Dictation software for writers and authors writing a book
VoiceTyping is dictation software for writers who want a first draft faster than their fingers allow. You talk through a scene, a chapter or an article, and AI cleanup removes the fillers, applies your self-corrections and adds punctuation and paragraphs, so you edit a real draft instead of a transcript. The Pro plan covers 900 AI minutes a month, about 125,000 words, which is more than a full novel.
The short answer for writers
Most people type around 40 words per minute and speak around 130 to 150. A writer who dictates for one focused hour can get 5,000 to 8,000 raw words on the page, compared with 1,500 to 2,500 at the keyboard. The catch has always been cleanup. Word for word dictation types every "um", every restart and every "no wait", and you lose the time you saved fixing it.
VoiceTyping does that cleanup as you talk. You speak the way you think, and the text that lands in your document already reads like prose. It runs in your browser and as an installed web app on Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android, and the extension for Chrome and Edge types straight into Google Docs, Notion, WordPress and other web editors.
Clean drafts, not transcripts
Fillers, repeated words and false starts disappear. When you say "she opened the door, no, the window", the draft says "She opened the window." You keep your words and your voice, minus the noise.
Your character names spelled right
Add character names, invented places, brand names and jargon to your personal dictionary. Pro holds up to 2,000 words, enough for a fantasy series or a technical book full of product terms.
The Document style for long form
The Document style writes in full paragraphs with clean punctuation. On Pro you can build up to 20 custom styles, for example one for fiction scenes, one for blog posts and one for client copy.
Edit by voice
Say "make it shorter", "new paragraph" or "delete last sentence" to shape the last result without touching the keyboard. Useful when you are pacing the room mid scene.
Every session saved
Pro keeps unlimited history with search, and you can export it as TXT, DOCX or CSV. Your morning walk dictation is waiting when you sit down to revise.
Dictate in more than one language
Automatic language detection works on every recording, and Pro can translate while you dictate. Speak in Spanish, get English text, or the other way around.
How to draft a chapter by voice in four steps
- 01 Open the outline or the scene list for the chapter, so you know where you are going. Dictation goes best when you know the next beat.
- 02 Open Google Docs, Notion or the VoiceTyping web app, hold the hotkey and talk the scene through. Do not stop to fix mistakes, correct yourself out loud and keep moving.
- 03 Read the cleaned text once, then say "make it shorter" or "new paragraph" where a section needs shape.
- 04 Revise at the keyboard later. Dictation is for the first draft, editing is still where the book gets good.
How many words each plan gives a writer
AI minutes are counted on your speech. At a natural pace of about 139 words per minute, here is what each plan covers.
| Plan | Price billed yearly | AI minutes per month | About this many words | Daily cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personal | 7 USD per month (84 USD per year) | 400 | 55,000 | 40 minutes, about 5,500 words |
| Pro | 14 USD per month (168 USD per year) | 900 | 125,000 | 90 minutes, about 12,500 words |
| Team | 24 USD per seat per month | 1,500 per seat | 200,000 per seat | 120 minutes per seat |
A typical adult novel runs 70,000 to 100,000 words, and NaNoWriMo asks for 50,000 in a month. Pro covers either with room for retakes. Monthly billing is 15 USD for Personal and 29 USD for Pro. Full details are on the voice typing app pricing page.
Who dictates with VoiceTyping
- Novelists who draft a daily word count by talking through scenes, then revise at the desk.
- Nonfiction authors who speak through a chapter from their notes or an interview outline.
- Bloggers and content writers who need two or three posts a week and think faster than they type.
- Copywriters and ghostwriters who talk through a client brief and edit the draft into shape.
- Writers with wrist or hand pain who need to cut keyboard hours without stopping work. Our guide to dictation for RSI covers how to set that up.
VoiceTyping compared with other dictation options for authors
Facts about other products are as published at the time of writing and may change.
| VoiceTyping | Dragon Professional | Google Docs voice typing | Apple Dictation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | 7 to 14 USD per month billed yearly | About 699 USD one time | Included with Google Docs | Included with macOS and iOS |
| Removes ums and false starts | Yes | No, types what you say | No | No |
| Automatic punctuation | Yes | Mostly spoken commands | Spoken commands | Yes |
| Custom vocabulary for names | Up to 2,000 words on Pro | Yes, extensive | No | No |
| Platforms | Browser on Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, Android | Windows only | Chrome only | Apple devices only |
| Works offline | No | Yes | No | On some devices |
| Types into desktop apps like Scrivener or Word | No, copy from the web app | Yes | No | Yes |
If you write in Scrivener or desktop Word all day and need dictation inside those programs, Dragon or Apple Dictation is the honest pick. If you draft in Google Docs, Notion or a web editor, or you want the cleanup done for you, VoiceTyping saves the most editing time. Our full roundup of the best speech to text software and the Dragon dictation software alternative page go deeper.
FAQ
What is the best dictation software for writers?
The best dictation software for writers is the one that leaves the least editing. For drafting in Google Docs or other web editors, VoiceTyping removes fillers and adds punctuation as you talk. For dictating inside desktop Scrivener or Word on Windows, Dragon Professional is still the strongest option, at a much higher one time price.
Is dictation good for writing a book?
Yes, for the first draft. Speaking is about three times faster than typing, so a writer can cover a chapter in one session. The draft still needs revision, but with AI cleanup you revise prose, not a messy transcript. Many authors dictate the draft and edit at the keyboard.
How many words can you dictate in an hour?
Most people speak 130 to 150 words per minute, so a full hour of talking is 7,800 to 9,000 words. In practice writers pause to think, and 5,000 to 8,000 usable words per focused hour is a realistic range. Typing at 40 words per minute gives about 2,400.
Can I dictate a novel with VoiceTyping?
Yes. The Pro plan includes 900 AI minutes a month, about 125,000 words, with up to 90 minutes a day. That covers a 90,000 word novel in one month, and your personal dictionary keeps character and place names spelled the same way in every chapter.
Does dictation change my writing style?
No. VoiceTyping removes fillers, repeats and false starts and adds punctuation, but it keeps your words. Voice commands such as "make it shorter" only run when you ask. If a passage reads differently from how you meant it, say it again or edit it at the keyboard.
Do any famous authors use dictation?
Yes. Writers from Henry James to Barbara Cartland dictated their books, and many working thriller and romance authors dictate their daily word count today. Modern AI dictation makes it easier, because you no longer need to speak punctuation out loud.
Talk through your next scene
Record up to 15 seconds in the demo and read the cleaned version before you decide anything.