Best Dictation Software: 10 Options to Consider in 2024

Finding reliable and accurate dictation software can be difficult, mainly because there are many options to choose from. On top of that, there are also a lot of factors to consider when choosing a dictation software.

For instance, some dictation software options are not accurate or reliable, especially with background noise or when the speaker has a heavy accent. Furthermore, they could be unable to differentiate between the different speakers on your file or lack the security protocols to keep your sensitive data safe.

To help you avoid these problems, we’ve identified the best dictation software and voice recognition software available today.

You’ll find all the information you need to make an informed decision between various AI dictation software, including the most crucial purchasing considerations you need to be aware of before making a choice.

Key Takeaways

• Dictation software translates spoken words into text, which is crucial for individuals who want to speed up their workflow with voice-to-text or increase the accessibility of their content with subtitles.
• Before choosing dictation software, prioritize accuracy, integration with existing workflows, security protocols, and the ability to handle industry-specific jargon, ensuring the tool meets your comprehensive needs.
• Sonix dominates the dictation software arena with unparalleled accuracy (up to 99%), robust security, and vast language support, making it the top choice for diverse industries.
• Explore Sonix’s unmatched dictation capabilities with a no-risk 30-minute free trial, allowing you to experience its superior accuracy and speed firsthand without needing a credit card.

What is Dictation Software?

Diction software is more commonly called voice recognition or speech-to-text software. This is a type of software that takes spoken words and converts them into written text. Machine learning, speech recognition, special algorithms, and other AI features are utilized to produce high-quality transcripts, pieces of text, or written documents from speech.

Dictation can be done in a live environment, such as during an interview or lecture, to record the proceedings. Alternatively, most dictation software can also create transcripts and written documents from pre-recorded files, often both video and audio files. 

There are various use cases where this is particularly useful. For instance, one of the areas where dictation software is becoming commonly used is in healthcare, with medical professionals often using it to record encounters with patients, create reports, and more. As far as professionals are concerned, the legal field is also seeing an upsurge in the use of dictation software, as it can be useful for drafting legal documents, and taking meeting notes.

There are many other fields where dictation software can streamline processes and allow for greater efficiency and productivity, with journalism and writing at the forefront. Dictation software can also create subtitles and captions for audio and video files, making it a remarkable option for anything related to accessibility, particularly for those hard of hearing.

Best 10 Dictation Software in 2024

Here’s a quick glance at the top 10 best dictation software of 2024.

• Sonix
• Dragon Professional Individual
• Google Cloud Speed-to-Text
• Otter.ai
• Descript
• Verbit
• Gboard
• Talkatoo
• Apple Dictation
• Rev.ai

Best Dictation Software at a Glance

With exceedingly high accuracy levels, a suite of tools to suit virtually anyone and any industry, and fair prices, Sonix stands out as the leading dictation software.

Sonix

Sonix is the number one AI dictation software out there. It excels in delivering high-fidelity transcriptions for various applications, including but not limited to meetings, lectures, and interviews. This makes it an indispensable resource for educators, legal professionals, journalists, and anyone needing reliable, real-time transcription services.

Beyond its core capabilities, Sonix extends its utility by offering transcription, subtitle, and caption generation for audio and video files across nearly 40 languages. This functionality positions it as an essential tool for enhancing accessibility and inclusivity for media producers, content creators, and filmmakers. 

Features

Here are some of the core features of Sonix that make it the go-to tool in the dictation software space.

High Degree of Accuracy

The number one standout attribute of Sonix is its astounding degree of accuracy, creating transcripts that are up to 99% accurate. Despite challenges such as significant background noise, hard-to-understand accents, and similar complications, Sonix consistently achieves an accuracy rate exceeding those offered by its competitors.

Fast Turnaround

Not only is Sonix exceedingly accurate when compared to the vast majority of competitors, but it is also much faster. It can process several hours of recorded audio or video in just a few minutes. Sonix’s fast turnaround time is one of the primary reasons for choosing the platform over traditional human transcription. The same file that would take 2-3 days to transcribe can be processed with AI within just a few minutes.

High-Grade Security Features

Sonix is well-renowned in the industry for being the most secure transcription platform out there. With a wide range of security features, Sonix guarantees that your sensitive data remains private on our servers. Here’s a breakdown of all the security features packaged with our accurate AI. 

