Best dictation software for occupational therapists (2026)

Occupational therapists look at dictation from two sides: you need to get your own evaluations and daily notes written, and you often recommend voice tools to clients. For your own documentation on a Mac, Sayburst is our pick: it types into any EMR, removes the "ums", and keeps your voice on the Mac. For clients, the free tools built into macOS, Apple Dictation and Voice Control, are often the right first recommendation, and we explain when Sayburst is the better next step.

We make Sayburst. Other products are described from their official pages, checked October 31, 2026. Nothing here replaces your clinical judgement about what suits a particular client.

#Quick picks

For your documentation

• Any EMR on a Mac, dictate your own notes: Sayburst.
• Clinic on WebPT: WebPT's AI Voice-To-Text Scribe.
• Clinic on Jane: Jane's AI Scribe.
• Ambient scribe alongside any EMR, free to start: Heidi.

For clients

• Free, simple dictation: Apple Dictation.
• Needs to control the whole Mac by voice: Voice Control.
• Writes a lot and can press or tap one key: Sayburst.

#At a glance

1

Sayburst

Best for OTs writing their own evaluations and notes on a Mac · Price $29 once (1 Mac), $49 (3 Macs)

Sayburst types wherever the cursor is, so it works in WebPT, Jane, a hospital EMR in the browser, or a Word template for a home assessment report, with nothing to integrate. Click the field, hold fn, talk, let go. Fillers and repeats are removed, your own corrections are resolved, and Notes mode turns a spoken list of recommendations into bullets.

Add your vocabulary once: assessment names, equipment (tub transfer bench, reacher, sock aid), your facility's abbreviations. Speech recognition runs on the Mac and Sayburst never uploads audio, which is useful when notes contain patient details. If the EMR session times out mid-note and the text can't be inserted, Sayburst keeps it; ⌃⌥⌘V pastes it back.

Pros: any EMR, on-device, no subscription, hands-free option for long reports. Cons: Mac only. It doesn't listen to the session or draft the note for you, and it isn't a voice-control tool.

2

Apple Dictation

Best for Free speech recognition on any Mac · Price Free

If you or a client want free speech recognition on a Mac, this is it. Turn it on in System Settings › Keyboard › Dictation, then press the Microphone key or the dictation shortcut in any text field. Apple says it adds commas, periods and question marks automatically in supported languages, and many languages run on-device on Apple silicon. It stops after 30 seconds of silence, keeps fillers and has no custom vocabulary. As a first recommendation for a client who writes occasional emails, it's hard to beat on price.

3

Apple Voice Control

Best for Clients who need to operate the Mac by voice · Price Free

Voice Control is the accessibility feature for controlling the whole Mac by voice: Apple says you can "navigate the desktop and apps, interact with what's on the screen, dictate and edit text", with numbered labels and a grid for clicking. Find it in System Settings › Accessibility › Voice Control. When it's on, it replaces standard Dictation for text entry. It's the right tool for clients who can't reliably use a keyboard or mouse at all; for clients who can press one key, a dictation app is usually quicker for writing. Our Voice Control vs dictation guide compares them.

4

WebPT AI Voice-To-Text Scribe

Best for Rehab clinics already on WebPT · Price Through WebPT sales

WebPT, the rehab therapy EMR, offers an AI Voice-To-Text Scribe that it says "listens, understands, and transforms your conversations into structured, compliant documentation", built for rehab therapy. WebPT lists OT-specific product pages, though the scribe page doesn't spell out OT templates. No public price; ask your WebPT rep.

5

Jane AI Scribe

Best for OT practices that chart in Jane · Price See Jane's pricing page

Jane's scribe records live or online sessions, or takes dictation, and drafts chart notes inside Jane. It's available to US, Canadian and UK clinics. Convenient if Jane is your practice system; it doesn't help elsewhere.

6

Heidi Health

Best for Trying an ambient scribe without changing EMR · Price Free tier; paid plans through Heidi

Heidi's free tier includes unlimited transcription with standard templates, with Mac and Windows desktop apps and a web app. Paid plans have 14-day trials, but Heidi doesn't list their prices, and EHR integration isn't in the free tier, so you'd copy notes into your system.

