the speech to text app

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 .

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

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.

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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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 (and optionally translate) audios & videos - upload files from your device or link to an online resource (Drive, YouTube, TikTok or other). Export to text, docx, video subtitles 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.

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The 8 Best Voice-to-Text Apps of 2024

Dragon Anywhere is the best overall voice-to-text app

Stacey has worn many hats throughout her writing career, working in content marketing, nonprofit communications, and journalism at different points in her life.

We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more .

Getty Images / RapidEye-izabell

Voice-to-text apps can be helpful for accessibility needs and busy professionals alike. If you’re always on the go, transcribing interview notes, or you can think faster than you can write, these special programs can increase your efficiency and store the recordings safely and sound via the cloud. Depending on your needs, you can choose an app with customizable language for commonly used words or industry terms.

The main features to consider when looking at voice-to-text apps include accuracy, shortcuts, and available languages. Accuracy is one of the most critical factors, and some options perform much better than others in this area. These apps are becoming more mainstream, from basic software to advanced technology. Whether you want to take notes , send quick messages, or translate on the fly, the best voice-to-text apps below are ready to help.

Best Voice-to-Text Apps of 2024

Best overall: dragon anywhere, best assistant: google assistant.

• Best Transcription: Transcribe
• Best for Long Recordings: Speechnotes

Best for Notes: Voice Notes

• Best for Messages: SpeechTexter  

Best for Translation: iTranslate Converse

Best for niche industry terms: braina.

Dragon Anywhere

• Price: $15 per month or $150 per year
• Free Trial: One week
• Accuracy Rate: 99 percent

Why We Chose It

We chose Dragon Anywhere because of its 99 percent accuracy rating and options for voice editing and formatting.

Pros & Cons

No word limits

99 percent accuracy

Multiple ways to share documents

Expensive compared to some other apps

May take time to learn the built-in commands

Available for Android and iOS devices, Dragon Anywhere is a premium professional tool that’s a big deal in the world of dictation apps. It’s 99 percent accurate and comes with voice editing and formatting. You can use the app for as long as you need—there are no word limits.

Dragon Anywhere allows you to customize industry lingo for even more accuracy. After transcription, share your notes by email, Dropbox, Evernote, and more. For supported versions, you can synchronize Dragon Anywhere with your desktop and do voice work on your computer as well. However, to do this, you will need to purchase a desktop version of Dragon as well.

Its accuracy and rich features come with a cost, but the bill could be a worthy business investment if you often think of ideas on the fly or need to record meetings. The application costs $15 per month or $150 per year.

Google Assistant

• Price: Free
• Free Trial: N/A
• Accuracy Rate: Not disclosed

We chose Google Assistant because it can help you accomplish a variety of tasks.

Integrated into services you already use, such as email and messaging

Free to use

Not specifically designed for note-taking

Must use applets to boost note-taking abilities

Google Assistant does a lot, including playing music and opening maps. One of its best features? Voice recognition. You can use voice command to look up information and tell Google Assistant to perform certain functions, but it can also convert speech to text.

The app sends messages, manages tasks, and sets reminders. While it’s not a speech-to-text app in the purest sense, it will still help organize your ideas and notes with voice recognition.

Use IFTTT (If This Then That) to maximize your Google Assistant note-taking abilities. In one applet , Google Assistant can log all of your notes into a spreadsheet. You can also search IFTTT for other productivity-boosting applets or create your own as you see fit.  

Best for Transcription: Transcribe - Speech to Text

Transcribe - Speech to Text

• Price: $5 per hour of transcription, subscription options also available
• Free Trial: 15 minutes of transcription

Transcribe - Speech to Text offers you the opportunity to transcribe any voice or video file using the help of artificial intelligence.

Transcription available for over 120 languages and dialects

Easy-to-use software

Only available for Apple products

Journalists or executive assistants who have a lot of conversations to track may find this app useful. Using A.I., Transcribe can turn any voice or video memo into a transcription in over 120 different languages and dialects. After recording, you can drop your file in this app and export your raw text into another app such as DropBox.

Keep in mind that Transcribe is only available for Apple products with Voice Memo and video since there’s no direct in-app dictation. Transcribe can also get pricey. Users receive a free trial for 15 minutes of transcription. Every extra hour costs $5 and 10 hours costs $30, but there are also subscriptions available for frequent users.

Best for Long Recordings: Speechnotes - Speech to Text

Speechnotes - Speech to Text

• Accuracy Rate: 90 percent or better

We chose Speechnotes because it allows for extremely long recordings.

Long recordings allowed

Can add in punctuation where needed

In-app advertisements as a free app

Only available in browser and on Android

Writers who think faster than they can type will appreciate this app. Speechnotes is excellent for organizing long notes thanks to two special features. First of all, it doesn't stop recording—even if you pause to think or breathe—so you can keep the recording open for as long as needed. Second, you can tap a button or use a verbal command to insert punctuation marks into your work so they won't become too unwieldy.

The free app has a small ad banner, but you can upgrade to a premium version to get rid of it. Other perks: It won't clog up your phone space at 4 MB, plus it saves all your recordings as TXT files. Plus, you won’t need to open the app to use it either; you can tap on a widget to access Speechnotes. Keep in mind that Speechnotes is only available on your browser and Android. 

Voice Notes

We chose Voice Notes for its efficient layout to help you store notes.

Recognizes 120 languages

Only available on Android phones

Voice Notes has speech recognition that allows you to create notes efficiently. You can then organize your notes into categories and create reminders by customizing alerts synced with your phone calendar. The interface is intuitive and easy to use; simply press the microphone button and speak to record. You’ll even be able to make your notes with the phone screen turned off.

The app can recognize up to 120 languages, just in case you need to record notes in something other than English. The app is free, though you can subscribe to a premium plan to support the developer.

Of course, there are a few caveats. Voice Notes is a popular app, but the one major limitation is that it's only available on Android phones. Plus, you need to have Google voice search installed to use it.

Best for Messages: SpeechTexter - Speech to Text

SpeechTexter - Speech to Text

• Accuracy Rate: Better than 90 percent

SpeechTexter is a useful tool to help you draft texts, notes, emails, reports, and more with your voice. 

Desktop and android versions available

Over 70 languages supported

Customizable commands

Offline mode is less accurate

Need to send a quick message but find your hands occupied with other tasks? Here’s a quick solution. Using Google’s backend, SpeechTexter allows you to create text notes, emails, and reports with your own voice. The easy-to-use app supports over 70 languages with an accuracy rate higher than 90 percent. You can customize your own commands for punctuation as well.

It's possible to use the app when you're not connected to the Internet, though keep in mind that the accuracy lowers in offline mode and the recognition speed depends on your Internet connectivity. To use the app offline, make sure that you install language packs of your preference.

iTranslate Converse

• Price: $6 per month or $50 per year
• Free Trial: Yes

We chose iTranslate Converse because it is designed to help you translate languages on the go in noisy environments.

Works well in noisy environments

Enables real-time communication with someone in another language

38 languages recognized

Subscription fee

Unknown accuracy rate

Brought to you by the same developers behind the popular iTranslate app, iTranslate Converse is as close to real-time translation as you’ll get, which is convenient if you need to communicate with clients who don’t speak the same language as you or if you’re traveling abroad. All you have to do is set the two languages. Then tap, hold, and speak into your phone.

The app will pick up on the language that you’re speaking, then issue out a translation—yes, even in noisy environments. The app is capable of recognizing 38 languages. After your conversation is done, you can download full transcriptions. It’s not always perfect, of course, but it’s faster than going through a personal assistant app to look up translations for you.

While it has a subscription fee, iTranslate won't stretch your budget significantly. When you download it, you'll receive a free trial. After that runs out, you'll be upgraded to the pro version for $6 per month or $50 per year. You must cancel at least 24 hours before the end of the trial to avoid being put on a paid membership.

