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The dictation built into macOS and iOS. Press the mic key, speak, and the words are typed out.
Written to be useful rather than flattering, so it leads with what Apple Dictation does better. Facts checked 2026-08-08 against their own site.
It is free, it is already installed, and it runs on-device — so it works on a plane and nothing you say leaves your Mac. If those matter more than the writing quality, stop reading and use it.
It transcribes what you said. It does not remove the "um"s, fix the punctuation, or turn a rambled sentence into a written one — that editing pass is the whole job here.
Apple Dictation details checked 2026-08-08 against their own site. Prices and features change; verify before deciding. Our pricing on this page is read live from our plans API at build time, so it cannot drift from what you are actually charged.
…you want a transcript rather than a draft, you need it offline, or you would rather not pay for dictation at all. Apple Dictation is genuinely good at the thing it does.
…you want the text to arrive already written rather than transcribed — filler gone, punctuation right, tone matched to the app you are in — and you want to hold one key to get it. Select a clumsy paragraph you already wrote, say what you want, and it comes back rewritten in place.
Free trial, 10,000 words, no card. macOS 14+.