20+ Best Speech-to-Text Software in 2023

Windows 10 Speech Recognition makes it easy to use voice-to-text in Windows 10 and works anywhere as long as there is a text input field. In addition to converting spoken words to written words, the software can also control various functions. For example, you can use a voice command to control the cursor within a document and select a particular word or phrase.

Microsoft makes it easy to get started with your audio recording and text documentation, as they have a useful tutorial page on their website, making this program suitable for beginners. Being built into the Windows 10 software, this is a great option when you can’t or don’t want to type.

Windows 10 Speech Recognition support page

For Mac users looking for a way to control their computer with voice commands rather than needing to use a mouse or keyboard, Apple Dictation is the way to go. It is built into the OS, making it easy to get started. This Apple software tends to be reasonably accurate and is based on the same technology powering Siri, Apple’s voice-controlled digital assistant. Meant more for controlling functions and taking short notes. It isn’t capable of capturing longer dictation tasks as an entire document.

Apple Dictation support page

Otter offers a real-time transcription service that uses AI to create accurate transcriptions of meetings or interviews quickly. Otter automatically ignores filler words such as "um," "hm," and "uh."^[1] It can recognize different voices, which is useful when recording a session. The company aims to be an enterprise-ready solution, and while it’s a decent option, the limitations make it better suited to non-critical tasks. The company offers both free and paid plans, with the free version being limited to 600 minutes of transcription time per month.

Voice Finger allows you to control your computer without touching the keyboard or mouse at all. This makes it a great solution for people with injuries or disabilities. This hands-free approach also makes it ideal for gamers who want to control their computer for a task but need their hands to control the game. The voice-activated mouse controls include controlling left, middle, and right mouse buttons. Although it excels at managing the computer through voice commands, this isn’t a transcription service, so you’ll need to find additional software to avoid typing documents like essays, school assignments, meeting minutes, and more.

Microsoft Dictate is a speech-to-text tool that is a part of the Microsoft Office suite. It offers a wide range of features, including the ability to transcribe dictation in real-time, create custom words and phrases, and export transcripts as Word documents.

Beside transcribing your speech, Microsoft Dictate understands commands like “Undo” and “Delete.” It also has flexible settings like profanity filter, auto punctuation, and dictation suggestions. The tool also takes into account language variations (e.g. UK, US, Canadian, and Australian English).

Microsoft Dictate support page

Dragon Home is, like the name suggests, meant for home users. The company also offers more advanced versions for lawyers, law enforcement, medical professionals, and the financial industry. Users of the home version benefit from the accuracy and reliability of professional-grade software without the higher cost. One of the most visible differences between the Home and Professional versions of the software is the lack of transcriptions from recordings in Dragon Home.^[2]

IBM Watson might be best known as the AI software that once went head-to-head with Jeopardy champions in a battle of trivia. What you may not know is that this software is also very strong for helping people conduct menial tasks, like transcribing your audio and shaping it into text. Using AI and digital learning, this technology applies what it knows about the way people talk to create accurate text transcriptions. If you have hours of speech that need to be formed into text, the IBM Watson may be what you’re looking for. Note, however, that the price reflects the advanced software of this program.

Braina Pro is, like many voice recognition software solutions, powered by AI technology. This means that the software will only get better over time. Upon the first time using this program, you may notice the learning in action element involved in its functioning. However, what may seem to be inaccurate text when first dictating to the Braina Pro is afterwards automatically corrected as the software adjusts to the voice it’s transcribing. The digital brain behind Braina is smart enough to understand accents as well as multiple languages.

Transcribe by Wreally is a web-based service, which means you don’t need to download or install any software onto your computer. However, it also means you need an internet connection to use it. While the interface and design layout are quite simplistic, Transcribe earns kudos from people who can rely on it even when they have a poor internet connection. The software offers the ability to transcribe existing recordings and live dictation. This means you can upload a recording you made in the past, which helps for attending meetings, lectures, interviews, or important speeches where you can’t also bring your computer.

Amazon Transcribe was made for app developers who wanted to incorporate the best speech-to-text software capabilities into their products. Amazon claims their transcription service is ideal for writing customer phone calls, creating automatic subtitles, and other uses that require turning spoken words into text. The service offers real-time transcription as well as the ability to transcribe pre-recorded audio.

Verbit claims a more than 99% accuracy rate, making it ideal for those times when accuracy is critical or when you don’t want to comb through the text to fix mistakes after it’s been created. Real-time transcription services are available, along with proofing and editing options, although it will take a few hours for the final version to be delivered. The service is used by court-reporting agencies, which by necessity must be very accurate, meaning it will also be sufficient for plenty of other uses.

Speechmatics is able to transcribe real-time or prerecorded audio and video files. It takes into account dialect and punctuation when transcribing and can handle multiple speakers and languages. The software was trained using speech from 40 countries. After processing tens of billions of words spoken in English from around the world, it is able to understand multiple accents. This makes it especially useful for international companies who need to transcribe meetings and have found other software unable to deal with the various accents.

Converse Smartly is yet another speech-to-text software that is available for Windows, iOS, and Android devices. The app is designed to transcribe your speech in real time, so you can easily record lectures, meetings, or interviews. Alternatively, you can upload an existing audio file and get the transcription within minutes.

