speech to text ipad

How-To Geek

How to type with your voice on iphone and ipad.

Need to jot down a complex idea on your iPhone or iPad but don't want to type it out? Try using Apple's built-in dictation mode. It's quick and easy to use. Here's how.

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How to use formatting and punctuation while dictating, apple dictation privacy.

If you have a complex idea you'd like to jot down quickly on your iPhone or iPad, you can simply speak it with your voice thanks to Apple's built-in dictation feature. Here's how to use it.

Any time you're in an app where you can input text with the keyboard, you can use voice dictation instead of typing. To do so, tap the text input field so that your on-screen keyboard pops up. Next, tap the small microphone button located to the left of the space bar.

(If you don't see the microphone icon on your keyboard, make sure that  Dictation is enabled on your device . To do so, launch Settings, then navigate to General > Keyboard and turn "Enable Dictation" on. And if your on-screen keyboard doesn't appear , then you likely have an external Bluetooth keyboard connected.)

After tapping the microphone button, the on-screen keyboard will be replaced with a moving waveform made out of lines that change based on how loudly you're talking. As you speak, words will appear on the screen once your device has recognized them.

When you're all done speaking, tap the keyboard button at the bottom of the screen, and dictation mode will end.

The on-screen keyboard will reappear, and you can use it to add to or edit your dictation input. If you ever need to get back into dictation mode, just tap the microphone button again.

While using dictation on the iPhone, you might wonder how to do things like start a new line or enter punctuation. In those cases, you'll need to speak out your commands or the names of the punctuation characters. Here are some examples.

• Numbers: If you'd like to enter a number as a numeral instead of as a word, say "numeral" before you speak the number. For example, saying "numeral 4" will print a "4" on the screen rather than the word "four."
• Punctuation and Symbols: If you want to use punctuation, say the name of the punctuation character. For example, "period," "comma," "question mark," "exclamation mark," and "hyphen" all produce their special equivalent characters on the screen instead of the words themselves. Similarly, you can say "asterisk," "ampersand," "hashtag," and more to get the proper symbols on the screen.
• Line Breaks: To go to a new line (like pressing Return on a keyboard), say "new line." You can also say "new paragraph" to insert a new paragraph break.
• Emoticons: You can speak out several old-school emoticons, such as "smiley face" :-), "frowny face" :-(, and "winky face" ;-), and they will appear on the screen as the proper symbols.
• Capital Letters: To capitalize a single letter, say "cap," then the letter. To turn on capitalizing the first letter of every word, say "caps on" (and disable with "caps off"). To make the next word entirely capitalized, say "all caps" before you speak the word. And to switch caps lock on, say "all caps on." You can disable it by saying "all caps off."

When you dictate on your iPhone or iPad, be aware that recordings of your voice and other data are being sent to Apple if you are connected to the internet. That's because Apple's ever-improving voice recognition algorithms in the cloud can generally do a better job than an on-device solution. Apple claims that this dictation data is not linked to your Apple account and is not sold or used to build a marketing profile.

If you are offline, dictation will still work, but only in your region's main language. Still, you might find that it doesn't work as well as the online version. If absolute privacy is an issue, you can avoid using dictation or disable dictation completely in Settings by visiting General > Keyboard and switching "Enable Dictation" to "off."

Still, Dictation on the iPhone is a powerful feature to have, and it works very well compared to dictation technologies of the past, so experiment and have fun!

Related: How to Remove the Microphone Button from Your iPhone Keyboard

How to enable, use, and disable dictation on iPhone and iPad

Dictation gives you the ability to talk to your iPhone or iPad instead of typing. You can access it almost anytime your keyboard is on screen, so if you really want you never have to type a text, email, note, or even Facebook message ever again.

How to enable and disable dictation on iPhone and iPad

How to use dictation on iphone and ipad.

• Launch the Settings app from your Home screen.
• Tap General .
• Tap Keyboard .
• Tap on the On/Off switch next to Enable Dictation . Green means on, and gray means off.

• Launch any app that uses the keyboard. I will use Messages for this example.
• Tap on the text field to bring up the keyboard.
• Tap on the Dictation button. It's the microphone between the Emoji button and Space Bar.

• Start speaking . You should notice the words come up as you go.
• Tap Done when you are done speaking. Alternatively, if your microphone isn't picking up any sound for a short amount of time it will shut off itself.

Dictation isn't perfect, so make sure you are speaking loud and clear in order to get the most accurate results. It works best when your iPhone or iPad is connected to a Wi-Fi network, and it won't work if you have no reception of any kind. If you care about proper sentence structure at all, you'll need to speak any punctuation. For example, "Hi mom [exclaimation point] I'm coming by later [period] Do you want me to pick anything up from the store [question mark]"

Anything things else you want to know about dictation on the iPhone and iPad? Let us know in the comments below!

Master your iPhone in minutes

iMore offers spot-on advice and guidance from our team of experts, with decades of Apple device experience to lean on. Learn more with iMore!

Luke Filipowicz has been a writer at iMore, covering Apple for nearly a decade now. He writes a lot about Apple Watch and iPad but covers the iPhone and Mac as well. He often describes himself as an "Apple user on a budget" and firmly believes that great technology can be affordable if you know where to look. Luke also heads up the iMore Show — a weekly podcast focusing on Apple news, rumors, and products but likes to have some fun along the way. 

Luke knows he spends more time on Twitter than he probably should, so feel free to follow him or give him a shout on social media @LukeFilipowicz .

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Best speech-to-text app of 2024

Free, paid and online voice recognition apps and services

Best overall

Best for business, best for mobile, best text service, best speech recognition, best virtual assistant, best for cloud, best for azure, best for batch conversion, best free speech to text apps, best mobile speech to text apps, how we test.

The best speech-to-text apps make it simple and easy to convert speech into text, for both desktop and mobile devices.

1. Best overall 2. Best for business 3. Best for mobile 4. Best text service 5. Best speech recognition 6. Best virtual assistant 7. Best for cloud 8. Best for Azure 9. Best for batch conversion 10. Best free speech to text apps 11. Best mobile speech to text apps 12. FAQs 13. How we test

Speech-to-text used to be regarded as very niche, specifically serving either people with accessibility needs or for  dictation . However, speech-to-text is moving more and more into the mainstream as office work can now routinely be completed more simply and easily by using voce-recognition software, rather than having to type through members, and speaking aloud for text to be recorded is now quite common.

While the best speech to text software used to be specifically only for desktops, the development of mobile devices and the explosion of easily accessible apps means that transcription can now also be carried out on a  smartphone  or  tablet . 

This has made the best voice to text applications increasingly valuable to users in a range of different environments, from education to business. This is not least because the technology has matured to the level where mistakes in transcriptions are relatively rare, with some services rightly boasting a 99.9% success rate from clear audio.

Even still, this applies mainly to ordinary situations and circumstances, and precludes the use of technical terminology such as required in legal or medical professions. Despite this, digital transcription can still service needs such as basic  note-taking  which can still be easily done using a phone app, simplifying the dictation process.

However, different speech-to-text programs have different levels of ability and complexity, with some using advanced machine learning to constantly correct errors flagged up by users so that they are not repeated. Others are downloadable software which is only as good as its latest update.

Here then are the best in speech-to-text recognition programs, which should be more than capable for most situations and circumstances.

We've also featured the best voice recognition software .

The best paid for speech to text apps of 2024 in full:

Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

1. Dragon Anywhere

Our expert review:

Reasons to buy

Reasons to avoid.

Dragon Anywhere is the Nuance mobile product for Android and iOS devices, however this is no ‘lite’ app, but rather offers fully-formed dictation capabilities powered via the cloud. 

So essentially you get the same excellent speech recognition as seen on the desktop software – the only meaningful difference we noticed was a very slight delay in our spoken words appearing on the screen (doubtless due to processing in the cloud). However, note that the app was still responsive enough overall.

It also boasts support for boilerplate chunks of text which can be set up and inserted into a document with a simple command, and these, along with custom vocabularies, are synced across the mobile app and desktop Dragon software. Furthermore, you can share documents across devices via Evernote or cloud services (such as Dropbox).

This isn’t as flexible as the desktop application, however, as dictation is limited to within Dragon Anywhere – you can’t dictate directly in another app (although you can copy over text from the Dragon Anywhere dictation pad to a third-party app). The other caveats are the need for an internet connection for the app to work (due to its cloud-powered nature), and the fact that it’s a subscription offering with no one-off purchase option, which might not be to everyone’s tastes.

