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October 09, 2023

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How to get the most out of voice typing

Whether you prefer brainstorming ideas out loud, can talk faster than you can type, or need an accessible, hands-free option for getting words on the screen, the Windows 11  voice-typing feature has you covered. Learn how to use this voice typing to your advantage and get the most out of the speech-to-text functionality on your Windows 11 device .

How does Windows speech-to-text software work?

The built-in speech-to-text software in Windows 11  turns your spoken words directly into text. If you’d like to compose a document or write anywhere you see a textbox by talking instead of typing, you can! As long as you’re connected to the internet and have a working microphone, you should be able to use this feature to type with your voice.

How to enable voice typing

If you’re ready to try voice typing on your Windows 11 computer, follow these steps:

• Select Windows logo key + H to open the voice typing menu.
• Select the microphone icon. 
• Wait for the Listening alert before you start speaking. Once it’s listening, you should see your spoken words turn into text on the screen almost instantly.
• When you’re ready to stop voice typing, say “Stop listening” or select the microphone button in the menu.

Within Settings , you can also toggle on Voice typing launcher . This will launch the voice typing menu whenever you are in a textbox. For punctuation support, select the Settings icon and toggle on Auto punctuation .

Setting and switching between voice typing languages

To help the speech-to-text software properly understand your dictation, make sure it’s set to the right language, region, or dialect:

• Navigate to Settings > Time & language > Speech .
• Select your preferred language, region, or dialect.
• If the language you want isn’t installed on your device, you may be able to add it in Settings > Time & language > Language & region > Preferred languages .

Would you like to switch between voice typing languages ? No problem! Select Windows logo key + Spacebar to access the language switcher.

Ways to get the most out of voice typing

Now that you have voice typing set up in the way you want it, here are a few ways to make the most of it:

• Write a truly fast first draft. Especially if you’re having a hard time getting started on the first draft of something, try speaking it aloud and letting voice typing capture all of your ideas on the spot. Within minutes, you’ll have a fast first draft to polish into something great.
• Call out your shopping list. Instead of having to type your shopping list, turn on voice typing and let it write the list for you as you look around your kitchen to confirm what you need.
• Capture family history. Family stories are precious, and now you can capture them as text. The next time you’re celebrating a holiday with loved ones, turn on voice typing to capture some of the family history and stories that mean so much.
• Speak in your Teams chat. Instead of typing your side of the conversation in your Microsoft Teams  chat, let voice typing turn your speech into chat messages for your colleagues.

With Windows 11 speech-to-text software, getting your lists, ideas, stories, and insights written down is as easy as speaking them aloud. Learn about other standout Windows 11 features in the Windows Learning Center .

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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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Speech to Text converter

Speech to text converter tool is used to convert any voice into plain text. default language supported is english us. it also supports the languages installed in your windows 10 os. this tool is simple and clean. instead of typing your email, story, class or conversation, you can just speak and this tool can convert it into text. you can copy this text and paste it wherever you need it. its a uwp app which means works on windows 10 device family like pc, tablet, phone, xbox. important: use high quality microphone. suggest an external microphone for best performance. needs internet connection. needs microphone access how to : - launch app - give microphone permission - click on dictation - if any warning sign shown below to give permission for speech recognition then click on the link to goto settings to "turn on know me" option. or manually goto settings -> speech,inking,typing -> click on "turn on speech services and typing suggestions" -> turn on - start speaking - app converts your speech to text instantly - copy the text to your desired place if it doesn't work then follow instructions carefully. external microphone,microphone access, turning on speech services are important to make this app work and give better results., 11/7/2017 6:35:08 am.

Use the Speak text-to-speech feature to read text aloud

Speak is a built-in feature of Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, and OneNote. You can use Speak to have text read aloud in the language of your version of Office.

Text-to-speech (TTS) is the ability of your computer to play back written text as spoken words. Depending upon your configuration and installed TTS engines, you can hear most text that appears on your screen in Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, and OneNote. For example, if you're using the English version of Office, the English TTS engine is automatically installed. To use text-to-speech in different languages, see Using the Speak feature with Multilingual TTS .

To learn how to configure Excel for text-to-speech, see Converting text to speech in Excel .

