How to dictate text with AI instead of typing

By the end of this guide you will be able to speak into your computer or phone and have clean, punctuated text appear in the app you are working in, such as an email, a chat or a document. The job is done by an AI dictation app: you press a hotkey or tap a button, talk, and the app turns the speech into text where your cursor is.

If you want to dictate text with AI regularly, the choice that matters most is where the speech is processed and which devices you use. This guide covers how to set up, train and check dictation, and compares five tools from our Audio and voice category.

Key takeaways

• Install a dictation app, give it microphone access, set a hotkey, speak in short clear sentences, then read the text back before you send it.
• The main decision is your platform and privacy needs: Wispr Flow and AI Dictation cover Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android, while Whisper by Remskill runs local models on Windows and Apple Silicon Macs.
• Some free tiers are capped: Wispr Flow limits weekly dictation, and AI Dictation's trial is a one-time 5,000 words.
• Dictation is a draft. Check names, numbers and anything legal, medical or financial before you send or file it.

What you need before you start

• A microphone. A headset or a decent laptop microphone is enough, but a quiet room matters more than the hardware.
• A supported device. Check the platform list below. Some tools are desktop only, and some need a recent operating system.
• An install and microphone permission. AI Dictation also says you must sign in before downloading.
• A short list of terms. Names, products and jargon you use often, so you can add them to a custom dictionary.
• Time. Setup takes under an hour, and it takes a few days of use before dictating feels natural.
• Difficulty. Easy. The main learning curve is speaking in complete thoughts.

Which kind of AI tool fits this job

Choose by where you want the text to appear and where the audio is allowed to go.

A dictation app that types into any app. Wispr Flow types what you say into whatever app your cursor is in, on Mac, Windows, iOS and Android. It supports more than 100 languages, learns your names and jargon, and keeps a personal dictionary and snippets. AI Dictation also inserts text at your cursor on macOS, Windows, iPhone and Android, strips filler words and false starts, and keeps mixed-language sentences as spoken. It suits people who switch between languages mid-sentence.

A local, offline app for privacy. Whisper by Remskill is a desktop app for Windows 10 and 11 and Apple Silicon Macs. You hold a global hotkey, speak, release, and the transcript is pasted at your cursor. Its free tier runs local models, and the listing says nothing leaves your device. Cloud features are optional and need your own OpenAI key.

A reading app with dictation included. Speechify is mainly a text-to-speech app that reads documents aloud, but its Premium plan includes Voice Typing for dictation. It makes sense if you already want the listening features.

A phone keyboard with voice input. Kika Keyboard is a free keyboard for Android and iOS with predictive text, autocorrect and voice typing. It is a lighter option for messages on a phone than a full dictation app.

Step 1: Choose an app for your devices

Pick one tool that runs on the devices you use every day.

1. List where you type most: laptop, phone or both.
2. Match that to the platforms. Whisper by Remskill is Windows and macOS only, and Kika Keyboard is Android and iOS only.
3. Decide how sensitive your text is. If it must stay on your machine, favour a local tool.
4. Check the free plan or trial against how much you dictate. Wispr Flow's Free plan limits weekly dictation to about 2,000 words on Mac and Windows, 550 on iOS and 1,000 on Android. AI Dictation's Free trial is 5,000 words once.

Check it worked by confirming the app lists your operating system and version.

Step 2: Install it and allow the microphone

You want the app running with permission to hear you and to type into other apps.

1. Download and install the app, or add the keyboard on your phone.
2. Sign in if required. AI Dictation says you must sign in before downloading.
3. Allow microphone access when your operating system asks.
4. Allow any accessibility or input permissions the app asks for, so it can insert text at the cursor.

Check it worked by opening a blank note and confirming the app shows that it is ready.

Step 3: Set the hotkey and language

Choose how you start and stop dictating and tell the app what you speak.

1. Pick a hotkey that is easy to hold or tap. Whisper by Remskill uses a push-to-talk hotkey: hold, speak, release.
2. Select your language. Wispr Flow supports more than 100 languages, and AI Dictation lists 99+.
3. If you mix languages, test a mixed sentence. AI Dictation is built to leave such sentences untranslated.
4. If you work offline, check which languages are available offline. AI Dictation lists offline mode for 25 languages.

Check it worked by dictating one sentence into a blank note and seeing it appear.

Step 4: Teach it your names and terms

A custom dictionary prevents the same error from appearing every day.

1. Add names, product names, acronyms and technical words to the dictionary or custom vocabulary. Wispr Flow has a personal dictionary and snippets. Whisper by Remskill has custom vocabulary and hotwords.
2. Add snippets for text you type often, such as a signature or an address, if the app supports them.
3. Dictate a paragraph that uses those terms and correct anything wrong.
4. For a team, check whether a shared dictionary is available. Wispr Flow lists a shared team dictionary and snippets.

Check it worked by dictating the same term twice and seeing it spelled right both times.

Step 5: Dictate a real message

Move from a test sentence to everyday writing.

