Free Speech to Text: 8 Best Free Dictation Tools (2026)

The best free speech to text tools are the ones already on your devices: Google Docs Voice Typing, Windows Voice Typing, Apple Dictation on Mac and iPhone, and Gboard voice typing on Android. All of them turn live speech into text at no cost, with no sign-up beyond the account you already have. They're built for talking, not for recordings. If the audio already exists as a file, upload it to a transcription tool instead. PlainScribe makes your first transcript free, then charges $0.067/min.

TL;DR

• Best free speech to text on any computer: Google Docs Voice Typing. Free and unlimited, runs in Chrome, and handles punctuation commands.
• Best built into Windows: Windows Voice Typing (Win + H). Works in any text box, in any app.
• Best built into Mac and iPhone: Apple Dictation. On recent Macs and iPhones, many languages are processed on the device.
• Best on Android: Gboard voice typing, via the microphone key on the keyboard.
• Best browser notepad: Speechnotes. Open a page and start talking, no account needed.
• Already have a recording? Free dictation tools make you play the file aloud in real time. Uploading it to a file transcription tool is faster and more accurate. See free audio to text tools.

Speech to text vs. transcribing a recording

"Speech to text" covers two different jobs, and the free options are different for each:

• Live dictation. You talk and words appear in a document, email or note. Every tool in this list does this for free, because the work happens as you speak and the audio is short.
• Transcribing a recording. You already have an interview, lecture, meeting or voice memo. Dictation tools can only "hear" it if you play it near a microphone in real time, so accuracy drops and a one-hour file takes an hour. File-based tools process the audio directly. See how to transcribe audio to text for that workflow.

This guide covers the first job: free tools for speaking text into your device.

The 8 best free speech to text tools

1. Google Docs Voice Typing: best free speech to text overall

Open a Google Doc in Chrome and choose Tools → Voice typing (or press Ctrl + Shift + S, Cmd + Shift + S on Mac). Click the microphone and talk. It's free with any Google account, has no time cap, supports dozens of languages, and understands spoken punctuation such as "period", "comma" and "new paragraph" in English and some other languages.

Limits: Chrome only, needs an internet connection, and it stops listening if you switch tabs. Verdict: The best all-round free choice for drafting long text by voice on a computer.

2. Windows Voice Typing: best built into Windows

Press Win + H in any text field on Windows 10 or 11, including Word, Outlook, a browser or a chat app. A small toolbar appears and starts listening. Auto-punctuation can be switched on in its settings.

Limits: Uses online speech recognition, so it needs a connection, and language support is narrower than Google's. Verdict: The most convenient free option on a Windows PC, because it works everywhere, not just in one app.

3. Apple Dictation (Mac): best built into macOS

Turn it on in System Settings → Keyboard → Dictation, then press the microphone or Globe key (or your chosen shortcut) in any text field. On Apple silicon Macs, many languages are processed on the device, so dictation works offline and your voice doesn't leave the machine.

Limits: Pauses after a stretch of silence, and the language list for on-device processing is shorter than the full list. Verdict: The best free speech to text for Mac users, especially if privacy matters.

4. Apple Dictation (iPhone and iPad): best on iOS

Tap the microphone key on the iOS keyboard in any app. Recent iPhones insert punctuation automatically, and you can keep typing while dictation is running.

Verdict: Good for messages, notes and quick drafts on the go.

5. Gboard voice typing: best on Android

Tap the microphone on Gboard, Google's keyboard, in any Android app. Many languages are supported, and on supported phones voice typing also works offline after you download the language.

Verdict: The default free dictation tool for Android, and it's already installed on most phones.

6. Microsoft Word Dictate: best inside Word

Word has a Dictate button on the Home tab. It's included with Microsoft 365, and Word for the web is free with a Microsoft account. It supports voice commands for punctuation and formatting.

Verdict: Use it if you already write in Word. It saves switching to another tool.

7. Speechnotes: best free browser notepad

Speechnotes is a web page with a big microphone button and a text editor. There's no sign-up for basic use, and you can download the result as a text file.