Here is a full breakdown of Sonix’s primary features.

• Automated Captioning and Subtitling: Sonix is capable of taking video and audio files, processing them, and turning the spoken words into written text in the form of both captions and subtitles, making it ideal for accessibility purposes.
• Language Support: English is not the only language that Sonix can use to handle dictation and transcription, as it supports over 39 languages. This makes it a fantastic tool for reaching a much wider audience.
• AI Analysis Tools: Sonix comes with various AI-powered tools designed to help you get the most out of your transcriptions. AI Summaries help convert long transcripts into short, actionable summaries. Thematic Analysis allows you to uncover the topics discussed within the file. Sentiment Analysis helps you detect the tone and intensity of the speakers during a conversation. Apart from these primary AI Analysis features, Sonix also has topic detection, chapter creation, entity detection, and more!
• In-Browser Editor: Perhaps one of the most useful features of Sonix is the in-browser editor, which allows users to review and edit transcripts without any additional tools.
• Integration Capabilities: Sonix is also designed with integrations in mind, as it is able to seamlessly integrate with various research, conferencing, multimedia, and productivity tools, allowing for an easier and more efficient workflow across various systems.

Pricing

Aside from all of its useful features that make dictation and transcription as fast, easy, and accurate as possible, Sonix is also a fan favorite, thanks to its fair pricing structure.

• Standard Pay-As-You-Go Plan: $10 Per Hour
• Premium Subscription: $5 Per Hour flat fee along with a $22 base pricing per user
• Enterprise Subscription: You’ll need to contact the Sonix sales team for pricing

If low prices combined with high levels of accuracy and vast integrations are what you need from dictation software, then Sonix should always be the first consideration on your list.

Pros of Sonix

• Incredible accuracy, reaching up to 99%
• Enterprise-grade security protocols
• Fast turnaround time
• Affordable pricing plans
• AI Analysis to increase the effectiveness of your transcripts
• Wide range of integration options

Cons of Sonix

• Supports 39+ languages, which is remarkable, but some competitors do offer more

Looking to try out the capabilities of Sonix’s 99% accuracy and rapid turnaround times? Sign up for a 30-minute free trial today. No credit card required.

Dragon Professional Individual

Business professionals who want to move away from the tiered subscription plan to a one-time fee should definitely consider Dragon Professional. It’s a tool designed for enterprise use by professionals who need their meetings, interviews, and more recorded with an accuracy rate bordering on 99%, which is its main selling point.

To achieve this accuracy, it uses advanced speech recognition software, combined with the ability to learn from and adapt to your voice without any extra work required on the user’s end. Dragon Professional Individual can also create custom words and vocabularies, allowing the software to gradually improve on its initial accuracy.

Pricing

Dragon Professional Individual sets itself apart with a unique pricing structure that offers long-term value. Rather than adopting the common subscription-based approach, it requires a one-time payment of $699 plus tax. This model eliminates the need for ongoing fees, representing a more economical option for users who require a transcription tool for several years, thereby offering the potential for cost savings over time.

Pros of Dragon Professional Individual

• High degree of accuracy
• Advanced speech recognition
• Tailored towards professionals and specific industries
• Highly compatible with most tools and apps
• No tiered plans

Cons of Dragon Professional Individual

• High upfront costs are unreasonable for individual users

Google Cloud Speed-to-Text

Google Cloud Speech-to-Text is a cloud-based dictation app that puts Google’s own machine learning system to use to convert speech and audio to written text. Transcripts created with Google Cloud Speech-to-Text are highly accurate, although what really stands out is its usefulness for developers, especially those who use Google’s other systems and apps.

Its main drawing point is its ability to seamlessly integrate with other Google services, such as the Google App Engine, cloud storage, PUB/SUB, and more. This allows users to create scalable and complex apps capable of handling great volumes of audio, processing it, and then using it for various purposes.

It also has a decent roster of features like real-time streaming transcription, background noise suppression, multiple speaker support, automatic punctuation, and a customizable vocabulary.

Pricing

Google Cloud Speech-to-Text has a very interesting pricing system, with it being pay-as-you-go. Many find this preferable because users only pay for what they need instead of monthly subscriptions. 

