As an Engineering Supervisor at Buffer, I write so much — Slack messages, proposals, code, documentation, and suggestions. And as AI instruments turned a part of my workflow, I discovered myself writing much more.
I’ve at all times been gradual at typing, and I feel higher by speaking than by writing. It by no means felt like a giant limitation earlier than, however with AI instruments, I began feeling it an increasing number of. I would maintain prompts quick even once I knew I ought to add extra element, as a result of typing all of it out felt tedious.
Then I attempted ChatGPT’s voice characteristic and one thing clicked. I might embody all of the context and nuance that I would usually skip. I needed that have all over the place, not simply in a single app.
So over the past 12 months, I examined 4 AI-powered speech-to-text instruments in my day by day workflow. They differ so much in pace, accuracy, and options. Learn on to study extra about how I used every software, how a lot they price, and the way I combine dictation into my workflow.
Superwhisper: Highly effective however wants tinkering
Free plan: quarter-hour of dictation per thirty days
Paid plan: $8.49 per thirty days
For over a 12 months, I used Superwhisper and was fairly pleased with it. It is a stable software with loads of customization – you may configure totally different AI fashions, customized prompts, and modes for various functions, so it applies totally different presets in Slack versus a coding IDE, for instance.
The subscription was reasonably priced at lower than $10 per thirty days, and for some time, it labored nicely sufficient. However I bumped into two points. The accuracy wasn’t nice for my accent (I am not a local English speaker), and I usually wanted to make heavy edits after dictating, particularly with technical phrases. It was additionally pretty gradual – I would dictate one thing after which look ahead to it to course of, which interrupted my circulate.
I spotted I did not need a software I wanted to tinker with and customise closely. I needed one thing that simply labored higher out of the field. That is what prompted me to strive different choices.
VoiceInk: Low-commitment approach to strive dictation
$25 one-time fee
I attempted VoiceInk subsequent, primarily based on a teammate’s advice. It is a one-time buy of $25, and it is open-source, which I really like supporting.
The consumer expertise is intelligent – it integrates straight into the macOS notch. It is also absolutely native, so all processing occurs in your system, which is superb from a privateness standpoint. It has some customization choices and was noticeably quicker than Superwhisper.
For my wants, the accuracy nonetheless wasn’t fairly there with my accent and talking fashion, which is why I stored trying. However in case you’re new to dictation instruments and need to experiment with out a subscription dedication, it is a very stable alternative. The value level makes it low-risk, and for infrequent use or you probably have totally different accuracy wants than I do, it might work very well. Many people at Buffer use VoiceInk.
Wispr Move: Quick, feature-rich and polished
Free plan: as much as 2,000 phrases per week
Paid plan: $15 per thirty days
Wispr Move is the software I am at the moment utilizing.
It is considerably dearer than the earlier choices, however the accuracy is noticeably higher. It catches technical phrases reliably and routinely saves phrases I’ve corrected, so it will get higher over time.
The largest distinction is pace. It processes your audio when you’re nonetheless talking, so the transcription seems nearly instantly after you end. This has been transformative for my workflow – I can keep in circulate and context swap a lot much less continuously.
It additionally handles a number of languages easily, which many different instruments do not. I sometimes want to change between English and Ukrainian (my native language), and Wispr Move manages this with none points.
At $15/month, it is the priciest choice I examined, however the efficiency and reliability have been price it for day by day skilled use.
Willow Voice: Nice high quality, however fewer options
Free plan: as much as 2,000 phrases per week
Paid plan: $15 per thirty days
Willow Voice is equally priced to Wispr Move and has lots of the similar advantages – it is fairly quick and has fairly good accuracy. For my explicit use circumstances, it was barely slower and barely much less dependable than Wispr Move, however not by an enormous margin.
It seems like they are a bit earlier as an organization, and a few options I anticipated weren’t there but. I am maintaining a tally of it, however I settled on Wispr Move because it was barely higher in a lot of the points that mattered to me.
Instrument
Value
Platform
Pace
Accuracy
Superwhisper
$8/mo
MacOS + iOS
Medium *
Medium *
Voice Ink
$25 one-time
MacOS + iOS
Medium *
Medium *
Wispr Move
$15/mo
MacOS + iOS
Home windows
Android
Very quick
Excessive
Willow Voice
$15/mo
MacOS + iOS
Very quick
Excessive
✏️ One factor to notice: for instruments like Superwhisper and VoiceInk that run domestically, pace depends upon which AI mannequin you select. Bigger fashions are typically extra correct however slower to course of.
How I am utilizing dictation in apply
Dictation shortly turned a day by day a part of my work. Listed below are the methods it has been exhibiting up in my work in apply:
AI prompting
For probably the most half, I’ve stopped typing AI prompts when utilizing AI brokers for coding or in chat interfaces. This has been the most important unlock and time saver for me.
It is also made my prompts extra nuanced and detailed in comparison with once I kind them, which has improved the AI outputs in consequence. When typing, I are inclined to maintain issues transient out of comfort. When dictating, I naturally present extra context and rationalization.
Mind dumps and note-taking
When I’ve one thing on my thoughts, I sometimes dictate it shortly to save lots of the context and are available again to it later. This might be mission concepts, reflections after conferences, or issues I am considering by way of.
I am not attempting to create polished writing in these moments – simply capturing ideas in a format I can revisit. The pace of dictation makes this sensible in a approach that typing usually is not.
Messages and fast replies
I generally dictate shorter messages*,* too, although this varies. Dictation works significantly nicely for longer explanations the place I want to supply context. For very quick replies or messages with numerous formatting and hyperlinks, typing is normally nonetheless quicker.
Customized workflows
I’ve additionally developed some particular workflows round dictation. I’ve just a few customized AI instructions in Raycast that course of dictation after which format it in numerous methods.
One use case I’ve discovered significantly useful is for interviewing. We have been on a hiring push at Buffer, so I have been doing loads of interviewing. After an interview, I’ve an AI command in Granola the place I dictate my ideas and impressions, and it constructions them as written suggestions for the interior notes. This has streamlined that course of considerably.
Reflections and proposals
I’ve discovered so much all through this course of. Listed below are just a few reflections and proposals in case you’re simply getting began with dictation or in case you’re searching for a brand new software:
- Pace has a a lot larger impression on usability than I anticipated. These few seconds of ready for processing add up shortly and break your circulate in ways in which aren’t instantly apparent till you expertise a quicker software.
- I usually course of issues by speaking about them. Dictation instruments assist me suppose by way of issues and discover the appropriate phrases so much quicker than typing does. In the event you’re somebody who thinks out loud, this could be transformative in your workflow as nicely.
- This is not about changing typing completely. Completely different contexts name for various instruments. I’ve discovered dictation most respected for AI interactions, capturing ideas shortly, and longer-form explanations. For fast replies, formatted textual content, or collaborative enhancing, typing usually stays extra environment friendly.
- In the event you’re interested in attempting dictation instruments, I would advocate beginning with VoiceInk, given the low dedication. If you end up utilizing it frequently and the constraints develop into irritating, Wispr Move has been well worth the funding for day by day skilled use for me.
In the event you give any of those instruments or ideas a strive, I would love to listen to from you. Be at liberty to achieve out on LinkedIn.
P.S. This put up was, in large half, dictated 😉