• Price: $0-$399
• Free Trial: No
• Accuracy Rate: 99%

Briana can help you utilize voice-to-text in a jargon-filled industry.

Personal A.I. builds to recognize your industry jargon

Over 100 languages recognized

May take some time to customize

Braina is a personal A.I. for Windows P.C.s with companion Android and IOS apps. The program can convert your voice into text for any website or software program, including a word processor. It recognizes most medical, legal, and scientific terms, which makes it ideal if you work in a niche industry with technical jargon. You can also teach Braina uncommon names and vocabulary with ease.

Braina has other helpful voice recognition features besides learning niche industry terms. For example, it can recognize over 100 languages to serve non-English users. The program also includes convenient dictation commands for deleting, tabbing, and casing.

The app has a few price tiers; there is a free version with limited access to features, while the pro version costs $79 per year or $399 for lifetime access (which often goes on sale for $199).

Final Verdict

Dragon Anywhere is our pick for the best overall voice-to-text app thanks to its streamlined tools, high accuracy rating, and accessible computer synchronization. The app costs a bit more than other popular options, but discounts are available on annual subscriptions, and it has no limit on words.

As a bonus, Dragon Anywhere also allows users to customize their experience for specific industry lingo and other terms. This app is also accessible for Android and iOS devices and features simple sharing options to multiple apps or email accounts.

Compare the Best Voice to Text Apps

Guide to choosing a voice-to-text app.

Not sure how to choose a voice-to-text app? Consider the following factors to select the best option for your needs:

• Accuracy rating
• Available languages
• Limits on words or usage
• Platform (Android or iOS)
• Exporting files
• Translation
• Customizable terms or industry language

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best voice to text app.

Dragon Anywhere is the best voice-to-text app on our list. This app is available for both Android and iOS users, has a high accuracy rating, and makes it easy to export files to your computer, email, or other apps.

What Is the Best Free Voice to Text App?

Speechnotes, Voice Notes, Google Assistant, and SpeechTexter are all great choices for free voice-to-text apps. Choose the best option for your specific needs based on maximum length of recording, available languages, and exporting options.

What Is the Best Way to Convert Voice to Text?

Voice-to-text apps and computer programs are both helpful ways to convert your voice to text. If you need to record notes on the go or away from your computer, a mobile app is likely best for you. On the other hand, some people prefer apps downloaded to their computers to take notes during meetings or classes.

What Is the Most Realistic Speech-to-Text?

Dragon Anywhere has the highest accuracy rating of voice-to-text apps compared in this list. Additionally, this app allows users to customize specific industry language and commonly used terms to make their transcriptions more realistic.

Methodology

To find the best voice-to-text apps we compiled a list of the most popular options available. Next, we took a closer look at several factors, including the price, free trial options, accuracy rates, and more. Finally, we decided which providers were best suited for what our readers needed.

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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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The 6 Best Speech-to-Text Apps for Note-Taking

Speech-to-text apps are the best way to take notes on the go. They can also save you time. Here are some of the best ones to use.

Whether you're taking meeting minutes, interviewing someone, or researching for a project, speech-to-text apps are an excellent tool that saves time. Both students and professionals can benefit from using an app that provides speech-to-text functionality.

You can use some apps in the list below in your browser, or you can use them in an app on your phone. Depending on what you want to do with the transcribed notes, some apps may be more valuable than others. You can find the apps on Android and iOS, so your options aren't limited depending on your phone.

1. Dragon Anywhere

Dragon Anywhere provides you with dictation capabilities without any word limits. Suppose you've had bad experiences with talk-to-text apps transcribing your audio incorrectly. You don't have to worry about that with Dragon Anywhere since it has 99% accuracy with powerful voice formatting and editing.

You can use the Train Words feature to teach Dragon Anywhere how you speak. Once you have your audio transcribed, you can share your documents by email, Dropbox, and other apps. The app doesn't limit the length of your documents. You can easily adjust formatting, edit them quickly, and share them on the most common cloud-sharing platforms.

Dragon Anywhere allows you to add custom words for industry-specific terminology for better dictation accuracy. The platform has solid voice formatting and editing options, including selecting words and sentences for deletion or editing.

You can save time crafting emails and dictating your text. You can open your dictation files in Microsoft Word or save your dictation to Evernote as a new note. Furthermore, you can change between Dragon Anywhere and your desktop to complete documents. The app allows you to dictate on multiple mobile devices, as long as you log in to your accounts and synchronize all your customizations.

Download : Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases)

Gboard is a platform that accurately converts audio to text with an API (application programming interface) powered by the best of Google's AI technology and research. You can access Gboard using Google Assistant, and the app transcribes your speech with accurate captions. You benefit from Google's advanced intense learning neural network algorithms in its automatic speech recognition.

You can test the app's Teach Speak-to-Text user interface to manage and create custom resources, such as standard industry terms and acronyms. One of Gboard's key features is its speech adaptation, which provides hints to improve your transcription accuracy of unique words or phrases. The feature uses classes to automatically convert spoken numbers into currencies, addresses, and years.

You can use Gboard to dictate emails, create Google Docs, and in any other app on your phone. You can transcribe video meetings to take meeting minutes. Gboard offers robust language support in over 125 languages and variations. If you're in a noisy room, the app's speech-to-text can handle the audio without needing any noise cancellation.

You can transcribe audio the app receives from the audio on your device's microphone, or you can upload pre-recorded audio from the cloud or your device. You may be interested in learning how to transcribe speech in real-time with Google Translate .

Download : Android | iOS (Free)

3. Speechnotes

Speechnotes is available as a mobile app and a web service. The online version of the platform works in your Chrome browser, so you don't have to download any programs—the company endeavors to provide the best online dictation tool. The app's creators designed it to provide an environment without distractions. The app simulates a blank sheet of white paper to spark your mind.

The app is free, and the creators claim that the accuracy is comparable to Dragon Anywhere. If you're looking for an app that allows you to use voice control other apps, Speechnotes isn't the app you're looking for, and the app is strictly a dictation app.

Features of Speechnotes include Autosave, which saves the document in real time when you make changes, so you don't have to interrupt yourself. You can save your transcription in Google Drive or download it as a document to your computer to email or print your note.

Data from Speechnotes shows that speaking instead of typing allows you to think and talk it out uninterrupted, which supports creative thinking, which is good for content creators. If you have a podcast, you might be interested in what Descript is and how you use it .

Download : Android (Free, in-app purchases)

4. Transkriptor

Transkriptor can convert audio recorded on your device or audio you've uploaded in minutes. When your transcription is ready, you get a notification on your phone, if you allow it, and receive an email.

You can transcribe interviews, video content, meetings, podcasts, and phone calls. You can save time and money using a transcription app to convert audio to text. Before talk-to-text apps, you had to hire someone to listen to audio and make notes, and now you can take advantage of the technology advancements.

Regardless of your profession, if you need to make notes, you can benefit from using Transkriptor. Whether you're a journalist, academic researcher, student, or lawyer, as long as you have to take notes, you can use the app to improve your efficiency.

You can download the text in various formats, such as SRT, TXT, or Microsoft Word, to share the text with others. To make your videos more accessible, you can create subtitles when you convert your event recordings to text. You might be interested in working with closed captions and transcriptions in Adobe Premiere .

Braina is another dictation application with speech recognition software that converts your voice into text on any website or software. For example, you can dictate in Microsoft Word or Notepad. The platform supports over 100 languages, including Japanese, Chinese, Russian, Portuguese, Italian, French, Spanish, Hindi, German, and English. The app is easy, fast, and accurate, helping you be more productive.

Braina is an app you can use to control your computer. You can customize your voice commands and replies to automatically launch any software, open a website, or trigger keyboard macros utilizing the app to interact with your computer via Wi-Fi from anywhere in your home.

The app goes beyond the functionality of Siri and Cortana, providing you with a powerful office productivity tool. Braina is the result of solid research the creators did in the artificial intelligence industry. Like a human brain, the app is a digital assistant that can think, understand, and learn from experience.

