Apple Dictation
Apple Dictation is a built-in macOS feature that lets users speak to enter text anywhere they can type. Once Dictation is enabled, it can be started with the Microphone key, a customizable keyboard shortcut, or Start Dictation, then stopped with Escape, the same shortcut, or the Microphone key. On Apple silicon Macs, users can continue typing while they dictate, and Dictation resumes listening after keyboard input stops. Spoken commands can insert emoji, punctuation, new lines, and new paragraphs, while supported languages can automatically add commas, periods, and question marks. Dictation supports text of any length and stops automatically after 30 seconds without detected speech. When macOS is uncertain about a word, it underlines the text so users can choose an alternative or correct it manually. Multiple Dictation languages can be enabled and switched while speaking, and users can select a preferred microphone or let macOS choose automatically.
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Handy
Handy is a free, open source, cross-platform speech-to-text app that runs completely offline and puts whatever you say directly into any text field. Press and hold a configurable keyboard shortcut, speak, and release; Handy records your voice, transcribes it locally, and pastes the result into the app you are using. Push-to-talk is enabled by default, but users can switch to a toggle mode that starts and stops recording with separate key presses. Handy supports macOS, Windows, and Linux and keeps voice data on the computer instead of sending audio to cloud services. Users can choose between Whisper models and Parakeet V3, Whisper provides broad multilingual support across more than 99 languages, while Parakeet V3 is optimized for fast CPU performance and automatic language detection. Silence is filtered with voice activity detection, and GPU acceleration is available for Whisper where supported.
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DictaFlow
DictaFlow is an AI dictation app for Windows, Mac, iPhone, and Android via Telegram that turns messy speech into clean text wherever the cursor is. Hold a keyboard shortcut, mouse button, or VDI-safe trigger, speak naturally, and release to insert text directly into email, documents, IDEs, EHRs, browsers, terminals, notes, and remote desktops. It is built for the messy parts of dictation, including names, acronyms, code terms, drug names, clinical shorthand, contract language, accents, and more than 100 languages. DictaFlow understands mid-sentence corrections such as “actually” and “I mean,” so users can fix mistakes without breaking rhythm, and AI cleanup can turn rough speech into emails, bullets, code comments, meeting notes, prompts, or formatted text as they talk. Users can also highlight existing text in apps such as Word, Slack, or VS Code and edit it by voice.
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Otter.ai
Otter is where conversations live. Generate rich notes for meetings, interviews, lectures, and other important voice conversations with Otter, your AI-powered assistant. Organizations who have the Otter advantage. Teams big and small trust Otter to transcribe their important conversations. Our shiny new release, Otter 2.0, adds more functionality to improve collaboration and productivity. The Teams plan includes capabilities designed especially for small and medium businesses and teams in larger enterprises. Record and review in real time. Search, play, edit, organize, and share your conversations from any device. Record conversations using Otter on your phone or web browser. Import or sync recordings from other services. Integrate with Zoom. Get real-time streaming transcripts and, within minutes, rich, searchable notes with text, audio, images, speaker ID, and key phrases. Share or export voice notes to inform others and get on the same page.
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