Braina vs Philips SpeechLive (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Braina grades higher than Philips SpeechLive: 2.4 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 6, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Braina grades higher on value for money and ease of use. Philips SpeechLive grades higher on platforms. They get the same grade on the free plan and features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Braina
Voice assistant and dictation software for Windows and macOS
Philips SpeechLive
Cloud dictation and speech recognition for legal and health teams
Which one is for you
Pick Braina if
- Fits if you're on Windows and want to dictate and also control the PC by voice
- Works for medical, legal or technical writing, since you can teach it custom vocabulary
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want free dictation, because the Lite edition leaves dictation out
- Pricey if you're on a Mac, since macOS support starts at Pro Plus, $199 for 2 years
- Not for you if you want to dictate on your phone, as the mobile apps are just microphones for the desktop
- Watch out: licenses run for fixed terms of 1, 2 or 3 years, so you pay again when the term ends
- Watch out: refunds must be asked for within 7 days and have 12% deducted, and the Pro Plus offer always ends tomorrow
Pick Philips SpeechLive if
- Fits if you dictate legal or medical documents and use Philips hardware
- Works for teams that pass dictation to typists in a workflow
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you buy for yourself: every plan is per user, billed yearly, excluding tax
- Skip it if you want a free plan, as there isn't one after the two-week trial
- Watch out: the AI Assistant plans are $54 for 2026, then $76.80 from 2027
- Watch out: typed transcription is billed per minute from a prepaid balance, from $1.39 a minute
- Not for you if you have an Intel Mac, which uses a legacy version
How we grade them
| 2.4GPABrainaFair | 2.2GPAPhilips SpeechLiveFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CPro is $99 for a year on one Windows PC, about $8.25 a month, which is the ordinary middle of this category. It's a fixed term, not a licence you keep, and a Mac needs Pro Plus at $199 for two years. | DWorkflow is $21.90 a user a month on yearly billing, excluding tax, past the category's dearest-tenth line of $19.99. Legal and Health plans run from $47.80 to $103. |
| Free plan and trial | CBraina Lite is free on one computer, with voice commands, AI chat on 300 credits and offline audio transcription. It leaves out dictation, which is the thing people come here for. | CA two-week free trial with all Enterprise features and no credit card, for up to 10 users and 200 minutes each. No free plan. |
| Features | BDictation into any program with spoken commands like "new paragraph" and "delete that", custom vocabulary and templates, plus a voice assistant that opens apps and runs macros, AI chat with local models and offline file transcription. No gap in the core job. | BDictation workflow, speech recognition at the cursor, AI drafts, clinical notes and hardware support. Nothing in the listing is missing from the core job. |
| Ease of use | BNo store rating on record, but you install it and talk: the vendor says there's no voice training and no user profiles to build before you start dictating. | CNo store rating on record. It has accounts, hardware and a workflow to set up. |
| Platforms and integrations | CComputers only, and even then Pro is Windows while macOS needs Pro Plus. The Android and iOS apps are just wireless microphones for the desktop program, not dictation apps. | BWeb, Windows, Mac, iOS, Android and a browser extension, with Philips SpeechMike and its device connector. No API or wider integration list. |
| Best for | dictation plus voice control of a Windows PC | professional dictation for legal and health work |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Braina and Philips SpeechLive. How we grade
Price against what you get
Braina starts at $8.25 a month when paid by the year for each person and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Philips SpeechLive starts at $21.90 a month for each person and scores 2.7.
They score the same, and Braina starts $13.65 a month lower. Of the other voice dictation apps on the chart, 2 score higher than Braina for less, and 5 score higher than Philips SpeechLive for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Braina also covers chat assistant and workflow automation.
- Philips SpeechLive also covers clinical notes.
At a glance
| Braina | Philips SpeechLive | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $99 for a 1-year license on 1 Windows PC | $21.90 per user / month, billed annually, excl. tax |
| Free plan | Braina Lite is free on 1 Windows or macOS computer: voice commands, AI chat with 300 Advanced AI Credits, local language models and offline audio transcription. It has no dictation. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | Two-week free trial with all Enterprise features, no credit card, up to 10 users and 200 speech recognition minutes per user |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Brainasoft | Speech Processing Solutions |
| Price read from | brainasoft.com | speechlive.com |
| Checked | Oct 6, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Braina
- The free Lite edition does not include dictation; that starts with Pro at $99 for one year.
- Licenses run for fixed terms of 1, 2 or 3 years, and Pro is Windows only: macOS support, on Apple Silicon, needs Pro Plus or Pro Ultra.
- Refunds must be requested within 7 days, apply only to a first purchase of up to 3 licenses, and have 12% deducted.
- The Android and iOS apps are remote microphones for the desktop program, not standalone dictation apps.
Philips SpeechLive
- No free plan; all prices are per user, billed annually, and exclude tax.
