Five Dictation Apps to Boost Productivity

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One of my favorite productivity hacks is using dictation apps. Dictating is an underrated tool for getting more done. It’s really helped me curb procrastination by making it easy for me to quickly send out text messages and emails. Video can also be a powerful productivity tool but there’s something to be said for straight up audio as well.

When I started working from home, I needed to make some changes to my work style to get my home office up and running. Using dictation software was one of those little things that really connected with my productivity style. It helps me stay on track while I’m working remotely.

You can send messages so much faster by dictating them, and I find it easier to get my point across when I can just speak naturally. Same goes for leaving audio or video messages.

Plus, dictation apps let you stay focused on your main task while also taking care of little things that pop up. I love not having to go through the hassle of typing anything out — I just speak and send! (Sometimes I do have to change a word here or there if it’s not 100% accurate.)

I have an iPhone and a Mac, so I sometimes use the dictation features included with those devices. You can learn how to set up dictation on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac here.

But if you don’t use Apple products or you want to try one of the great dictation apps out there, here’s a rundown of your options:

Diction.io

This is a perfect starting point for dictation if you want to try it out before committing to buying anything. Diction.io is completely free and web-based, and it uses Google Speech Recognition to translate your words to text. You can save your text as a file or copy and paste it into an email or text. You can get started with it here.

Google Docs Dictation

This feature on Google Docs is another simple way to start dictating. It’s free and easy to use. You can copy and paste the text into an email or text message if you want to, or you can use this to brainstorm if you feel more creative when you’re speaking rather than typing. And if you’re already using Google Docs, this is a seamless addition that can help you jumpstart your productivity while writing. You can learn how to set it up here.

Dragon Dictation

Dragon Dictation is a great option if you want a comprehensive option with a software component. It’s very accurate and allows you to perform a bunch of actions, including searching the web. You can integrate Dragon Dictation with your apps so that you can compose emails directly (no copy-paste needed!). It is one of the pricier options, though. Dragon Dictation has versions for Windows that start at $150, or a mobile app version that works with Apple or Android products that costs $150 for a yearly subscription. You can find out more about it here.

Speechy

This app is available for iPhones and iPads, and it has a bunch of great features. You can easily share, translate, and edit the text. Plus, it records your original audio too. And doesn’t time out if you’re talking for a long period of time! There’s a free version and the premium one costs $9.99 to download. You can check it out here.

Speechnotes

For Android users, Speechnotes is a simple, functional option. One useful feature is the punctuation keyboard, which allows you to press a button to insert punctuation instead of having to say “comma” and “period.” And it’s free! You can take a look here.

I hope these suggestions help you get started with dictation. It’s a little unconventional but it’s made a big difference for me.

Are there any dictation apps or websites you like to use? I’d love to hear about them.

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