Dictation software hasn’t always been the most useful tool for writers and authors. It wasn’t too long ago when a writer would have to spend as much time correcting the dictation draft as they would’ve spent just typing their thoughts to begin with.
Luckily, dictation software has come a long way, largely due to the incorporation of AI technology. AI’s ability to filter out background noise and intelligently understand garbled language (including slang) has made AI dictation software an invaluable tool for authors. It’s arguably the fastest way to write a book!
But with so many options out there, what is the best dictation software for writers and authors? Allow us to break it down.
What Is Dictation Software?
Dictation software is a tool that hears spoken words and turns them into text in real time. Often called “speech-to-text,” “voice-to-text,” or “speech-recognition software,” dictation software is an incredibly useful tool for writers who want to capture their raw, unfiltered thoughts. It’s more than note-taking; it’s live storytelling. Imagine dictating entire scenes and passages of your story, instead of typing it out word by word.
Every writer knows the grueling process of staring at a blank page for hours, waiting for inspiration to hit the brain and work its way down to the fingers. With dictation software, you can record thoughts, scenes, and even entire books as they happen in your head, meaning you don’t have to remember and replicate every relevant thought you have throughout the day. Once you’ve captured your story with audio dictation, it’s just a matter of reviewing the text and organizing it into the story you want to tell.
Another way dictation software helps writers and authors is by making it possible for those who cannot type or have difficulty typing to tell their stories. Writers with hearing impairments, hand-related disabilities, or those who have difficulty reading can take notes, organize thoughts, and write entire books with dictation software.
How AI Helps Writers Do More
AI helps writers get more accomplished in a few ways.
First, the addition of AI into dictation software makes the software itself more accurate. AI can understand context to a degree, picking up slang, foreign words, tics, and stutters. It can filter out background noise to better understand garbled or quiet speech, which has traditionally been a downfall of speech-to-text software. You no longer have to be in a pristinely quiet setting to get an accurate recording.
But AI helps writers and authors in an arguably much more important way: eliminating writer’s block. With just a few simple prompts, an AI can generate ideas that a writer or author can run with. It’s not a perfect system, but it sure beats that dreaded blinking cursor on a blank document.
Most of the entries on our list of best dictation software for writers and authors incorporate AI in some fashion. So without further adieu, let’s get to it!
1. Dragon Professional
Dragon Professional isn’t cheap, but it is far and away the most comprehensive dictation software for writers and authors. With a 99% accuracy rating, you can be sure that your thoughts are recorded as intended. Imagine the time you’ll save not making all those corrections.
What sets Dragon Professional apart from other dictation software is its ability to transcribe audio recordings. This means that even if you don’t have the software near you, you can use your phone to capture your thoughts and upload them later into Dragon Pro as if you dictated it live. You can also upload podcasts, interviews, or any other audio files for an accurate transcription. It might be the best dictation app for writing a book simply due to this feature.
Dragon Pro’s $500 price tag is steep, but there is a cheaper option that offers most of the same features without an audio transcription option. Another con of Dragon is that it’s not available on Mac or Apple products.
Price: $500 one-time purchase (with a $200 alternative)
Works on: PC
Best suited for: Authors who record audio in multiple formats
Favorite feature: Audio transcription
Potential drawback: High cost
2. Apple Dictation
If you have an iPhone or iPad, you have Apple Dictation. It’s free, pretty accurate (around 95%) and easy to use. It’s fairly bare-bones compared to pricier apps, but if you have an iPhone or iPad, all you have to do is hit the microphone button on your keyboard and start talking.
While its accuracy really can’t compare to, say, Dragon Pro, the easy integration into all your Apple devices and software goes a long way, especially for a free app that comes preloaded into your devices. It’s the best free voice recognition software for Mac, easily.
Price: Free
Works on: Apple devices
Best suited for: Apple users
Favorite feature: Ease of use
Potential drawback: Not the best accuracy
3. Rev Online Voice Recorder
Our very own online voice recorder is simple to use. Simply hit the bright red “record” button, speak your piece, and download an MP3 file of your recording. If you’d like to transcribe your recording into text, it’s a simple one-click process to add that to your Rev cart.
Rev recordings and ensuing transcripts are up to 99% accurate. We offer both AI and human transcription options, as well as AI with human assistance for greater accuracy.
Price: Free
Works on: Browser-based, with versions for Android and iPhone
Best suited for: Those who need a one-stop shop for dictation and transcription
Favorite feature: Quickly turn your voice recordings into text (for a fee)
Potential drawback: Requires an internet connection
4. Windows Speech Recognition
Windows Speech Recognition isn’t the most accurate dictation software at first, but it works to learn your voice and gets a lot better over time. Once it learns your voice, it’s one of the most accurate of the free dictation software available.