The pricing standard speech recognition without data logging is $0.024/minute, $0.078/minute for medical, and $0.016/minute with data logging enabled.

If you’re looking for the full breakdown of their prices, you can take a look at Google Cloud’s pricing page.

Pros of Google Cloud Speed-to-Text

• Highly accurate thanks to machine learning
• Ideal for scalability
• Batch and real-time processing capabilities
• Uses Google’s security protocols

Cons of Google Cloud Speed-to-Text

• May require some technical expertise
• Must have a stable internet connection at all times
• Extremely complicated pricing model

Otter AI

Next, we have Otter.ai, another advanced speech-to-text dictation service, complete with highly advanced AI features that are ideal for enhancing productivity in many settings and industries. Where Otter.ai really shines is in its ability to record real-time audio from lectures, meetings, interviews, and regular voice notes alike, and with a relatively decent degree of accuracy, up to 83% or higher in some cases.

What stands out about Otter.ai is its suite of collaborative features, such as live transcript sharing, shared notes, integrating meeting summaries, and the live editor, where team members can highlight pieces of text, leave comments, and more. As far as collaborative features are concerned, Otter.ai is up there with the best of them.

In terms of its affordability, this is one of Otter.ai’s main drawing points. The prices for Otter are pretty reasonable, but considering the fact that it only supports transcription in English is a bit of a letdown.

Pricing

Many people like Otter.ai for its pricing system, although beware that some people have noted that Otter often changes prices, so keep an eye on this.

• Basic Plan: Free of Cost – 300 Transcription Minutes and Up to 30 Minutes per Conversation
• Pro Plan: $16.99 per Month – 1,200 Transcription Minutes and up to 90 Minutes per Conversation
• Business Plan: $30 per Month: 6,000 Transcription Minutes and up to 4 Hours per Conversation
• Enterprise: You’ll Need to contact Otter for pricing and details.

Pros of Otter.ai

• Decent accuracy
• Excels at real-time transcription
• Advanced collaborative features
• Integrates well with conferencing tools
• Great for meetings and online lectures

Cons of Otter.ai

• Only supports English
• There may be some security concerns
• Pricing can change without prior notice

Descript

If you are a content creator, specifically a video creator, editor, or podcaster, then Descript is a great dictation software worth looking into. It combines both AI-driven features with traditional video editing capabilities, making it an ideal choice for those creating digital content.

As far as video editing and podcasting are concerned, Descript has an array of features, including but not limited to overdub, multi-track editing, screen recording, filler word removal, automatic transcription, and a vast array of video editing features as well.

Descript also has some other useful features, such as direct publishing for podcasts, collaborative editing, and ready-made templates for various content types. If you are a digital content creator, specifically as far as videos as concerned, Descript should be considered.

Pricing

Descript’s pricing structure offers reasonable tiers that provide a fair allotment of hours for the cost. However, the scalability of these plans may not fully cater to individuals with small teams or those with extensive transcription needs on a monthly basis.

• Basic: Free
• Creator: $15 per Month – 10 Hours of Transcription
• Pro: $30 per Month – 30 Hours of Transcription
• Enterprise: You’ll have to contact Descript for more information about the Enterprise plan

Pros of Descript

• Very efficient for video editing
• Great for collaboration
• Unique toolset geared toward video and podcast editing
• Intuitive and easy to use

Cons of Descript

• May not be the most accurate, particularly where accents and background noise are concerned
• Security features are not as comprehensive as tools like Sonix

Verbit

Verbit provides transcription and captioning services, leveraging a mix of artificial intelligence and human professionals. The company’s focus is on enhancing accessibility and inclusivity by making content more engaging through searchable and actionable verbal information. 

They offer solutions that integrate with various digital platforms to service different sectors, including legal, educational, media, and corporate entities. Verbit’s offerings include live transcription and captioning, as well as post-production services, all designed to support accessible communication. 

The service emphasizes ease of use and professional-grade accuracy, aiming to facilitate efficient workflows for its users. Their technology, namely Captivate and Gen.V, is geared towards customization to cater to the specific terminology and formatting needs of their clients.

Pricing

The pricing for Verbit is custom and based on specific needs. Contact the Verbit team directly for more information.

