Nowadays we hear a lot about security and safety on the internet. There are many free and paid tools and apps available online to secure and protect your computer and personal information.
Here we discuss the best speech-to-text app for pc which can help you in your organizations, businesses, and individual accounts.
Reason to consider Speech to text software
Let’s take a look at 5 reasons you should consider using speech-to-text software…
1. Speech to text software is cheap
The prevalence of ASR software has meant that transcription services that use the technology have become much cheaper. No matter what your budget, you can find an appropriate tool or mobile app to fulfill your transcription needs. In fact, there are many that are free.
Microsoft Windows has built-in software (imaginatively named Windows Speech Recognition) which is built with dictation in mind for any browser or web application. Apple has its own equivalent software, Apple Dictation for Macs, and browser-based word processor Google Docs also has a voice typing option. All of these are free, as is the Chrome-based dictation and transcription software Speechnotes.
Those who need a mobile transcription app may be better served by applications like Trint (which has a 30 day free trial period after which transcription costs start at 17p per minute), or the slightly more basic Temi, which has an attractive price of just 10c US (8p) per minute. An alternative to using a digital dictation tool may be to record notes on your mobile phone and use one of these apps to convert the MP3 files to text.
With ASR, as in most things, you get what you pay for. More affordable solutions may not offer the level of accuracy you need. Even under ideal speaking conditions, ASR solutions struggle to average over 80% accuracy in their transcription.
When it comes to accuracy, ASR solutions compared to human transcription services still have a long way to go. The truth is that you will still have to put some time into cleaning up an ASR-based transcript, and they do not offer all of the editing options that come with human transcription services. But if you have time and are on a budget, they can get the job done cheaply.
2. Speech to text software is fast
Those who need transcription with lightning-fast turnarounds are well served by the wealth of digital solutions and mobile apps that use speech-to-text software. Many ASR software solutions can transcribe even lengthy passages of text in minutes or even seconds.
However, it’s important to guard against a false economy. ASR solutions may lack accuracy, especially if audio quality is poor, there is a lot of background noise, if there are multiple speakers or if the speaker has an accent that affects their enunciation. You may find that you have to spend a lot of time correcting mistakes made by the software. In this instance, flexible human transcription services with fast turnarounds (as little as 12 hours) may be better suited to your needs.
However, if what you need are rough notes, speech-to-text software solutions get the job done at breakneck speeds.
3. Speech to text software is convenient
In an era where so many of us are reliant on our mobile devices for living and working, speech-to-text software offers us convenience when we need it most, especially when it’s via a mobile app.
Speech-to-text software is easy to find on desktop and mobile devices and even the most comprehensive ASR solutions are intuitive and user-friendly. Whether you’re using speech-to-text software for dictation, word processing, or navigating the internet, it can offer a convenient and user-friendly alternative to typing.
4. Speech to text software can boost productivity (and profitability)
Time is money, especially when you run your own business or work in the gig economy. Speech-to-text software can be invaluable in saving you time and effort that’s better spent elsewhere.
ASR transcription software can liberate you from your desk, and prevent you from having to type lengthy passages of text until you risk getting carpal tunnel syndrome. It can spare students from having to type out long and complex lecture notes so that they have more time available to study. For those in the legal profession, it can allow for far less time spent on tedious administration and more time for what matters the most… Billable hours!
It can facilitate effective multitasking, enabling your eyes and hands to do one thing while your voice does another. This is invaluable if you have multiple projects at one time, or need to quickly jot down notes while working on something else — you might even be able to outline a new project while cooking dinner.
The great thing about ASR is that it’s quick and easy to implement. Simply opening up the keyboard on most Apple or Android phones will give the user instant access to a native speech-to-text dictation function.
Quite simply, speech-to-text software makes everything a little easier so that you can focus your time and attention on what matters the most to you!
5. Speech to text software is cutting edge
Let’s face it, everyone likes to be at the cutting edge. We all want to embrace the latest technologies. And for those who own their own business, there’s also a certain PR value in being seen to keep up with emerging technological trends.