Otter can take notes, record meetings, and generate text that you can share. If staff need to miss meetings to meet deadlines, you can record meetings and share notes to keep members in the loop.

You can capture all your important meetings and conversations, whether they take place in person or virtually. Otter assistant integrates with Google Meet, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams. You can save the transcriptions in a secure, central, and accessible place.

Otter allows you to customize the app's vocabulary, including names and acronyms. It doesn't matter where you are; you can record and transcribe conversations in person, on your phone, or via video.

Otter for business allows you to connect with your Google or Microsoft Calendar and automatically schedule your Otter assistant to join Google Meet, Zoom, or Microsoft Teams meetings. You can pay more attention to the discussion when you know the app is recording it, and it notes everything participants say. You may be interested in learning about the best tools for transcribing video meetings to shareable documents ​​​​​.

Are You Ready to Increase Your Efficiency?

Once you find a talk-to-text app that works for you, you can take advantage of the functionality to save time on minute-taking and researching topics. Some apps allow you to control your laptop or desktop computer from your phone, as long as you connect your device to your Wi-Fi network.

You can try different apps to see which one you feel more comfortable with. Depending on what you want to use the app to achieve, you can find an app that you can use to take notes, write emails, and write documents.

Transcribe App and Online Editor

Your personal assistant for note taking and transcribing. our voice transcription service saves you time and helps you focus on what’s important..

Automatic transcription

Transcribe is your AI-powered speech-to-text service. Use the Transcribe app and online editor to automatically generate notes from meetings, interviews, videos and more.

More than 120 languages

Turn audio and video into searchable, editable and shareable content in more than 120 languages.

Spanish (Spain)

Spanish (Mexican)

Spanish (Colombian)

Traditional Chinese

Variety of formats

Import files from any app or cloud storage system. Supported formats include mp3, m4a, wav, m4v, mp4, mov and avi.

Document export

Export transcribed text into a document with timestamps and polish it there. Supported formats include PDF and Microsoft Word.

Zoom integration

Record your Zoom calls and get meeting notes almost instantly.

Voice recorder

Record and review conversations in real time with our live transcription service.

Dim the lights when you work late into the night.

Collaboration tools

Collaborate with your colleagues by exporting voice notes or using Teams feature.

Bonus 5 hours of transcription time

Additional time credits every month.

Additional export formats

Export to TXT, PDF, DOCX, SRT and JPG.

Cloud storage

Up to 500 files of speech recording can be backed up in the cloud.

Synchronization

Access your documents from any device (iPhone, iPad, MacOS or a web browser).

Edit on your phone, PC or Mac

Proofread and polish the transcription on whichever device you prefer.

Priority support

Speedier replies and help when you need it.

Bonus 30 hours of transcription time

Ability to create teams for collaboration (up to 5 teams).

Up to 1 000 audio files with infinite storage time.

For podcasters

Transcribe podcasts into written notes.

For business

Get meeting notes in an instant.

For journalists

Transcribe interviews to get news out fast.

For academics

Save time on your academic research.

For students

Transcribe lectures and seminars.

What our users are saying

I’m a freelance writer who uses the Voice Memo app when conducting interviews. It would take me HOURS to transcribe what was recorded. And that wasted my time when I could have been writing the article. Transcribe has now freed up that time.

I am disabled and I’ve been looking for this exact technology for at least two years because I can’t type anymore. A lot of these transcriptions don’t work, but this one does. I’ve probably done 60 hours of transcribing audio memos checks and with with very few exceptions it was Word for Word perfect. And when you didn’t get the word right it was because I was mumbling, or what have you.

This converted my rambling voice memos directly into text for use in a word document. My audio quality was low: I recorded with my iPhone in my lap while driving on the highway so there is lots of background noise. Still, the imperfections in text are all from me stammering. Actually, the app cut out lots of ums and repeated words improving what I said. It still requires editing and correcting - mostly formatting - but really couldnt be improved much at all. This is mature technology. Also, the software interface is top notch, like google or even better.

Time-saver and amazing results! Thanks a lot for this help! I often have to work with texts in German, English, Italian.

Just used this app to transcribe a 24 minute interview (on Apple Voice Memos) with my dad, about our family history. Using this app vs. transcribing it myself has literally saved me hours. The transcription was good enough that all I will need to do is clean up a few minor “misreads”, and I can present a written version of this interview to my dad as a gift for Christmas. Thanks for a great app!

I am very pleased with this app. I use it primarily to transcribe short information videos. I purchase time in one hour increments which is suitable for my needs.

Experts talk about Transcribe

Best voice-to-text apps.

Voice-to-text apps can be very useful for busy professionals. If you're always on the go or you think faster than you can write, these special programs can increase efficiency and store your recordings safe and sound via the cloud.

The 6 Best Dictation Apps for iPhone

If the iPhone's built-in dictation feature doesn't cut it for you, here are a few good dictation apps for you.

10 iPhone Speech-to-Text Apps 2021

If you don't want to type long texts yourself, a transcription service will be the best solution for you.

The 6 best free speech-to-text apps for creators

What type of content do you primarily create?

Discover the best free speech-to-text apps for seamless transcription! Enhance productivity with accurate and efficient voice recognition.

If you're an online creator who works with video and audio (say, a podcaster or YouTuber), chances are you spend a lot of time or money writing scripts and transcribing your content. Or, you let YouTube automatically caption your videos and hope for the best, often with colorful results .

But it doesn't have to be that way.

You don't have to spend hours manually transcribing or a ton of money for per-minute transcription services. Instead, you can use free speech-to-text software, some of which include artificial intelligence (AI) tools designed for creators , to help you get your words onto the page in minutes.

6 best free speech-to-text apps for creators

• oTranscribe
• Apple Dictation
• Google Docs Voice Typing

What is a speech-to-text app?

A speech-to-text app, or dictation app, is software that lets you record your voice (or upload an audio/video file) and transcribes it into text within the app.

The technology basis of these apps is speech recognition software, which takes a recording and breaks it down into bits it can interpret, converting them into digital text. It's worth noting that speech recognition technology and voice recognition aren't the same; the latter only looks to identify a spoken voice (and often specific voice commands) rather than transcribe what’s being said.

One of the most common use cases for speech-to-text is for transcribing interviews and meetings, which makes them more accessible for those with hearing difficulties and better for SEO purposes.

However, you can also use them for transcribing voiceover videos , vlogs, audio-only podcasts, and more.

How to choose the best free speech-to-text software

In this section, we'll cover a few core features you should look out for when choosing free speech-to-text software for creating content. If the software you're looking at doesn't have these, you'll most likely need to look elsewhere.

Transcription minutes

Of course, you need your speech-to-text app to transcribe. However, not every app or tool will transcribe pre-recorded audio or video and offer 'live' transcription. For apps that do both (and if this feature is what you need), you'll want to pay attention to the amount of transcription you get for free.

On the other hand, if you only want to use speech-to-text for script planning (e.g., voicing your ideas out loud), you may only need a dictation tool that'll put your spoken words into a document. We'll be showing you tools that cater to these different needs in our comparison section below.

Format compatibility and export

If you need software or tools to help you use speech-to-text for transcribing videos and podcasts, you'll need to keep an eye out for import and export format compatibility.

If the software you're considering only accepts .wav audio files, you'll need to convert to that format if your recording is in another. On the other end of the workflow, if you need your transcription to be able to export as a Microsoft Word document, you'll need to make sure your software exports Word docs before you waste your time.

Storage and organization

Whether you're only using a dictation tool or full speech-to-text software, you'll want your words to be easily accessible. Some software (if not all) will have storage limits, so if you record a lot of content, look for one with a generous amount of storage.

You'll also want to consider the organization of your files — granted, this point is entirely subjective and depends on what kind of user interface you like to use. Since we're specifically looking at free options (or software with free plans), it won't hurt to try a few out to see which you like best.

