The best desktop alternative to Dragon Dictate for Mac is now Apple’s Dictation tool in macOS but it comes a distant second. This doesn’t deliver anything like the same results as Dragon but it’s free, works on your Mac desktop and doesn’t require an internet connection to use. Tazti Speech Recognition Software for Windows 7, 8, 8.1 (64-bit). Upgrade to Windows 10 for free right now; The best games on Nintendo Switch.
- Best Free Dictation Software For Mac Computer
- Best Free Dictation Software For Mac
- Best Free Dictation Software For Mac 2020
- Dictation Software For Mac Computer
macOS Catalina introduces Voice Control, a new way to fully control your Mac entirely with your voice. Voice Control uses the Siri speech-recognition engine to improve on the Enhanced Dictation feature available in earlier versions of macOS.1
How to turn on Voice Control
After upgrading to macOS Catalina, follow these steps to turn on Voice Control:
- Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, then click Accessibility.
- Click Voice Control in the sidebar.
- Select Enable Voice Control. When you turn on Voice Control for the first time, your Mac completes a one-time download from Apple.2
Voice Control preferences
When Voice Control is enabled, you see an onscreen microphone representing the mic selected in Voice Control preferences.
To pause Voice Control and stop it from from listening, say ”Go to sleep” or click Sleep. To resume Voice Control, say or click ”Wake up.”
How to use Voice Control
Get to know Voice Control by reviewing the list of voice commands available to you: Say “Show commands” or ”Show me what I can say.” The list varies based on context, and you may discover variations not listed. To make it easier to know whether Voice Control heard your phrase as a command, you can select ”Play sound when command is recognized” in Voice Control preferences.
Basic navigation
Voice Control recognizes the names of many apps, labels, controls, and other onscreen items, so you can navigate by combining those names with certain commands. Here are some examples:
- Open Pages: ”Open Pages.” Then create a new document: ”Click New Document.” Then choose one of the letter templates: 'Click Letter. Click Classic Letter.” Then save your document: ”Save document.”
- Start a new message in Mail: ”Click New Message.” Then address it: ”John Appleseed.”
- Turn on Dark Mode: ”Open System Preferences. Click General. Click Dark.” Then quit System Preferences: ”Quit System Preferences” or ”Close window.”
- Restart your Mac: ”Click Apple menu. Click Restart” (or use the number overlay and say ”Click 8”).
You can also create your own voice commands.
Number overlays
Use number overlays to quickly interact with parts of the screen that Voice Control recognizes as clickable, such as menus, checkboxes, and buttons. To turn on number overlays, say ”Show numbers.” Then just say a number to click it.
Number overlays make it easy to interact with complex interfaces, such as web pages. For example, in your web browser you could say ”Search for Apple stores near me.” Then use the number overlay to choose one of the results: ”Show numbers. Click 64.” (If the name of the link is unique, you might also be able to click it without overlays by saying ”Click” and the name of the link.)
Voice Control automatically shows numbers in menus and wherever you need to distinguish between items that have the same name.
Grid overlays
Use grid overlays to interact with parts of the screen that don't have a control, or that Voice Control doesn't recognize as clickable.
Say “Show grid” to show a numbered grid on your screen, or ”Show window grid” to limit the grid to the active window. Say a grid number to subdivide that area of the grid, and repeat as needed to continue refining your selection.
To click the item behind a grid number, say ”Click” and the number. Or say ”Zoom” and the number to zoom in on that area of the grid, then automatically hide the grid. You can also use grid numbers to drag a selected item from one area of the grid to another: ”Drag 3 to 14.”
To hide grid numbers, say ”Hide numbers.” To hide both numbers and grid, say ”Hide grid.”
Dictation
When the cursor is in a document, email message, text message, or other text field, you can dictate continuously. Dictation converts your spoken words into text.
Best Free Dictation Software For Mac Computer
- To enter a punctuation mark, symbol, or emoji, just speak its name, such as ”question mark” or ”percent sign” or ”happy emoji.” These may vary by language or dialect.
