Voice Notebook review (2026): is the free plan enough?
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Voice Notebook report card
Very good · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 12, 2026
Best for free voice typing in Chrome and on your phone
Voice Notebook is a free web service with phone apps that types what you say in Chrome and transcribes audio and video. The web version works only in Chrome, saving needs a free sign-up, and the site's footer reads 2011 to 2016.
Who Voice Notebook is for
- Fits if you want free voice typing on a phone as well as in Chrome
- Works for people transcribing audio or video files without paying
Who Voice Notebook is not for
- Skip it if you don't use Chrome, as the web version works there only
- Watch out: the footer copyright reads 2011-2016, so it looks lightly maintained
- Not for you if you want offline dictation on anything but Android
- Tight if you want to save: saving texts and commands needs a registration
- Watch out: the iOS app shows ads, and iOS Premium is $5.99 with no period stated
Why Voice Notebook gets a 3.2
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- AValue for moneyThe web service and the iOS and Android apps are free. The one price listed is iOS Premium at $5.99, with no billing period shown.
- AFree plan and trialFree outright, with ads on iOS. Saving texts and custom commands needs a free registration.
- CFeaturesVoice typing, audio and video transcription, voice commands and about 50 languages, but offline dictation is only on Android, with lower accuracy and language packs.
- BEase of useNo store rating on record: the App Store shows 89 ratings. Open the page and talk, with nothing to set up.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb, Chrome extension, Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS and Android, with YouTube transcription. No API on record.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Voice Notebook's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
Make Voice Notebook? Put this grade on your site
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/voice-notebook#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/voice-notebook.svg" alt="Voice Notebook: 3.2 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Voice Notebook stands among voice dictation apps
Voice Notebook's GPA of 3.2 is higher than 39 of the 42 other voice dictation apps we grade, and level with 3.
It stands best on free plan and trial (A, above 25 of 42) and worst on features (C, above 1).
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 43 voice dictation apps we grade, cut by the letter each got. Voice Notebook’s own letter is outlined.
- AValue for moneyAbove 21 of 42, level with 21
- AFree plan and trialAbove 25 of 42, level with 17
- CFeaturesAbove 1 of 42, level with 19
- BEase of useAbove 13 of 42, level with 27
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 27 of 42, level with 14
Keep Voice Notebook, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace Voice Notebook you would be making dictation that types into any app on your computer. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 3.2 is higher than 39 of the 42 other voice dictation apps we grade.
What you could not
- Dictation that types into any app on your computer.
- Speech turned into text you can trust.
- Apps for macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android that stay in step with each other.
What this rests on. Voice Notebook’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Voice Notebook?
Voice Notebook is a speech-to-text web app that runs in Chrome and can also transcribe audio files and YouTube clips. A Chrome extension and Windows, Mac and Linux integration modules let you dictate into other fields and apps, and separate iOS and Android apps exist. The web service is free; the iOS app sells a Premium upgrade.
Worth knowing
- The web version works only in Chrome.
- Saving texts, voice commands and custom languages needs a free registration.
- Offline dictation is described only for the Android app, with lower accuracy, and needs language packs.
- The site's footer copyright line reads 2011 to 2016, so it looks lightly maintained.
Key features
- Voice typing in Chrome
- Press Start recording and speak; buttons insert punctuation, change letter case and undo the last sentence.
- Audio and video transcription
- It can transcribe a file from your computer, an HTML5 audio or video URL, or a YouTube clip.
- Dictate into any site or app
- A Chrome extension types into text fields on any site, and integration modules do the same in applications on Windows, Mac and Linux.
- Voice commands and custom terms
- Registered users can set voice commands, add custom languages and keep a table that maps spoken phrases to replacement text.
- Phone apps
- Android and iOS apps handle dictation and file transcription; the Android app can work offline once language packs are installed.
- About 50 languages
- The language menu lists roughly 50 speech languages, from Afrikaans to Vietnamese.
Voice Notebook pricing
As of Nov 12, 2026, Voice Notebook has a free plan, and paid plans start at $5.99 (iOS Premium in-app purchase, billing period not shown).
- Starts at
- $5.99 (iOS Premium in-app purchase, billing period not shown)
- Free plan
- The web service and the iOS and Android apps are free; the iOS app shows ads.
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Web dictation and audio transcription, plus the free phone apps. The iOS app shows ads and caps transcribed file length. |
| iOS Premium | $5.99in-app purchase; the listing does not show a billing period | Removes ads, adds a no-sleep switch and Bluetooth support, lifts the transcribed file length limit and unlocks the dictionary Open button. |
Read from apps.apple.com on Nov 12, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Voice Notebook before you buy.
Works with
Voice Notebook alternatives
- Voice Notebook vs Speechnotes
Free plan · from $1.9/mo
- Voice Notebook vs Voice In
Free plan · from $5/mo
Common questions
Is Voice Notebook open source?
Voice Notebook is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 12, 2026.
Does Voice Notebook work offline?
Yes, according to its own site. What works without a connection differs by plan and platform, so check the vendor's page for the detail.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 12, 2026.