The app recognizes multiple speakers and understands three languages – English, Spanish, and German. Thanks to Google Speech and IBM Watson technologies, Converse Smartly is able to generate word clouds, perform sentiment analysis, and identify keywords.

Microsoft Azure Speech to Text is a voice-to-text service that’s available through the Microsoft Azure cloud platform. It’s a part of the Speech Studio that automates speech-related tasks. With support for more than 100 languages and variants, it's easy to get the transcriptions you need in the language you want. If you need even more accuracy, you can customize models to enhance specific terminology related to your field.

The service also offers a number of handy features, such as the ability to automatically transcribe your speech into text. This can be a great time-saver if you're transcribing long passages of speech.

Speechnotes is a browser-based app that works somewhat like a notepad. You just click the microphone icon, start talking, and your words appear as text in the browser window. It’s fairly accurate when you speak clearly at a moderate pace. Fast talkers will find it more error-prone, so speaking at a slower pace is best for this program to catch everything being said. This is a free, web-based tool ready to help you jot down your thoughts.

Google Docs Voice Typing is a function within Google Docs, as opposed to being a standalone app. As such, it requires a Chrome browser on your Windows PC to be uploaded. The Google Docs Voice Typing works well and has the ability to decipher speech correctly when background noise is loud enough to require slightly raised voices. For slow typers who need to write an essay or web post, this service has the potential to be a real time-saver.

SpeechTexter is targeted at people who need to create documents but aren’t able to type or want to write texts without the delays or physical strains of excessive typing. This makes it ideal for people with hand trauma or those with dyslexia and other impairments that make typing difficult. Accuracy levels are claimed to be between 90 and 95% for American English users. The software also supports more than 60 other languages for recording and typing along to. Note that this is a browser-based program.

Temi works well when used in an environment free of background noise, and the person speaking has an American Accent. In other instances, such as noisy places with non-native English speakers, you may experience some roadblocks with the app. Designed for use with pre-recorded audio, the interface is easy to use if you have a meeting that you recorded and need transcribed, or a long interview that needs to be documented. Simply upload a file, check a few boxes about audio quality, and that’s it.

SpeechText.AI is a speech-to-text tool that supports 10 languages, including English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Russian, and Chinese. Because of the cutting-edge deep neural network algorithms, this program can turn sound to text with almost human accuracy.

With SpeechText.AI, you can modify and verify audio transcriptions and export your content in any format. You can also choose a domain and audio type, and it will help with the recognition of words that are specific to that domain. The app is able to recognize multiple speakers, so it won’t be a problem to record a multi-participant conversation.

Speech to Text is a handy online tool that provides a clear transcript of whatever you say, making it perfect for professionals, teachers, and students alike. With multi-language support, you can use this tool anywhere in the world. And because it recognizes key voice commands, you can easily insert punctuation as you dictate.

This app records both video and audio, and you can easily save, copy, print, or send the dictated text. It’s very easy to use – just click on the icon, select the language, and start speaking. The app will automatically transcribe your speech and show it in real time.

Gboard is a keyboard app for Android users that offers increased functionality when compared to a mobile device’s built-in touchscreen keyboard. Voice typing, as Google calls it, allows you to compose hands-free text messages or notes. The app also adds swipe functionality to the keyboard for ease of typing.

This is a simple app that uses your phone’s built-in microphone to record audio. As the name says, it is easy to use as it just includes a record button that you tap to capture speech. The app then creates a text transcription of the dictation. The app also backs up files in iCloud.

Like the desktop version, the app is simple and easy to use. It tends to be fairly accurate, but the lack of punctuation means you’ll have to edit the transcribed text to make it grammatically correct. There may still be some flaws in the system, as users have reported a tendency for the app to crash and delete their files. When it works, however, it can help with accurately transcribing speech.

Voice Notes is meant for short recordings and is ideal for capturing ideas on the go. This makes it a good option for creatives who need to record thoughts on the go with their voice quickly but need the idea written down as well. The app also includes an option to set reminders, making it operate similarly to an alarm clock for meeting or event reminders. The app also has an option to share notes with people through social networks or email.

ListNote, like the name implies, works best for tasks such as list-making and jotting down quick ideas. The interface makes organizing or categorizing notes relatively easy, and notes can be color-coded to easily find them later. Because it’s made as a note-taking app and optimized for shorter text lengths, it’s not a good choice for dictating more extended texts.

English Voice Typing Keyboard is a speech-to-text app that is available for free on Android. The app uses Google speech recognition to convert speech to text in real time. The app's fast voice recognition and instant conversion capabilities make it easy to get your thoughts down quickly and efficiently.

The keyboard is available in all apps, so you can easily dictate messages, notes, emails, and long texts. It supports autocorrection, which will help you avoid spelling errors and make your communication even clearer. You can also copy and paste the transcription in any other app within one click.

With Voice Texting Pro, you can easily dictate messages and send them directly to your friends and family without ever having to type a word. The app supports a wide range of languages, and with its built-in speech recognition, you can easily dictate text messages, emails, tweets, and even long paragraphs of text.

The app is designed to be used while you're driving, so you can easily record voice messages without taking your hands off the wheel. Voice Texting Pro also includes a handy editor, so you can quickly make changes to your transcriptions before sending them.