Email and documents
Answer emails in Outlook, draft proposals and reports in Word, write status updates in Teams, all at speaking speed instead of typing speed.
Best dictation software
Best Dictation Software for Windows, Mac and Linux in 2026, Including the Free Options
Speak into Outlook, Word, Gmail, Slack, Notion, VS Code or any browser field. Mr.Speech is dictation software for Windows 11 and 10, macOS and Linux: press a hotkey, talk, and AI turns what you said into clean text in the active app. Fully local on your computer, or European cloud processing, your choice per task.
- Local offline mode
- Processed in Europe when online
- Windows 11 and 10, macOS, Linux
- Around 100 languages
What dictation software does today
Dictation software in 2026: more than speech to text
Dictation software used to be a tool for doctors, lawyers and people who could not type: expensive, slow to train and tied to Windows. Today every operating system ships voice input. Windows 11 starts it with Win + H, the Mac has Dictation in the Edit menu, and Google Docs can take dictation in the browser. Those built-in tools type what you say. They do not make it a finished document: filler words, false starts and repetitions land in the text, you set the paragraphs yourself, and Windows voice typing needs an internet connection according to Microsoft.
Modern AI dictation software starts where they stop. It records what you say, detects the language, removes fillers, adds punctuation and paragraphs, and formats the text for the app you are writing in: an email with the greeting on its own line, a casual chat message with no trailing full stop, or a terminal command left exactly as spoken. Classic suites in the Dragon mould can do a lot of that but run only on Windows and are trained with a voice profile. Cloud tools such as Wispr Flow are fast and modern, but by their own documentation offer no offline transcription and no Linux version.
Mr.Speech is built for people who write all day: emails in Outlook, reports in Word, messages in Teams and Slack, tickets, notes, code comments. It runs natively on Windows 11 and 10, macOS and Linux, types into any application, learns your vocabulary, and lets you decide per task whether speech recognition runs entirely on your machine or on European infrastructure. It is free for local use. This page explains what it does, how it differs from Windows voice typing, Dragon and Wispr Flow, and how to write your first dictation in a few minutes.
Best dictation software
Why Mr.Speech
01
Dictate straight into any program
Press the hotkey and speak: the finished text appears at the cursor in Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams, Slack, VS Code or a PDF form. No clipboard juggling, no separate dictation window. Long dictations are transcribed while you are still talking, so a ten-minute dictation is in the document about two seconds after you stop.
02
AI cleanup instead of a word-for-word transcript
Windows voice typing types what you say and can add punctuation on request. Mr.Speech goes further: fillers disappear, self-corrections are understood (say dinner at seven, actually never mind, let's do eight, and you get Dinner at 8), paragraphs and lists build themselves. Nine cleanup styles, from literal to email, work in every language, not only English.
03
It knows which app you are dictating into
Only the formatting changes, never your words. In a mail client the greeting goes on its own line, in chat the text stays a casual block, in a terminal paths and flags are left exactly as spoken. A sign-off you did not say is never added.
04
Compared with Windows voice typing and Dragon
Unlike Windows voice typing, Mr.Speech learns your personal vocabulary and works without internet. Unlike Dragon Professional, which runs only on Windows, the same app exists for Mac and Linux, with no voice profile to train. Dragon remains the benchmark for clinical and legal vocabularies with deep command macros, and we say so openly.
05
Offline on your PC or European servers
For law firms, practices, public bodies and anyone who works confidentially: in local mode, speech recognition runs with 40 languages and real punctuation on an ordinary processor, with no internet connection and no audio leaving the machine. The cloud mode is processed in Europe; the processors are named in the privacy policy.
Comparison
Dictation software compared: Mr.Speech, Windows, Dragon, Wispr Flow
Every cell is checkable on the vendor's own pages. What we could not confirm there is marked as such in the table rather than guessed.
| Mr.Speech | Windows voice typing (Win + H) | Dragon Professional | Wispr Flow | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runs on Windows, Mac and Linux | All three, natively, from one codebase | Windows only | Windows 11 and 10 only | Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android; no Linux |
| Types into every app | System wide, native apps and terminals included | Any text box with a cursor | Yes, its core strength on Windows | Yes, speech to text in every application |
| AI cleanup of filler words | Fillers removed, paragraphs, nine cleanup styles | Optional automatic punctuation, no cleanup described | Not described on the product page | Removes fillers, adds punctuation, formats |
| Offline mode | Local engine, 40 languages, no internet needed | Per Microsoft, requires an internet connection | Desktop recognition runs locally | Per their docs, offline transcription is not available |
| Personal dictionary | Your own terms plus one-click correction suggestions | No personal word list described in the help | Add words and phrases to the vocabulary | Learns names automatically or manually |
| Meeting transcription included | Meetings without a bot, speaker labels, local or in the EU | Dictation only | Transcription of digital recorder files afterwards | Notetaker for Windows and Mac |
| Free | Free for local use; the open beta account includes cloud and meetings | Included in Windows | Commercial licence; no free plan described on the product page | Free plan with no credit card, per the vendor |
Windows, Dragon Professional and Wispr Flow details checked on the vendors' own pages on 25 September 2026. Products change, so verify anything decisive yourself.