- To move around and select text, you can use commands like ”Move up two sentences” or ”Move forward one paragraph” or ”Select previous word” or ”Select next paragraph.”
- To format text, try ”Bold that” or ”Capitalize that,” for example. Say ”numeral” to format your next phrase as a number.
- To delete text, you can choose from many delete commands. For example, say “delete that” and Voice Control knows to delete what you just typed. Or say ”Delete all” to delete everything and start over.
Voice Control understands contextual cues, so you can seamlessly transition between text dictation and commands. For example, to dictate and then send a birthday greeting in Messages, you could say ”Happy Birthday. Click Send.” Or to replace a phrase, say ”Replace I’m almost there with I just arrived.”
You can also create your own vocabulary for use with dictation.
Create your own voice commands and vocabulary
Create your own voice commands
- Open Voice Control preferences, such as by saying ”Open Voice Control preferences.”
- Click Commands or say ”Click Commands.” The complete list of all commands opens.
- To add a new command, click the add button (+) or say ”Click add.” Then configure these options to define the command:
- When I say: Enter the word or phrase that you want to be able to speak to perform the action.
- While using: Choose whether your Mac performs the action only when you're using a particular app.
- Perform: Choose the action to perform. You can open a Finder item, open a URL, paste text, paste data from the clipboard, press a keyboard shortcut, select a menu item, or run an Automator workflow.
- Use the checkboxes to turn commands on or off. You can also select a command to find out whether other phrases work with that command. For example, “Undo that” works with several phrases, including “Undo this” and “Scratch that.”
To quickly add a new command, you can say ”Make this speakable.” Voice Control will help you configure the new command based on the context. For example, if you speak this command while a menu item is selected, Voice Control helps you make a command for choosing that menu item.
Create your own dictation vocabulary
- Open Voice Control preferences, such as by saying ”Open Voice Control preferences.”
- Click Vocabulary, or say ”Click Vocabulary.”
- Click the add button (+) or say ”Click add.”
- Type a new word or phrase as you want it to be entered when spoken.
Learn more
- For the best performance when using Voice Control with a Mac notebook computer and an external display, keep your notebook lid open or use an external microphone.
- All audio processing for Voice Control happens on your device, so your personal data is always kept private.
- Use Voice Control on your iPhone or iPod touch.
- Learn more about accessibility features in Apple products.
1. Voice Control uses the Siri speech-recognition engine for U.S. English only. Other languages and dialects use the speech-recognition engine previously available with Enhanced Dictation.
2. If you're on a business or school network that uses a proxy server, Voice Control might not be able to download. Have your network administrator refer to the network ports used by Apple software products.
First of all, let us know what transcription is.
It is the conversion of audio format into text format. An audio format can be in any form like YouTube video, cassette, etc. whereas the text format can be in word file, PDF or excel spreadsheet.
The transcription business has been evolved a lot lately. It started with some people sitting in a room receiving requests for conversion and later typing it into text.
Now there are a number of transcription software, there is now a need for people to listen to speech and type. They just need a transcription software and they are done.
Transcription Software
For the conversion of speech to the text, we use certain software.
Here we will talk about some transcription software for mac.
Transcription Software for Mac aids the transformation of the interpretation of human voice into a content transcript. The significance of the term “translation programming” has changed, with the presentation of certain new advancements in technology.
Whereas the term “interpretation programming” determines a provides arrangement, or it determines programming, which helps a human physically convert spoken sound into content transcripts.
The time required for interpreting an hour of sound is around four hours. It may be said that one hour of excellent can sometimes take a range of two to ten hours or considerably more to translate the sound.
Off the chance, if the sound quality is poor, the speech to text translation should take a longer time to complete the activity.
This can broaden up the standard time of completing a one-hour sound to five or six hours. Deciphering music is certifiably not a fun occupation, particularly on the off chance that you have a business to get or different things are done to do.