 Pros of Verbit

• Combination of AI and humans results in great accuracy
• Highly customizable solutions
• Suited for legal and educational professionals
• Focus on making content more accessible
• Wide language support

Cons of Verbit

• Cloud service – relies on the internet
• You’ll need to jump through a few hoops to find accurate pricing
• Complex setup

Gboard

Gboard is yet another advanced dictation and transcription service, with this one being geared towards mobile users who need fast and relatively accurate transcripts created on the go and even just for dictating text messages and emails.

Its mobile functionality is by far one of its biggest selling points. Beyond professional uses, Gboard is designed with convenience in mind for smartphone users, as it helps to enhance the overall experience when using these devices.

Gboard is a little different from all the other software we’ve discussed on this list. But, given the fact that most of the options here aren’t available for mobile devices, Gboard is definitely something worth mentioning.

Pricing

At this time, Gboard is totally free to use and available on the Play Store and the iOS App Store.

Pros of Gboard

• Advanced integration with Google ecosystem
• Makes transcriptions using a mobile phone easier
• Free of cost
• Convenient for enhancing basic smartphone functionality

Cons of Gboard

• Gboard is resource-intensive and may slow down mobile devices
• Cannot upload pre-recorded content

Talkatoo

Talkatoo is an advanced dictation software designed specifically for veterinarians. It’s very useful for veterinarians to report and document their cases, tasks, and more. To this end, Talkatoo is designed with an array of features that allow for highly accurate veterinary medical transcripts to be created. Creating reports, noting tasks, and creating precise medical records is made easy thanks to the plethora of features that Talkatoo comes with.

For one, Talkatoo features veterinary-specific language, with an advanced dictionary and vocabulary designed to recognize animal species, medication types and names, medical terms, and anything else relevant to this industry. The vocabulary can also be further customized.

Furthermore, Talkatoo functions on Mac and Windows, and it’s designed to easily integrate with various veterinary practice management software. This allows vets to dictate their words directly into reports and medical documents on their own systems. It even has voice-activated commands for hands-free operation, which is useful for vets dealing with squirming animal patients.

Pricing

Talkatoo’s prices are determined by the number of users, and there are monthly standard plans and annual plans, with the annual plans allowing for a good deal of monthly savings.

• Monthly Standard Plans: Ranging from $139 per month for a single user to $69 per month (PER USER) for up to 15 users. For over 15 users, contact Talkatoo directly for custom pricing.
• Annual Premium Plans: Ranging from $116.58 per month for a single user to $61.67 per month (PER USER) for up to 15 users. For over 15 users, contact Talkatoo directly for custom pricing.

Pros of Talkatoo

•  Ideal for veterinary clinics
• Transcripts are highly accurate
• High level of customizability
• Many productivity features

Cons of Talkatoo

• Only for veterinary professionals

Apple Dictation

For anyone with an Apple Device, whether a smartphone, tablet, smartwatch, or anything in between, taking advantage of Apple Dictation, which comes included with these devices, is just common sense.

Apple users should rejoice at the suite of features that Apple Dictation comes with, such as its overall consistency across all Apple devices, combined with Apple’s enhanced security and privacy protocols. It’s a very simple type of dictation software, one designed for writing text messages, emails, searching the web, and more.

It’s not particularly designed for professional purposes, but it will fulfill your baseline requirements really well.

Pricing

Apple Dictation is included in modern Apple devices.

Pros of Apple Dictation

• Advanced security protocols
• Makes Apple devices more accessible
• Accurate dictation and transcription
• Exceedingly simple to use

Cons of Apple Dictation

• Some features require internet
• Not many customization options

Rev.ai

Last but not least, we have Rev.ai, a fairly advanced service that uses the finest of speech recognition technology to create transcripts, subtitles, and captions with high degrees of accuracy, up to 99%. One of the standout features of Rev.ai is its high rate of accuracy, with transcripts and subtitles rarely requiring heavy editing.

Rev.ai also has many other useful features that make dictation and transcription fast, easy, and accurate, including widespread language support, speaker identification, timestamps, real-time transcription, a custom vocabulary, and more.

However, the standout feature of Rev.ai is that its API is designed with developers in mind. The API is specifically formulated to integrate with the existing platforms of their enterprise consumers.

