1. Dictation To Text Software Mac Free
2. Speech To Text Software For Macbook Pro
3. Speech To Text Software For Macbook Air

Houndify is speech recognition software, and includes features such as specialty vocabularies, Speech-to-Text analysis, automatic transcription, Multi-Languages, voice recognition, and audio capture. Houndify is available as Mac, and Windows software. Some alternative products to Houndify include Braina, Voci, and LilySpeech. Advanced medical dictation software is built for physicians and practitioners. ListNote Speech-to-Text Notes is another speech-to-text app that uses Google's speech recognition software, but this time does a more comprehensive job of integrating it with a note-taking program. Dictate text In an app on your Mac, place the insertion point where you want the dictated text to appear. Press if available in the row of function keys, use the dictation keyboard shortcut, or choose Edit Start Dictation. Note: Press and release to start dictation; press and hold to ask Siri (if Siri is enabled). Best Voice to Text Software on Mac Apple Dictation is an Apple's built-in Dictation feature powered by Siri, ships as a part of Apple's desktop and mobile operating systems. When you use this app on mobile devices, you need tap the microphone icon on the stock keyboard.

A seemingly insignificant product cancellation is having a far-reaching impact on a particular community of Mac users.

Reg reader (and contributor) Colin Hughes wrote in to inform us about how Developer Nuance's decision to drop the OS X port of its Dragon Professional for Mac has left some customers with disabilities out in the cold.

A very important niche

Pitched as a productivity tool, Nuance's Dragon software is aimed at everyone from journalists and home users to medical professionals as a way to accurately transcribe spoken words into printed text.

For some users, however, the software is much more than a convenience. Hughes explains that, for him and others whose conditions leave them unable to type with a keyboard, voice dictation software is a line to the outside world.

'I became wholly reliant on voice dictation software for corresponding, whether it is writing a business letter to the bank, a blog post, or a short text to friends and family,' he explains.

'I do not have a plan B for writing anything.'

That is why, when Nuance announced recently that it was cutting support for the Mac version of Dragon Professional for Mac, it left some users in a tough spot.

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While the software will continue to function, there will be no future updates or support, meaning Colin and others who have come to depend on Dragon for everyday activities will have to find another way to get things done.

'I have followers on Twitter who are in employment and run businesses and they say this news will hit their productivity hard,' Hughes explains.

'Blind people, people with dyslexia are also likely to be affected adversely along with severely physically disabled people like myself.'

El Reg contacted Nuance for comment on the matter, but a spokesperson had only the PR boilerplate to offer.

'Nuance is constantly evaluating its product portfolio to see how we can best meet the needs of our customers and business. After much consideration, we have made the difficult decision to discontinue the Dragon Professional Individual for Mac line-up,' the statement reads.

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'Customers may still receive telephone support for up to 90 days from date of activating the software in North America and up to 180 days from date of software activation in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Asia-Pacific regions. Customers’ statutory rights are not affected.'

In other words, the clock is ticking for anyone who relies on Dragon for Mac to either find a new app or migrate to Windows. Which leads us to the next part of the story.

Other options don't really stack up

It would be one thing if the other options for Mac users could match Nuance's now-discontinued offering. Unfortunately, Hughes tells us, there isn't anything close to Dragon at the moment.

'Apple’s own voice dictation app.(found in accessibility) is inferior because it doesn’t learn from your mistakes, it can’t cope with work jargon, foreign names, you can’t train it to recognize words so it doesn’t repeat the same recognition mistake, you can’t add to its vocabulary,' said Hughes.

'So if there is an error in recognition when dictating people like me can’t take to the keyboard and simply carry on. So Apple’s own offering is far inferior to Dragon for Mac and is not at all productive for me to use.'

That leaves users with the unenviable choice of either making do with an inferior product or dropping their Macs in favor of Windows, where Nuance still supports Dragon Professional.

'I am a Mac user, I am steeped in the Mac ecosystem with MacBook Pro, iPhone, and Watch with all that seamless integration between devices,' Hughes said.

'It is not a simple decision to switch to a Windows machine and get Dragon for Windows.'

Apple to blame as well

It is no secret that Apple does not play well with others and the strict limits it places with its APIs have prevented developers from making full use of hardware the way they can on other platforms. Many an Android developer, for example, has had to cut features from the iOS version of their app due to Apple simply not granting access to specific components.

Look ma, no hands! The machines are speaking our language

Nuance, it seems, ran into some of the same problems when it made Dragon for Mac.

Back in a 2016 user group presentation, Nuance R&D program manager Jeff Leiman noted how Apple's API restrictions left Nuance unable to implement some of the features it was able to offer for the Windows version.

While wanting to keep control of what happens on their platform is perfectly understandable, Hughes argues that Apple should also take it upon themselves to pick up where Nuance left off and develop a better set of access and dictation tools for disabled users.

Hughes says that, eventually, he does believe someone, be it Apple or Google, will step up and offer better voice controls and dictation. Unfortunately, in the meantime he and other users are tied to the business decisions of the few companies, such as Nuance, who offer a usable product.