#A home safety assessment, dictated on site

Said into the report template after walking through the house:

"Client is independent with toilet transfers using the grab bar. Requires, um, minimal assist for tub transfers. Recommendations. Bullet point tub transfer bench. Bullet point remove the hallway throw rugs. Bullet point raised toilet seat, no, raised seat is already in place, so add night lights to the hallway instead."

What Sayburst types in Notes mode:

Client is independent with toilet transfers using the grab bar. Requires minimal assist for tub transfers.

Recommendations:

• Tub transfer bench
• Remove the hallway throw rugs
• Add night lights to the hallway

The recommendation you corrected mid-sentence is replaced, not left alongside the right one. That's the edit you'd otherwise make by hand on every report.

#Recommending dictation to clients

OTs know better than anyone that the right tool depends on the person. A few practical matches for Mac users:

• Can press and hold a key comfortably: Sayburst's default. Hold fn, speak, release.
• Can tap but not hold: tap fn once to start hands-free and tap again to finish, or use ⌥Space as a toggle.
• Prefers the mouse: a middle or side mouse button can be the dictation button, held or clicked.
• Has a different key that's easier to reach: right Option, right Command, right Control, or any shortcut you record.
• Can't use keys or a mouse reliably: Voice Control, which can run the whole Mac.

Sayburst's cleanup also helps clients for whom editing is the hard part: fewer fillers and repeats to fix means less keyboard and mouse work after each dictation. And if text can't be inserted, nothing is lost. If you're working with clients whose writing is limited by hand pain, our guide to dictation software for RSI covers setup in more depth. Clients with new or worsening symptoms should, of course, be assessed by their physician or therapist rather than relying on any software.

For speech-language or physical therapy colleagues, see our roundups for speech therapists and physical therapists.

#Privacy for clinical notes

• Sayburst recognizes speech on the Mac and never uploads audio; recordings are deleted after transcription unless you keep them. Cleanup and Sayburst Writer run on the Mac too. A cloud writing provider only sees text, only if you connect one, and Sayburst shows what will be sent first.
• Scribes record the session and process it as an online service under each vendor's terms.
• Your EMR stores the note, as it does for typed text.

Keeping audio on the Mac helps privacy, but we don't claim any compliance certification for Sayburst. Your employer or practice decides what tools are allowed with patient information, and recording sessions for a scribe usually requires the client's consent. For more on clinical dictation generally, see medical dictation software.

#How we chose

We split the list into tools for your own documentation and tools to recommend, because OTs need both. We favoured options that work in the EMRs therapists use, keep audio contained, and have a free or one-time price where possible. Facts about other products come from official product, pricing and support pages, not hands-on testing.

#Where Sayburst isn't the right call

If your clinic is on WebPT or Jane and wants visit-to-note automation, their scribes sit inside the chart. If a client needs to control the whole computer by voice, Voice Control does that and Sayburst doesn't. If a client is on Windows or an iPad, Sayburst won't run; Windows voice typing and iPad dictation are built in. And if free Apple Dictation covers a client's needs, that's the right recommendation. Sayburst earns its place when someone writes a lot on a Mac and wants the text clean the first time.

Questions people ask

What is the best dictation software for occupational therapists?

For writing your own evaluations and daily notes on a Mac, Sayburst: it types into any EMR, keeps audio on the Mac and costs $29 once. If your clinic uses WebPT or Jane, check their built-in AI scribes too.

Is there free speech recognition software for Mac?

Yes. Apple Dictation is built into macOS and free, with automatic punctuation in supported languages. Voice Control, also free, adds full control of the Mac by voice for people who can't use a keyboard or mouse.

What dictation software should I recommend to a client?

It depends on what they can do with their hands and what they need to write. Apple Dictation is a free starting point, Voice Control suits clients who need hands-free control, and Sayburst suits Mac users who write a lot and can press one key or tap it once.

Can OTs dictate notes into WebPT or other EMRs?

WebPT offers its own AI Voice-To-Text Scribe. A system-wide dictation app like Sayburst also types into browser-based EMRs: click the note field, hold fn, speak, release.