Proficient transcriptionists can complete the work quicker and all the more precisely, in this manner sparing you both time and money.
Here is a list of best transcription software for mac:
- Express Scribe
- Inqscribe
- Descript
- Transcriva
- Transcribe Dragon
Express Scribe
Express Scribe lets you play sound and video content so you can improve the translation procedure. It comes with a typical media player, where you have more authority over the speed of the audio as well as how the interpreted content is made. You can also name it as a great sound player programming as well.
Express Scribe is designed taking into consideration the needs of Mac users. The user can control the audio using a “transcription foot pedal” or simply by using the keyboard.
Express Scribe also offers other functionalities such as multi-channel control, playing video, file management, variable speed playback and much more.
It supports both audio and video playback and also plays special formats including encrypted dictation files.
It supports both audio and video playback and also plays special formats including encrypted dictation files.
This transcription software has a special feature of automatically receiving and loading files by the internet (FTP), email or through a local computer network.
It works with speech recognition software to convert the speech to text.
It works with speech recognition software to convert the speech to text.
By the use of plug and play foot pedal, you can make your foot control the playback as you type, which can increase your typing speed. You can also load any CD audio and start working as the audio loads.
Express Scribe is considered the best mac transcription software for intermediates and professionals. It offers great control and customization over the transcription process. You can also connect external accessories to get the best results in express scribe. The fully licensed version can be gotten for 29$.
Advantages
- It has a professional interface.
- It has many customizable features.
- It supports hotkey.
Disadvantages
- It is not suitable for beginners.
Inqscribe
InqScribe brings the best with regards to the explanation in Mac. It doesn’t actually have a primarily capable interface like Express Scribe, but as compared to Descriptor, it is not insignificant.
The fact of the matter is that you can interpret it in a consistent domain, without intensifying over the other customization needs.
Using Inqscribe, we can make a QuickTime motion picture with subtitles or can even print the transcripts. We can also add time codes to bounce to a specific point in the motion picture.
We get very simple controls in Inqscribe. You can also include sound and start the playback.
On the right side of the window, we have an option for doing the interpretation.
InqScribe does not have any extravagant highlights in its interface. It also offers a situation for serene translation. It doesn’t actually have a professional interface like Express Scribe, but it does not go as simple as Descript either.
The point to be considered is that you can do transcription in a seamless environment, without getting worried about additional customization needs.
InqScribe is considered the best option for beginners as well as for regulars. It works best when you require a distraction-free environment for transcription and if you are looking for a simple transcription tool that doesn’t bother you with its fancy features. It also has a free version but the full licensed version is for 99 dollars.
Advantages
- It has a simple User interface
- It has an easy playback and Control system.
Descrpit
Descript is sort of different. It has one of the most modern user interfaces ever seen. Descript is a professional transcription software as well as a great audio editor. It can also be used to transcribe audio content and also enables us to use some smart features.
Talking about features, descript has a lot of them to offer. The drag-and-drop function helps get the transcription done in a few minutes. It is powered by Google Speech, this offers an impressive level of accuracy. Leaving that aside, it can be used as a great way to deal with manual as well as automatic transcription.
Descript is the best option if you require a combination of manual and automated transcription on Mac. The tool offers great options for transcription and audio editing, but the pricing isn’t that great. You need to spend 7 Cents per minute to get the full features of descript.
But, keeping that aside, descript works great when it comes to transcript creation and management.
Advantages
- It has an impressive user interface.
- It provides us collaboration & feedback options.
- It supports Automatic Transcription.
- It has audio editing options & compatibility as well.
Disadvantages
- It lacks playback control.
- It Doesn’t support Foot-pedals.
Transcriva
Transcriva is one of the translation programming technique that has a feature of organizing the user interface. It is structured in such a way that the procedure for translation is put first. It centers around how effectively we can interpret. It’s a great decision with regard to interpreting meetings and other such activities. It has some capable highlights like nourishment pedal help. It enables you to playback your transcripts when you’re finished analyzing.