Automatic speaker labels

If you record a podcast or other video content with guests, you'll need to be able to separate who's who in your transcription. You can manually separate speakers in your transcription, but the best way to save time here is to use software that automatically adds speaker labels.

Usually, this means the software will ask you to identify the speakers first; then, it'll handle the rest of the transcription (typically with AI).

An easy-to-use editor

The final feature you want to consider is editing. No transcription software is 100% accurate, so you'll want to use one that has a smooth and easy editor to help you get the job done faster and more easily.

6 best speech-to-text apps for creators

With all of the above in mind, let's get into the details of some of the best speech-to-text software tools currently available that are most suitable for creators.

We make this distinction because some speech-to-text software tools are specifically designed for professional industry use (e.g., medical and legal) and are costly because of that specialization.

1. De‎script

‎ Key features:

• Automatic high-quality transcription (up to an hour free) with up to 95% accuracy
• Automatically remove filler words and periods of silence with Descript AI tools
• Easy document-style editing, which adjusts both the script and media
• Highlights potential errors to help you proofread and review
• Easily add subtitles to your video with the transcription
• Descript supports 23+ different languages 

Upgrade options: The Creator plan (from $12/month) includes 10 transcription hours, and the Pro plan (from $24/month) includes 30 transcription hours. Each comes with even more features besides more hours.

Platforms: Web app, Windows 10 (or newer), Mac OS High Sierra (or newer).

Descript's speech-to-text transcription tool is embedded within its editor software and is one of the best free options specifically for creators. You can create a project for either an existing video to upload or record a new one straight into the software, and the audio-text feature will add the words to your script.

When I added a video of one of my virtual academic conference presentations (originally 12:53 in duration), it transcribed my words in about a minute and a half with suprising accuracy, given that I was using some highbrow academic language.

After editing, using filler words and word gap removal, I cut my video down to 11:29 in just a few seconds and made the video a lot more presentable (unfortunately for me, I didn't have Descript when I initially presented at that conference). 

Descript also lets you use Studio Sound to improve the overall sound quality—it’s free for files up to 10 minutes on the free plan, and unlimited on paid plans.

2. oT‎ranscribe

Key features:

• A simple HTML web app means good cross-platform accessibility
• Keyboard shortcuts for easy playback, rewind, and fast-forward
• Integrated video player to stop tab/software switching
• Interactive timestamps
• Automatic saving to your browser's storage every second
• Export to Markdown, Plain Text, and Google Docs

Upgrade options: Completely free, no plans or upgrade options.

Platforms: Web app (worked in Chrome and Safari at the time of writing).

This one, admittedly, is cheating a little. oTranscribe is technically a transcription-specific tool, so there's no speech-recognition tech involved. But it's a great tool if you want to work on your video or audio manually. For example, suppose you're using a lot of niche vocabulary (fantasy names, industry-specific terms, etc.). In that case, you can sometimes spend more time editing a generated transcript than writing it with better accuracy.

It has a simple HTML interface with a familiar-looking document editor and immediately tells you the most important keyboard shortcuts to use. Using it on the same conference video test made manual transcription much easier than I remember compared to previous projects.

While this is fine for creating a standalone transcript, it doesn't help you add captions or do anything else (e.g., text summaries, repurposing your script, etc.).

3. Di‎ctanote

• Familiar notebook-style file organization of your notes
• Basic text editing, which is easy to pick up
• You can install its dedicated app instead of using the web
• Decent speech-to-text accuracy
• Dictation is completely free

Upgrade options: You can pay 10 cents per minute for AI transcription of existing audio files.

Platforms: Web app, Chrome app (when it asked me to install, it installed on my MacBook as a Chrome app).

If you want to use a tool to help you type as you speak, Dictanote is a great option. It's packaged as a note-taking app, where you can easily store and organize notes you've made. You can type notes as usual, but its key feature is its speech-to-text function and voice commands.

If you've never dictated before, it takes some getting used to, i.e., voicing punctuation and new lines. However, once you get the hang of it, speaking your thoughts can be much faster than typing them by hand.

This option is mainly for creators who want their creative ideas out of their heads and onto the page and provide a dedicated space for their ideas.

For the downsides, while testing the app, it didn't seem to like my AirPods when dictating (it didn't register my voice at all, even after granting permissions), and I had to switch to my Macbook Air microphone. That might be down to me not having the correct settings, but it's worth mentioning. Also, not having any free transcription options for existing media can be a deal-breaker for creators who primarily record content on the fly.

4. ‎ Apple Dictation

• No internet connection required (with Apple Silicon devices)
• Setting up Voice Control can add even more functionality to dictation
• User-friendly; use it anywhere you’d usually type
• Up to 96% accuracy

Upgrade options: Comes free with Apple devices.

Platforms: Apple Mac and iOS devices only.

To test Apple dictation, I've decided to use it to write this section of the article using the Apple Notes app, then copy and paste what I've written into my draft (with a bit of editing).

It's a great tool to help you write as you speak; what’s more, it’s entirely free because it comes embedded within Apple products, including iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks.

Another great benefit of using Apple dictation is that you can easily swap between using your voice and typing, making editing easy for simple mistakes (such as capitalizing brand names). However, when you set it up with voice commands, you can also use dictation to edit instead. Apple dictation also switches off if it doesn’t detect your voice after about 15 seconds or so.

Of course, if you're not an Apple user, Apple dictation is not the tool for you. However, Microsoft has an equivalent dictation tool with an equally reasonable accuracy rate. If you're the type of creator who likes to think out loud and can get used to voicing punctuation and new lines quickly, then Apple dictation is the right tool to help you get thoughts on the page.

As a downside, I found that Apple dictation works best with other Apple software products, such as the Notes app. The dictation keyboard shortcut doesn't work at all in Google Docs, which is likely because Google Docs has its own dictation tool, which we’ll be looking at next.

5. ‎ Google Docs Voice Typing

• Google Docs is an extremely widely used, cross-platform tool for professionals and creators, making collaboration easy.
• Activate voice typing with a keyboard shortcut no matter where you are on the page
• Clear, large icon indicates you've started voice typing

Upgrade options: It comes as a free feature of Google Docs; there's no upgraded version.

Platforms: Web (I'd recommend Chrome specifically for Google Docs, but other browsers may work just as well). It may also work on the Docs app using the Gboard keyboard, but it doesn't work with the default iOS keyboard.

I've used Google Docs as the main deliverable format in my career for years, and I'd never thought to use the native Google speech-to-text feature. However, as a speech-to-text option, it works in the same way as Apple Dictation and Dictanote.

The main difference between these dictation options is the software platform and UI. If you're a creator who uses Google Docs for your ideas, transcripts, collaboration opportunities, and Google Drive for storage, then voice typing directly into Google Docs could be a great option.

However, as with the other dictation tools we've covered, they don't help you with existing media; they’re only for live speech. This lack of transcription can add to your work rather than make your workflow smoother.

6. ‎ Otter.ai

• AI meeting assistant that keeps audio recordings, transcribes, captures slides, and generates summaries in real time.
• Automatically integrates with Zoom, Google Meet, and MS Team to write and share notes
• 300 transcription minutes and up to 30 minutes per conversation on the free plan
• You can import up to 3 audio or video files for transcription (period). You get a monthly limit if you upgrade.

Upgrade options: Pro from $10/month, Business from $20/month (gets you 1,200 and 6,000 transcription minutes, respectively).

Platforms: Web, iOS app, Android app

My personal experience with Otter.ai started when a client of mine would send me interview transcripts she'd made with it. While they helped create content based on the interviews, the transcripts were never super accurate (I'd say roughly 75%).

However, using my conference presentation video, the accuracy is more within the 90% range. I imagine this huge difference comes from the fact that with more than one person speaking, it can be difficult for the AI to keep speakers separated — and on top of that, neither my client nor the interviewees ever seemed to use dedicated microphones.