Being limited to Windows-only devices is a drawback, but if you’re a Windows user it’s a great free option, especially if you plan to use it for the long haul.
Price: Free
Works on: Windows operating systems
Best suited for: Windows users
Favorite feature: Adaptive learning
Potential drawback: It takes some time to learn your voice
5. Otter.AI
Otter.AI easily connects with prominent meeting software like Zoom and Meet, which makes transcribing meetings in real time a breeze. It’s voice dictation for those who work in groups. The ability to transcribe brainstorming sessions or group conversations is invaluable for team writing.
Otter isn’t designed for solo writing, however, which knocks it down a few notches on the list. That said, none of the other software on this list are great for collecting the thoughts of a group, which is why it’s here. The free version limits you to 600 minutes per month, but a small monthly subscription fee adds 6,000 more minutes. If you want to dive in deep and see how Rev compares to Otter.ai, check out our guide.
Price: Free with an option for $8.33 per month
Works on: Most traditional browsers
Best suited for: Writing teams
Favorite feature: Meeting integration
Potential drawback: Not ideal for solo writers
6. Google Keyboard (Gboard)
The Google Keyboard (or Gboard if you’re in the know) comes integrated with a voice-to-text feature. It’s powered by Google AI and has all of Google’s search results at its disposal, so it might be the most powerful dictation software when it comes to understanding accents, slang, and technical terms.
That said, it lags behind other free software in the accuracy department (around 92%). Also, it requires an internet connection to use. But its instant integration with Google Docs is a huge advantage for Google users.
Price: Free
Works on: Any device with Chrome
Best suited for: Google Docs users
Favorite feature: In-app Google search
Potential drawback: Relatively low accuracy
7. Braina Dictation Software
If English isn’t your primary language or you need to dictate or transcribe in a foreign language, Braina Dictation Software might be your best choice. It recognizes and transcribes dictation in more than 100 languages and offers a lot more than simple dictation.
In addition to the option to transcribe any audio file you upload, Braina can be used to fill out online forms, dictate and send emails, and transcribe your words directly into a Word or Google document. It’s not quite as accurate as other paid dictation software, but the diversity of options Braina offers more than makes up for that.
Price: $199 lifetime subscription
Works on: Windows
Best suited for: Those with multiple-language transcription needs
Favorite feature: Multi-language recognition
Potential drawback: Requires internet connection
8. SpeechNotes
The SpeechNotes dictation app is only available in Google Chrome, so why wouldn’t you just use the Google Keyboard’s dictation feature? Great question!
Unlike Google, SpeechNotes offers a “read aloud” option, so you can review what you just dictated immediately, without having to look at the text. It allows you to make corrections on the go, which can streamline your editing and proofreading process.
While you need internet access to use the dictation feature, SpeechNotes allows you to save your work so you can access it offline if necessary. It’s a free app with a pay-as-you-go option that offers 95% accuracy. But its simple interface and instant review feature make it worth a look.
Price: Free
Works on: Android, Google Chrome
Best suited for: Those who want to review on the go
Favorite feature: Read aloud option
Potential drawback: Lack of features
Our Methodology
Every writer and author has a different writing process, so choosing a dictation software can be an intensely personal process, requiring trial runs of multiple applications before a choice is made.
With so many dictation software available, we formulated this list by scouring reviews, reading testimonials, and incorporating our own personal experiences with each software. We also took into consideration cost, ease–of–use, sync ability, and other intangibles.
How To Determine What Dictation Service Is Right for You
Determining what dictation service is right for you is a process of trial and error.
Start by choosing a software that works with your preferred platform (which narrows the field by half in most cases). Then, figure out what features you absolutely must have for your specific work process. After those steps are completed, your list of possibilities is probably pretty short! After that, it’s often a matter of budget and/or personal preference.
Dictation Writing Your Way
There are so many situations where you might need a voice recorder, from simply capturing your thoughts for later, quickly writing your book, or streamlining your editing process. No matter why you use it, voice recording is a vital tool for all sorts of writing.
With so many viable entries in the “best speech-to-text software for writers” conversation, it can be overwhelming to find the perfect software. There’s simply no one-size-fits-all answer, but with a little research and some trial runs, there’s most definitely a dictation software for you and your preferred writing style.
And once you’ve dictated your story, Rev is here with reams of expertise designed to help writers and creators turn their stories into fully formed projects that find their audience. Check out Rev everything has to offer.