Even bearing in mind these limitations, though, it’s a definite boon to have fully-fledged, powerful voice recognition of the same sterling quality as the desktop software, nestling on your phone or tablet for when you’re away from the office.

Nuance Communications offers a 7-day free trial to give the app a try before you commit to a subscription. 

Read our full Dragon Anywhere review .

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2. Dragon Professional

Should you be looking for a business-grade dictation application, your best bet is Dragon Professional. Aimed at pro users, the software provides you with the tools to dictate and edit documents, create spreadsheets, and browse the web using your voice.   

According to Nuance, the solution is capable of taking dictation at an equivalent typing speed of 160 words per minute, with a 99% accuracy rate – and that’s out-of-the-box, before any training is done (whereby the app adapts to your voice and words you commonly use).

As well as creating documents using your voice, you can also import custom word lists. There’s also an additional mobile app that lets you transcribe audio files and send them back to your computer.   

This is a powerful, flexible, and hugely useful tool that is especially good for individuals, such as professionals and freelancers, allowing for typing and document management to be done much more flexibly and easily.

Overall, the interface is easy to use, and if you get stuck at all, you can access a series of help tutorials. And while the software can seem expensive, it's just a one-time fee and compares very favorably with paid-for subscription transcription services.

Also note that Nuance are currently offering 12-months' access to Dragon Anywhere at no extra cost with any purchase of Dragon Home or Dragon Professional Individual.

Read our full Dragon Professional review .

Otter is a cloud-based speech to text program especially aimed for mobile use, such as on a laptop or smartphone. The app provides real-time transcription, allowing you to search, edit, play, and organize as required.

Otter is marketed as an app specifically for meetings, interviews, and lectures, to make it easier to take rich notes. However, it is also built to work with collaboration between teams, and different speakers are assigned different speaker IDs to make it easier to understand transcriptions.

There are three different payment plans, with the basic one being free to use and aside from the features mentioned above also includes keyword summaries and a wordcloud to make it easier to find specific topic mentions. You can also organize and share, import audio and video for transcription, and provides 600 minutes of free service.

The Premium plan also includes advanced and bulk export options, the ability to sync audio from Dropbox, additional playback speeds including the ability to skip silent pauses. The Premium plan also allows for up to 6,000 minutes of speech to text.

The Teams plan also adds two-factor authentication, user management and centralized billing, as well as user statistics, voiceprints, and live captioning.

Read our full Otter review .

Verbit aims to offer a smarter speech to text service, using AI for transcription and captioning. The service is specifically targeted at enterprise and educational establishments.

Verbit uses a mix of speech models, using neural networks and algorithms to reduce background noise, focus on terms as well as differentiate between speakers regardless of accent, as well as incorporate contextual events such as news and company information into recordings.

Although Verbit does offer a live version for transcription and captioning, aiming for a high degree of accuracy, other plans offer human editors to ensure transcriptions are fully accurate, and advertise a four hour turnaround time.

Altogether, while Verbit does offer a direct speech to text service, it’s possibly better thought of as a transcription service, but the focus on enterprise and education, as well as team use, means it earns a place here as an option to consider.

Read our full Verbit review .

5. Speechmatics

Speechmatics offers a machine learning solution to converting speech to text, with its automatic speech recognition solution available to use on existing audio and video files as well as for live use.

Unlike some automated transcription software which can struggle with accents or charge more for them, Speechmatics advertises itself as being able to support all major British accents, regardless of nationality. That way it aims to cope with not just different American and British English accents, but also South African and Jamaican accents.

Speechmatics offers a wider number of speech to text transcription uses than many other providers. Examples include taking call center phone recordings and converting them into searchable text or Word documents. The software also works with video and other media for captioning as well as using keyword triggers for management.

Overall, Speechmatics aims to offer a more flexible and comprehensive speech to text service than a lot of other providers, and the use of automation should keep them price competitive.

Read our full Speechmatics review .

6. Braina Pro

Braina Pro is speech recognition software which is built not just for dictation, but also as an all-round digital assistant to help you achieve various tasks on your PC. It supports dictation to third-party software in not just English but almost 90 different languages, with impressive voice recognition chops.

Beyond that, it’s a virtual assistant that can be instructed to set alarms, search your PC for a file, or search the internet, play an MP3 file, read an ebook aloud, plus you can implement various custom commands.

The Windows program also has a companion Android app which can remotely control your PC, and use the local Wi-Fi network to deliver commands to your computer, so you can spark up a music playlist, for example, wherever you happen to be in the house. Nifty.

There’s a free version of Braina which comes with limited functionality, but includes all the basic PC commands, along with a 7-day trial of the speech recognition which allows you to test out its powers for yourself before you commit to a subscription. Yes, this is another subscription-only product with no option to purchase for a one-off fee. Also note that you need to be online and have Google ’s Chrome browser installed for speech recognition functionality to work.

Read our full Braina Pro review .

7. Amazon Transcribe

Amazon Transcribe is as big cloud-based automatic speech recognition platform developed specifically to convert audio to text for apps. It especially aims to provide a more accurate and comprehensive service than traditional providers, such as being able to cope with low-fi and noisy recordings, such as you might get in a contact center .

Amazon Transcribe uses a deep learning process that automatically adds punctuation and formatting, as well as process with a secure livestream or otherwise transcribe speech to text with batch processing.

As well as offering time stamping for individual words for easy search, it can also identify different speaks and different channels and annotate documents accordingly to account for this.

There are also some nice features for editing and managing transcribed texts, such as vocabulary filtering and replacement words which can be used to keep product names consistent and therefore any following transcription easier to analyze.

Overall, Amazon Transcribe is one of the most powerful platforms out there, though it’s aimed more for the business and enterprise user rather than the individual.

8. Microsoft Azure Speech to Text

Microsoft 's Azure cloud service offers advanced speech recognition as part of the platform's speech services to deliver the Microsoft Azure Speech to Text functionality. 

This feature allows you to simply and easily create text from a variety of audio sources. There are also customization options available to work better with different speech patterns, registers, and even background sounds. You can also modify settings to handle different specialist vocabularies, such as product names, technical information, and place names.

The Microsoft's Azure Speech to Text feature is powered by deep neural network models and allows for real-time audio transcription that can be set up to handle multiple speakers.

As part of the Azure cloud service, you can run Azure Speech to Text in the cloud, on premises, or in edge computing. In terms of pricing, you can run the feature in a free container with a single concurrent request for up to 5 hours of free audio per month.

Read our full Microsoft Azure Speech to Text review .

9. IBM Watson Speech to Text

IBM's Watson Speech to Text works is the third cloud-native solution on this list, with the feature being powered by AI and machine learning as part of IBM's cloud services.

While there is the option to transcribe speech to text in real-time, there is also the option to batch convert audio files and process them through a range of language, audio frequency, and other output options.

You can also tag transcriptions with speaker labels, smart formatting, and timestamps, as well as apply global editing for technical words or phrases, acronyms, and for number use.

As with other cloud services Watson Speech to Text allows for easy deployment both in the cloud and on-premises behind your own firewall to ensure security is maintained.

Read our full Watson Speech to Text review .

1. Google Gboard

If you already have an Android mobile device, then if it's not already installed then download Google Keyboard from the Google Play store and you'll have an instant text-to-speech app. Although it's primarily designed as a keyboard for physical input, it also has a speech input option which is directly available. And because all the power of Google's hardware is behind it, it's a powerful and responsive tool.

If that's not enough then there are additional features. Aside from physical input ones such as swiping, you can also trigger images in your text using voice commands. Additionally, it can also work with Google Translate, and is advertised as providing support for over 60 languages.

Even though Google Keyboard isn't a dedicated transcription tool, as there are no shortcut commands or text editing directly integrated, it does everything you need from a basic transcription tool. And as it's a keyboard, it means should be able to work with any software you can run on your Android smartphone, so you can text edit, save, and export using that. Even better, it's free and there are no adverts to get in the way of you using it.

2. Just Press Record

If you want a dedicated dictation app, it’s worth checking out Just Press Record. It’s a mobile audio recorder that comes with features such as one tap recording, transcription and iCloud syncing across devices. The great thing is that it’s aimed at pretty much anyone and is extremely easy to use. 

When it comes to recording notes, all you have to do is press one button, and you get unlimited recording time. However, the really great thing about this app is that it also offers a powerful transcription service. 

Through it, you can quickly and easily turn speech into searchable text. Once you’ve transcribed a file, you can then edit it from within the app. There’s support for more than 30 languages as well, making it the perfect app if you’re working abroad or with an international team. Another nice feature is punctuation command recognition, ensuring that your transcriptions are free from typos.   