For creators who post a lot of videos or audio content online, Otter.ai can be a time saver for transcribing podcast interviews you've recorded on Zoom , Google Meets, or MS Teams.

On the other hand, while you can edit the transcript within the Otter.ai software, you can't edit the media the transcript came from. So, if you need a tool to do both, Otter.ai can't help you. Otter.ai also only works in English, so if you need to use another language, you'll need to look elsewhere.

Honorable mention: Just Press Record

If you're a creator with an iPhone or Apple Watch who finds yourself coming up with content ideas in the most random places, and you typically make voice notes with the Voice Memo mobile app to record your ideas, Just Press Record is a great on-the-go speech-to-text service. It's an honorable mention here because it has a one-time purchase fee from the app store ($/£4.99).

With the iPhone app, you can record pro-level audio (if you've got a plug-in microphone), transcribe every word with high accuracy (no limits), edit the transcript in-app, sync across iCloud, and organize your notes by folder.

However, you can also cut/trim the audio to better match an edited transcript, though you have to do this manually.

Another software often cited as a great choice is Nuance Dragon Professional and Dragon Anywhere mobile app. However, upon researching, I discovered that the app has a lot of poor reviews (it's sitting at 2.4/5 on the app store at the time of writing). So, I decided not to include it in this list.

Quick tip for the best speech-to-text results

No matter which type of speech-to-text tool you use, to get the best results, you'll want to use a good-quality microphone so that the audio is as clear as possible.

If you still have trouble with inaccurate dictation or transcription, try speaking more clearly and making sure you don't have too much background noise.

Best free speech-to-text app FAQs

Is there a free app for voice-to-text transcription.

Yes. There are several free voice-to-text transcription apps available. Descript is one of the best options for creators. However, many people can use their device's onboard dictation solution with a note-taking app.

What is the best AI speech-to-text tool?

Descript is the best transcription option for creators who want to use speech-to-text alongside media editing — editing the transcript also edits the media.

On the other hand, if you don't need to edit media, Otter.ai is another great option for transcribing personal meetings and internal interviews.

What are the benefits of using a speech-to-text app?

• Saves time. People often speak much faster than they can type, so a speech-to-text tool can help you get words onto a page more quickly.
• Saves money. Many speech-to-text apps are reasonably accurate and free, which saves you from needing to pay for professional transcriptions (unless you really need human transcription services).

Greater accessibility. People with specific disabilities find it difficult, if not impossible, to type by hand, and so speech-to-text is a critical tool for those who need it.

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Audio to Text

Transcribe audio to text automatically, using AI. Over +120 languages supported

Accurate audio transcriptions with AI

Effortlessly convert spoken words into written text with unmatched accuracy using VEED’s AI audio-to-text technology. Get instant transcriptions for your podcasts, interviews, lectures, meetings, and all types of business communications. Say goodbye to manually transcribing your audio and embrace efficiency. Our advanced algorithms use machine learning to ensure contextually relevant transcripts, even for complex recordings.

With customizable options and quick turnaround, you have full control over the transcription process. Join countless professionals who rely on VEED to streamline their work, making every spoken word accessible and searchable. Our text converter also features a built-in video and audio editor to help you achieve a crisp, studio-quality sound for your recordings. Increase your productivity to new heights!

How to transcribe audio to text:

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Auto-transcribe your video from the Subtitles menu. You can also translate your transcript to over 120 languages. Select a language and translate the transcript instantly.

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Review and edit the transcription if necessary. Just click on a line of text and start typing. Download your transcript in VTT, SRT, or TXT format.

Learn more about our audio-to-text tool in this video:

Instant transcription downloads for better documentation

VEED uses cutting-edge technology to transcribe your audio to text at lightning-fast speed. Download your transcript in one click and keep track of your records better—without paying for expensive transcription services. Get a written copy of your recordings instantly and one proofread for 100% accuracy. Downloading transcriptions is available to premium subscribers. Check our pricing page for more info.

Transcribe videos to bump your content in search results

Our audio-to-text tool is part of a robust and powerful video editing software that also lets you edit and transcribe your video content. Transcribe your video and add captions to help your content rank higher in search engine results. Drive traffic to your website, increase engagement in your social media pages, and grow your channel. Animate your captions and captivate viewers in just a few clicks!

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VEED can help your brand create content that caters to a diverse audience. With automatic transcriptions and instant translations , you can publish globally accessible and inclusive content. Translate your audio and video transcriptions to over 100 languages. Reach untapped markets and help your business grow with instant, reliable, and affordable transcriptions.

Frequently Asked Questions

VEED lets you automatically transcribe your audio to text at lightning-fast speed! Upload your audio file to VEED and click on the Subtitles tool on the left menu. Upload your audio file to VEED and auto-transcribe from the Subtitles menu. Download your transcript in VTT, TXT, or SRT format!

Yes, you can! Upload your video file to VEED and our software will transcribe the original audio that was recorded in your video with the help of AI.

Absolutely! When you’re done downloading the TXT, VTT, or SRT file, click on ‘Export’ to download the video with the subtitles on it. Your video will be exported as an MP4 file.

Depending on how the speech or recording is spaced out through the video, VEED will separate the transcriptions into different boxes. Just click on each box and start typing or editing the text.

Yes—but only the subtitles appearing on the video and not the TXT file. You can choose from a wide range of fonts and styles. Change its size, color, and opacity.

VEED features a 98.5% accuracy in automatic transcriptions and translations with the help of AI. Transcribe your audio to text and translate them to over 100 languages instantly without sacrificing quality.

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• Tamil Audio to Text
• Telugu Audio to Text Converter
• Transcribe Recordings to Text
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What they say about VEED

Veed is a great piece of browser software with the best team I've ever seen. Veed allows for subtitling, editing, effect/text encoding, and many more advanced features that other editors just can't compete with. The free version is wonderful, but the Pro version is beyond perfect. Keep in mind that this a browser editor we're talking about and the level of quality that Veed allows is stunning and a complete game changer at worst.

I love using VEED as the speech to subtitles transcription is the most accurate I've seen on the market. It has enabled me to edit my videos in just a few minutes and bring my video content to the next level

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The Best & Most Easy to Use Simple Video Editing Software! I had tried tons of other online editors on the market and been disappointed. With VEED I haven't experienced any issues with the videos I create on there. It has everything I need in one place such as the progress bar for my 1-minute clips, auto transcriptions for all my video content, and custom fonts for consistency in my visual branding.

Diana B - Social Media Strategist, Self Employed

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Convert audio to text, translate to multiple languages, and more!

VEED is a comprehensive and incredibly easy-to-use video editing software that allows you to do so much more than just transcribe audio to text. Apart from transcribing an audio file, you can transcribe the original recording of a video. Add subtitles to your videos to make them more accessible for everyone. It also has all the video editing tools you need. All tools are accessible online so you don’t need to install any software. Try VEED today and start creating professional-quality, globally accessible content!

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10 best dictation apps for Android to transcribe audio to text

Published on August 27, 2023

Dictation is a niche, but important function. After all, your voice is a lot faster than typing, pretty much all the time. Your mobile is perfect for this, given its portability. Of course, you’ll need a good app to use speech-to-text. Here are the best dictation apps for Android.

The best dictation apps for Android

Google keep, google translate.

• Live Transcribe

Microsoft Translate

Speechnotes, speechtexter, dragon anywhere, dictation websites, gboard (or most keyboards).

Price: Free

Gboard is a pretty good choice for voice dictation. It has a mic icon that you press. From there, just speak your sentences, and the app types it out. You can do this in a variety of apps, including note-taking apps, emails, or other text documents. We list Gboard because it uses Google’s speech-to-text technology. It works pretty well overall. However, most keyboards have a mic option that also works. It’s a good method for voice dictation because you can use your keyboard in almost any app.

