MacWhisper: a free OpenAI-based option

Typing isn't always the best way to get your thoughts down. Sometimes talking through an idea leads to better clarity. New AI tools can reliably transform those spoken thoughts into clean, organized text.

I've spent months experimenting with voice AI tools — first on my phone, and now on my laptop. They’ve been helping me pull ideas from my brain onto paper. The tools below have become crucial to my workflow. Read on for my five-minute guide to making the most of voice AI.

Why voice AI beats traditional transcription ✍

Traditional transcription simply converts speech to text. Modern voice AI does much more:

* Instant transformation: Speak naturally and get a polished draft, outline, or summary

* Smart cleanup: AI removes filler words and adds proper punctuation

* Format flexibility: Convert speech into various formats like bullet lists or structured documents

* Context awareness: AI understands context and organizes your thoughts logically. Because it’s grounded in your own words, it doesn’t hallucinate.

5 ways I like using voice AI 💫

Here are some scenarios where voice AI is particularly valuable:

1. Journal entries

Instead of staring at a blank page, I speak my thoughts at day's end. The AI transforms my stream of consciousness into organized reflections.

2. Meeting follow-ups

After an in-person meeting, I open my voice AI app, hit record, and talk through key points while they’re still fresh. I don’t worry about the structure of my sentences or about pausing as I think. The AI waits for me and summarizes my rambling.

3. Presentation planning

Speaking through presentation ideas helps me figure out my narrative flow. The AI helps me organize my thoughts into a structured outline. I can talk through multiple potential versions, then compare them on screen later.

4. Book notes

To preserve insights from something I’m reading, I turn on a voice AI app and flip through the pages or scroll through the text to remind myself out loud about intriguing passages or ideas. I then save the structured note the AI creates.

I like being able to look back at the text while dictating the note. And the editing part of my brain interferes less when I’m talking than when I’m typing.

5. Daily planning

Starting my day by verbally mapping out my priorities helps me think through what’s ahead more effectively than typing out a list.

Voice AI apps to try 🎤

Letterly 💌

* Easy to use Just press the app’s big button. Up to 15 minutes per recording.

* Cross-platform Record or access your past text-from-voice across automatically synchronized desktop, web, and mobile apps.

* Smart format detection The magic transform option can automatically reformat your words, turning lists into bullets or structuring email drafts for quick copy-and-pasting into other apps.

* Customizable outputs Transform recordings into LinkedIn posts, podcast or video scripts, structured documents, or your own custom formats.

* Iterative refinement Try different transformations of the same recording until you get exactly what you need.

* Multiple languages Record in any of 90 languages, or record in one language and have the app translate your text into another.

* Offline and screen-off options Record anywhere, even without Internet access. Try using background mode without your screen on. I often record with my AirPods while walking with my phone in my pocket.

Founder’s tip: “Don’t confuse it with dictation,” says Letterly’s founder and CEO Anton Lebedev. “You don’t need to pronounce the perfect text you want to write. Instead, think out loud, speak slowly, quickly, or even chaotically. AI will understand you. Think of it like a writing assistant you’re telling what to write. The assistant can understand you and figure out how to rewrite the text.”

Letterly Pricing: $80/year after a free trial

Oasis 🏖️

* Multi-purpose output Get your recording transformed simultaneously into various formats—from a memo or outline to a blog post or TED talk.

* Make custom templates Create and name short prompts that reflect your preferred styles or formats. Those become part of your personalized prompt library for transforming future recordings. I made one for my journal entries.

* Web accessibility Like Letterly and Audiopen, you can access your recordings and transformed text through a browser on any device.

* Oasis pricing: $5/month or $50/year for enough credits for hundreds of monthly uses.

* Read my previous post about why Oasis is so useful

AudioPen 🖊️

* Customize rewrite length Customize the length setting if you’d prefer summaries of your transcribed recordings to be shorter or longer. Create and access them on your phone or on any device through your browser.

* Shareable audio notes Send individual audio note links to colleagues or collaborators. Or send then to other apps with a Zapier integration.

* Flexible organization Combine multiple audio notes or their summaries into larger collections. You can search for old notes or arrange them in folders.