Verdict: The fastest way to get from "I need to say this" to text in a browser, with nothing to configure.

8. Otter.ai free tier: best for live conversations

Otter's free plan transcribes live conversations and meetings with speaker labels, with a monthly cap on minutes. It's built for meetings rather than solo dictation.

Verdict: Choose it when more than one person is talking live. For recorded meetings, see meeting transcription.

Quick comparison

| Tool | Platform | Cost | Offline | Best for | |---|---|---|---|---| | Google Docs Voice Typing | Chrome on any computer | Free | No | Long drafts by voice | | Windows Voice Typing | Windows 10/11 | Free | No | Dictating into any Windows app | | Apple Dictation (Mac) | macOS | Free | Many languages | Private dictation on Mac | | Apple Dictation (iOS) | iPhone, iPad | Free | Many languages | Messages and notes | | Gboard voice typing | Android | Free | After language download | Phone dictation | | Word Dictate | Word (web and desktop) | Free on the web | No | Writing in Word | | Speechnotes | Any browser | Free | No | Quick notes, no account | | Otter.ai free tier | Web, mobile | Free (capped) | No | Live conversations |

How to get better results from free dictation

• Use a headset or earbuds mic. A mic close to your mouth cuts room noise more than any setting does.
• Say punctuation out loud. "Comma", "period" and "new line" work in most of these tools. It's quicker than fixing it afterwards.
• Speak in full sentences. Recognition uses context, so whole phrases come out cleaner than single words.
• Set the language explicitly. Auto-detection is less reliable for short bursts of speech.
• Edit in a second pass. Dictate the whole draft first, then fix names and jargon.

When to switch from dictation to file transcription

Free dictation is the right tool when you're speaking new text. Switch to a file transcription tool when:

• The audio is already recorded. Playing a file aloud into a microphone loses quality and takes the full running time. A file upload is processed directly.
• There's more than one speaker. Interviews, lectures and podcasts need speaker separation, which dictation doesn't do.
• You need timestamps or subtitles. Dictation produces plain text. File tools can export SRT and VTT. See subtitle file formats.
• The audio is long. A one-hour recording is an hour of live dictation, but takes a few minutes as an upload.
• It's sensitive. Use on-device dictation for speaking. For recordings, use private transcription or the offline desktop app.

PlainScribe is built for that second job. Upload an audio or video file (up to 1GB) in any of 47 languages and download TXT, CSV, SRT or VTT. Your first transcript is free (up to 2 hours) with no credit card, then it's $0.067/min ($4 per hour) with no subscription. For commercial work, see the audio transcription service. For a full comparison of paid tools, see voice and AI transcription software.

FAQs

What is the best free speech to text software? On a computer, Google Docs Voice Typing is the best free all-rounder. It's unlimited and supports dozens of languages. On Windows, Win + H works in any app. On a Mac or iPhone, Apple Dictation is built in and can run on the device.

Is there unlimited free speech to text? Yes, for live dictation. Google Docs Voice Typing, Windows Voice Typing, Apple Dictation and Gboard have no usage cap. Free tiers for uploading recorded files are always capped, because processing audio files costs the provider money.

Can free speech to text work offline? Some can. Apple Dictation processes many languages on the device on recent Macs and iPhones, and Gboard can work offline after you download a language. Google Docs Voice Typing and Windows Voice Typing need an internet connection.

Can I use free speech to text on an audio file? Only by playing the file aloud near the microphone, which is slow and less accurate. A file transcription tool is better. PlainScribe makes your first transcript free (up to 2 hours), and this guide compares the other free options for recordings.

Which free speech to text tool supports the most languages? Google Docs Voice Typing and Gboard support the widest range. For recorded audio, PlainScribe auto-detects 47 languages. See the language pages for details on each one.

Summary

For speaking new text, use the free dictation tool already on your device: Google Docs Voice Typing in Chrome, Win + H on Windows, Apple Dictation on Mac and iPhone, or Gboard on Android. For audio that's already recorded, upload it to PlainScribe. Your first transcript is free, with no credit card.