You can tell Alexa to turn on your lights or ask Siri to look up what year Die
Hard was released (1988), but what else can you do with your voice and a little
technology? With the best dictation software, you can compose memos,
emails, speeches, and other writing using only your voice. Some dictation apps
also give you the power to control your computer or mobile device with
spoken words, too, letting you open apps and navigate the web when you
aren't able to or don't want to with your ngers. While there are plenty of
excellent options, we found eight dictation apps that we consider best in class.
Here's the short list of the best dictation apps, with more information
following, such as how we chose them, tips for using dictation software, and
detailed descriptions of each app.
Apple Dictation (iOS, macOS)
Diction.io (Web)
Dragon by Nuance (Android, iOS, macOS, Windows)
Gboard (Android, iOS)
Google Docs Voice Typing (Web)
ListNote (Android)
Speech Recogniser (iOS)
Windows 10 Speech Recognition (Windows)
Why Use Dictation Software?
Dictation apps have a variety of use cases. They're well known among the
accessibility community, as not everyone has full and dexterous use of their
ngers and hands for typing, moving a mouse, or tapping a touchscreen.
They're also quite popular with productivity enthusiasts because once you get
comfortable dictating, it's typically faster than typing. Dictating also enables
multitasking. You can write while walking, cooking, or even breastfeeding.
Some people also nd that writing by dictating silences their internal editor.
You might be more inclined to get all your thoughts out rst and review them
later, rather than revising ideas as you form them.
Here are more details about the best dictation apps and voice recognition
tools, with a few words about what makes them di erent to help you choose.
What Makes a Great Piece of Dictation Software?
In the last few years, dictation software has become more readily available,
easier to use, and much less expensive. Also sometimes called voice-to-text
apps or voice recognition apps, these tools turn your spoken words into
writing on the screen quickly and accurately. In looking for the best dictation
apps, we tested both free and paid options for desktop and mobile devices,
paying attention to accuracy, ease of use, and languages supported.
Some are standalone software programs while others are features that come
inside other apps or operating systems. Take Google Docs Voice Typing, for
example. It's a feature inside Google Docs, rather than a standalone app. You
can use it to write in Google Docs as well as edit and format your text.
Missing from this article are Amazon Alexa, Siri by Apple, and Microsoft
Cortana. Why? They're not true dictation services. They're better classi ed as
AI assistants. You use them to perform simple tasks rather than dictate at
length. They can make a shopping list, but they can't help you write a speech.
So, you won't nd them on this list.
Tips for Using Voice Recognition Software
Dictation apps are impressive, but they aren't perfect. You do need to change
how you speak a little for them to work well. Keep these pointers in mind
when dictating text.
1. Speak like a newscaster. With a dictation app, you need to enunciate clearly,
but you shouldn't talk like a robot. Speaking like a newscaster is about where
you need to be.
2. Punctuate. When you dictate, you have to say each period, comma, question
mark, and so forth.
3. Learn a few commands. Take the time to learn a few simple commands, such
as "new line" to enter a line break. There are di erent commands for
composing, editing, and operating your device. Commands may di er from
app to app, so learn the ones that apply to the tool you choose.
4. Know your limits. Especially on mobile devices, some tools have a time limit
for how long they can listen, usually around 30 to 45 seconds. Glance at the
screen from time to time to make sure you haven't blown past the mark.
5. 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.
Advice on Microphones
To use dictation software, you need a microphone. Depending on what you
want to accomplish, the built-in microphone on your device could su ce. If
you plan to dictate more than a few sentences, switch to an external
microphone for better accuracy. Earbuds that have a mic on the cord will do.
For more advanced uses, you'll get the best results by investing in a higher
quality mic.
The options for microphones used for dictation fall into three broad
categories: wired headsets, wireless headsets, and desktop microphones.
Among wired headsets, look for a device that puts the microphone close to
your mouth, which minimizes the amount of ambient noise it picks up. The
Wirecutter recommends the Jabra Evolve 40 (around $75), with a USB
connector. If you prefer a wireless Bluetooth option, you'll likely end up
spending a little more. The Plantronics Voyager 5200 (around $100) gets the
thumbs up from Wirecutter as well. For desktop microphones, like the kind
used in home podcasting, the Yeti by Blue ($100 to $130) is a long-time
favorite.
The Best Dictation Software
Apple Dictation (iOS, macOS)
Best free dictation tool for Apple devices
Look no further than your Mac, iPhone, or iPad for one of the best dictations
tools. Apple's built-in Dictation feature, powered by Siri (we'd be unsurprised 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 desktop, you turn it on by going to System
Preferences > Keyboard > Dictation and then use a keyboard shortcut to
activate it in your app.