Add Speak to the Quick Access Toolbar

You can add the Speak command to your Quick Access Toolbar by doing the following in Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, and OneNote:

Next to the Quick Access Toolbar, click Customize Quick Access Toolbar .

Click More Commands .

In the Choose commands from list, select All Commands .

Scroll down to the Speak command, select it, and then click Add .

Use Speak to read text aloud

After you have added the Speak command to your Quick Access Toolbar, you can hear single words or blocks of text read aloud by selecting the text you want to hear and then clicking the Speak icon on the Quick Access Toolbar.

Listen to your Word documents with Read Aloud

Listen to your Outlook email messages with Read Aloud

Converting text to speech in Excel

Dictate text using Speech Recognition

Learning Tools in Word

Hear text read aloud with Narrator

Using the Save as Daisy add-in for Word

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Data and Privacy for Speech to text

• 6 contributors

This article is provided for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice. We strongly recommend seeking specialist legal advice when implementing Speech Services.

This article provides some high-level details regarding how speech to text processes data provided by customers. Note that audio data of humans speaking and the related text transcripts may be considered personal data and/or sensitive data under various privacy regulations and laws because it contains not only the voice of humans, but the content of the audio may also contain personal information depending on the context within which the audio was collected. Audio data and the related text transcripts may also be regulated under various communications laws or other law and regulations. As an important reminder, you are responsible for the implementation of this technology and are required to obtain all necessary permissions for processing of the data, as well as any licenses, permissions or other proprietary rights required for the content you input into the speech to text service. It is your responsibility to comply with all applicable laws and regulations in your jurisdiction.

What data does speech to text process?

Speech to text processes the following types of data:

• Audio input or voice audio: All speech to text features accept voice audio as an input that is streamed through the Speech SDK/REST API into the service endpoint. In batch transcription, audio input will be sent to a storage location instructed by the customer, and the Speech service accesses and processes the audio input for the purposes of providing the transcription services requested. See more information about how to specify storage in How to use batch transcription .
• Input transcription text: In the pronunciation assessment, transcribed text is sent together with an input voice audio as "correct" text. Pronunciations are assessed based on the input transcriptions.
• Transcription for speech translation: When the speech translation feature is used, transcribed text that speech to text generated is translated into a specified language through the Translator service .

The text translation service is used only to convert text from one language to another. No input/output data is retained by Speech service after the completion of a translation request. See What is the Translator service for more information about the text translation service.

If users need transcribed/translated text in an audio format, the feature sends the output text to text to speech . Again, no data is persisted in the text to speech data processing.

How does speech to text process data?

Real-time speech to text.

When a client application sends audio input to speech to text, the speech recognition engine parses audio and converts it to text. Relying upon its acoustic and linguistic or language understanding features, speech to text selects candidate words and phrases that may be uttered in the audio input. The transcription output represents the best inference or prediction in text format of what was spoken in the audio input.

For real-time speech to text, audio input is processed only on the Azure's server memory, and no data is stored at rest. All data in-transit are encrypted for protection. See Trusted Cloud: security, privacy, compliance, resiliency, and IP for more information about Azure-wide security and privacy protection.

Batch transcription

In batch transcription, customers specify their chosen storage location of both audio input and output transcription text files for Speech service to access, process, and provide the transcription output. The customer controls the storage of this data, including the retention of such data. Customers may set a retention time for generated transcription text files by using a parameter called "timeToLive". See Batch Transcription -- Configuration Properties for more detail.

See the data flows for each Speech to text feature:

Speaker diarization/separation

This feature is available for both real-time and batch API. When customers enable the speaker separation (diarization) option (disabled by default), the speech to text engine analyzes and extracts unique voice characteristics signals from the audio input to differentiate the audio between speakers. These voice characteristics signals are used and temporarily retained for the sole purpose of annotating the transcription output with markers next to text for Speaker 1 (Guest-1) or Speaker 2 (Guest-2). Upon completion of the process, all signal data used to separate the speakers is discarded. The speaker separation feature supports the separation of two or more speakers in a single audio file. Speaker Separation does not support speaker identity recognition enrollment or the ability to track unique speakers across multiple audio files.

