Voicy vs Dictation.io: an app or a web page for dictation?

Use Dictation.io when you need words out of your head right now, on any computer with Chrome, and don't mind copying them somewhere afterwards. Use Voicy when you dictate every day and want text to land directly in your email, documents and chat, on your computer and your phone, and you're willing to pay for it.

We make Sayburst, a Mac dictation app we cover at the end. Dictation.io facts are from dictation.io and its speech page; Voicy facts are from its own website (homepage FAQ, pricing, offline dictation page and privacy policy). Checked October 31, 2026. This is a comparison from official pages, not a hands-on test.

#Side by side

#The workflow difference

This matters more than any feature line.

Dictation.io is a notepad. You open the page in Chrome (the speech page asks you to), pick a language, click to start and talk. You can say punctuation, say "new line" to break a line, and say the name of a smiley to insert it. When you're done, the buttons do the rest: copy, save, email, print, publish online, read it aloud, or post it. Then you paste it where it was going.

Voicy skips the notepad. Its apps dictate into any app or website on your computer, so the email reply goes straight into the reply box. It adds punctuation and formatting on its own and detects which of its 50+ languages you're speaking. It also has iPhone and Android apps, while Dictation.io's requirements list Chrome on Windows, Mac or Linux.

If you dictate twice a week, Dictation.io's copy-paste step is a small tax. If you dictate twenty times a day, it's the whole problem. For other ways to talk to a browser, see speech to text in Chrome on a Mac and our Chrome speech-to-text extensions roundup.

#Price

Dictation.io's site doesn't mention a price, a plan or an account, so in practice you open it and use it.

Voicy has no free tier. You get a 30-minute recording trial with full features and no card, then Pro at $8.49 a month or $82 a year, or $260 for a lifetime license. Students and people with disabilities get 20% off, and a Team plan is $6.79 per user per month with three users minimum. Our Voicy review covers what you get.

#Privacy

Dictation.io says it stores the converted text locally in your browser and uploads it nowhere, except when you choose to publish a note online. The speech itself is recognized with Google Speech Recognition through Chrome, and the site lists an internet connection as a requirement, so plan on your voice reaching Google's service.

Voicy's privacy policy says recordings go to its servers in the EU and US and the audio is sent to the Groq API for transcription; it says neither stores it. Its desktop offline mode keeps audio on your computer instead. On a Mac, that needs macOS 15 or later.

#When the web page is enough

Dictation.io has a real place. On a borrowed or locked-down computer where you can't install anything, it's the fastest way to dictate: open a tab, talk, copy. It's also fine for a rough first draft you'll reshape anyway, since the text has to be edited before it goes anywhere. Where it struggles is anything you'd send as-is, because every message takes a trip through a text box and the clipboard.

#Which should you pick?

• Dictation.io for occasional dictation on any Chrome computer, nothing to install, no account.
• Voicy if you dictate daily and want it typed straight into your apps on desktop and phone, with an offline option on desktop.

#A third option: Sayburst

If you're on a Mac, Sayburst types straight into any app the way Voicy does, but recognition runs on your Mac every time and you pay $29 once for one Mac after a 7-day free trial. No Chrome requirement, no copy-paste, and no internet needed once the model is downloaded. It works in Safari, Chrome, Arc, Firefox and every native app.

Writing a product listing straight into your shop's web form, you hold fn and say:

"Hand thrown stoneware mug, um, holds about twelve ounces. New line. Dishwasher safe, microwave safe. New line. Each one is, uh, glazed by hand so the color varies a little."

And the description field gets:

Hand-thrown stoneware mug, holds about 12 ounces. Dishwasher safe, microwave safe. Each one is glazed by hand, so the color varies a little.

If you click out of the form before you finish, Sayburst keeps the text and offers it back, and ⌃⌥⌘V pastes your last dictation anywhere.

Sayburst is Mac-only and needs an Apple silicon Mac on macOS 14 or later, so on Windows, Linux or a phone, Voicy or Dictation.io fits better. See Sayburst vs Voicy and every matchup on /compare.

Our take

Dictation.io is a quick, no-install notepad for occasional use in Chrome. Voicy is the step up for daily dictation into your apps across desktop and phone, at a subscription price. On a Mac, Sayburst types into any app with on-device recognition for a one-time $29.

Questions people ask

What's the difference between Voicy and Dictation.io?

Dictation.io is a web page: you open it in Google Chrome, dictate into its text box, then copy, save, email or print the result. Voicy is an app that types directly into whatever app or website you're using, on desktop, phone and in Chrome.

Is Dictation.io free?

Dictation.io doesn't list a price, plan or sign-up on its site. Voicy is paid: a 30-minute recording trial, then $8.49 a month, $82 a year or $260 for life.

Does Dictation.io work in Safari or offline?

No. Dictation.io asks you to open it in Google Chrome and lists an internet connection in its requirements. Voicy has an offline mode in its Mac, Windows and Linux apps.

Is Dictation.io private?

It says it stores the converted text locally in your browser and uploads no data, but recognition is done by Google Speech Recognition through Chrome. Voicy sends audio to its servers and the Groq API in normal use, and keeps it on your computer in offline mode.