By default, Apple Dictation requires the internet to work and has a time limit of
about 30 seconds for each smattering of speech. To remove those limits,
enable Enhanced Dictation, which requires OS X v10.9 or later or iPhone 6s or
newer. Enhanced Dictation adds a local le to your device so that you can
dictate o ine.
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
o ers advanced commands for creating custom ones.
Price: Included with macOS and iOS devices
Accuracy: On a 200-word test using standard Dictation, three words were
inaccurate. On a 250-word test with Enhanced Dictation, two were inaccurate.
Recommendation: I recommend Apple Dictation only when using Enhanced
Dictation. The standard version is annoying and inconvenient for anything
longer than 40 seconds. For short messages on mobile devices, it works ne.
Enhanced Dictation is the way to go for continuous dictating, however.
Languages: Enhanced Dictation supports 20 languages. Apple's default
Dictation supports 31 languages: Arabic, Catalan, Chinese, Croatian, Czech,
Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian,
Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese,
Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, and
Vietnamese.
Dictation.io (Web)
Best dictation software for one-time use
Dictation.io is a free website that lets you turn your speech to text without
downloading or installing anything. You need an internet connection to use it
because your speech gets processed through Google's servers in real time. In
testing, it was reasonably accurate, with a need for cleanup in punctuation and
testing, it was reasonably accurate, with a need for cleanup in punctuation and
capitalization in particular. There's no time limit, though you may need to
reload the page if a pesky ad appears over the controls for switching the
microphone between listening and stop mode.
Dictation.io has a list of preferred words for inserting punctuation and special
characters, though it didn't always function awlessly. For example, to insert a
period, you can say, "full stop," which the app confused with "stop listening,"
the command to turn o the mic.
Everything runs in the browser with Dictation.io, so you'll have to move your
text to do anything with it. When you nish dictation, you can copy and paste
your work, export to a .txt le, tweet it, email it, or print it from the app. While
the developer notes that your voice isn't being recorded or stored anywhere,
it's worth mentioning that the site has no terms of service or privacy
statement. It's a good tool when you need to dictate once here or there, or if
you're looking for a hard-to- nd language, as this app supports 67, including
many Asian languages.
Price: Free
Accuracy: In a 250-word passage, Dictation.io had 30 inaccuracies, a mix of
incorrect words, missed punctuation, and improper capitalization.
Recommendation: Dictation.io is best for one-o dictation projects because
it's free and you don't have to download anything or for anyone in need of
language support that they can't nd elsewhere.
Languages: Dictation.io supports text to speech in 67 languages, not counting
dialects separately: Afrikaans, Amharic, Arabic, Armenian, Azerbaijani, Bahasa
Indonesian, Basque, Belarusian, Bulgarian, Bengali, Cambodian, Catalan,
Chinese, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonia, Farsi, Filipino,
Fi i h F h G li i G i G G j i Hi di H i
Finnish, French, Galician, Georgian, German, Gujarati, Hindi, Hungarian,
Icelandic, Italian, Hebrew, Japanese, Kannada, Kazakh, Korean, Laotian,
Latvian, Lithuanian, Malayalam, Mongolian, Marathi, Malay, Maltese, Nepali,
Norwegian, Punjabi, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Sinhalese,
Slovakian, Slovenian, Serbian, Spanish, Sudanese, Swedish, Swahili, Tamil,
Telugu, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu, Vietnamese, and Zulu.
Dragon by Nuance (Android, iOS, macOS, Windows)
Best overall dictation software
If you never want to touch your keyboard or mouse again, Dragon by Nuance
is the voice dictation software for you. With a variety of software packages and
mobile apps for di erent use cases (Dragon Legal, Dragon Medical, Dragon
Professional), Dragon can handle specialized industry vocabulary, and it comes
with excellent features such as the ability to transcribe text from an audio le
with excellent features, such as the ability to transcribe text from an audio le
you upload. Dragon is a leader in speech recognition, and if you're committed
to dictation and hands-free computer use, it's worth the investment.
Dragon's desktop software lets you compose text using your voice in just
about any app, G Suite included. It also lets you navigate the web and control
your computer. Be sure to check the system requirements for the edition you
want before buying.
You can also count on Dragon to be highly accurate and fast. The apps contain
training modules that coach you on how to use it for dictating, editing, and
whatever else you want to do with your voice. All those features don't come
cheap, however, with the baseline Dragon Home edition running $150. There's
a mobile app for an additional $14.99/month that syncs with a desktop version
for added productivity.