This app is underpinned by cloud technology, meaning you can access notes from any device (which is online). You’re able to share audio and text files to other iOS apps too, and when it comes to organizing them, you can view recordings in a comprehensive file. 

3. Speechnotes

Speechnotes is yet another easy to use dictation app. A useful touch here is that you don’t need to create an account or anything like that; you just open up the app and press on the microphone icon, and you’re off.   

The app is powered by Google voice recognition tech. When you’re recording a note, you can easily dictate punctuation marks through voice commands, or by using the built-in punctuation keyboard. 

To make things even easier, you can quickly add names, signatures, greetings and other frequently used text by using a set of custom keys on the built-in keyboard. There’s automatic capitalization as well, and every change made to a note is saved to the cloud.

When it comes to customizing notes, you can access a plethora of fonts and text sizes. The app is free to download from the Google Play Store , but you can make in-app purchases to access premium features (there's also a browser version for Chrome).   

Read our full Speechnotes review .

4. Transcribe

Marketed as a personal assistant for turning videos and voice memos into text files, Transcribe is a popular dictation app that’s powered by AI. It lets you make high quality transcriptions by just hitting a button.   

The app can transcribe any video or voice memo automatically, while supporting over 80 languages from across the world. While you can easily create notes with Transcribe, you can also import files from services such as Dropbox.

Once you’ve transcribed a file, you can export the raw text to a word processor to edit. The app is free to download, but you’ll have to make an in-app purchase if you want to make the most of these features in the long-term. There is a trial available, but it’s basically just 15 minutes of free transcription time. Transcribe is only available on iOS, though.   

5. Windows Speech Recognition

If you don’t want to pay for speech recognition software, and you’re running Microsoft’s latest desktop OS, then you might be pleased to hear that speech-to-text is built into Windows.

Windows Speech Recognition, as it’s imaginatively named – and note that this is something different to Cortana, which offers basic commands and assistant capabilities – lets you not only execute commands via voice control, but also offers the ability to dictate into documents.

The sort of accuracy you get isn’t comparable with that offered by the likes of Dragon, but then again, you’re paying nothing to use it. It’s also possible to improve the accuracy by training the system by reading text, and giving it access to your documents to better learn your vocabulary. It’s definitely worth indulging in some training, particularly if you intend to use the voice recognition feature a fair bit.

The company has been busy boasting about its advances in terms of voice recognition powered by deep neural networks, especially since windows 10 and now for Windows 11 , and Microsoft is certainly priming us to expect impressive things in the future. The likely end-goal aim is for Cortana to do everything eventually, from voice commands to taking dictation.

Turn on Windows Speech Recognition by heading to the Control Panel (search for it, or right click the Start button and select it), then click on Ease of Access, and you will see the option to ‘start speech recognition’ (you’ll also spot the option to set up a microphone here, if you haven’t already done that).

Aside from what has already been covered above, there are an increasing number of apps available across all mobile devices for working with speech to text, not least because Google's speech recognition technology is available for use. 

iTranslate Translator  is a speech-to-text app for iOS with a difference, in that it focuses on translating voice languages. Not only does it aim to translate different languages you hear into text for your own language, it also works to translate images such as photos you might take of signs in a foreign country and get a translation for them. In that way, iTranslate is a very different app, that takes the idea of speech-to-text in a novel direction, and by all accounts, does it well. 

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 than many other apps. The text notes you record are searchable, and you can import/export with other text applications. Additionally there is a password protection option, which encrypts notes after the first 20 characters so that the beginning of the notes are searchable by you. There's also an organizer feature for your notes, using category or assigned color. The app is free on Android, but includes ads.

Voice Notes  is a simple app that aims to convert speech to text for making notes. This is refreshing, as it mixes Google's speech recognition technology with a simple note-taking app, so there are more features to play with here. You can categorize notes, set reminders, and import/export text accordingly.

SpeechTexter  is another speech-to-text app that aims to do more than just record your voice to a text file. This app is built specifically to work with social media, so that rather than sending messages, emails, Tweets, and similar, you can record your voice directly to the social media sites and send. There are also a number of language packs you can download for offline working if you want to use more than just English, which is handy.

Also consider reading these related software and app guides:

• Best text-to-speech software
• Best transcription services
• Best Bluetooth headsets

Which speech-to-text app is best for you?

When deciding which speech-to-text app to use, first consider what your actual needs are, as free and budget  options may only provide basic features, so if you need to use advanced tools you may find a paid-for platform is better suited to you. Additionally, higher-end software can usually cater for every need, so do ensure you have a good idea of which features you think you may require from your speech-to-text app.

To test for the best speech-to-text apps we first set up an account with the relevant platform, then we tested the service to see how the software could be used for different purposes and in different situations. The aim was to push each speech-to-text platform to see how useful its basic tools were and also how easy it was to get to grips with any more advanced tools.

Read more on how we test, rate, and review products on TechRadar .

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Brian has over 30 years publishing experience as a writer and editor across a range of computing, technology, and marketing titles. He has been interviewed multiple times for the BBC and been a speaker at international conferences. His specialty on techradar is Software as a Service (SaaS) applications, covering everything from office suites to IT service tools. He is also a science fiction and fantasy author, published as Brian G Turner.

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The 8 Best Voice-to-Text Apps of 2024

Dragon Anywhere is the best overall voice-to-text app

Stacey has worn many hats throughout her writing career, working in content marketing, nonprofit communications, and journalism at different points in her life.

We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more .

Getty Images / RapidEye-izabell

Voice-to-text apps can be helpful for accessibility needs and busy professionals alike. If you’re always on the go, transcribing interview notes, or you can think faster than you can write, these special programs can increase your efficiency and store the recordings safely and sound via the cloud. Depending on your needs, you can choose an app with customizable language for commonly used words or industry terms.

The main features to consider when looking at voice-to-text apps include accuracy, shortcuts, and available languages. Accuracy is one of the most critical factors, and some options perform much better than others in this area. These apps are becoming more mainstream, from basic software to advanced technology. Whether you want to take notes , send quick messages, or translate on the fly, the best voice-to-text apps below are ready to help.

Best Voice-to-Text Apps of 2024

Best overall: dragon anywhere, best assistant: google assistant.

• Best Transcription: Transcribe
• Best for Long Recordings: Speechnotes

Best for Notes: Voice Notes

• Best for Messages: SpeechTexter  

Best for Translation: iTranslate Converse

Best for niche industry terms: braina.

Dragon Anywhere

• Price: $15 per month or $150 per year
• Free Trial: One week
• Accuracy Rate: 99 percent

Why We Chose It

We chose Dragon Anywhere because of its 99 percent accuracy rating and options for voice editing and formatting.

Pros & Cons

No word limits

99 percent accuracy

Multiple ways to share documents

Expensive compared to some other apps

May take time to learn the built-in commands

Available for Android and iOS devices, Dragon Anywhere is a premium professional tool that’s a big deal in the world of dictation apps. It’s 99 percent accurate and comes with voice editing and formatting. You can use the app for as long as you need—there are no word limits.

Dragon Anywhere allows you to customize industry lingo for even more accuracy. After transcription, share your notes by email, Dropbox, Evernote, and more. For supported versions, you can synchronize Dragon Anywhere with your desktop and do voice work on your computer as well. However, to do this, you will need to purchase a desktop version of Dragon as well.

Its accuracy and rich features come with a cost, but the bill could be a worthy business investment if you often think of ideas on the fly or need to record meetings. The application costs $15 per month or $150 per year.

Google Assistant

• Price: Free
• Free Trial: N/A
• Accuracy Rate: Not disclosed

We chose Google Assistant because it can help you accomplish a variety of tasks.

Integrated into services you already use, such as email and messaging

Free to use

Not specifically designed for note-taking

Must use applets to boost note-taking abilities

Google Assistant does a lot, including playing music and opening maps. One of its best features? Voice recognition. You can use voice command to look up information and tell Google Assistant to perform certain functions, but it can also convert speech to text.

The app sends messages, manages tasks, and sets reminders. While it’s not a speech-to-text app in the purest sense, it will still help organize your ideas and notes with voice recognition.

Use IFTTT (If This Then That) to maximize your Google Assistant note-taking abilities. In one applet , Google Assistant can log all of your notes into a spreadsheet. You can also search IFTTT for other productivity-boosting applets or create your own as you see fit.  

Best for Transcription: Transcribe - Speech to Text

Transcribe - Speech to Text

• Price: $5 per hour of transcription, subscription options also available
• Free Trial: 15 minutes of transcription

Transcribe - Speech to Text offers you the opportunity to transcribe any voice or video file using the help of artificial intelligence.

