Speechnotes

Speechnotes provides voice dictation through an online notepad at no cost, alongside automatic transcription and translation of audio and video recordings including YouTube material. It has served users since 2015, was accepted into Microsoft for Startups in 2024, and states that businesses, colleges, journalists, authors and doctors are among its users. Voice commands handle punctuation and formatting, with automatic capitalisation and import and export options.

Separating dictation from transcription is a sensible product split. Dictating into a notepad is an interactive activity where the user corrects as they go, while transcribing a recording is a batch job judged on accuracy alone. Treating them as one product usually serves both badly.

Voice commands for punctuation are the detail that decides whether dictation is usable in practice. Speaking a paragraph is easy; producing correctly punctuated text without touching the keyboard is what determines whether the output needs rewriting.

A decade of operation counts for something in a category that has seen many arrivals and departures. Longevity here suggests the free tier is sustainable rather than a promotional stage before a shutdown.