By the way, this option is even better if you have a Pixel 6 or newer Pixel phone. These devices have Assistant voice typing , which is a much more advanced version of this app’s voice-to-text feature.

Google Keep is another good solution for dictation. You do need a keyboard with the functionality as well, though. The charm of Keep is that it keeps your audio file saved while your keyboard types out the transcription as you talk. You wind up with both the original audio file and also the transcription. It’s an excellent tool for this sort of thing, as many people use dictation for notes for the most part. Google Keep is a free option. Those looking for something a bit more professional can try Evernote as well.

Google Translate is a good option for dictation. You can easily and quickly translate between many languages, and a wide variety of them work offline. You can then copy and paste the translations wherever you want. It’s an excellent option for interviews where there is a multilingual element. Every translation stays on screen until you clear it. It can be a little tedious if you need to do a lot of translating, but it gets the job done.

Live Translate

Google’s Live Transcribe is an excellent way to transcribe things. You simply talk into it, and the app puts your voice into text. It has a variety of features, mainly for accessibility. That’s what the app is for, after all. However, it does save every transcription for three days on your phone. While it’s there, you can copy and paste it to your chosen note-taking or text document app. It may not work for super long applications, but otherwise, it works surprisingly well.

Microsoft Translate is one of the better dictation apps for the same reason as Google Translate. You can conduct things like interviews and get translations if the answers are in a different language from yours. The app boasts 70 languages, a two-pane mode in case both speakers need translation, and you can copy and paste stuff from the app into another one for future reference. Google Translate is the better option, but this is a good second option if Google isn’t doing it for you.

Price: Free / $16.99 per month

Otter is one of the most popular dictation apps on mobile right now. It’s technically a voice recorder app. You record voice audio, whether it be a work meeting or a school lecture. The app then gives you the option to listen and transcribe the audio. The free version of the app supports 300 minutes per month for free. Anything more serious and you need the subscription. There are also a bunch of other features, like collaboration features, the ability to identify speakers, and more. This is easily one of the best on mobile and one of the ones we’d recommend first.

Price: Free / $2.99 per month / $22.99 once

Speechnotes is an older option, but it still works decently well. This one is good for longer dictation. It boasts unlimited, non-stop dictation until you fill up your phone storage. Some other features include Google Drive backup, offline support, and controls for punctuation. There is also a home screen widget if you need it. The app has its ups and downs, a result of being around for so long. It’s also reasonably cheap with options for both a single and subscription price tier.

SpeechTexter is one of the better free dictation apps. It’s pretty simple to use. You simply open the app, hit the mic button, and start talking. This one supports more than 70 languages, decent accuracy, a custom commands dictionary, and you can share transcriptions if you need to. There aren’t a ton of features, but it is entirely free (with ad support), so it’s unreasonable to think it’ll compete with more expensive dictation apps. It still works well, even if it’s a bit anemic on features.

Price: $15 per month / $150 per year

Dragon Anywhere is made by Nuance, and is a professional-grade speech recognition service for your mobile device. It offers fast dictation, document creation/sharing, voice editing, cloud syncing, and seamless integration with Dragon Professional desktop services. Sounds fancy? It kind of is, which is why this app has no free version. You can get a 7-day trial, but the app costs $15 a month otherwise.

There are several free services online that can dictate and transcribe voice audio. Some examples include Dictanote, Amazon Transcribe , Speechnotes , Dictation.io , and many others. The services are usually free, at least to an extent, and you can access them from your mobile browser. Your browser needs mic permission, though, so be prepared for that. During testing, it seems most of them need Google Chrome to function properly so you’ll most likely need Chrome to make this solution work.

If we missed any great dictation apps to transcribe audio to text, tell us about them in the comments. You can also click here to check out our latest Android app and game lists .

• Español – América Latina
• Português – Brasil

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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 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 (add a 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".

• TERMS OF USE
• PRIVACY POLICY
• Play Store [↗]

copyright © 2014 - 2024 www.speechtexter.com . All Rights Reserved.

Use voice typing to talk instead of type on your PC

With voice typing, you can enter text on your PC by speaking. Voice typing uses online speech recognition, which is powered by Azure Speech services.

How to start voice typing

To use voice typing, you'll need to be connected to the internet, have a working microphone, and have your cursor in a text box.

Once you turn on voice typing, it will start listening automatically. Wait for the "Listening..." alert before you start speaking.

Note:  Press Windows logo key + Alt + H to navigate through the voice typing menu with your keyboard. 

Install a voice typing language

You can use a voice typing language that's different than the one you've chosen for Windows. Here's how:

Select Start > Settings > Time & language > Language & region .

Find Preferred languages in the list and select Add a language .

Search for the language you'd like to install, then select Next .

Select Next or install any optional language features you'd like to use. These features, including speech recognition, aren't required for voice typing to work.

To see this feature's supported languages, see the list in this article.

Switch voice typing languages

To switch voice typing languages, you'll need to change the input language you use. Here's how:

Select the language switcher in the corner of your taskbar

Press Windows logo key + Spacebar on a hardware keyboard

Press the language switcher in the bottom right of the touch keyboard

Supported languages

These languages support voice typing in Windows 11:

• Chinese (Simplified, China)
• Chinese (Traditional, Hong Kong SAR)

Chinese (Traditional, Taiwan)

• Dutch (Netherlands)
• English (Australia)
• English (Canada)
• English (India)
• English (New Zealand)
• English (United Kingdom)
• English (United States)
• French (Canada)
• French (France)

Italian (Italy)

• Norwegian (Bokmål)

Portuguese (Brazil)

• Portuguese (Portugal)
• Romanian (Romania)
• Spanish (Mexico)
• Spanish (Spain)
• Swedish (Sweden)
• Tamil (India)

Voice typing commands

Use voice typing commands to quickly edit text by saying things like "delete that" or "select that".

The following list tells you what you can say. To view supported commands for other languages, change the dropdown to your desired language.

• Select your desired language
• Chinese (Traditional, Taiwan)
• Croatian (Croatia)

German (Germany)

Note:  If a word or phrase is selected, speaking any of the “delete that” commands will remove it.

Punctuation commands

Use voice typing commands to insert punctuation marks.

Use dictation to convert spoken words into text anywhere on your PC with Windows 10. Dictation uses speech recognition, which is built into Windows 10, so there's nothing you need to download and install to use it.

To start dictating, select a text field and press the Windows logo key + H to open the dictation toolbar. Then say whatever’s on your mind.  To stop dictating at any time while you're dictating, say “Stop dictation.”

If you’re using a tablet or a touchscreen, tap the microphone button on the touch keyboard to start dictating. Tap it again to stop dictation, or say "Stop dictation."

To find out more about speech recognition, read Use voice recognition in Windows  . To learn how to set up your microphone, read How to set up and test microphones in Windows .

To use dictation, your PC needs to be connected to the internet.

Dictation commands

Use dictation commands to tell you PC what to do, like “delete that” or “select the previous word.”

The following table tells you what you can say. If a word or phrase is in bold , it's an example. Replace it with similar words to get the result you want.

Dictating letters, numbers, punctuation, and symbols

You can dictate most numbers and punctuation by saying the number or punctuation character. To dictate letters and symbols, say "start spelling." Then say the symbol or letter, or use the ICAO phonetic alphabet.

To dictate an uppercase letter, say “uppercase” before the letter. For example, “uppercase A” or “uppercase alpha.” When you’re done, say “stop spelling.”

Here are the punctuation characters and symbols you can dictate.

Dictation commands are available in US English only.

You can dictate basic text, symbols, letters, and numbers in these languages:

Simplified Chinese

English (Australia, Canada, India, United Kingdom)

French (France, Canada)

Spanish (Mexico, Spain)

To dictate in other languages, Use voice recognition in Windows .