Transcription available for over 120 languages and dialects

Easy-to-use software

Only available for Apple products

Journalists or executive assistants who have a lot of conversations to track may find this app useful. Using A.I., Transcribe can turn any voice or video memo into a transcription in over 120 different languages and dialects. After recording, you can drop your file in this app and export your raw text into another app such as DropBox.

Keep in mind that Transcribe is only available for Apple products with Voice Memo and video since there’s no direct in-app dictation. Transcribe can also get pricey. Users receive a free trial for 15 minutes of transcription. Every extra hour costs $5 and 10 hours costs $30, but there are also subscriptions available for frequent users.

Best for Long Recordings: Speechnotes - Speech to Text

Speechnotes - Speech to Text

• Accuracy Rate: 90 percent or better

We chose Speechnotes because it allows for extremely long recordings.

Long recordings allowed

Can add in punctuation where needed

In-app advertisements as a free app

Only available in browser and on Android

Writers who think faster than they can type will appreciate this app. Speechnotes is excellent for organizing long notes thanks to two special features. First of all, it doesn't stop recording—even if you pause to think or breathe—so you can keep the recording open for as long as needed. Second, you can tap a button or use a verbal command to insert punctuation marks into your work so they won't become too unwieldy.

The free app has a small ad banner, but you can upgrade to a premium version to get rid of it. Other perks: It won't clog up your phone space at 4 MB, plus it saves all your recordings as TXT files. Plus, you won’t need to open the app to use it either; you can tap on a widget to access Speechnotes. Keep in mind that Speechnotes is only available on your browser and Android. 

Voice Notes

We chose Voice Notes for its efficient layout to help you store notes.

Recognizes 120 languages

Only available on Android phones

Voice Notes has speech recognition that allows you to create notes efficiently. You can then organize your notes into categories and create reminders by customizing alerts synced with your phone calendar. The interface is intuitive and easy to use; simply press the microphone button and speak to record. You’ll even be able to make your notes with the phone screen turned off.

The app can recognize up to 120 languages, just in case you need to record notes in something other than English. The app is free, though you can subscribe to a premium plan to support the developer.

Of course, there are a few caveats. Voice Notes is a popular app, but the one major limitation is that it's only available on Android phones. Plus, you need to have Google voice search installed to use it.

Best for Messages: SpeechTexter - Speech to Text

SpeechTexter - Speech to Text

• Accuracy Rate: Better than 90 percent

SpeechTexter is a useful tool to help you draft texts, notes, emails, reports, and more with your voice. 

Desktop and android versions available

Over 70 languages supported

Customizable commands

Offline mode is less accurate

Need to send a quick message but find your hands occupied with other tasks? Here’s a quick solution. Using Google’s backend, SpeechTexter allows you to create text notes, emails, and reports with your own voice. The easy-to-use app supports over 70 languages with an accuracy rate higher than 90 percent. You can customize your own commands for punctuation as well.

It's possible to use the app when you're not connected to the Internet, though keep in mind that the accuracy lowers in offline mode and the recognition speed depends on your Internet connectivity. To use the app offline, make sure that you install language packs of your preference.

iTranslate Converse

• Price: $6 per month or $50 per year
• Free Trial: Yes

We chose iTranslate Converse because it is designed to help you translate languages on the go in noisy environments.

Works well in noisy environments

Enables real-time communication with someone in another language

38 languages recognized

Subscription fee

Unknown accuracy rate

Brought to you by the same developers behind the popular iTranslate app, iTranslate Converse is as close to real-time translation as you’ll get, which is convenient if you need to communicate with clients who don’t speak the same language as you or if you’re traveling abroad. All you have to do is set the two languages. Then tap, hold, and speak into your phone.

The app will pick up on the language that you’re speaking, then issue out a translation—yes, even in noisy environments. The app is capable of recognizing 38 languages. After your conversation is done, you can download full transcriptions. It’s not always perfect, of course, but it’s faster than going through a personal assistant app to look up translations for you.

While it has a subscription fee, iTranslate won't stretch your budget significantly. When you download it, you'll receive a free trial. After that runs out, you'll be upgraded to the pro version for $6 per month or $50 per year. You must cancel at least 24 hours before the end of the trial to avoid being put on a paid membership.

• Price: $0-$399
• Free Trial: No
• Accuracy Rate: 99%

Briana can help you utilize voice-to-text in a jargon-filled industry.

Personal A.I. builds to recognize your industry jargon

Over 100 languages recognized

May take some time to customize

Braina is a personal A.I. for Windows P.C.s with companion Android and IOS apps. The program can convert your voice into text for any website or software program, including a word processor. It recognizes most medical, legal, and scientific terms, which makes it ideal if you work in a niche industry with technical jargon. You can also teach Braina uncommon names and vocabulary with ease.

Braina has other helpful voice recognition features besides learning niche industry terms. For example, it can recognize over 100 languages to serve non-English users. The program also includes convenient dictation commands for deleting, tabbing, and casing.

The app has a few price tiers; there is a free version with limited access to features, while the pro version costs $79 per year or $399 for lifetime access (which often goes on sale for $199).

Final Verdict

Dragon Anywhere is our pick for the best overall voice-to-text app thanks to its streamlined tools, high accuracy rating, and accessible computer synchronization. The app costs a bit more than other popular options, but discounts are available on annual subscriptions, and it has no limit on words.

As a bonus, Dragon Anywhere also allows users to customize their experience for specific industry lingo and other terms. This app is also accessible for Android and iOS devices and features simple sharing options to multiple apps or email accounts.

Compare the Best Voice to Text Apps

Guide to choosing a voice-to-text app.

Not sure how to choose a voice-to-text app? Consider the following factors to select the best option for your needs:

• Accuracy rating
• Available languages
• Limits on words or usage
• Platform (Android or iOS)
• Exporting files
• Translation
• Customizable terms or industry language

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best voice to text app.

Dragon Anywhere is the best voice-to-text app on our list. This app is available for both Android and iOS users, has a high accuracy rating, and makes it easy to export files to your computer, email, or other apps.

What Is the Best Free Voice to Text App?

Speechnotes, Voice Notes, Google Assistant, and SpeechTexter are all great choices for free voice-to-text apps. Choose the best option for your specific needs based on maximum length of recording, available languages, and exporting options.

What Is the Best Way to Convert Voice to Text?

Voice-to-text apps and computer programs are both helpful ways to convert your voice to text. If you need to record notes on the go or away from your computer, a mobile app is likely best for you. On the other hand, some people prefer apps downloaded to their computers to take notes during meetings or classes.

What Is the Most Realistic Speech-to-Text?

Dragon Anywhere has the highest accuracy rating of voice-to-text apps compared in this list. Additionally, this app allows users to customize specific industry language and commonly used terms to make their transcriptions more realistic.

Methodology

To find the best voice-to-text apps we compiled a list of the most popular options available. Next, we took a closer look at several factors, including the price, free trial options, accuracy rates, and more. Finally, we decided which providers were best suited for what our readers needed.

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The best dictation software in 2024

These speech-to-text apps will save you time without sacrificing accuracy..

The early days of dictation software were like your friend that mishears lyrics: lots of enthusiasm but little accuracy. Now, AI is out of Pandora's box, both in the news and in the apps we use, and dictation apps are getting better and better because of it. It's still not 100% perfect, but you'll definitely feel more in control when using your voice to type.

I took to the internet to find the best speech-to-text software out there right now, and after monologuing at length in front of dozens of dictation apps, these are my picks for the best.

The best dictation software

What is dictation software.

If this isn't what you're looking for, here's what else is out there:

AI assistants, such as Apple's Siri, Amazon's Alexa, and Microsoft's Cortana, can help you interact with each of these ecosystems to send texts, buy products, or schedule events on your calendar.

Transcription services that use a combination of dictation software, AI, and human proofreaders can achieve above 99% accuracy.

What makes a great dictation app?

How we evaluate and test apps.

Dictation software comes in different shapes and sizes. Some are integrated in products you already use. Others are separate apps that offer a range of extra features. While each can vary in look and feel, here's what I looked for to find the best:

High accuracy. Staying true to what you're saying is the most important feature here. The lowest score on this list is at 92% accuracy.

Ease of use. This isn't a high hurdle, as most options are basic enough that anyone can figure them out in seconds.

Availability of voice commands. These let you add "instructions" while you're dictating, such as adding punctuation, starting a new paragraph, or more complex commands like capitalizing all the words in a sentence.

Availability of the languages supported. Most of the picks here support a decent (or impressive) number of languages.

