Voice typing app: which one to use on Mac, phone and PC

You probably don't need to install a voice typing app on your phone or PC. The iPhone keyboard, Gboard on Android, and Windows 11 all have a talk-and-it-types button built in. On a Mac, Apple's Dictation is free too, and a dedicated app like Sayburst is worth it once you're dictating every day and want clean text in every app.

We make Sayburst, so read the Mac section knowing that. Everything about other platforms comes from Apple, Google and Microsoft's own support pages, checked November 2026.

#Quick answer by device

#A voice keyboard on your phone

On a phone, the "voice typing app" is your keyboard. You don't need a separate talking-and-typing app to dictate a text, an email or a note.

iPhone

1. Open Settings › General › Keyboard and turn on Enable Dictation.
2. Tap any text field and tap the microphone on the keyboard.
3. Talk. Tap the mic again when you're done, or say "Stop dictation".

The keyboard stays open while you speak, so you can tap to fix a word and keep going. Dictation is processed on the iPhone in many languages with no connection needed. You can say "new paragraph", spell a name letter by letter, or say "delete" followed by a phrase to remove it.

Android

Install or switch to Gboard (it's the default on many phones). Tap a text field, tap the microphone at the top of the keyboard, and speak when you see "Speak now". On a tablet, Gboard can show a voice toolbar instead of the full keyboard.

If the mic doesn't respond or you see "no permissions to enable voice typing", go to Settings › Apps, open the app, tap Permissions and allow Microphone. Our voice typing troubleshooting guide covers the other common failures.

#Voice typing on a Windows PC

Windows 11 has it built in: press WindowsH with your cursor in a text box, wait for "Listening...", and talk. You can turn on automatic punctuation in the voice typing settings. Microsoft says standard voice typing uses online speech recognition, so it won't work offline. Sayburst is Mac-only, so on a PC this is the place to start.

#Voice typing on a Mac

Apple Dictation: free and already there

Turn on Dictation in System Settings › Keyboard, click into any text field, and press the Dictation shortcut. It works in nearly every app, punctuates automatically in supported languages and, on Apple silicon, runs on the Mac for many languages. Steps for every device are in our voice to text guide.

It's a fine choice for short replies. The limits show up when you use it for real writing: it keeps fillers, stops after 30 seconds of silence, and has no way to learn the names you use every day.

Sayburst: a voice typing app built for daily writing

Sayburst replaces the toggle with a single key. Hold fn, talk, let go, and the text is inserted at your cursor. In between, a small overlay shows your words as you speak, with a level meter so you know the mic is hearing you.

What makes it different from a voice keyboard:

• Clean text, not a transcript. Fillers and accidental repeats are removed, capitals and punctuation fixed, and self-corrections resolved, all on the Mac.
• A mode per app. Message mode for Slack and WhatsApp (casual, no forced final period), Email for Mail, Notes for bullet points.
• Your words. Add names and jargon to the vocabulary and they come out right. Map phrases like "my address" to the full text.
• Local and offline. Parakeet or Whisper runs on your Mac. After the one-time model download, it works with Wi-Fi off and audio is never uploaded.
• One price. A free 7-day trial, then $29 once for one Mac or $49 for up to three. No subscription. See Mac dictation apps without a subscription for how that compares.

It needs an Apple silicon Mac (M1 or later) with macOS 14 Sonoma or later.

Here's what it does with a reply you'd normally thumb out on a phone, dictated into Messages on the Mac:

"Yeah running like ten minutes late, um, the train's stuck at, at Clapham, save me a seat near the window"

What gets typed:

Yeah running like ten minutes late, the train's stuck at Clapham, save me a seat near the window

For a side-by-side with Apple's tool, read Sayburst vs Apple Dictation.

#How to pick a voice typing app

A few questions sort it out quickly:

1. Where do you write? If it's mostly a phone, use the keyboard you have. If it's a Mac all day, a dedicated app pays off.
2. Does it need to work offline? Windows voice typing and Google Docs voice typing run online. Apple Dictation on Apple silicon and Sayburst run on the device.
3. How much cleanup do you want? A plain transcript is fine for a search. For emails and documents, fillers and missing paragraphs cost you time.
4. Do you dictate names and jargon? Look for a custom vocabulary.
5. Subscription or not? Many cloud dictation apps charge monthly. Check whether you're renting it.

For a wider list across every platform, including paid cloud apps, see the best talk to text apps.

#Text to speech is a different thing

Plenty of people search for a "text to speech keyboard" when they mean a voice keyboard. Text to speech reads text out loud: Spoken Content on a Mac or iPhone, for example. Speech to text is what types for you. If you want to talk and see words appear, everything above is what you're after.

Questions people ask

Is there a keyboard with voice to text?

Yes, the one you already have. The iPhone keyboard has a microphone button once Enable Dictation is on, and Gboard on Android has a microphone at the top of the keyboard. Tap it and talk.

Is a text to speech keyboard the same as voice typing?

No. Text to speech reads text out loud. Voice typing, also called speech to text, does the opposite: you talk and it types. Most people searching for a voice keyboard want speech to text.

What's the best voice typing app for Mac?

Apple's built-in Dictation is free and fine for short text. For daily writing, a hold-to-talk app like Sayburst types cleaner text in any app, runs on the Mac and costs $29 once.

Do I need to download a voice typing app on Windows?

No. Press Windows key + H in any text box to start Windows voice typing. It needs an internet connection.