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AirChat, the buzzy new social app, could be great — or, it could succumb to the same fate as Clubhouse

Over the weekend, another social media platform exploded into the fray: AirChat . The app is like a combination of Twitter and Clubhouse. Instead of typing a post, you speak it. The app quickly transcribes what you say, and as your followers scroll through their feed, they’ll hear your voice alongside the transcription.

Built by AngelList founder Naval Ravikant and former Tinder exec Brian Norgard, Airchat takes a refreshingly intimate approach to social media. There are people I’ve known online for years, and only after following each other on AirChat did I realize I’d never heard their actual voices. The platform makes it feel like we’re actually having conversations with one another, but since AirChat is asynchronous, it doesn’t feel as daunting as joining a room on Clubhouse and having live conversations with strangers.

Posting with your voice may sound scary, but it’s not as intimidating as it seems — you can re-record your post if you misspeak. But if you’re someone who loves sending your friends three-minute voice memos instead of typing (or if you have a podcast), AirChat feels intuitive.

AirChat wouldn’t be worth using if the transcriptions were sub-par, but it’s the best speech-to-text product I’ve ever used. It almost always hits the mark in English… it even transcribes Pokémon names correctly (yes, I tested this extensively). It also seems to be doing well in other languages — I found it functional in Spanish, and TechCrunch reporter Ivan Mehta said that the app did a decent job transcribing Hindi. Sometimes, the app will translate speech directly to English, and while the translations were generally correct in our testing, it’s not clear why or when the app translates instead of transcribing.

So, is AirChat here to stay? That depends on what kind of people can find community on the platform. For now, the feed feels like a San Francisco coffee shop — most of the people on the app have some connection to the tech industry, which could be because tech enthusiasts are often the first to jump on new apps. This wasn’t the case for Threads when it launched (it’s just an extension of Instagram), or even Bluesky , which developed an early culture of absurd memes and irreverence. Right now, the app has paused invites, so this won’t improve in the near future.

The app’s current culture could also be a reflection of its founders, who are influential in Silicon Valley and venture capitalist circles. But it’s telling that when AirChat introduced a channels feature, two of the first to spring up were “Crypto” and “e/acc,” which stands for effective acceleration , an aggressively pro-tech movement.

This doesn’t have to be an automatic red flag — I (somewhat reluctantly) use Twitter/X every day, and the tech industry also feels especially loud there. But at least on X, my feed also contains posts about my favorite baseball team, the music I like and the ongoing debate over adding more bike lanes in my neighborhood. So far on AirChat, I haven’t seen many conversations that aren’t about tech in some way.

What I do consider a red flag is AirChat’s naïve approach to content moderation.

“We’re going to try and put as many of the moderation tools in the hands of the users as possible. We want to be as hands-off as possible. That said, sometimes you just have no choice,” said Ravikant on AirChat.

The phrasing of “ hands-off ” is reminiscent of Substack, a platform that lost popular publications like Platformer and Garbage Day after it refused to remove pro-Nazi content proactively.

AirChat did not respond to TechCrunch’s request for comment.

Ravikant argues that AirChat should function like a dinner party — you won’t kick someone out of your house for partaking in a civil debate. But if they start violently screaming at you, it would be wise to intervene.

“We don’t want to moderate for content, but we will moderate for tone,” Ravikant said.

In real-life social situations, it’s very normal behavior to disagree with someone and explain why you think differently. That’s a pretty manageable situation to handle at your own dinner table. But AirChat isn’t a normal social situation, since you’re in conversation with thousands of other people; without more robust content moderation, this approach is like hosting a big music festival, but with only one person working security. One might hope that everyone will enjoy the music and behave themselves without supervision, but it’s not realistic. Just look at Woodstock ’99 .

This is another way in which AirChat parallels Clubhouse. Clubhouse’s approach to content moderation was even more permissive, since there was no way to block people for months after launch — AirChat already has block and mute features, thankfully. Clubhouse repeatedly played host to antisemitic and misogynistic conversations without consequence.

With this minimalist approach to content moderation, it’s not hard to see how AirChat could get into hot water. What happens if someone shares copyrighted audio on the platform? What about when someone doxes another user, or if someone uploads CSAM? Without an actual plan to navigate these situations, what will happen to AirChat?

I hope that people can behave themselves, since I think the concept behind AirChat is brilliant, but we can’t be so naïve. I would like to know that if neo-Nazis tried to politely explain to me why Hitler was right, the platform would be able to protect me.

Naval Ravikant’s Airchat is a social app built around talk, not text

FitMachine, SpeakLine, Superwhisper, and other apps to check out this weekend

If it’s the weekend and you know it clap your hands ::clap clap::. You know it is, because it’s time for another Apps of the Week roundup. This week we have some incredible picks for you including a video game-esque workout app, a powerful text-to-speech app, and perhaps the most anticipated and talked about app…ever. You don’t want to miss this!

FitMachine: Legends of Fitness

This looks more like a video game than a workout app, and maybe that’s the point. Fit Machine: Legends of Fitness offers a fresh take on AI-powered workouts for fast, fun sessions, anytime, anywhere. It’s like having a personal trainer in your pocket. The whole AI thing may sound like a gimmick, but the developers claim it analyzes your performance during each session, and makes adjustments to ensure you’re getting the most out of each workout. Look, either this sort of thing appeals to you, or it doesn’t. If it does, it’s certainly worth checking out.

Download for free

SpeakLine – Text to Speech

This isn’t a new app, but it’s one we’ve never covered on here and it’s definitely worth checking out. It’s called SpeakLine, and it’s essentially text-to-speech software that reads anything you type out loud. Obviously, there are tons of apps out there that do this, but there are some major selling points here. SpeakLine has a bunch of voices you can choose from, including funny-sounds and different languages, and you can customize the speed and pitch. The software is also completely free, without ads, and available across Mac, iOS, and even Apple Vision. Remember the movie Blank Check ? Yeah, that’s going to be me with this app this weekend.

Superwhisper

So the previous app was text-to-speech, and this one is speech-to-text. That’s right, Superwhisper lets you write notes, emails, messages and documents without ever lifting a finger. This is another app that offers something you’ve already seen in a bunch of other applications, but if you haven’t landed on a favorite yet, it’s worth taking for a spin. It uses AI tech for perfect punctation and formatting, allowing you to transcribe your speech into notes 5x faster than the typical speech-to-text app. It supports over 100 languages, and you can export the notes into almost any format. In fact, I wrote this entire post using this app. Okay, so I didn’t, but that would’ve been an awesome line to end on, right?

Delta – Game Emulator

I normally try to avoid mentioning apps or games in this roundup that we’ve already covered elsewhere on iDB, but to be honest, this one was unavoidable. The reality is, if you are looking for a game to play this weekend, there is simply only one title to download: Delta – Game Emulator. For those that missed it, Apple recently amended its App Store rules to allow for emulators, and Delta is by far the most popular. It looks great, it’s compatible with games from NES, SNES, Nintendo 64, and more, and it supports all major console and MFi controllers. As you’d expect, it doesn’t come with any pre-installed games, so you’ll have to add your own ROMs. But once you’ve done that, your weekend entertainment will be set. If you don’t already have a Bluetooth controller, be sure to check out our roundup of the best Bluetooth controllers for iPhone  and pick one up.

Swarthmore College – ITS Blog

Assistive Technology Tools: Speech-to-text

This is part of a series of Assistive Technology (AT) Tools posts about tools anyone can use on their devices without downloading anything additional.

Have you ever been stopped at a light but feel you need to respond to the text from your kid? Or maybe you have one hand amess with oil and herbs but you need to pull up the recipe to remember that last ingredient before placing the dish in the oven? Or perhaps you have a broken wrist and still need to respond to the 82 emails you received today?

Speech-to-text options on your mobile, tablet, and desktop/laptop devices can help you in these—and many other—situations.

Speech-to-text options allow you to type without touching the device.