Versatility. I paid attention to how well the software could adapt to different circumstances, apps, and systems.

I tested these apps by reading a 200-word script containing numbers, compound words, and a few tricky terms. I read the script three times for each app: the accuracy scores are an average of all attempts. Finally, I used the voice commands to delete and format text and to control the app's features where available.

What about AI?

Also, since this isn't a hot AI software category, these apps may prefer to focus on their core offering and product quality instead, not ride the trendy wave by slapping "AI-powered" on every web page.

Tips for using voice recognition software

Though dictation software is pretty good at recognizing different voices, it's not perfect. Here are some tips to make it work as best as possible.

Speak naturally (with caveats). Dictation apps learn your voice and speech patterns over time. And if you're going to spend any time with them, you want to be comfortable. Speak naturally. If you're not getting 90% accuracy initially, try enunciating more.  

Punctuate. When you dictate, you have to say each period, comma, question mark, and so forth. The software isn't always smart enough to figure it out on its own.

Learn a few commands . Take the time to learn a few simple commands, such as "new line" to enter a line break. There are different commands for composing, editing, and operating your device. Commands may differ from app to app, so learn the ones that apply to the tool you choose.

Know your limits. Especially on mobile devices, some tools have a time limit for how long they can listen—sometimes for as little as 10 seconds. Glance at the screen from time to time to make sure you haven't blown past the mark. 

Practice. It takes time to adjust to voice recognition software, but it gets easier the more you practice. Some of the more sophisticated apps invite you to train by reading passages or doing other short drills. Don't shy away from tutorials, help menus, and on-screen cheat sheets.

The best dictation software at a glance

Best free dictation software for apple devices, .css-yjptlz-link{all:unset;box-sizing:border-box;-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;cursor:pointer;-webkit-transition:all 300ms ease-in-out;transition:all 300ms ease-in-out;outline-offset:1px;-webkit-text-fill-color:currentcolor;outline:1px solid transparent;}.css-yjptlz-link[data-color='ocean']{color:#3d4592;}.css-yjptlz-link[data-color='ocean']:hover{color:#2b2358;}.css-yjptlz-link[data-color='ocean']:focus{color:#3d4592;outline-color:#3d4592;}.css-yjptlz-link[data-color='white']{color:#fffdf9;}.css-yjptlz-link[data-color='white']:hover{color:#a8a5a0;}.css-yjptlz-link[data-color='white']:focus{color:#fffdf9;outline-color:#fffdf9;}.css-yjptlz-link[data-color='primary']{color:#3d4592;}.css-yjptlz-link[data-color='primary']:hover{color:#2b2358;}.css-yjptlz-link[data-color='primary']:focus{color:#3d4592;outline-color:#3d4592;}.css-yjptlz-link[data-color='secondary']{color:#fffdf9;}.css-yjptlz-link[data-color='secondary']:hover{color:#a8a5a0;}.css-yjptlz-link[data-color='secondary']:focus{color:#fffdf9;outline-color:#fffdf9;}.css-yjptlz-link[data-weight='inherit']{font-weight:inherit;}.css-yjptlz-link[data-weight='normal']{font-weight:400;}.css-yjptlz-link[data-weight='bold']{font-weight:700;} apple dictation (ios, ipados, macos).

Look no further than your Mac, iPhone, or iPad for one of the best dictation tools. Apple's built-in dictation feature, powered by Siri (I wouldn't be surprised if the two merged one day), ships as part of Apple's desktop and mobile operating systems. On iOS devices, you use it by pressing the microphone icon on the stock keyboard. On your desktop, you turn it on by going to System Preferences > Keyboard > Dictation , and then use a keyboard shortcut to activate it in your app.

Apple Dictation price: Included with macOS, iOS, iPadOS, and Apple Watch.

Apple Dictation accuracy: 96%. I tested this on an iPhone SE 3rd Gen using the dictation feature on the keyboard.

Best free dictation software for Windows

Windows 11 speech recognition (windows).

Windows 11 Speech Recognition (also known as Voice Typing) is a strong dictation tool, both for writing documents and controlling your Windows PC. Since it's part of your system, you can use it in any app you have installed.

To start, first, check that online speech recognition is on by going to Settings > Time and Language > Speech . To begin dictating, open an app, and on your keyboard, press the Windows logo key + H. A microphone icon and gray box will appear at the top of your screen. Make sure your cursor is in the space where you want to dictate.

When it's ready for your dictation, it will say Listening . You have about 10 seconds to start talking before the microphone turns off. If that happens, just click it again and wait for Listening to pop up. To stop the dictation, click the microphone icon again or say "stop talking."  

As I dictated into a Word document, the gray box reminded me to hang on, we need a moment to catch up . If you're speaking too fast, you'll also notice your transcribed words aren't keeping up. This never posed an issue with accuracy, but it's a nice reminder to keep it slow and steady. 

While you can use this tool anywhere inside your computer, if you're a Microsoft 365 subscriber, you'll be able to use the dictation features there too. The best app to use it on is, of course, Microsoft Word: it even offers file transcription, so you can upload a WAV or MP3 file and turn it into text. The engine is the same, provided by Microsoft Speech Services.

Windows 11 Speech Recognition price: Included with Windows 11. Also available as part of the Microsoft 365 subscription.

Windows 11 Speech Recognition accuracy: 95%. I tested it in Windows 11 while using Microsoft Word. 

Best customizable dictation software

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In 1990, Dragon Dictate emerged as the first dictation software. Over three decades later, we have Dragon by Nuance, a leader in the industry and a distant cousin of that first iteration. With a variety of software packages and mobile apps for different use cases (e.g., legal, medical, law enforcement), Dragon can handle specialized industry vocabulary, and it comes with excellent features, such as the ability to transcribe text from an audio file you upload. 

For this test, I used Dragon Anywhere, Nuance's mobile app, as it's the only version—among otherwise expensive packages—available with a free trial. It includes lots of features not found in the others, like Words, which lets you add words that would be difficult to recognize and spell out. For example, in the script, the word "Litmus'" (with the possessive) gave every app trouble. To avoid this, I added it to Words, trained it a few times with my voice, and was then able to transcribe it accurately.

It also provides shortcuts. If you want to shorten your entire address to one word, go to Auto-Text , give it a name ("address"), and type in your address: 1000 Eichhorn St., Davenport, IA 52722, and hit Save . The next time you dictate and say "address," you'll get the entire thing. Press the comment bubble icon to see text commands while you're dictating, or say "What can I say?" and the command menu pops up. 

Once you complete a dictation, you can email, share (e.g., Google Drive, Dropbox), open in Word, or save to Evernote. You can perform these actions manually or by voice command (e.g., "save to Evernote.") Once you name it, it automatically saves in Documents for later review or sharing. 

Accuracy is good and improves with use, showing that you can definitely train your dragon. It's a great choice if you're serious about dictation and plan to use it every day, but may be a bit too much if you're just using it occasionally.

Dragon by Nuance price: $15/month for Dragon Anywhere (iOS and Android); from $200 to $500 for desktop packages

Dragon by Nuance accuracy: 97%. Tested it in the Dragon Anywhere iOS app.

Best free mobile dictation software

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Back to the topic: it has an excellent dictation feature. To start, press the microphone icon on the top-right of the keyboard. An overlay appears on the screen, filling itself with the words you're saying. It's very quick and accurate, which will feel great for fast-talkers but probably intimidating for the more thoughtful among us. If you stop talking for a few seconds, the overlay disappears, and Gboard pastes what it heard into the app you're using. When this happens, tap the microphone icon again to continue talking.

Wherever you can open a keyboard while using your phone, you can have Gboard supporting you there. You can write emails or notes or use any other app with an input field.

The writer who handled the previous update of this list had been using Gboard for seven years, so it had plenty of training data to adapt to his particular enunciation, landing the accuracy at an amazing 98%. I haven't used it much before, so the best I had was 92% overall. It's still a great score. More than that, it's proof of how dictation apps improve the more you use them.

Gboard price : Free

Gboard accuracy: 92%. With training, it can go up to 98%. I tested it using the iOS app while writing a new email.

Best dictation software for typing in Google Docs

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Just like Microsoft offers dictation in their Office products, Google does the same for their Workspace suite. The best place to use the voice typing feature is in Google Docs, but you can also dictate speaker notes in Google Slides as a way to prepare for your presentation.

To get started, make sure you're using Chrome and have a Google Docs file open. Go to Tools > Voice typing , and press the microphone icon to start. As you talk, the text will jitter into existence in the document.