All that said, Rev.ai also offers human-powered services, mainly human transcription and subtitling. These are both hailed for their accuracy but also come in at a premium price.

Pricing

Rev.ai pricing is relatively fair, albeit on the slightly higher end of the spectrum, and there are many options to choose from, both AI and human.

• AI Transcription: $0.25 Per Minute
• AI Captions: $0.25 Per Minute
• AI Subscription: $29.99 Per Month (1,200 Minutes of Transcripts included 14 Day Free Trial, plus $0.15 for every minute over 1,200 minutes).
• Human Transcription: $1.50 Per Minute
• Global Subtitles (Human Powered): $5 to $12 Per Minute

Pros of Rev.ai

• Highly scalable
• Very accurate
• Ideal for developers
• Transcription, subtitling, and captioning

Cons of Rev.ai

• Costs add up over time
• The API requires a learning curve

How to Choose the Best Dictation Software in 2024?

Navigating the extensive array of dictation software on the market can indeed present a daunting challenge, given the wealth of options at your disposal. To streamline your decision-making process and figure out the most suitable dictation solution for your needs, here are a few criteria you need to consider.

Evaluate Accuracy and Performance

The number one thing to look for in a dictation service is accuracy. Accuracy is often the make-it or break-it for dictation software. An accurate application that borders on 100% accuracy but otherwise has limited features is generally preferable to an app with loads of features but can’t achieve a high degree of dictation accuracy.

The closer you can get to 100% accuracy, the better, with the industry leader on this front being Sonix. Dictation apps like Sonix use advanced machine learning and speech recognition to produce transcripts that barely require any editing.

There are various ways you can evaluate the performance of these apps, with free trials always coming in handy on this front. User reviews are another good source of information, although some trial and error may be required as well.

Assess Your Specific Needs

The first step in the process of choosing dictation software is to assess what your own needs are, and then compare those needs to the features and services offered by any dictation service in question.

Two things to look out for here include the type of content that you plan on creating (reports, meeting notes, lecture transcripts, movie captions, and subtitles, emails, and so on) and whether or not the software in question will be able to understand industry-specific jargon.

For example, a tool like Talkatoo works great, but it’s specifically designed for veterinarians. This means that if you’re not from that highly specific demographic, you might not be able to use all of its features properly.

Consider Integration and Compatibility

Any dictation software you get should be able to seamlessly integrate with your existing systems and workflow, with Sonix being a prime example, as it’s designed with integrations in mind and will easily become a part of your current suite of applications.

You need to choose a dictation app that easily integrates with your present system. It should work in combination with the tools that you use currently, such as CRMs, word processors, email applications, and more.

Make sure that the app in question works on all of your devices as well, and for larger organizations, having access to an advanced API for a high level of customizability is called for as well.

Final Thoughts – What is the Best Dictation Software?

After evaluating the top ten dictation apps, Sonix emerges as the leader. Its capabilities extend to real-time dictation and generating transcripts, subtitles, and captions from audio/video files. Leveraging machine learning and advanced algorithms, Sonix delivers transcripts with unparalleled speed and accuracy—exceeding 98% consistently. 

Coupled with competitive pricing, Sonix is the definitive choice for top-tier, cost-effective dictation services.

If you need the best dictation software in the market diverse enough to serve virtually any industry, Sonix is your best bet! Sign up for a 30-minute free trial today. No credit card required.

Best Dictation Software: Frequently Asked Questions

Who Uses Dictation Software?

Dictation software serves a broad spectrum of users, including legal professionals for note-taking, educators for lecture transcripts, content creators and media editors for digital projects, as well as a diverse range of professionals and individuals for various tasks. Its versatility extends from complex professional applications to everyday uses, including dictating text messages or compiling shopping lists, making it an indispensable tool across numerous domains.

What is the Best Dictation Machine?

Our evaluation confirms Sonix as the premier dictation software, distinguished by its exceptional accuracy, robust security measures, comprehensive range of features, and integrations, all offered at a competitive price.

What is the Best App for Voice Typing?

Gboard and Apple Dictation offer smart solutions for voice typing on mobile devices. While not the most advanced transcription tools available, they efficiently meet the needs of users seeking quick and straightforward functionality.