Price: $14.99/month for Dragon Anywhere (iOS and Android); from $150 to
$500 for desktop packages
Accuracy: Testing on Dragon Professional Individual, all words were correct in
a 200-word passage, with one capitalized letter that should have been
lowercase. Testing on the mobile app, only one was incorrect out of 250.
Recommendation: Dragon is a hefty investment. If you're committed to
working hands-free, however, it's worth it because it's the most accurate
dictation tool we've found.
Languages: Dragon desktop products are available in several languages, which
vary by version, and include Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, and
Spanish.
Gboard (Android, iOS)
Best free mobile dictation tool without time limits
Gboard, available for both Android and iOS, is a powerful keyboard app that
includes a dictation tool. Press and hold the spacebar, and you can dictate at
length. Gboard transcribes everything you say in real time and without a time
limit, although you need an internet connection to use it.
Be warned that Gboard is fast. It will cut you o if you take too long of a breath
or even pause for a moment. Its speed is both its strength and its weakness,
as it scored the lowest in accuracy of all our apps likely because it forces the
speaker to rush through the text.
Price: Free
Accuracy: In transcribing a 200-word passage, Gboard ubbed about 20
percent of it.
Recommendation: Gboard works fast, but it pushes you to speak fast, too,
which may not be your cup of tea. In getting the hang of it, I found myself
rushing and not breathing at a natural rhythm. Use Gboard when you need
speed, and when you're dictating a few short ideas at a time.
Languages: Not counting di erent dialects separately, Gboard supports 47
languages: Afrikaans, Arabic, Azerbaijani, Belarusian, Bulgarian, Catalan,
Chinese, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French,
German, Greek, Hausa, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Indonesian,
Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latvian, Macedonian, Malay, Maltese, Norwegian,
Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovenian,
Spanish, Swahili, Swedish, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese, Welsh, and Zulu.
Google Docs Voice Typing (Web)
Best free dictation app for typing in Google Docs
Google Docs contains a built-in tool for dictation and voice-driven editing.
Called Voice Typing, this tool is only available in Docs when running Google
Chrome. Turn it on from the Tools menu, and a microphone appears on your
document. Click the mic to start and stop dictation mode.
Similar to Dragon, Google Docs Voice Typing gives you plenty of voice
commands for formatting, editing, and navigating the page as you write. For
example, you can say "create bulleted list," "select word," or "go to end of
paragraph." In our testing, Voice Typing held up well with a natural speaking
pace. It's a solid option if you work primarily in Google Docs and are looking
for free dictation software.
Price: Free
Accuracy: Out of 200 words dictated, only one was incorrect.
Recommendation: Voice Typing is an incredibly helpful tool if you use Google
Docs avidly, but it doesn't work anywhere else. That said, it's one of the only
free voice dictation apps that gives you a wide range of commands for editing
and formatting.
Languages: Not counting di erent dialects separately, Google Docs Voice
Typing supports dictation in 62 languages; voice commands for editing are
only available in English: Afrikaans, Amharic, Arabic, Armenian, Azerbaijani,
Bahasa Indonesia, Basque, Bengali, Bulgarian, Catalan, Chinese, Croatian,
Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Farsi, Filipino, Finnish, French, Galician,
Georgian, German, Greek, Gujarati, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic,
Italian Japanese Javanese Kannada Khmer Korean Laotian Latvian
Italian, Japanese, Javanese, Kannada, Khmer, Korean, Laotian, Latvian,
Lithuanian, Malayalam, Malaysian, Marathi, Nepali, Norwegian, Polish,
Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Slovenian, Serbian, Sinhala,
Sundanese, Spanish, Swahili, Swedish, Tamil, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu,
Vietnamese, and Zulu.
Do more with Google Docs by learning 40 tips for Google Docs power users.
ListNote Speech-to-Text Notes (Android)
Best Android dictation app for also recording voice memos
ListNote Speech-to-Text Notes is one of the most popular speech recognition
apps for Android in the Google Play store, with more than 26,000 downloads.
It combines the classic notepad functionality with voice dictation, using your
phone's built-in Google Voice Search to turn voice to text while recording the
audio at the same time The app saves each recording as a searchable note
audio at the same time. The app saves each recording as a searchable note
that you can categorize and color code. You can share these notes via email,
text, and to any other supported app you have installed, as well as play the
recorded audio while reading the transcribed text to check it.