- The AI Assistant plans are shown at an introductory $54.00 for 2026, rising to $76.80 from 2027.
- The desktop app is listed for Windows and Apple Silicon Macs; Intel Macs use a legacy version.
- Typed transcription is billed per minute from a prepaid balance, from $1.39 per minute for English.
Key features
Braina
- Dictation in any program
- With dictation mode on, speech is typed into whichever field has focus, in Word, Outlook, Gmail, Google Docs or other software. No voice training or user profiles are needed. Paid editions only.
- Spoken editing commands
- Commands such as "new paragraph", "delete that", "undo" and "change language to German" edit and navigate while dictating, alongside a list of spoken punctuation marks.
- Custom vocabulary and templates
- Teach Braina uncommon names, addresses and technical jargon, and set up dictation templates and canned answers. The vendor says it already recognizes most medical, legal and scientific terms.
- Voice assistant and automation
- Built-in voice commands open apps, files and websites, control windows, play media and set alarms. Custom commands, hotkeys and keyboard macros automate repetitive steps.
- AI chat and local language models
- Chat by voice or text with cloud models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and others using Advanced AI Credits, or run open models such as Llama, Qwen and Gemma on the computer.
- File transcription and phone microphone
- Audio files, and video files in Pro, are transcribed on the computer without an internet connection. Android and iOS apps turn a phone into a wireless microphone over Wi-Fi.
Philips SpeechLive
- Dictation workflow
- Authors record on a phone app, in a browser or by uploading a file, and the dictation can be assigned to a typist or team with task tracking.
- Speech recognition at the cursor
- The Direct plans use a desktop app that types into supported Windows and macOS applications and supports voice commands for navigation, editing and formatting.
- AI document drafts
- The AI Assistant plans turn dictation into structured documents from system or custom templates, and the draft can be edited with plain-language instructions.
- Clinical notes
- The Health AI Assistant plan generates clinical notes from consultations, with specialty templates.
- Human transcription service
- Typed transcripts can be bought from a prepaid balance, at $1.39 per minute for English with a 24-hour turnaround.
- Hardware support
- A Chrome or Edge extension and a native host app connect Philips SpeechMike microphones and foot controls to the web app.
Plans
Braina
Braina Lite$0
For 1 Windows or macOS computer: voice commands in 90 languages, AI chat with 300 Advanced AI Credits, local language models and offline audio transcription. No dictation.
Braina Pro$99
for 1 year, 1 Windows PC
Adds unlimited dictation in any software or website, custom vocabulary, dictation templates, offline video transcription and 10,000 Advanced AI Credits. Windows only.
Braina Pro Plus$199
for 2 years, up to 2 computers
Everything in Pro plus macOS support, 20,000 Advanced AI Credits and priority support. The page calls $199 a limited-time offer and always shows the next day as its end date.
Braina Pro Ultra$299
for 3 years, up to 3 computers
Everything in Pro plus macOS support, 50,000 Advanced AI Credits, priority support, onboarding and training.
Philips SpeechLive
Workflow$21.90
per user / month, billed annually, excl. tax
Records and routes dictations: mobile app and file upload, browser recorder, task assignment and tracking, and links to third-party software.
Legal Direct / Professional Direct$47.80
per user / month, billed annually, excl. tax
Workflow plus speech recognition at the cursor in supported desktop apps, with voice commands and custom vocabulary. Unlimited under fair use.
Legal / Professional AI Assistant$76.80
per user / month, billed annually, excl. tax, from 2027
Direct plan plus unlimited AI-drafted documents from templates, natural-language editing, and PDFs or images as extra sources. The page shows an introductory $54.00 for 2026.
Health AI Assistant$103.00
per user / month, billed annually, excl. tax
Workflow plus unlimited AI-generated clinical notes from consultations, with specialty templates.
Ways to pay less
Braina
- Other savings
Volume discounts on request
The pricing page says discounts are available for volume purchases and asks buyers to contact Brainasoft for a quote. No amounts are published.
Philips SpeechLive
- Other savings
Introductory 2026 price on the AI Assistant plans
The Legal and Professional AI Assistant bundles are listed at $54.00 per user per month, billed annually, for 2026, then $76.80 from 2027.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Braina or Philips SpeechLive?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Braina is cheaper to start with: $8.25 a month when paid by the year for each person, against $21.90 a month for each person for Philips SpeechLive. Braina starts at $99 for a 1-year license on 1 Windows PC, and Philips SpeechLive starts at $21.90 per user / month, billed annually, excl. tax.
Which has a free plan, Braina or Philips SpeechLive?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Braina has a free plan. Philips SpeechLive does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do Braina and Philips SpeechLive run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Philips SpeechLive lists a web app, iOS and Android apps and a browser extension. Both list macOS and Windows apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.