Dictanote vs Google Voice Access

Dictanote is a notes app with speech-to-text for voice-typing notes, supporting recognition in more than 50 languages and 80-plus dialects. Notes can be arranged in notebooks and include checklists, tables, links, search, favorites, and pinned items. AudioScribe transcribes voice notes and rewrites them into clear text, with custom styles, translation, and connections to other apps through Zapier or a webhook. Notes can be accessed and edited offline, but dictation requires an internet connection. Dictanote says browser speech recognition processes dictation without the service receiving or storing audio; notes are stored on its servers for syncing. The free plan costs nothing and allows up to 50 notes in one notebook and 60 minutes of dictation per day. Dictation works in specified versions of Chrome, Edge, and Safari, but not Firefox or Brave. Pro costs $8 a month billed monthly or $60 a year billed yearly.

Google Voice Access lets people control an Android device by speaking, including people who have difficulty manipulating a touchscreen. It can open apps, go back or home, show notifications and operate the screen currently in use. Users can display numbers or text labels beside screen items and speak the matching marker to select one. Voice Access also supports dictation and text editing, including replacing words or phrases. Google lists English, Spanish, German, Italian, French, Portuguese and Japanese; Portuguese and Japanese cover only the top 25 commands. Offline use requires downloading a speech-recognition language pack to the device. Speech is mainly processed on-device, but audio may be sent to Google servers depending on device settings and system language; Google says audio sent for this service is not saved. Audio and transcripts are not stored unless the user enables “Help improve Voice Access Commands.” The microphone listens while Voice Access is active. It does not identify a particular speaker, so anyone can control an awake, unlocked device while it is listening.