Language detection

Language detection is similar to speech recognition except that the model calculates probabilities of mapping between phonemes and languages. Each language has specific phonemes and phoneme combinations, which characterize the language. The language detection model identifies the characteristics in phonemes to calculate likelihood of languages used in an input voice.

Speech translation

When speech translation is used, first, an audio input is used to generate machine-transcribed text with speech to text. Then the machine-transcribed text is sent to the text translation service to convert the text (in the source language) to another language. If customers need translated text in an audio format, this feature can send the translated text to text to speech . Customers have the option to produce translated text only or translated voice output.

Speech containers

With speech containers, customers deploy Speech services APIs to their own environment through Docker containers. Since all speech components run on customers' controlled environment, audio data inputs and transcription outputs are processed within customers' container and is not sent to the cloud based Speech service. See Install and run Docker containers for the Speech service APIs for more information.

Security for customers' data in speech container

The security of customer data is a shared responsibility. Details on the security model of Azure AI containers, like the speech container can be found in Azure AI Services container security .

You are responsible for securing and maintaining the equipment and infrastructure required to operate speech containers located on your premises, such as your edge device and network.

To learn more about Microsoft's privacy and security commitments visit the Microsoft Trust Center .

Data storage and retention

No data trace.

When doing real-time speech to text, pronunciation assessment and speech translation, Microsoft does not retain or store the data provided by customers. In batch transcription, customers specify their own storage locations to send the audio input. Generated transcription text may be stored either in customer's own storage or Microsoft storage if no storage is specified. If output transcriptions are stored in Microsoft storage, customers may delete the data either by calling a deletion API or setting the timeToLive parameter to automatically delete the data in a specified time. See more details in How to use batch transcription - Speech service - Azure AI services .

To learn more about Microsoft's privacy and security commitments visit the Microsoft  Trust Center .

Additional resources

Transcription - Transcribe Speech To Text

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New: MKVToolNix (May 01, 2024), Platform 29.5 (Apr 24, 2024) 1,100+ portable packages , 1.1 billion downloads Please donate today

Balabolka Portable 2.15.0.869 (text-to-speech on demand) Released

Balabolka is packaged with permission from the publisher

Update automatically or install from the portable app store in the PortableApps.com Platform .

Learn more about Balabolka...

PortableApps.com Installer / PortableApps.com Format

Balabolka Portable is packaged in a PortableApps.com Installer so it will automatically detect an existing PortableApps.com installation when your drive is plugged in. It supports upgrades by installing right over an existing copy, preserving all settings. And it's in PortableApps.com Format, so it automatically works with the PortableApps.com Platform including the Menu and Backup Utility.

Balabolka Portable is available for immediate download from the Balabolka Portable homepage . Get it today!

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Scraibe - Speech to Text 4+

Fast & accurate transcripts, florian ernst, designed for ipad.

• 4.7 • 3 Ratings
• Offers In-App Purchases

Screenshots

Description.

Meet Scraibe: The easiest way to turn Audio & Video files into Text! Direct File-to-Text Transcription Leverage the precision of OpenAI's Whisper and Apple's Neural Engine with Scraibe. Convert your audio and video files into readable text directly on your device or through our swift cloud-based service. Perfect for all your transcription needs. Unwavering Commitment to Privacy For on-device transcription, rest assured: your files and transcriptions stay with you. When utilizing our cloud option, we prioritize data safety and confidentiality. Broad Format Compatibility From podcasts to interviews, Scraibe seamlessly handles a wide range of audio and video formats. Plus, fine-tune your results with our audio track selection tool. Multilingual Support at Its Best Catering to a global audience? Scraibe recognizes and transcribes 90+ languages. And if you require English translations, we’re on it. Structured & Ready to Share Stay organized with Scraibe's user-friendly timeline and folder system. When it's sharing time, choose between TXT and SRT formats. Batch & Unlimited Cloud Transcriptions Queue files for on-device transcription or harness the power of cloud for unlimited parallel transcriptions. Your choice, our expertise. Transparent Pricing Model On-device services? One payment, full access. Cloud-based transcriptions? Use credits as you go. No subscriptions, no hidden fees. Privacy Policy: https://scraibe.app/privacy Terms of Service: https://scraibe.app/tos

Version 1.2.8

- Small bug fixes.