How to
Install and dictate for the first time on Windows 11, Mac and Linux
Create an account, install the app, set a hotkey, speak. The first sentence is in the document in under two minutes.
01
Windows 11 and Windows 10
Download the native installer and create your account on first launch. Set your hotkey in the settings. Then open Outlook, Word or any text field, hold the key, speak, release: the finished text appears at the cursor. Windows voice typing (Win + H) is untouched, so you can use both side by side.
02
macOS
Install the app for Apple Silicon Macs and, on your first dictation, allow access to the microphone and to Accessibility so text can be typed into other programs. After that the same rule applies: hotkey, speak, and the text appears in Mail, Pages, Safari or the Terminal.
03
Linux
Open the downloaded .deb package or choose the RPM. In a terminal: sudo apt install ./Mr.Speech_x.y.z_amd64.deb (not dpkg -i, which skips the required libraries). Ubuntu 24.04, Debian 13 or newer is required. Wayland, Hyprland and KDE are supported natively, and the insertion path is chosen per environment.
04
Two ways to record
Hold to talk, or tap once and the recording stops automatically when you go quiet. Separate hotkeys exist for dictation, the voice instruction, voice commands, the AI agent and meetings. Your clipboard is saved and restored around every paste.
05
Choose local or cloud
For confidential dictation turn on local mode: speech recognition then runs entirely on your computer, without internet. For the strongest accuracy in around 100 languages use the cloud mode, which is processed in Europe. Nothing switches behind your back.
Best dictation software01 02 03
Use cases
Names and custom terms
Product names, case references, drug names or code identifiers go in the personal dictionary. Your corrections are detected and offered back as one-click suggestions.
Meetings and notes included
Mr.Speech is more than dictation software: record Teams, Zoom and in-person meetings without a bot, get a protocol and tasks, and keep notes with wiki links and Kanban boards.
Questions
Questions
What is the best dictation software for Windows?
For a quick sentence, Windows voice typing (Win + H) is already there and free. For finished emails and reports, dictation software with AI cleanup, a personal dictionary and an offline option is the difference. Mr.Speech runs natively on Windows 11 and 10 and adds all three. Dragon Professional stays the benchmark for clinical and legal vocabularies with deep command macros, on Windows only.
Is there free dictation software?
Yes. Windows 11 and macOS include a free voice input that types what you say word for word. Mr.Speech is also free for local use on the desktop, with no trial period and no credit card; during the open beta a free account also includes cloud transcription and meeting features. The difference is the cleanup, the personal dictionary and the choice between local and cloud.
Is Dragon still the best?
For specialised clinical and legal vocabulary and deep command macros on Windows, Dragon's depth is hard to replace, and we do not pretend otherwise. Dragon Professional runs on Windows 11 and 10 only, the Mac client was discontinued in 2018, and the product page does not describe AI cleanup of filler words. If you work across Windows, Mac and Linux, or want dictation, meetings and notes in one app, Mr.Speech is the newer shape of the problem.
Does dictation software work offline?
Mr.Speech does: local mode runs the speech models on your computer with no internet and no audio leaving the machine. Dragon's desktop recognition also runs locally. Windows voice typing needs an internet connection according to Microsoft, and Wispr Flow's own docs say offline transcription is not available.
How is Mr.Speech different from Windows 11 voice typing?
Windows voice typing types word for word, fillers and stumbles included, and needs a connection. Mr.Speech uses modern AI models to turn speech into clear, grammatical text, filters out false starts, formats for the app, learns your vocabulary and can run completely offline. It also runs on Mac and Linux. Win + H keeps working alongside it.
Does it work in Word and Outlook?
Yes. Mr.Speech types into any application with a cursor: Word, Outlook, Excel, Teams, browsers, practice and case management software, terminals. In a mail client the text is formatted as an email, in Word as prose with paragraphs.
Is there dictation software for Mac?
Yes. Mr.Speech runs natively on Apple Silicon Macs with the same features as on Windows and Linux. macOS Dictation is also built in and free; Apple lists on-device Dictation for English, French and German.
Is there dictation software for Linux?
Yes. Mr.Speech ships as .deb and .rpm packages (Ubuntu 24.04, Debian 13 or newer), including Wayland, Hyprland and KDE. Dragon, Wispr Flow and superwhisper offer no Linux version according to their own sites.
Is Mr.Speech a good alternative to Wispr Flow?
Wispr Flow cleans up text well too, but by its own documentation has no offline transcription and no Linux version. Mr.Speech combines a local mode, a European cloud, three desktop systems and meetings in one app. The Wispr Flow comparison page lists eight alternatives side by side.
Is it suitable for law firms and medical practices?
The local mode is designed for exactly that: processing stays on the device and no audio leaves the machine. We claim no certification; we say precisely where processing happens so your firm or practice can make its own assessment. The details are on our security page and in the privacy policy.