In addition, it accompanies foot pedal, which helps to ease things for you. Furthermore, there are a vast number of customization highlights accessible to fit each client’s needs.
Transcriva is probably the least complicated approach to translate video or sound into text.
In the two cases, you have simple strategies to keep tabs on your development and shorten the procedure.
For example, Transcriva has a smaller media player than a regular player for video playback. Then next, you can also control the sound and speed when you are using the media player as a source.
Transcriva is suitable for all sorts of transcribers professionals, casuals as well as hobbyists. If looking for a professional tool having a simple interface, Transcriva is the best choice out there. It offers the best compatibility as well as recording options.Best Free Dictation Software For Mac
Transcriva can be used free for a limited time but need to buy later for 30$.
Advantages
- It has an intuitive User interface.
- It has certain professional features.
- It also has some extra features like Follow-Along.
Disadvantages
- The audio playback could have been better.
Transcribe
Transcribe is not a much-dedicated transcription software for Mac users. It’s an online transcription tool that does work with Mac. It can be used for transcribing audio as well as video; it also supports an excellent feature for automatic transcription and dictation.
If you are too lazy to type, you can just say on the microphone and transcribe it. The transcribe does its job to a great extent.
It also lets has the feature for controlling the audio– start, stop, slow down, fast forward, etc., by using the keyboard while you are typing.
Now, coming to manual transcription feature, however, the transcribing is perfect. The audio player and the text fields are so integrated that you will find that the productivity is maximized.
On the other hand, automated transcription ensures a great amount of accuracy in different languages as well. You can even connect your foot pedal to this transcriber to control the audio playback.
This would be considered the best choice if you don’t want any installations on your computer or we can say you need the translation for a short time (once-twice). You just have to upload the video or audio that you have to transcribe. This is not recommended if you’re someone who prefers working locally.
On the brighter side, though, transcribe lets you load a video from YouTube and get your job done.
Transcribe is the best option for all sorts of transcribers.Once you’ve purchased the license, the transcription can be done anytime as it offers all the features we’ve seen in other dedicated tools out there and it is recommended for almost anyone. The only disadvantage of transcribing is that you need to be connected to the Internet.
The license for Transcribe costs 20$.
![Mac Mac](/uploads/1/2/6/2/126284883/535838650.jpg)
Advantages
- It has a simple interface.
- It has both manual and Automated Transcription methods.
- It has an intuitive editor.
Disadvantages
- You have to upload the content every time you want to use it.
Dragon
Dragon is explicitly structured that enables you to make archives, spreadsheets. It is quite valuable for sending messages and for rounding out structures. The interpretation by Dragon is exceptionally exact.
It is certainly fit for cutting edge customization including that it adjusts well to the most business explicit wording that you utilize each day. It can interpret all ordinary utilized organizations like .mp3, aif, .wav, .mp4, .m4a, .m4v. For exact translation, it can catch notes as well.
You can likewise adjust words for the terms you utilize every day, embed content as well as illustrations that are frequently used, and make alternate ways for dull undertakings.
It goes wherever you go, we certainly get the best ideas and often lose unless captured when they’re still fresh in your mind. By the use of a digital voice recorder and Dragon, thoughts can be captured on the go.
You can speak your notes, memos and record voice memos to transcribe them later. Transforming the podcasts or the voice of a single speaker into written words, the dragon helps you work the way you want to work.
You can easily transform your voice files into text. By transferring your single-speaker recorded audio files to your Mac and generating a written transcript using Dragon. It’s as similar to record, transfer and transcribes.Dragon gives you multiple options to work the way you want to optimize the productivity away from your desk.
Best Free Dictation Software For Mac 2020
I have listed the best transcription software for mac. The best generally varies user to user.
Basically, on what the user requires. The characteristics have been provided for each software above with its advantages and disadvantages.