1. Open the app where you will write, such as an email or a document.
2. Start dictation and speak in full sentences. Say punctuation commands only if your tool expects them, and otherwise let the app add punctuation.
3. Pause between thoughts. Cleanup features in tools like AI Dictation strip filler words and false starts, but clear speech still gives better text.
4. Stop dictation and read the result before moving on.

Check it worked by reading a paragraph and finding it needs only light edits.

Step 6: Clean up and proofread

Dictation gets you a first draft quickly. A short edit makes it ready.

1. Fix names, numbers, dates and homophones first.
2. Check the sentence breaks and paragraph breaks.
3. If your tool offers AI rewrites or cleanup, use them for tone, then reread. Whisper by Remskill lists AI rewrites through a local Ollama model, and it also lists filler-word removal.
4. For anything legal, medical or financial, have a person check the final text. AI Dictation lists no SOC 2 or HIPAA compliance, while Wispr Flow lists HIPAA-ready dictation on eligible plans, so check what your work requires.

Check it worked by sending the text to yourself and rereading it on a different screen.

Step 7: Build it into your routine

Use dictation where it saves time and keep the keyboard for the rest.

1. Start with email replies, chat messages and first drafts.
2. Try dictation on your phone for notes while you are away from a desk.
3. Review your free plan's word limit if you are on one, and decide whether to upgrade.
4. Revisit your dictionary every week for the first month.

Check it worked by tracking how often you reach for the keyboard to fix dictated text. It should drop over time.

Tools for this job compared

Tool	Good fit for	Pricing	Stated limits
Wispr Flow	Dictating into any app on macOS, Windows, iOS and Android	Freemium, paid from $12/mo (checked 24 Oct 2026)	Free plan limits weekly dictation; Notetaker works on Mac and Windows only; Enterprise is sales-led
AI Dictation	Mixed-language dictation on macOS, Windows, iOS and Android	Free trial, paid from $8.49/mo (checked 24 Oct 2026)	Free trial is 5,000 words once; cleanup needs internet; no team plan, no SOC 2 or HIPAA
Whisper by Remskill	Offline hotkey dictation on Windows and Apple Silicon Macs	Freemium, paid from $9.99/mo (checked 24 Oct 2026)	Intel Macs not supported; local models take disk space; cloud features need your own OpenAI key
Speechify	Listening to documents, with Voice Typing on Premium	Freemium, paid from $139/yr (checked 24 Oct 2026)	Free plan has 10 basic voices and a 1.5x speed cap; app store prices can differ from speechify.com
Kika Keyboard	Voice input on an Android or iOS keyboard	Free	Some games or messaging apps are incompatible; Android may switch back to the default keyboard after a reboot

Prices and plan limits change, so confirm the current terms on each vendor's site before you subscribe.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Dictating in a noisy room. Background noise causes wrong words and missed sentences. Fix it by moving somewhere quiet or using a headset.
• Not adding your vocabulary. The same name or acronym is wrong every time. Fix it by adding terms to the custom dictionary in your first week.
• Sending without rereading. Homophones and missing words slip through even when the text looks clean. Fix it by reading the draft once before you send.
• Dictating sensitive information into a cloud tool. Some cleanup runs on a server. AI Dictation's cleanup runs in the cloud, for example, while Whisper by Remskill's free tier keeps everything local. Fix it by choosing the tool that matches your data rules.
• Hitting the free cap mid-task. Weekly word limits end when you most need the tool. Fix it by checking the limit for your platform before you rely on it.

How we put this together

This is an evidence-based guide built from each tool's listing in our directory, which is compiled from the vendor's own site and pricing page. It is not a review based on using the tools. We don't rank tools, and nobody paid to be included. Some outbound links may be affiliate links; see our disclosure.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a free way to dictate text with AI?

Yes. Wispr Flow has a free plan with weekly word limits, AI Dictation has a one-time trial of 5,000 words, Whisper by Remskill's free tier offers unlimited local transcription, and Kika Keyboard is described as free. Each has limits, so check the one that matches your device.

Can I dictate on my phone?

Yes. Wispr Flow and AI Dictation both list iOS and Android apps, Speechify lists iPhone and Android apps and includes Voice Typing on Premium, and Kika Keyboard works on Android and iOS. Whisper by Remskill is for Windows and macOS only.

Can I dictate offline and keep my audio private?

Some tools can. Whisper by Remskill runs local models and says nothing leaves your device on the free tier. AI Dictation can run speech recognition on your device, but its cleanup uses the cloud. Check each vendor's privacy terms for details.

How accurate is AI dictation?

It is good enough for a first draft, but not a final copy. Names, numbers and jargon are the usual errors, and noise or fast speech makes them worse. A custom dictionary and a quick proofread fix most of it.

Does dictation work in other languages?

Often, yes. Wispr Flow lists more than 100 languages and AI Dictation lists 99+, while Whisper by Remskill covers 99 languages with translate-to-English. Test your own language before committing to a paid plan.

Compare more options in our Audio and voice category.