Exploring Real-Time Voice-to-Text Transcription Options

I’ve been thinking about using voice input more in my workflow after watching Chris from DailyTekk talk about quitting typing. He made some interesting points about how speaking (120-150 words per minute) is naturally faster than typing (40-60 words per minute). What was interesting is his observation about typing disrupting the flow with constant self-editing—I’ve definitely experienced this.

So, I’m experimenting with various voice-based input options for my Mac (and possibly iOS/iPadOS as well).

I recently acquired VoicePen as a tool to take voice notes. It’s not a direct dictation app, though. Instead, it works by recording voice in a separate app and then allowing you to copy the cleaned transcription back to your note-taking app. It maintains a history of transformations (such as fixing grammar and cleaning the text) alongside the original transcription. I can revisit and reapply these transformations or copy different versions of the text. It’s a decent tool, but it’s not designed for real-time voice input.

I looked at Inbox AI too, but it’s more of an automation app and I don’t want to invest time learning it right now. I’m sure it can do this.

Bolt.AI offers something different – it has an inline dictation feature. I’m currently trying out its dictation with chat assistants—being able to talk naturally to AIs instead of typing.

I’m also experimenting with macOS’s built-in dictation. It integrates well with text editing and shows what I’m typing in real-time. Sure, it sometimes types the wrong stuff, but these can be fixed quickly with the built-in writing tools.

I’m noticing there’s a difference between thinking out loud and just dictation—I’ll need more time to figure out what works best for each case. For now, I think each input method—typing, voice, even Apple Pencil—probably has its place. I’ll likely end up using a mix of them depending on what I’m trying to do.