* Rich template selection Choose from various transformation templates.

* AudioPen pricing: $99/year or $159/two years after a free trial.

Bottom Line

Start with Letterly if you want simplicity and reliability. Consider Oasis if you want a slightly cheaper option or need to simultaneously access multiple format variations of the same content. AudioPen is useful if you want to customize the length of your voice summaries or if sharing or combining audio notes is important to your workflow.

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Where to use voice AI 🎯

Voice AI shines when typing isn't practical or when you want to think freely without your hands on a keyboard. Here are situations where you can try it:

At home 🏠

Comfy chair 📚 Capture book notes without interrupting your reading rhythm

Kitchen 🧑‍🍳 Document recipe adjustments or cooking notes while your hands are busy with ingredients

Bedside 🛏️ Record late-night musings without disrupting your wind-down routine with a bright screen

Garden 🌱 Log landscaping ideas or random thoughts while your hands are dirty

On the move 🚝

Walking 🚶‍♂️ Capture project ideas and inspiration during your daily stroll

Commute 🚊 Draft emails and plan your day while on the subway or bus

Car 🚗 Record thoughts safely after parking but before you forget an important idea

At work ⚡️

Quiet space 🪟 Create reflective journal entries while looking out the window

Conference 🎤 Capture insights between sessions to avoid being overwhelmed when you get home.

Doctor's office 🏥 Record appointment details and follow-up steps while the info is fresh

Active time 💫

Exercise 🏃‍♀️ Outline presentations or brainstorm on the treadmill

Shopping 🛒 Create lists or remind yourself about products

Outdoors 🌳 Draft journal entries or creative ideas while surrounded by nature

Bonus resource: 50 ways to use voice AI

Voice AI on your laptop 💻

I used to rely exclusively on mobile voice AI apps, but lately I've been relying on laptop voice AI apps. These are less focused on transforming text and more on putting your spoken text on your clipboard so you can paste into any tool you’re using. It works with Google Docs, Word, email, or whatever else you’re using. I use these on my laptop because it’s quicker and easier for me to talk than to type. Here are three worth trying:

Flow 🗣️

* Quick to start Once you’ve installed the software, just hold down the function key to start recording in any of 100+ languages. Your recording gets instantly transcribed and the cleaned-up text is copied to your clipboard.

* Works anywhere on your computer Paste transcribed text directly into any application—email, documents, or messaging apps.

* Reduces screen and hand fatigue Record while looking away from your screen to reduce eye strain and give your hands a break.

* Flow pricing: Free for up to 2,000 words/week; $12/month billed annually for unlimited words and extra features. $8/month for students and educators.

TalkTastic 🎙️

* Simple transcription Made by the team that created the Oasis mobile app, TalkTastic is designed to be simpler. Instead of transforming your speech into various text types, it just puts a cleaned-up version of what you say onto your clipboard to paste into any app.

* Smart text transformation You can optionally set it to analyze your screen context to offer transformed versions of your text.

* Free While in beta, there’s no cost for TalkTastic.

MacWhisper 🧑‍💻

* Advanced transcription Use this free software to transcribe online meetings, podcasts, or live dictation. You can even upload files to transcribe.

* Pay once for pro features Enable YouTube transcriptions, batch uploads, translation, and top AI model usage with a one-time purchase.

* MacWhisper pricing: Free for basic usage. ~$60 for pro upgrade; 20% discount with this link. Journalists, students, or non-profits can email support@macwhisper.com for 50% off.

Other ways to use your voice to benefit from AI

* ChatGPT has a powerful voice mode in its mobile and desktop apps. Rather than typing out AI queries, you can have a conversation with an AI bot. Here’s why that’s so useful.

* Perplexity’s mobile app voice AI mode is terrific. I ask it a series of questions, like an oracle. It beats Google on many of my queries. The AI understands what I’m asking, then gathers and summarizes a helpful response. Citations in the app ensure I can check on its info sources.

* Google’s Gemini and Microsoft’s Copilot have recently-upgraded mobile voice modes. Converse with human-sounding AI bots without thumb typing.

* Open-source options abound.

📌 Share your voice with a comment👇