Dictation.io vs Voice In (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Dictation.io if

• Fits if you want to dictate into a browser tab without installing anything
• Works for people who dictate a note now and then

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you want to dictate into other apps, since it only types into its own page
• Not for you if you use an iPhone or iPad, as the FAQ says it isn't compatible
• Watch out: it needs the internet because recognition runs on Google's servers
• Too light for bigger jobs: one tab at a time, and no file transcription

Pick Voice In if

• Fits if most of your writing happens in web apps inside Chrome or Edge
• Works for people who can get by on an hour of dictation a day for free

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you write in Word or other desktop apps, because it only works inside the browser
• Not for you if you use Firefox, Brave or Vivaldi, or need to dictate offline, as it supports neither
• Tight if you're staying free and work in Notion or Slack, since those need Advanced Mode on Plus
• Watch out: the free version stops listening after 20 seconds of silence and when you change tab
• Watch out: Dictanote has never offered a HIPAA business associate agreement, and the Plus trial is 5 days

Dictation.io

• Needs Google Chrome on Windows, Mac or Linux; the FAQ says it is not compatible with iPhone or iPad.
• It does not work offline, because speech recognition happens on Google's servers.
• Only one browser tab can use speech recognition at a time.
• It is a single dictation page, with no apps, file transcription or account features.

Voice In

• It works only inside Chrome and Edge: not in desktop apps such as Word, and not in Firefox, Brave or Vivaldi.
• The free version is capped at 60 minutes a day and stops listening after 20 seconds of silence; Advanced Mode and custom voice commands need Plus.
• It needs an internet connection and does not work offline.
• Dictanote says it has never offered a HIPAA business associate agreement, because speech recognition is done by the browser.

Dictation.io

Real-time dictation

Speech is converted to text as you talk, ready to edit in the page, using Google's speech recognition engine.

Many languages

The languages page lists dozens of supported languages, including English, Spanish, French, Hindi, Arabic, Japanese and Korean.

Voice commands

Say a command to add a new line, punctuation or a smiley, with command lists published per language.

Local storage

Text is stored in your browser, and the site says nothing is uploaded other than the speech sent to Google for recognition.

Optional publishing

A Publish button posts your text as a GitHub Gist with a secret URL that anyone who has the link can open.

Voice In

Dictation in web text boxes

Place the cursor in a text box, right-click and choose Start Recording, and speech is typed in real time. The site lists Gmail, Google Docs, Outlook on the web, WhatsApp and ChatGPT among supported sites.

Advanced Mode

A Plus feature that inserts text with a different strategy, so dictation works on sites with complex editors such as Notion, Slack, Salesforce, Zendesk and HubSpot.

Custom voice commands

With Plus, a spoken phrase can insert saved text such as a signature, or run an action such as pressing Tab, switching the dictation language or opening a URL.

AI Transforms

Select dictated text and apply the built-in Polish style or one custom prompt of your own. Only the selected text is sent to an AI model, and Dictanote says it is not stored.

Dictation Box and multi-tab dictation

Plus adds a small box on the page to dictate into before copying text across, and keeps dictation running when you switch tabs. In the free version it stops on a tab change.

Transcription by the browser

Voice In uses the speech-to-text API built into Chrome or Edge. Dictanote states that no audio or transcript is sent to its own servers.

Dictation.io

• Free$0

  The vendor describes Dictation as a free online speech recognition tool; no paid plan is listed.

Voice In

• Free$0

  Up to 60 minutes of dictation a day in 50+ languages on popular sites such as Gmail, Google Docs and WhatsApp, with built-in punctuation commands.

• Voice In Plus (Yearly)$59.99

  per year (about $5 per month)

  Unlimited dictation, Advanced Mode, AI Transforms and custom voice commands. Shown against a crossed-out $119.88, which is twelve months at the monthly price.

• Voice In Plus (Monthly)$9.99

  per month, billed monthly

  The same Plus features billed month to month. Plus is licensed per user and works on every computer where you sign in.

Dictation.io

No public discounts listed.

Voice In

• Annual discount

  Save 50% with yearly billing

  Voice In Plus costs $59.99 a year against $9.99 a month, which the pricing page presents as a 50% saving on the $119.88 that twelve monthly payments would cost.

• Lifetime license

  Lifetime Plus for $149.99, one payment

  The pricing page offers a one-time $149.99 payment for all Plus features and future plan updates for life. It is labelled limited in time; on November 9, 2026 it said available until November 10th.

• Other savings

  $5 in credits for each referral

  The referral program gives $5 in credits each time someone signs up through your link. Credits can pay for a Voice In Plus upgrade or go toward renewals.