Perhaps most frustrating is that the technology to do voice control properly is already here. Apple and others have made a point of working it into their hardware demos, but the involvement ends there, and when it can't be used to showcase a new product, speech recognition seems to get tossed aside.

'For some strange reason Apple keeps pitching voice control in terms of gimmicky things like ordering your coffee from Starbucks while turning your thermostat down on your way out to work,' Hughes says.

'For people like me being able to control my Apple device by voice can make or break my day. Apple just doesn’t seem to get that and it isn’t listening.'

Here's hoping they do, sooner than later. ®

Writing is one of the most common tasks we do in our professional lives. Be it working on a blog post, reverting to emails, sending a newsletter, or writing a novel. Writing is a slow process! No matter how fast your typing speed is, writing is something that takes time. Luckily, you can speed up the entire process and increase productivity by using the Best Speech To Text Software.

Using these helpful dictation programs, one can give their internal editor a rest to focus on writing for the time being and editing the whole thing later. All the listed applications have voice recognition features that help in converting spoken words to text. The technology has come a long way and allows individuals to dictate documents with 95% accuracy.

So, without further ado, check out our TOP PICKS that will help you save hours of transcribing!

Must-Check Best Dictation Software (Speech To Text Tools)

Now that you know which are the best voice to text apps for PC and other devices, here are these dictation utilities’ features.

1. Windows Speech Recognition | How To Enable It?

You might not be aware, but your Windows system comes with a built-in dictation utility – Windows Speech Recognition. You can easily dictate and control text on any browser, Windows programs, or web applications using it. The tool is easy to use and powerful enough to execute the formatting and correction commands with high accuracy successfully. You can even maintain your dictionary that saves unique words.

The standard speech recognition tool works with the personal assistant – Cortana that makes your entire speech to text process hassle-free & productive.

2. Microsoft Dictate | Get It Now

If you think free speech to text software isn’t good enough when it comes to accuracy and effectiveness, then Microsoft Dictate is right here to prove you wrong. Developed by Microsoft Garage and equipped with advanced speech recognition technology that powers the digital assistant, Cortana, you can undoubtedly expect the best from the feature-rich speech to text app for PC.

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The dictation program is essentially a Microsoft Office extension and works perfectly with PowerPoint, Word, and Outlook. Once you install the speech to text app on your PC, you can quickly access it through the Dictation tab from the top of the programs’ toolbar.

3. e-speaking | Get It Now

One of the simplest dictation software available for Windows, e-speaking is a budget-friendly option in our list. It is capable of doing basic dictation with great accuracy. Comes with 100 built-in voice commands, e-speaking lets you control your system with the utmost ease. You can utilize the speech-to-text utility to write in any text editor for fast dictation, navigation, edit the text, formatting, and add numbers, symbols, and more.

Unlike other Best Dictation Software, e-speaking allows users to add and train the program with new and unique words to get better and respond according to your needs and requirements.

4. Dragon Speech Recognition | Get It Now

Designed & developed by Nuance, Dragon Speech Recognition solutions are equipped with Artificial Intelligence algorithms to ensure high accuracy in no time. It proffers multiple packages for students, researchers, and other professionals that fulfils different needs for better control over computers, cloud document management, and 256-bit encryption. It automatically learns the most used words and phrases to eliminate mistakes and optimize accuracy for speakers with accents.

Available for all the popular operating systems, Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS, Dragon’s dictation programs contain training modules and coach you on how to use it for dictation, editing, and more.

Must-Read: 7 Best Apps to Boost Productivity At Workplace

5. Speechnotes | Get It Now

Next on our list of Best Speech To Text Software for the web is Speechnotes. It proffers a straightforward, clean, and online dictation capabilities that make the transcribing process (speech into text) with up to 90% accuracy. It knows and performs basic functions like automatically capitalizing the beginning of sentences, auto-saving documents, and clear dictation and type simultaneously and efficiently.

Since the dictation app is web-based, you don’t need to download any additional software on your device to get started with it. You just need to remember that any document you create should be copied to your device since Speechnotes won’t save anything.

6. Braina | Get It Now

Here comes another AI-powered dictation app for PC – Braina. The famous speech to text utility is equipped with excellent voice recognition features and holds the capability to convert speech to text in more than 100 languages. What’s the best part? Braina can also answer your questions, search for information online, set alarms, reminders, check weather forecasts, and automate various tasks without putting much effort.

Braina supports most of the devices’ built-in microphones and is highly compatible with mobile devices also. Hence, you can work hands-free and away from your system.

7. Otter | Get It Now

Otter is not just an excellent dictation software but one of the most useful utilities for taking notes and collaborating with others. Unlike most of the speech to text apps for PC and other devices, Otter can record and transcribe any audio as long as the speech is coherent. Mostly used by start-ups and freelancers, Otters lets you add speaker notes, images, video files, and other multimedia without any hassles.

Otter comes with both a free/premium version and supports maximum transcription of 600 minutes at 40 minutes per month. You can enjoy functionalities like live transcribe, share voice, text, notes, and support great integration with Zoom Cloud, too.

Must-Read: What Is Pomodoro Technique & How It Can Help To Rocket Your Productivity?

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