Many of the more robust speech-to-text tools were originally built and inspired by folks who use speech as an input for all functions on their devices. We will not discuss that software here, but if that is something you need, please reach out to support.swarthmore.edu to inquire.

Dictation on desktops

• From the Apple menu, 
•  Select System Settings ,
• then click Keyboard in the sidebar.
• Go to Dictation on the right, 
• then toggle it On . A microphone will now appear as a text entry option.

See: Dictate messages and documents on Mac – Apple Support

Windows logo key + h

See: Use voice typing to talk instead of type on your PC – Microsoft Suppor t

Dictation on mobile devices

Android: talk to text.

• On your Android phone or tablet, install Gboard .
• Open any app that you can type with, such as Gmail or Keep.
• Tap an area where you can enter text. A microphone will now appear as a text entry option.

See: Type with your voice – Android – Gboard Help

iOS: Dictation Keyboard

• Open Settings .
• Select General ,
• Then select Keyboard .
• Scroll down.
• Toggle Enable Dictation . A microphone will now appear as a text entry option.

See: Dictate text on iPhone – Apple Support

Do you have feedback?

• are other tools you use for dictation;
• are errors in the directions;
• or there aren’t directions for your device or operating system (OS),

let us know! Please email [email protected] .

Acknowledgements

This series has been inspired by previous blog posts by Corrine Schoeb, including:

• Live transcription now available in zoom
• Built-in reading tools: Firefox, Safari
• Online tools to help with eye fatigue
• Tips for reducing eye strain
• NVDA simplified
• VoiceOver simplified

and by Swarthmore’s ITS Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee’s recent presentation on disability inclusion and accessibility. Thanks to Mark Davis, Sean O’Donnell , Ashley Turner, and Doug Willen for the thought and collaboration you put into your presentations and that has inspired this post!

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Balabolka Portable 2.15.0.869 (text-to-speech on demand) Released

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Text to Speech - MyChat 4+

Quick tts in real time, motoki takahashi, designed for iphone, iphone screenshots, description.

This app is designed for situations where speaking aloud might be difficult, such as in shops, hospitals, or workplaces. It reads out text in chat format in real-time conversations. It also has a feature to register standard phrases, which can help smooth communication by indicating difficulty in speaking at the outset. Now, let's introduce the features: Simple Chat: Chat posting function Chat history saving function Chat post deletion function Account switching function (voice switching) Room Chat: Room creation, editing, and deletion functions Chat posting function Chat history saving function Chat post deletion function Account switching function (voice switching) Template: Template group creation, editing, and deletion functions Template creation, editing, and deletion functions Voice switching function In Simple Chat and Room Chat, the voice is associated with the account, and switching accounts changes the voice. In Template, the voice is associated with the template group, and each group has a fixed voice. You can set the voice for accounts or template groups from the Voice Adjustment tab.

App Privacy

The developer, Motoki Takahashi , indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .

Data Used to Track You

The following data may be used to track you across apps and websites owned by other companies:

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Data Not Linked to You

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Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More

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Senate Passes TikTok Ban Bill, Setting Up Legal Battle Between App and U.S. on First Amendment Issues

Legislation to force China's ByteDance to divest TikTok was tied to foreign-aid package; President Biden has said he will sign TikTok bill into law

By Todd Spangler

Todd Spangler

NY Digital Editor

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The U.S. Senate voted Tuesday to approve a bill that would ban TikTok nationwide unless Chinese parent company ByteDance sells its stake in the popular app. The development will likely result in a court battle between the U.S. and TikTok, which argues that the legislation violates the First Amendment — and if TikTok loses that fight, there’s a real chance it could be shut off for Americans.

Popular on Variety

TikTok will file a legal challenge once the bill is signed into law , Michael Beckerman, TikTok’s head of public policy for the Americas, wrote in a memo to company staff over the weekend. The legislation is a “clear violation” of the First Amendment, the exec wrote: “This is the beginning, not the end of this long process.” Beckerman also criticized the TikTok divest-or-ban measure as “an unprecedented deal worked out between the Republican Speaker [Mike Johnson] and President Biden.”

Ahead of the vote, Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, delivered comments on the Senate floor Tuesday afternoon about the national security threats posed by ByteDance’s ownership of TikTok. Passage of the bill “goes a long way towards safeguarding our democratic systems from covert foreign influence,” he said, saying that Chinese companies like ByteDance “don’t owe their obligation to their customers, or their shareholders, but they owe it to the PRC [People’s Republic of China] government.”

Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), chair of the Senate’s Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, suggested TikTok and ByteDance are “weaponizing” data and AI to spy on American citizens, the military and government personnel, including journalists covering the company. (In 2022, ByteDance said it fired four employees for “misconduct” after the company found they accessed TikTok data on several users , including two reporters.)

Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) spoke out against the TikTok ban bill before the final vote, saying the more pressing “clear and present danger” is the harm kids face from social media apps more broadly, including from U.S.-based companies.

“I don’t deny that TikTok poses some national security risks,” Markey said. “TikTok has its problems. No. 1, TikTok poses a serious risk to the privacy and mental health of our young people.” But he said the bill likely would result in “widespread censorship,” and he suggested that the bill’s supporters object to liberal political viewpoints popular on TikTok. “Instead of suppressing speech on a single application, we could be addressing the root of the mental health crisis by targeting Big Tech’s pernicious, privacy-invasion business model of teenagers and children in our country,” Markey said.

TikTok has said the bill, if it becomes law, would infringe the free-speech rights of its 170 million U.S. users and “devastate” the estimated 7 million American businesses on the platform. It claims TikTok contributed $24 billion to the U.S. economy in 2023 .

The TikTok divest-or-ban legislation has been opposed by the ACLU and other advocacy groups.

“This is still nothing more than an unconstitutional ban in disguise,” Jenna Leventoff, senior policy counsel at the ACLU, said in a statement Tuesday prior to the Senate vote. “Banning a social media platform that hundreds of millions of Americans use to express themselves would have devastating consequences for all of our First Amendment rights, and will almost certainly be struck down in court.”

Because of its Chinese ties, TikTok has been a political football in the United States for years, as well as in other countries (including India, where it’s been banned since June 2020 ). TikTok has prevailed in challenging other laws in the U.S. seeking to ban the app. Last December, a  federal judge blocked Montana’s first-of-its-kind statewide ban of TikTok , ruling that the law likely violated the First Amendment. An attempt by the Trump administration to  force ByteDance to sell TikTok or face a ban also was found unconstitutional  by federal courts on First Amendment grounds.

Backers of the TikTok bill argue that it doesn’t restrict free speech, saying it only requires apps to be owned by a company that isn’t subject to the control of an adversarial foreign government. As a precedent, the legislation’s proponents point to the 2020 sale of dating app Grindr by Chinese gaming company Beijing Kunlun Tech Co. to a group of U.S.-based investors, a transaction forced by the U.S. government over concerns about the privacy of the app’s users.

Per the text of the bill, legal challenges to the “Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act” may be filed only in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

If TikTok is unsuccessful in getting the divest-or-ban law overturned, it is unlikely that ByteDance would sell its ownership stake — and that the app would effectively become outlawed in the U.S. Chinese officials have  said the government would “firmly oppose”  any forced sale of TikTok, which would represent a technology export and be subject to the government’s approval. “You’re not going to be able to force ByteDance to divest,” James Lewis, SVP at the Center for Strategic and International Studies,  told  the New York Times last month.

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TikTok says US House bill that could ban app would 'trample' free speech

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Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Leslie Adler

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Thomson Reuters

Kanishka Singh is a breaking news reporter for Reuters in Washington DC, who primarily covers US politics and national affairs in his current role. His past breaking news coverage has spanned across a range of topics like the Black Lives Matter movement; the US elections; the 2021 Capitol riots and their follow up probes; the Brexit deal; US-China trade tensions; the NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan; the COVID-19 pandemic; and a 2019 Supreme Court verdict on a religious dispute site in his native India.

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