Ratings and Reviews

Good start but needs to become a share target.

good but can't share files from other apps to this app

Developer Response ,

Hey DoomBlah, thanks for your feedback, I'm happy to let you know that Scraibe now (version 1.2.6) supports importing files from other apps via the "Share" functionality!

App Privacy

The developer, Florian Ernst , 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:

• Diagnostics

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

Information

• On-Device Lifetime Pro $24.99
• 300 Cloud-Minutes $9.99
• 1000 Cloud-Minutes $19.99
• 4000 Cloud-Minutes $49.99
• Developer Website
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• Privacy Policy

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Voice to Text AI

Text to speech

An AI Speech feature that converts text to lifelike speech.

Bring your apps to life with natural-sounding voices

Build apps and services that speak naturally. Differentiate your brand with a customized, realistic voice generator, and access voices with different speaking styles and emotional tones to fit your use case—from text readers and talkers to customer support chatbots.

Lifelike synthesized speech

Enable fluid, natural-sounding text to speech that matches the intonation and emotion of human voices.

Customizable text-talker voices

Create a unique AI voice generator that reflects your brand's identity.

Fine-grained text-to-talk audio controls

Tune voice output for your scenarios by easily adjusting rate, pitch, pronunciation, pauses, and more.

Flexible deployment

Run Text to Speech anywhere—in the cloud, on-premises, or at the edge in containers.

Tailor your speech output

Fine-tune synthesized speech audio to fit your scenario.  Define lexicons  and control speech parameters such as pronunciation, pitch, rate, pauses, and intonation with  Speech Synthesis Markup Language  (SSML) or with the  audio content creation tool .

Deploy Text to Speech anywhere, from the cloud to the edge

Run Text to Speech wherever your data resides. Build lifelike speech synthesis into applications optimized for both robust cloud capabilities and edge locality using  containers .

Build a custom voice for your brand

Differentiate your brand with a unique  custom voice . Develop a highly realistic voice for more natural conversational interfaces using the Custom Neural Voice capability, starting with 30 minutes of audio.

Fuel App Innovation with Cloud AI Services

Learn five key ways your organization can get started with AI to realize value quickly.

Comprehensive privacy and security

Documentation.

AI Speech, part of Azure AI Services, is  certified  by SOC, FedRAMP, PCI DSS, HIPAA, HITECH, and ISO.

View and delete your custom voice data and synthesized speech models at any time. Your data is encrypted while it’s in storage.

Your data remains yours. Your text data isn't stored during data processing or audio voice generation.

Backed by Azure infrastructure, AI Speech offers enterprise-grade security, availability, compliance, and manageability.

Comprehensive security and compliance, built in

Microsoft invests more than $1 billion annually on cybersecurity research and development.

We employ more than 3,500 security experts who are dedicated to data security and privacy.

Azure has more certifications than any other cloud provider. View the comprehensive list .

Flexible pricing gives you the power and control you need

Pay only for what you use, with no upfront costs. With Text to Speech, you pay as you go based on the number of characters you convert to audio.

Get started with an Azure free account

After your credit, move to  pay as you go  to keep building with the same free services. Pay only if you use more than your free monthly amounts.

Guidelines for building responsible synthetic voices

Learn about responsible deployment

Synthetic voices must be designed to earn the trust of others. Learn the principles of building synthesized voices that create confidence in your company and services.

Obtain consent from voice talent

Help voice talent understand how neural text-to-speech (TTS) works and get information on recommended use cases.

Be transparent

Transparency is foundational to responsible use of computer voice generators and synthetic voices. Help ensure that users understand when they’re hearing a synthetic voice and that voice talent is aware of how their voice will be used. Learn more with our disclosure design guidelines.

Documentation and resources

Get started.

Read the  documentation

Take the  Microsoft Learn course

Get started with a 30-day learning journey

Explore code samples

Check out the  sample code

See customization resources

Customize your speech solution with  Speech studio . No code required.

Start building with AI Services