ListNote also o ers a handful of unique features, like the "Time to Breathe"
option that lets you choose how long to wait before stopping speech input. It
o ers password protection as well, plus backup and encryption options.
Price: Free
Accuracy: In using ListNote to transcribe a 200-word passage, the app had six
small errors that were easy to correct, but missed a few words in a row in
three places.
Recommendation: On Android, ListNote is a speedy text-to-speech app that
doesn't have a time limit. It's a good option if you need a free app that you can
use quickly and easily, and if you don't mind making a few corrections when
nished.
Languages: Supports all languages o ered in Google's dictation services (see
Gboard entry).
If you're looking for a similar option on Windows and iOS, you can use the Microsoft OneNote
mobile app to record your voice, and then switch to the Window app to run an Audio Search to
nd words in it. The app doesn't transcribe the full text, however.
Speech Recogniser (iOS)
Best dictation app for translating text into another language
Speech Recogniser is a dictation powerhouse. You can use it to not only
dictate but also translate text into more than 26 languages. The app also lets
you post directly to Facebook or Twitter, copy your transcribed text to other
apps, and send text via email.
Once you install and open Speech Recogniser, you choose a source language
on the home screen and tap the start button to activate the dictation. When
you're done, a new screen appears with your text. You can then translate,
share, or even playback your recording.
It's a quick way to jot down transcribed notes and even translate them into
It's a quick way to jot down transcribed notes and even translate them into
another language when you need.
Price: Free
Accuracy: Out of 200 words, Speech Recogniser had four inaccuracies.
Languages: Not counting dialects separately, Speech Recogniser supports 25
languages: Arabic, Bahasa Indonesia, Cantonese, Chinese, Czech, Danish,
Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese,
Korean, Malay, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish,
Swedish, Turkish
Windows 10 Speech Recognition (Windows)
Best free dictation app for Windows
If you use a Windows 10 device, you're probably already familiar with Cortana,
the AI voice recognition assistant from Microsoft. Cortana works in tandem
with another tool called Windows 10 Speech Recognition, which is used for
dictation and operating your device.
Using either a hotkey (Windows logo button + h ) or a voice command, you can
start dictating continuously in supported apps. In testing, dictation worked
without a hitch in Notepad and Word, two apps made by Microsoft, but not at
all in Evernote or Google Docs. Make sure the apps you want to use are
supported before investing too much time in this tool.
Speech Recognition uses two di erent on-screen interfaces, depending on
how what you're doing. There's one interface for dictation (shown above) and
a separate one for voice commands, like opening programs and scrolling
pages.
Speech Recognition improves the more you use it. You can optionally allow
Windows to scan your typed documents to get a better sense of your linguistic
choices.
As mentioned, Cortana is the other piece of the Windows speech recognition
puzzle. Saying, "Hey, Cortana," wakes up this AI assistant, and you can ask it to
search online, open apps, save short notes, and look up directions.
Price: Included with Windows 10; Speech Recognition (without Cortana)
included in older versions of Windows
Accuracy: In transcribing 250 words, Windows Speech Recogniser had 12
errors. More than half were related to capitalization, and two were incorrect
words.
Recommendation: Windows Speech Recognition and Cortana together o er a
compelling dictation package for people who run Windows and use Microsoft
apps. If you compose in many apps not made by Microsoft, you may want to
look for another option, however.
Languages: Not counting di erent dialects separately, Windows Speech
Recognition supports eight languages: Chinese, English, French, German,
Italian, Japanese, Portuguese (Brazilian only), and Spanish.
Is Voice Dictation for You?
Once you become experienced with it, a dictation tool can speed up your
writing, potentially making you more productive. It lets you multitask, and
some people nd it helps them generate ideas rather than get stuck on
revising and editing. Dictation software can be a necessary tool for people with
accessibility issues or who are trying to prevent repetitive stress syndrome
from typing, too.
Dictation is not always right for every task, however. It's ideal for writing
speeches and spoken remarks. It turns list-making into an afterthought. But
depending on what kind of writer you are and what you're producing, typing
with your ngers may be your preferred route.
If you nd yourself diving head rst into dictation and using some features to
edit or control your computer using your voice, you may want to invest in top-
of-the-line software, such as Dragon by Nuance. Or, you may want to spend a
half hour every day practicing and learning to use the tools that come with
your operating system. If you're still dabbling, try a free dictation tool that's
easily accessible, such as the one that came pre-installed on your smartphone.
As you become more comfortable with voice recognition technology, you can
use it for anything you like on whatever device you have at hand. You just
might get hooked.