As the market for speech-to-text software grows, tech giants continue to compete to bring more elegant and sophisticated solutions to consumers. Like all technologies, speech-to-text software is in a constant state of evolution and is well worth keeping an eye on whatever your dictation and transcription needs.
Nonetheless, it’s important to remember that even contemporary speech-to-text software is far from perfect. Unlike a human transcriber, ASR cannot determine which homophone to use dependent on context. It can struggle with accents, speech impediments, and indistinct speech.
Furthermore, unlike human transcriptionists, ASR also cannot afford users a choice of transcription styles — offering full verbatim, intelligent verbatim, or detailed notes which allow users to pick levels of detail that are best suited to their transcription needs. ASR services cannot offer notes on pauses, vocal tics, or nuances of intonation and volume. These factors will continue to provide a bottleneck for accuracy and detail.
For these reasons, we expect that there will be a need for human transcription services for the foreseeable future. However, ASR is an industry to watch and is already delivering major benefits to users on a daily basis. The low costs make it easy to try out — get experimenting!
Google Docs Voice Typing
This is currently the best voice typing software, by far. It’s driven by Google’s AI software, which applies Google’s deep learning algorithms to accurately recognize speech. It also supports 125 different languages.
One of the best aspects of Voice Typing is that you don’t need to use a specific operating system or install any extra software to use it. You just need the Chrome web browser and a Google account.
It’s also easy to use. Just log into your account and open a Google Doc. Go to “Tools” and select “Voice Typing.”
It’s also easy to use. Just log into your account and open a Google Doc. Go to “Tools” and select “Voice Typing.”
A microphone icon will pop up on your screen.
Click it, and it will turn red. That’s when you can start dictating.
Click the microphone again to stop the dictation.
Voice Typing is highly accurate, with the typical caveats that you have to speak clearly and at a relatively slow pace.
It’s free, and because it’s embedded in the Docs software, it’s easy to integrate into your pre-existing workflow. The only potential downside is that you need a high-quality internet connection for Voice Typing, so you won’t be able to use it offline.
Apple Dictation
Apple Dictation is a voice dictation software that’s built into Apple’s OS/ iOS. It comes preloaded with every Mac, and it works great with Apple software.
If you’re on an iPhone or iPad, you can access Apple dictation by pressing the microphone icon on the keyboard. Many people use this feature to dictate texts, but it also works in Pages for iPhone. It can be a useful option for taking notes or dictating content while you’re away from your desktop.
If you’re on a laptop or desktop, you can enable dictation by going to System Preferences > Keyboard.
Apple Dictation typically requires an internet connection, but you can select a feature in Settings called “Enhanced Dictation” that allows you to continuously dictate text when you’re offline.
Apple Dictation is great because it’s free, it works well with Apple software across multiple devices, and it generates fairly accurate text.
It’s not quite as high-powered as some “professional” grade dictation programs, but it would work well for most Authors who already own Apple products.
Windows Speech Recognition
The current Windows operating system comes with a built-in voice dictation system. You can train the system to recognize your voice, which means that the more you use it, the more accurate it becomes.
Unfortunately, that training can take a long time, so you’ll have to live with some inaccuracies until the system is calibrated.
On Windows 10, you can access dictation by hitting the Windows logo key + H. You can turn the microphone off by typing Windows key + H again or by resuming typing.
Windows Speech Recognition is a good option if you don’t own a Mac or don’t use Google Docs, but overall, I’d still recommend one of the other options.
Speechnotes
Speechnotes comes with an on-screen keyboard that enables users to easily enter punctuation marks as opposed to having to say them out loud mid-sentence. It also includes emojis and symbols to make messages feel more realistic. Its other features include offline note-taking, automated support for Google Drive backups, a home widget, Bluetooth support, and continuous recording.
Speechnote – Android Dictation App
Otter.ai
Otter allows you to “live to transcribe” or create real-time streaming transcripts with synced audio, text, and images. You can record conversations on your phone or web browser, or you can import audio files from other services. You can also integrate Otter with Zoom.