You can change the language in the dropdown on top of the microphone icon. If you need help, hover over that icon, and click the ? on the bottom-right. That will show everything from turning on the mic, the voice commands for dictation, and moving around the document.

It's unclear whether Google's voice typing here is connected to the same engine in Gboard. I wasn't able to confirm whether the training data for the mobile keyboard and this tool are connected in any way. Still, the engines feel very similar and turned out the same accuracy at 92%. If you start using it more often, it may adapt to your particular enunciation and be more accurate in the long run.

Google Docs voice typing price : Free

Google Docs voice typing accuracy: 92%. Tested in a new Google Docs file in Chrome.

Best dictation software for collaboration

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It's not as robust in terms of dictation as others on the list, but it compensates with its versatility. It's a meeting assistant, first and foremost, ready to hop on your meetings and transcribe everything it hears. This is great to keep track of what's happening there, making the text available for sharing by generating a link or in the corresponding team workspace.

The reason why it's the best for collaboration is that others can highlight parts of the transcript and leave their comments. It also separates multiple speakers, in case you're recording a conversation, so that's an extra headache-saver if you use dictation software for interviewing people.

When you open the app and click the Record button on the top-right, you can use it as a traditional dictation app. It doesn't support voice commands, but it has decent intuition as to where the commas and periods should go based on the intonation and rhythm of your voice. Once you're done talking, Otter will start processing what you said, extract keywords, and generate action items and notes from the content of the transcription.

If you're going for long recording stretches where you talk about multiple topics, there's an AI chat option, where you can ask Otter questions about the transcript. This is great to summarize the entire talk, extract insights, and get a different angle on everything you said.

Otter price: Free plan available for 300 minutes / month. Pro plan starts at $16.99, adding more collaboration features and monthly minutes.

Otter accuracy: 93% accuracy. I tested it in the web app on my computer.

Otter supported languages: Only American and British English for now.

Is voice dictation for you?

Dictation software isn't for everyone. It will likely take practice learning to "write" out loud because it will feel unnatural. But once you get comfortable with it, you'll be able to write from anywhere on any device without the need for a keyboard. 

And by using any of the apps I listed here, you can feel confident that most of what you dictate will be accurately captured on the screen. 

Related reading:

This article was originally published in April 2016 and has also had contributions from Emily Esposito, Jill Duffy, and Chris Hawkins. The most recent update was in November 2023.

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Miguel Rebelo

Miguel Rebelo is a freelance writer based in London, UK. He loves technology, video games, and huge forests. Track him down at mirebelo.com.

• Video & audio
• Google Docs

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Speech to Text on iPad

By kyle redford, november 2013.

The iPad 3 provides a speech to text option through a microphone icon on its keyboard. This option offers students the opportunity to generate text through their voices instead of typing. Keyboard dictation is usually an option wherever the keyboard function is available (Pages, Keynote, Facebook, Twitter, are just a few examples). However, in order to activate the voice command, an Internet connection must also be present, and Siri needs to be turned on (Settings → General → Siri).

How it works:

• To activate, simply touch the microphone icon and a larger microphone icon will appear to alert you that the voice option has been activated.
• Aim voice toward the microphone on the top of the iPad.
• When finished with the dictation, touch the voice icon to end the capture. After a few seconds, text will appear.
• Speak your punctuation (i.e. “period,” “comma,” “new line,” “new paragraph,” “question mark,” etc…).
• To edit spelling, grammar, and punctuation mistakes, first address words with a dotted line underscore. They are usually errors. Hover over these words and a choice of alternatives will appear. The mistakes not identified by the underscore will have to be corrected manually. Students should get in the habit of reading their writing out loud to help identify mistakes–reading out loud is different from reading it silently in one’s head. Over time, mistakes are tracked and incorporated into the user’s speech model, making similar errors less likely in the future.

For best results:

• Speak clearly in phrases or complete sentences as often as possible
• Plan ahead before you speak
• Minimize external noise (you can also use a noise canceling headset microphone)
• Speak closely to the microphone

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This tool captures writing and records audio.

How to use text-to-speech on iPhone and iPad

This guide will go over built-in methods and free third-party apps to turn text into speech on your iPhone and iPad.

1. Use Apple’s Speech Selection

All recent iPhones, iPads, and Macs have a built-in accessibility feature that lets you hear selected text. This system-wide setting works in Notes, Safari, Chrome, Pages, Mail, Gmail, Messages, and almost all other apps where you can select text.

Here’s how to use the Speak Selection feature on iPhone and iPad:

• Open the Settings app and tap Accessibility .
• Tap Spoken Content and turn on the switch for Speak Selection .
• Now, open Notes, Safari, Mail, or another app and select the text you want your iPhone or iPad to speak.
• Finally, tap Speak from the thin menu strip.

Your device will speak that text. You can use it to hear one word, a paragraph of several sentences, or multiple paragraphs — as long as the text is selected.

If you do not like the voice and the rate at which your iPhone or iPad speaks, head back to the Settings app > Accessibility > Spoken Content. From here, tap Voice to pick another voice. You can also adjust the Speaking Rate and explore other settings to your liking.

2. Use Live Speech on iOS 17 and later

Live Speech is yet another accessibility feature on iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 that allows you to type something and have your iPhone or iPad speak it. What makes it unique is that you can use Live Speech even on a phone call.

In addition to that, you can create your Personal Voice and set that as your Live Speech voice, after which whatever you type will be spoken in YOUR voice ! It’s brilliant, and you should learn more about both Live Speech and Personal Voice !

3. Use Safari

Safari has a built-in option that can read web articles to you. So, if you have a lengthy research paper to read, go through a news item, or just want to listen to a tutorial while you follow the steps, your browser can easily handle that.

Here’s how to have web articles read to you in Safari:

• Open Safari on your iPhone or iPad and visit the article you want to read.
• Tap the AA button in the URL address bar.
• Choose Listen to Page , and Safari will start reading the contents of this webpage to you.
• You can re-tap the AA icon and pick Listening Controls to pause, skip, change the speaking rate, or end listening.

4. Use iOS Shortcuts

You can convert custom text or web articles to speech using free Siri shortcuts. Here are two such options from Apple’s own shortcuts gallery.

• Open the Shortcuts app and tap Gallery .
• Use the search bar to find Turn Text Into Audio & Speak Body of Article shortcuts and add them.

• Now, tap the Turn Text Into Audio shortcut, type or paste the text you want to convert to speech, and tap Done , followed by the play button . This reader shortcut will speak what you entered.

• To use Speak Body of Article , open a web page in Safari or Chrome, tap the Share button , and select Speak Body of Article . The shortcut will read the main content of that web article. However, you won’t see an option to pause it, and the only way to stop it midway is to force close the browser !

5. Use Google

Google has several handy tricks up its sleeves, and here are two you must know about!

Use it for word pronunciation

While you can’t follow this method to hear long phrases or sentences, you can use it for situations where you want to know the meaning of a word as well as hear how it’s pronounced.

• Visit Google.com in a web browser like Safari or Chrome.
• Type the word and search for it. For some words, you may also have to add ‘ meaning .’ For instance, freemium meaning .
• Tap the tiny speaker icon to listen to its pronunciation.

Listen to web articles

Just like Safari, the Google app on iPhone and iPad (not Google.com in a web browser) can read articles to you. Here’s how:

• Get the Google app and visit the news, tutorial, or other such web page. Make sure the page loads fully.
• Tap the three dots menu icon from the top right and choose Read Aloud .
• Google will read the article, and you can manage its playback using the on-screen controls. To change the reading speed and voice, tap the three dots icon and customize it accordingly.

6. Use text-to-speech iOS apps

Finally, we come to free and freemium apps from the iOS App Store that can convert text to speech. You can use them to listen to pronunciations, have them read long PDFs and articles to you, or even export text as audio files.

Text to Speech

• Simple, quick, free, and ad-free

What I love about this app is its simplicity and chat-like interface that makes it effortless to use. Simply type the word or sentence and hit the Speak button. It will convert text to speak. You can further customize the settings by tapping the gear button from the top.

Download Text to Speech

Text to Speech: Voice Reader

• Export text as an audio file

This app is amazing as it does what it advertises. In addition to reading the text you ask it to, the app can also convert those text to audio and allows you to export it as a mp3 file ! It is super convenient if you want to use text-to-voice for simple YouTube tutorials and such.

Download Text to Speech: Voice Reader

Text to Speech!

• Listen to text or export audio

Text to Speech iPhone and iPad app by Gwyn Durbridge has a nice clean interface where you can type or paste your text and have it spoken to you as well as export it as an audio file in m4a, mp3, wav, or caf formats. You can also save your text (phrases) for later .

