Dictate on Your Desktop, Record On the Go
system-wide dictation on Mac and Windows: hold a hotkey and talk, and the transcript, or an AI-cleaned version of it, is inserted wherever your cursor is. Fast returns the transcript exactly as spoken; Best removes filler words and fixes punctuation with an AI pass; Answer treats what you said as a question and inserts the AI's answer instead
Away from the computer, ScreenApp’s iOS and Android apps pick up the job differently: record a call, a walking note, or a meeting on your phone, and read the transcript and AI notes when you are back at your desk. add your own list of names, jargon and terms and transcription applies them, so a name or a technical term you dictate often comes out spelled the way you want, on the desktop app and in mobile recordings alike.
What you get:
- Text inserted directly into whatever Mac or Windows app has focus: Word, Gmail, Notion, a terminal, a Slack thread
- A Best mode that strips filler words like “um” and “uh” and fixes punctuation before you see the text
- An Answer mode that treats what you said as a question and gives you the AI’s answer instead of a transcript
- Your own vocabulary list, applied to both desktop dictation and mobile recordings
- Dictation and transcription in any of 99 languages
- included on every plan, with no separate word limit
How the Dictation App Works
- Hold the hotkey: Press and hold the dictation key on your Mac or Windows desktop app, wherever your cursor is.
- Talk, then let go: Speak at a normal pace. Release the key and the transcript, or the AI-cleaned version of it, lands where you were typing.
- Switch to the phone when you need to: For a call, a walk, or a meeting away from your desk, open the iOS and Android apps and record instead. The transcript and AI notes are ready when you sign back in on any device.
Accuracy depends on your microphone and how much background noise there is. A quiet room with a laptop or headset mic gives the cleanest dictation. See how we measure accuracy.
Dictation App vs Other Apps
| Feature | ScreenApp | Wispr Flow | Apple Dictation | Google Docs voice typing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free tier | included on every plan, with no separate word limit | 2,000 on desktop and 1,000 on iPhone words/week | Free, built in to macOS and iOS | Free, in Chrome, Edge, and Safari |
| Filler word removal | Yes, in Best mode | Not stated | No | Not stated |
| Custom vocabulary | Yes, your own term list | Yes | Not stated | Not stated |
| Platforms | Mac, Windows | Mac, Windows, iOS and Android | Mac, iPhone, iPad | Web (Google Docs and Slides) |
| Length limit | None | Not stated | None, stops after 30 seconds of silence | Not stated |
| Paid plan | $19/month annual | $12/month annual | Free | Free |
Sources, checked 2026-09-12: screenapp.io/pricing, wisprflow.ai/pricing, support.google.com/docs/answer/4492226, support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/use-dictation-mh40584/mac
- vs Wispr Flow: Wispr Flow also runs on Mac, Windows, iOS and Android, so it currently covers phone keyboards where ScreenApp’s dictation does not; ScreenApp’s mobile app records and transcribes instead. Wispr’s free plan caps you at 2,000 on desktop and 1,000 on iPhone words a week, where included on every plan, with no separate word limit.
- vs Apple Dictation: Apple’s built-in dictation is free and does not time out mid-sentence, it only stops after 30 seconds of silence. It has no filler word removal and no custom vocabulary.
- vs Google Docs voice typing: Google’s voice typing works in Chrome, Edge, and Safari and covers 100+ languages, but only inside Google Docs and Slides, not across every application the way ScreenApp’s hotkey does.
- vs Dragon: no current public price page; Nuance's Dragon for Individuals and Dragon Professional pages redirect to Microsoft's health solutions site. Its mobile app, Dragon Anywhere, stopped taking new subscriptions on 1 July 2026, so it is no longer a straightforward option to compare against.
Who Uses a Dictation App
Writers and knowledge workers dictate a first draft at speaking pace on their laptop, then edit it by hand instead of typing every sentence.
Doctors, dentists, and vets dictate notes between patients on a desktop in the clinic. A vocabulary list with drug names and procedure terms means the transcript spells them correctly instead of guessing.
Lawyers dictate memos and case notes. Client names, statute references, and case numbers sit in the vocabulary list so the text comes out consistent.
Mobile professionals away from their desk use the iOS and Android apps to record a client call or a site visit, then read the transcript and AI notes once they are back at a computer.
People who type slowly or find typing painful use dictation as their main way of getting words onto a screen, whether that is RSI, a tremor, or just preferring to talk.
Anyone answering a quick question while their hands are busy can use Answer mode: ask the question out loud and the AI’s answer is inserted instead of a transcript of the question itself.
