Letterly

Overview

Letterly converts speech into finished writing, from quick messages to meeting summaries and journal entries. It is a strong fit for people who dictate across devices or languages and want to reshape notes for different uses. Its breadth is useful, but the subscription options and regulatory limitation make it a poor default for every workplace.

Key features

Letterly is designed to turn spoken input into usable prose, not merely a transcript. Ready-made rewrite styles provide a quick route to a different voice or format, while custom options let frequent users tailor the transformation to their own needs. Dictation inside Gmail, Slack and Notion can reduce the friction of moving text from a separate note-taking app into the place it is needed.

Recordings can last up to 90 minutes, and speech detection covers more than 90 languages, including changes of language mid-sentence. That combination suits long-form thoughts and multilingual speakers; it is more capacity than someone capturing only brief reminders may need. Audio and video uploads from any device also let users transcribe existing material rather than only speech recorded in the app.

Offline recording is valuable when connectivity is unreliable, though the offline capability specified is recording, not a promise that every transcription or integration works without a connection. Zapier and webhooks provide routes for sending notes to other apps. Letterly MCP connects notes with Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, Perplexity, Gemini CLI, Codex, VS Code, Windsurf and Claude Code, making the product relevant to people who want voice notes in an AI-assisted workflow.

Letterly says user words are not used to train AI. Its DPA describes encryption in transit and at rest, access controls and regular security testing, and users can delete recordings and transcriptions in the app. Those are useful safeguards, but they do not make it a fit for regulated workloads: the terms say the service is not tailored to requirements such as HIPAA or FISMA. The service is intended for users aged 18 or older. Support requests and bug reports can be sent to [email protected] or through Discord.

Pricing

Letterly uses a freemium model with a free plan and a 7-day trial. The stated PRO in-app purchases are $19.99 a month for the 1-month subscription, $44.90 a month for the 3-month subscription, $89.99 a year for the 1 Year subscription, $99.99 a year for the 12 months subscription, and 249.99 USD once for Lifetime. The two annual options have different prices despite similar terms, so buyers should check the exact purchase they select. The 3-month price is stated per month and billed as a 3-month subscription.

The free plan is the sensible starting point for occasional dictation, and the trial gives prospective subscribers a short window to assess the paid option. The available plan terms do not give a free-plan quota or spell out paid-plan limits, so a reader who depends on a particular usage allowance should confirm it before subscribing. The one-time Lifetime purchase avoids recurring billing; the monthly and annual subscriptions renew as billed subscriptions.

Platforms

Letterly runs on Android, iOS, macOS, web and Windows, giving it a broad footprint across phones and desktop systems. Its mobile app and audio import support make it practical for capturing speech on the move as well as processing existing files.

Who it's for

Choose Letterly if you regularly turn spoken ideas into polished writing, need long recordings or multilingual recognition, or want notes to flow into writing and AI tools. Its custom rewrite options and direct dictation in Gmail, Slack and Notion are especially useful when speech is part of a daily writing workflow. Look elsewhere for HIPAA- or FISMA-oriented work, or if you need a clearly stated free-plan quota before deciding.

Pros and cons

Pro: Up to 90-minute recordings and detection across more than 90 languages, including mid-sentence language changes, support longer and multilingual dictation.

Pro: Ready-made and custom rewrite styles, in-app dictation and broad integrations help carry speech into finished text and other tools.

Pro: Offline recording and audio/video import cover both disconnected capture and transcription of existing media.

Con: The listed subscription prices vary substantially, including two different annual prices, so buyers should verify the exact term and charge.

Con: The terms rule out tailoring to requirements such as HIPAA and FISMA, limiting its suitability for regulated work.

Alternatives

Compare AI voice note apps if you want to survey the category before settling on a workflow. AudioPen is worth considering for short captures: its free plan includes recordings up to 3 minutes, transcription and rewriting, though voice-typing sessions are limited. Murble is the better direction for someone prioritizing unlimited recording and on-device transcription, with AI summaries and action items also in its free plan.

Snow may suit users seeking a lower-cost Pro option at $8 a month, with unlimited voice captures, AI summaries, tags and connections, plus search and sync features. VoiceJournal offers a free plan capped at 10 notes total and 2 minutes per recording, making its Individual plan the alternative to consider for a different voice-journaling workflow. Voicenotes has a free Basic plan with 100 weekly transcription minutes and 30-day history, a useful fit when a defined free transcription allowance matters. Audionotes is another freemium option with a free plan and no trial.

PlancyAI may be preferable for users who want a stated free allowance of five voice memos or notes per day and 100 voice minutes per month, including a 7-day Pro trial. Humoze is a web-only alternative whose free Basic plan includes five hours of AI transcription per month, basic summaries and up to three notebooks.

Verdict

Letterly is a compelling choice for adults who dictate often, need long or multilingual recordings, and want flexible rewriting plus integrations across a broad set of platforms. Its main advantage is the complete path from speech to polished text and onward to other tools. Choose another service for regulated work, or if a clearly bounded free allowance or simpler subscription decision is more important than Letterly’s breadth.