Download Text to Speech!

Text to Speech PDF Reader

• Have PDFs read out to you

You can add a PDF to this app from your iPhone or iPad’s Files app, and TTS PDF will read out the contents of that document. It also gives you the option to change the voice speed, pitch, etc.

Download TTS PDF

Voice Aloud Reader

• It will read books to you

Have you downloaded books and documents in epub , pdf , rtf , or such formats? You can add them to the Voice Aloud Reader, and it will read that book to you .

Download Voice Aloud Reader

Other honorable mentions

• TextToSpeech : It’s yet another clean app with lots of features. One in particular that I like is its ability to save the text of a web article from the browser Share Sheet. You can come back later inside this app to listen to the saved web article.
• Speechify : It has lots of high-quality voice options, and a subscription unlocks voices like those of Snoop Dogg and Gwyneth Paltrow.
• Peech : Peech is a well-built iOS app where you can add custom text, files (PDF, Word, etc.), scans, or web URLs and the app will read out the contents.
• Natural Reader : It has a clean interface, and the voice it reads out to you feels very human-like. It’s worth a try.
• Text To Speech: Natural Voices : Text to Speech saves your recent text-to-speech phrases and sentences and allows you to replay them in a couple of taps. Handy for listening to long custom text in breaks.
• AIVoice : AIVoice has the option to generate audio from text and also helps you make a video.
• TTS : It offers a huge list of voice options with easy controls on the text-to-speech player screen.
• Speak4me : Finally, we have Speak4me, where you can scan a document with the in-app camera, and it will read out the contents.

Check out next: How to turn a PDF into an audiobook or have your computer read it out

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Looking for a way to consume written information without having to read a word? If yes, text-to-speech apps should be the ideal choice. It is easy to convert text-based content into spoken words with these iPhone apps, so you can easily ingest information while doing something else or help those with reading or speaking disabilities.

Although there are several text-to-speech apps that perform the same function, it’s easy to get confused when choosing the right one. Here’s a comprehensive list of top-rated apps that offer exceptional text-to-speech services, each with pros and cons.

• NaturalReader
• Text to Speech
• Speech Assistant AAC

1. Peech Text to Voice Reader – Listen to articles and docs

Peech is among the most powerful text-to-voice reader apps available on the App Store. With its intuitive user interface, you can quickly scan printed pages, import several types of document formats, or paste text directly into the app and have it converted into real-sounding speech almost instantly.

With over 60 supported languages and a vast library of realistic-sounding voices, Peech offers an excellent way to convert any text into spoken words. It also lets you customize the reading speed of the voices for more control.

If these features aren’t enough, the premium subscription of Peech also lets you have access to millions of news articles and other written content from over 60+ publications in one place, truly making it an all-rounder app.

• Offers a variety of realistic-sounding voices
• It has an intuitive user interface
• Offers access to articles from 60+ publications
• The free version doesn’t offer the ability to change voices
• It doesn’t support text highlighting while listening

Price: Free (In-app purchases start at $3.99)

2. NaturalReader Text To Speech – 140+ AI-powered voices

NaturalReader is yet another text-to-speech app that can read aloud a variety of content, including PDFs, online articles, and cloud documents. It has over 140 AI-powered voices available in more than 25 languages and dialects, so users can choose the voice that sounds the best to them.

NaturalReader also offers a handful of innovative features, like the ability to capture physical books or notes using your iPhone or iPad’s camera and convert them into audio. It also has a text filtering feature that intelligently filters out distracting text elements, such as URLs and text within brackets.

NaturalReader is a versatile text-to-speech app that can be used for a variety of purposes. Whether you want to listen to your favorite books, improve your productivity , or assist individuals with reading difficulties, NaturalReader is a powerful tool that can help you achieve your goals.

• Features a very minimal user interface
• Offers text-highlighting while listening
• Offers 140+ AI-powered voices
• Only supports a limited number of languages
• Lacks support for dark mode

Price: Free (In-app purchases start at $9.99) 

3. Speechify Text to Speech Audio – Read aloud web, docs & PDF

Speechify is a great text-to-speech app that allows you to listen to various types of content, including documents, articles, PDFs, emails, and more. It has over 20 million users and is the highest-rated TTS app on the App Store.

One of Speechify’s best standout features is that it allows you to select from a diverse range of celebrity voices and high-quality AI voices. Additionally, it has OCR capability, so you can transform any images with text into audio. You can also adjust the playback speed of the selected voice to your liking.

Speechify’s versatility is further enhanced by its Safari extension, which lets you listen to any website you visit. The app also offers access to hundreds of timeless audiobooks, so you can listen to your favorite books on the go.

Speechify is committed to accessibility and is a valuable tool for individuals with dyslexia, ADHD, and other reading disabilities. It is also a great tool for auditory learners, productivity enthusiasts, and second language learners.

• Offers access to 50,000+ actor-narrated audiobooks
• Offers a dedicated Safari Extension
• Changing narration speed requires a subscription
• Only offers annual subscriptions

Price: Free (In-app purchases start at $7.99) 

4. Text to Speech: Audio Books – Photo reader

Text To Speech: Audio Book is a powerful yet user-friendly app that converts text-based content into engaging audio experiences. It integrates well with popular file-sharing platforms and supports OCR, so you can easily import and convert text from PDFs, eBooks, and even handwritten notes.

Besides offering precise control over the narration speed, the app also lets you create folders to organize your imported text. This makes it easy to find and listen to your content, whether you’re on the go or multitasking.

Text To Speech: Audio Book is a pretty simple tool that focuses on offering functionality and efficiency rather than the number of features. It delivers on its promise of transforming any text into high-quality spoken words without overwhelming its users with unnecessary bells and whistles.

• Offers precise control over the narration speed
• Allows creating folders to keep imported text organized
• Focuses on functionality
• The free version doesn’t allow users to switch voices
• It’s powered by ads, and the interface feels a bit clunky

Price: Free (In-app purchases start at $5.99) 

5. Speech Air Text to Speech – Create audiobooks

Speech Air – Text to speech app revolutionizes the way you take notes and access your written content. It offers seamless integration of note-taking capabilities, a familiar user interface, interactive widgets, and powerful OCR tools in a single package.

Thanks to Speech Air’s intuitive note-taking feature, you can easily capture your ideas, musings, and reminders. You can then listen to your notes later, allowing you to stay productive on the go. Plus, the app’s user interface is designed to be familiar and simple, making it easy to navigate and use.

With Speech Air, extracting text from any images or printed documents has never been easier. Thanks to its Optical Character Recognition (OCR) tools, you can just snap a photo or import an image, and Speech Air will convert the text into speech almost instantly.

If these features aren’t enough, Speech Air also supports interactive Home screen widgets that provide a quick and convenient way to access its built-in news reader or your existing projects. With just a tap, you can instantly dive into your favorite articles or start a new project. The app also offers iMessage stickers so you can express yourself during conversations.

• Offers easy access to articles from several publications
• Offers a built-in translator and Home Screen widgets
• Supports both light and dark modes
• Most features require a subscription
• Only a couple of free voices sound decent

Price: Free (In-app purchases start at $4.99) 

6. Speech Assistant AAC – Designed for people with disabilities

Speech Assistant AAC is an advanced text-to-speech application explicitly designed for individuals with communication challenges. It is an efficient Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) tool that allows users to express their thoughts by converting written text into spoken words.

Speech Assistant AAC offers a vast array of accessibility features, including phrase prediction, customizable sentence building, and symbol-based communication. These features make it an exceptional app for communicating effectively and independently.

• Designed with accessibility in mind
• Offers powerful AAC features for improved communication
• Supports symbol-based communication
• Not suitable for general text-to-speech needs
• Advanced features may have a steep learning curve
• Slightly expensive

Price: $21.99

Wrapping up …

Whether you’re looking for an app to convert written text into spoken words or a specialized tool for accessibility and communication, these six text-to-speech apps for iPhone and iPad should have you covered. Go ahead, try them out, and let us know which app you found to be the most useful.

In case you didn’t find these apps helpful enough or don’t like using third-party apps, you will be better off using your iPhone or iPad’s Speak Selection functionality for general uses or Live Speech for accessibility-related uses.

• 5 Best TikTok alternatives for iPhone and iPad
• 7 Best speech to text apps for iPhone
• Best AI apps for iPhone and iPad

Ayush is a writer with a keen interest in consumer technology and the Apple ecosystem. He has over three years of working experience at several big-name publications, including Guiding Tech, TechPP, and MobiGyaan. Here at iGeeksBlog, he specializes in crafting how-to guides, buying guides, and editorials related to all things Apple.

