector to retrieve the information. For sales data, you could ask “What are the sales targets for the fiscal?” querying a data source like Salesforce or Dynamics 365, or even query HR data in Workday and ask questions like “How many vacation days do I have left?”.

And the best part is, you only need to build your plugin once, and it can be reused across your organization after being approved by IT in the admin center.

Get inspired with use cases

Copilot Studio provides you with the platform to build a copilot for your specific needs, for your industry, department, with your data. These custom copilots can cover Business to Employee (B2E) Business to Business (B2B) and Business to Consumer (B2C).

• Copilot for IT Service Management: “Check the progress of my current IT ticket” or “Initiate a request for device upgrades” connected to ServiceNow.
• Copilot for Human Resources: “Start the onboarding sequence for our new team member” or “Show me the remaining training budget for this quarter.” Using your HRM systems like Workday.
• Copilot for Frontline workers : “How do I find the manual for Contoso Blender” or “How do I fix the printing machine model XB100”
• Copilot for Legal and Compliance: “Summarize the latest updates to our brand usage guidelines” or “Explain the company’s stance on intellectual property rights.”

Business to business examples:

• Copilot for Project Management: “Give me a summary of completed tasks for Project X’s second phase” or “List the pending deliverables for phase two.”
• Copilot for Supplier Management: “Show the fulfillment status of purchase order #452” or “Track the shipment of our recent bulk order.”
• Copilot for Sales Enablement: “Generate a quote for a large-scale supply of office essentials” helping your business assess the lead potential for a prospective client.

Business to consumer examples:

• Copilot for Customer Support: Guide a customer through the product return process or requests like “Help me with account recovery.”
• Copilot for Product Consultation: “Recommend the best laptop for travel-intensive users” or “Compare the latest smartphone models for photography enthusiasts.”
• Copilot for Service Booking: Navigate a customer through scheduling a service appointment with queries like “Check availability for in-store consultations next Thursday.”
• Copilot for Travel Assistance: “Help me book a trip for a family of four with top-rated family resorts for this summer” connected to your travel booking system.

Check out some of the use cases from customers such as Paypal, AnPost, HP and more .

Get started with Copilot Studio today

We are eager to keep delivering the newest advances to Copilot Studio and we can’t wait to see the amazing solutions you create. Be sure to take advantage of the training content like Copilot Studio in a day and the learning paths to begin your skilling journey.

To learn more about Copilot Studio, visit aka.ms/copilotstudio . To try it for yourself, go to aka.ms/trycopilotstudio . And don’t miss out Microsoft Build , where we’ll share more announcements and demos.

Additional Resources:

• Copilot Studio website: https://aka.ms/copilotstudio
• Blog: https://aka.ms/copilotstudioblog
• Demo: https://aka.ms/copilotstudiodemo
• Product documentation: https://aka.ms/copilotstudiodocs
• Community page: https://aka.ms/copilotstudiocommunity
• Implementation guide: https://aka.ms/CopilotStudioImplement
• Responsible AI: https://aka.ms/CopilotStudioResponsibleAI
• Analyst report: https://aka.ms/CopilotStudioIDC
• Learning resources: https://aka.ms/CopilotStudioLearn