Otter is powered by Ambient Voice Intelligence, which means it’s always learning. You can train Otter to recognize specific voices or learn certain terminology. It’s fast, accurate, and user-friendly.
Otter is based on a subscription plan with basic, premium, and team options. I’ll only mention the basic and premium plans since most Authors won’t need the team features.
The free basic plan allows 600 minutes of transcription per month, which should be plenty—but the maximum length of each file is only 40 minutes. You also can’t import audio and video, and you can only export your transcripts as txt files, not pdf or Docx files.
The premium plan is $8.33 per user per month, and it grants you access to a whopping 6,000 monthly minutes, with a max speech length of 4 hours. More importantly, you can import recordings from other apps and export your files in multiple formats (which will make your writing process much smoother).
Dragon
Dragon is one of the most commonly recommended programs for standalone dictation software. It has high-quality voice recognition, but that high quality comes with a hefty price tag. The latest version, Dragon Home 15, costs $150, but it’s not compatible with Apple’s operating system. Mac users have to upgrade to the Professional version ($300).
With all the solid free options available—several of which are better than Dragon—I don’t recommend buying Dragon.
Temi
Temi works well for automated transcription (i.e., transcribed by a computer, not a human).
They charge $.25 per audio minute, and their turnaround only takes a few minutes.
Their transcripts are easy to read with clear timestamps and labels for different speakers. They also provide an online editing tool that allows you to easily clean up your transcripts. For example, you can easily search for all the “um”s and remove them with the touch of a button.
You can also listen to your audio alongside the transcript, and you can adjust the playback speed. This is very useful if you’re a fast talker.
If you prefer to work on the go, Temi also offers a mobile app.
Rev
Rev offers many of the same features as Temi for automated transcripts. They call this option “Rough Draft” transcription, and it also costs $.25 per audio minute. The average turnaround time for a transcript is 5 minutes.
What sets Rev apart is that they also offer human transcription. This service costs $1.25 per minute, and Rev guarantees 99% accuracy. The average turnaround time is 12 hours.
A human transcription is a great option if your audio file has a lot of background noise. It’s also great if you have a strong accent that automatic transcription software has trouble recognizing.
Voice Notes
Voice Notes is designed for taking quick, on-the-fly notes by recording quick notes that get transcribed to text, or saving the audio notes for listening in the future. It also offers a reminder for recurring alerts coupled with organizational tools such as colored tags, import/export, and customizable categories.
Voice Notes – Android Dictation App
Google Assistant – Free

You’ve probably already heard, or have installed, the Google Assistant App. At the first glance, you might find it peculiar that it is on this list but, as you probably know, Google Assistant can do many things, and that includes converting speech to text. It can send messages, draft emails, organize your already written note or take new ones. If you want to know more about Google Assistant, we suggest you read our article “Every OK Google Command -160 Voice Commands for Google Assistant”.
Features:
- Make phone calls/ send messages
- Take notes
- Preview upcoming events
- Voice recognition
You can even use IFTTT(If This Than That) to put all of your notes into a spreadsheet. Or, if you find nothing convenient, you can also create your own applet to suit your needs, in order to use Google Assistant at its full potential! If you don’t have it already built-in, you can download Google Assistant Go by clicking on the button below.
Braina PC Remote Voice Control – Free
The Braina app basically converts your Android into a microphone, from which you can control your desktop. You might be thinking, “What does that have to do with dictation?” Braina has both text-to-speech and speech-to-text functionalities, and these can be used in conjunction with PC apps like Microsoft Word.
Features:
- Speech to text dictation
- Dictionary
- Computer Control
Braina gives you the ability to remotely control your keyboard and mouse and comes equipped with a dictionary and thesaurus. You’ll be able to remotely open and close programs like Notepad, perform searches for folders and files or for information on the Internet, and control a PowerPoint presentation. A Wi-Fi connection is required.
Conclusion

A transcription text app like TextAloud is one of the most popular text-to-speech apps for Windows. TextAloud reads your documents, emails, web pages, and more aloud with excellent clarity. It also understands punctuations, spreadsheet cells, and rich text formatting.