🗣️ Our site is supported by our readers like you. When you purchase through our links, we earn a small commission. Read Disclaimer .

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Text to speech is also known as TTS, read aloud, or even speech synthesis. It simply means using artificial intelligence to  read words aloud  be; it from a  PDF , email, docs, or any website.  There isn’t a voice artist recording phrases or words, or even the entire article. Speech generation is done on-the-fly, in real time, with natural sounding AI voices.

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Copy and translate text from photos on your iPhone or iPad

You can use Live Text to copy text in photos or videos, translate languages, make a call, and more.

Use Live Text to get information from photos, videos, and images

Live Text recognizes information within your photos, videos, and images you find online. That means you can make a call, send an email, or look up directions with a tap. Your iPhone or iPad can also speak aloud Live Text with Speak Selection .

To turn on Live Text for all supported languages:

Open the Settings app.

Tap General.

Tap Language & Region, then turn on Live Text.

To use Live Text, you need an iPhone XS, iPhone XR, or later with iOS 15 or later.

Live Text is also available on iPad Pro (M4) models and iPad Air (M2) models, iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation) or later, iPad Pro 11-inch (all models), iPad Air (3rd generation) or later, iPad (8th generation) or later, and iPad mini (5th generation) or later with iPadOS 15.1 or later.

To use Live Text for video, you need iOS 16 or later or iPadOS 16 or later.

Copy text in a photo, video, or image

Open the Photos app and select a photo or video, or select an image online.

Touch and hold a word and move the grab points to adjust the selection. If the text is in a video, pause the video first.

Tap Copy. To select all of the text in the photo, tap Select All.

In iOS 16 and later, you can also isolate the subject of a photo and copy or share it through apps like Messages or Mail.

Make a call or send an email

Open a photo or video, or select an image online. If the text is in a video, pause the video first.

Tap the phone number or email address that appears to call or send an email. Depending on the photo, image, or website, you might see the option to Make a FaceTime call or Add to Contacts.

Translate text within a photo, video, or image

Tap Translate. You might need to tap Continue, then choose a language to translate in, or tap Change Language.

You can also translate text from images in the Translate app .

Learn which regions and languages currently support Live Text .

Search with text from your images

Open a photo or video, or select an image online.

Tap Look Up.

If you tap Look Up and select just one word, a dictionary appears. If you select more than one word, Siri Suggested Websites and other resources for the topic appear.

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iMessage in iOS 18 to bring animations and text effects to individual words—is rich text support coming?

Apple’s upcoming iOS 18 release is expected to be one of the iPhone’s biggest software updates ever. Today a new report highlights an enhancement set to be added to one of Apple’s most popular apps: Messages.

Joe Rossignol, writing for MacRumors :

Apple plans to add a new text effects feature to the Messages app on iOS 18, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. While it is already possible to send iMessages with bubble effects or full-screen effects, such as invisible ink or confetti, the text effects would allow you to add animations to individual words within a message.

It sounds like the new iMessage feature may work similarly to a rich text system, but with a lot more razzle-dazzle.

Just about every other first-party iPhone app that supports text input lets you modify that text, down to the individual word or letter, with rich text controls like bold, italics, and underline. Certain apps also support creating bulleted or numbered lists, or different headers or other content types.

Rich text support would be a welcome addition to iOS 18, but it’s interesting that this rumor mentions nothing about rich text and focuses instead on “text effects” that are comparable to the existing Bubble and Screen effects.

Text animations would be a new thing entirely, and it’d be interesting to see not only how they work, but also whether they make it to any of iOS 18’s other pre-installed apps like Notes or Mail.

9to5Mac’s Take

The way I read this rumor, Apple is planning a form of rich text support for Messages in iOS 18. Most likely, that will include not only the basics like bold, italics, and underline, but also some more exciting options.

The ability to animate individual words, highlight them, or otherwise make parts of your message pop sounds like a lot of fun. I’m excited to see what WWDC brings in just a few more days—June 10 can’t come soon enough.

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Check out 9to5Mac on YouTube for more Apple news:

iMessage is a free, secure messaging platform fo…

Ryan got his start in journalism as an Editor at MacStories, where he worked for four years covering Apple news, writing app reviews, and more. For two years he co-hosted the Adapt podcast on Relay FM, which focused entirely on the iPad. As a result, it should come as no surprise that his favorite Apple device is the iPad Pro.

Manage push notifications

5 Solutions if Text From iPad to Android Is Not Working

Trying to send a text from your iPad to an Android only to discover it’s not working can feel incredibly confusing, especially when you’re used to seamless messaging within the Apple ecosystem. Like most users, you might be quick to place the blame on your iPad.

However, due to how Apple handles messaging services, your iPad technically isn’t sending messages to Android devices directly , even if you have a cellular plan. While this news may feel even more frustrating, it’s an important note to remember. Otherwise, you’ll waste your time troubleshooting the wrong areas.

Things to Remember About iPad Texting

An iPad can’t send or receive SMS/MMS messages on its own , regardless of whether or not the device has cellular capabilities. You must pair it with an iPhone to relay messages and enable continuity features.

With that in mind, here are some things to remember:

• You need iMessage enabled on both devices for things to work smoothly. Find this setting near the top of Settings > Messages . Be sure to disable this if you switch from an iPhone to a different non-Apple smartphone.
• Both devices will also need to be on Wi-Fi and/or cellular as well. Check your Control Center to ensure that Airplane Mode is disconnected and that you have a proper connection.
• Be sure that you are not blocked by the number you are trying to reach.
• You should also ensure your devices are up to date via Settings > General > Software Update .

1. Check Your Apple ID/iCloud Settings

Time needed:  2 minutes

Check if your iPad and iPhone are using the same Apple ID. If your devices are using different accounts, your Messages app won’t sync properly. Fortunately, you can check and change them pretty quickly. You can follow these steps on both devices:

2. Enable Message Forwarding

Another thing you need to do is enable Message Forwarding. This ensures that your iPhone is communicating with your iPad—you can check to see if your iPad is listed under this setting as well.

• From your iPhone, navigate to Settings .

3. Restart Your iPhone

It may be that a small bug occurring within your iPhone is preventing your iPad from sending and receiving messages. Performing a force restart won’t hurt anything

• Press and quickly release the Volume Up button.
• Press and quickly release the Volume Down button.

• Check here if you are using an older model iPhone .

4. Reset Network Settings

Again, the problem may be that a network issue on your iPhone is preventing the relay of messages between devices. In this instance, it may be wise to reset your network settings. However, remember to try the other solutions first, as this solution will delete Wi-Fi settings and VPN networks.

• From your iPhone, navigate to Settings > General .

5. Use a Different Messaging Service

If you continue to have problems with Message Forwarding, or you’re still unable to send messages to non-Apple devices, you may want to consider moving to a different messaging service.

While this doesn’t fully count as a solution, virtually everyone can be contacted through an alternative messaging service these days. Whether it’s Facebook Messenger, WeChat, Instagram, or SnapChat, you’re more than likely able to send a message to the person you want to contact, if they want to talk to you, that is.

Of course, maybe it’s time to convince your friends to join the Blue Bubble club. You may also want to know how to fix an iPad Pro that won’t turn on .

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Read - Text To Speech 17+

A rich spoken experience, ifeanyi onuoha, designed for ipad, screenshots, description.

Listen to your favourite books Read empowers users to transform any written text into spoken words effortlessly, opening up a world of possibilities for those on the go, visually impaired, or simply seeking a hands-free reading experience. Key Features: PDF: Read enables users to effortlessly convert PDF documents into spoken words. Users can simply upload their PDF files, and Read will convert the text into clear, natural-sounding speech. This feature is perfect for students, professionals, or anyone who prefers to listen to content while on the move. Image: With Read's image to speech feature, users can extract text from images and have it read aloud. Whether it's capturing text from photos, screenshots, or scanned documents, Read makes it easy to access and listen to the content. Web: Read allows users to convert web articles, blogs, or online content into spoken words. Users can simply paste the URL of the web page, and Read will extract the text and convert it into an audio format for seamless listening. Install Read today, for free! Privacy Policy: https://read-web.web.app/#/privacy Terms of Service: https://read-web.web.app/#/terms

Version 1.0.7

- Scan page: Scan the pages of your favourite books with your camera and listen to them - Bug fixes and improvements

App Privacy

The developer, Ifeanyi Onuoha , indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .

Data Not Linked to You

The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity:

Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More

Information

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