A lot of people are looking for ways to get more done in less time. That’s easier said than done. Fortunately there are software programs that can help with automation and voice dictation app which you might be able to start using today.
Dragon dictation software is just one of the ways that technology is working for you, rather than against you.
Dragon by Nuance (Android, iOS, macOS, Windows)
In 1990, Dragon Dictate emerged as the first dictation software. Thirty years 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 (Dragon Legal, Dragon Medical, Dragon Professional), Dragon can handle specialized industry vocabulary, and it comes with excellent features, such as the ability to transcribe text from an audio 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, if you live on Eichhorn St., Dragon will hear this as “I corn.” To avoid this, add it to Words and say the word (into the microphone) so you train the software.
It also provides shortcuts. If you wanted 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, as expected, is excellent. In my second test, it flubbed just six words out of 200, and it was the only app that correctly capitalized IT (information technology).
Dragon by Nuance price: $14.99/month for Dragon Anywhere (iOS and Android); from $150 to $500 for desktop packages
Dragon by Nuance accuracy: Dragon Anywhere had a 97% accuracy rate on my second test for the 200-word script.
Recommendation: Because Dragon is a relatively large investment, you should be seriously committed to using dictation regularly. We recommend trying Dragon Anywhere for a month to see how you like it.
Dragon by Nuance supported languages: Dragon Anywhere is available in English and German. Dragon desktop products are available in several languages, which vary by version, and include Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish.
Dragon Speech Recognition Solutions
Best for students, legal, health care, and other professionals to transcribe text and share documents with high encryption.
Dragon Speech Recognition Solutions is a dictation application owned by Nuance. The software also supports cloud document management. It has AI-based speech recognition that learns the voice with greater accuracy over time.
Features:
- AI-powered speech recognition
- Cloud document management
- Control computer
- Accuracy of 99 percent
- 256-bit document encryption
Verdict: Dragon Speech Recognition software is great for legal professionals and students. The price may be a bit high, but it is worth it for professionals due to high accuracy and cloud document management feature.
Price: Price varies for professionals and students. Dragon Home is for students that have a onetime fee of $155. Professional firms are charged a yearly subscription which starts at $116 per user, per year. A free trial is available for 7 days that allows you to test the functionality of the software.
Website: Dragon Speech Recognition Solutions
Winscribe
Best for legal, health care, law enforcement, education, and other professionals to dictate text on Android and iPhone devices.
Winscribe is a dictation software company based in New Zealand. This dictation software is owned by Nuance, which allows you to transcribe and review documents on your smartphone. It also provides documentation workflow management to organize dictated text. It is available in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and the US.
Features:
- Dictation
- Supports Android, iPhone, PC, and Blackberry devices
- Document management
- Data encryption
- Reporting
Verdict: Winscribe is a speech recognition and document management application for professionals. Using the software allows the staff to be more productive. The price is affordable for medium and large corporations.
Price: Winscribe transcription service costs start at about $284 per user per year (or $24 per user, per month) for one to nine users. Discounts are available for larger workforce. A free trial is also available to test the features of the software.
Website: Winscribe
Speechnotes
Best for dictating text online for free.
Screennotes is online dictation software that lets you type using your voice. You can also insert long texts with just one tap. It supports multiple languages including English, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Chinese, Hindu, Urdu, Turkish, Bahasha, and many other languages. You can also order a professional transcribing service at $0.1 per minute.
Features:
- Fast speech recognition
- Works on any website
- Keyboard shortcut for start and pause
- Custom text stamps
- Export to Google Drive
Verdict: Screennotes is simple and easy to use online tool for dictating text. It is great for dictating texts on websites including Outlook and Gmail.
Price: Basic version is free of cost. The Premium add-free chrome extension costs $9.99 that comes with the additional feature of dictating on any website.
Website: Speechnotes
e-Speaking
Best for using voice command to control windows without using a keyboard or mouse.
e-Speaking is a dictation tool that allows you to control the Windows operating system. You can use the voice application to replace the keyboard and mouse. It allows you to open applications, browse windows, and create documents with voice commands.
Features:
- 100+ built-in commands
- 26 dictation voice command variation
- Integrate with Office
- Based on Microsoft SAPI speech engine
- Compatible with Windows XP, Vista, Win7, and Win8
Verdict: e-Speaking offers great value for money. It is an excellent app for Windows devices to dictate letters and emails and control the operating system.
Price: Full version costs $14. You can try the software for free for 30 days.
Website: e-Speaking
Apple Dictation (iOS, 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 (we’d be unsurprised if the two merged one day), ships as part of Apple’s desktop and mobile operating systems. On iOS devices, you use it by pressing the microphone icon on the stock keyboard. On desktop, you turn it on by going to System Preferences > Keyboard > Dictation, and then use a keyboard shortcut to activate it in your app.
By default, Apple Dictation requires the internet to work and has a time limit of about 30 seconds for each smattering of speech. To remove those limits, enable Enhanced Dictation, which requires OS X v10.9 or later or iPhone 6s or newer. Enhanced Dictation adds a local 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 advanced commands for creating custom ones.
Apple Dictation price: Included with macOS and iOS devices
Apple Dictation accuracy: On the 200-word test, 11 words were inaccurate.
Recommendation: I recommend Apple Dictation when using Enhanced Dictation. The standard version is a bit annoying and inconvenient for anything longer than 40 seconds. For short messages on mobile devices, it works fine. Enhanced Dictation is the way to go for continuous dictating.
Apple Dictation supported languages: Enhanced Dictation supports 20 languages. Apple’s default Dictation supports 31 languages: Arabic, Catalan, Chinese, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese.
Best free dictation software for Windows
Windows 10 Speech Recognition (Windows)
If you’re a Windows 10 user, included on your PC is Microsoft’s Speech Recognition feature—nothing additional to install or download. To dictate, open an app (for this test, I used both Word and Google Docs), 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.”
Included are about three dozen dictation commands, such as punctuation where you simply need to say “period,” “exclamation point,” and so on. Somewhat surprisingly, in dictating the same 200-word passage in both Word and Google Docs, commands for a period resulted in the word and not the punctuation mark several times.
There are also commands for moving your cursor within a document, deleting words, and selecting a particular word, but dictation commands are only available in U.S. English.
Windows 10 Speech Recognition price: Included with Windows 10; Speech Recognition included in older versions of Windows
Windows 10 Speech Recognition accuracy: For the 200-word transcription test, Speech Recognition flubbed 16 words the first time and 12 the second. As mentioned, it confused the period punctuation command with the word itself. Windows Speech Recognition was one of the worst out-of-the-gate for accuracy, but it does get better the more you use it.
Recommendation: It worked in any app or browser I tried, which makes it a handy tool to have around. If you’re a Windows 10 user and don’t mind a voice “training” period, you’ll get good use out of this feature.
Windows 10 Speech Recognition languages supported: Not counting different dialects separately, Windows Speech Recognition supports these languages: Mandarin (Chinese Simplified and Chinese Traditional), English, French, German, Italian (Italy), Japanese, Portuguese (Brazil), and Spanish.
Conclusion
Not many people are aware that there are actually different versions of Dragon Dictation, the voice recognition software. When you include different platforms, there are other major versions. Also, you could try your hand on something new.