Dragon vs AudioPen
Dragon lets you command your PC. AudioPen lets you just talk.
Dragon is deep, trainable dictation and voice control for Windows. AudioPen types into any app on every device, understands the way people actually speak, and can write your words up in a style you choose, with no training and no voice commands to learn.
Free to start. Loved by over 200,000 people.
The verdict
Which one should you use?
Dragon is a Windows powerhouse. It has been the standard for dictation for decades, and it goes further than typing: with voice commands and macros you can open apps, click buttons, and control your whole computer hands-free. It learns your voice and your vocabulary, and specialist editions cover legal and medical work. It is also Windows only, costs $699, and there has been no Mac version since 2018.
AudioPen is built for natural speech on every device. You talk the way you think, with no need to say "comma" or "new paragraph", and it types clean text into any app on Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad, and Android. It can also write what you said in a style you choose, from a formal email to bullet points, and keeps a notes library you can open in any browser.
If you need to control your entire computer by voice because you cannot use a keyboard or mouse at all, Dragon on Windows is still the stronger tool, alongside the free voice control built into your operating system. If you want to write by voice with far less effort, on a Mac, a phone, or a PC, AudioPen is the better fit.
Where each one wins
Two tools, different strengths.
Where Dragon wins
If you need full hands-free control of a Windows PC, not just dictation, Dragon is the more complete tool.
- Voice control: Open apps, click, navigate menus, and correct text with spoken commands
- Custom commands: Build macros and train custom vocabulary for your field
- Specialist editions: Legal and medical versions with industry vocabulary
- Runs on your PC: Desktop Dragon processes speech locally on Windows
Where AudioPen wins
If you want to write by voice without learning commands or training a profile, on any device, AudioPen is the clear choice.
- Natural speech: Ramble, pause, and correct yourself. No spoken punctuation needed
- Voice typing in any style: Types into any app as your exact words or a formal email, bullet points, or your own style
- Every device: Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad, Android, the web, and Apple Watch
- No setup: Start talking in minutes, with no voice training
Voice typing, in any style
No commands. Just talk.
Classic dictation asks you to speak like a machine, saying every comma and new paragraph. AudioPen lets you speak like a person, and still types clean text into Word, Gmail, or any other app.
Talk the way you think. Start mid-thought, circle back, change your mind halfway through. AudioPen types your exact words when you want them, or writes it up in a style you pick, right at your cursor.
“um okay so dear mr patel comma, no wait, scratch that, just hi, um, thanks for sending the lease over, I read the whole thing and it's all fine, all good, except the pet clause, the bit about the pet deposit, can we talk about that, maybe thursday, thursday afternoon works”
Hi Mr. Patel, Thank you for sending over the lease. I've read it in full and I'm happy with everything except the pet clause, specifically the pet deposit. Would you be available to discuss this on Thursday afternoon? Kind regards
Works in any app, on every device: a hotkey on Mac and Windows, the AudioPen keyboard on iPhone and iPad, and a floating bubble on Android.
Rewrite level
Writing that reads exactly how you want it to.
Set how much AudioPen edits, then pick a style and a length. Keep your exact words, or polish it until it sounds like you.
“Hi Dana, um, I got your message about the quarterly report. I've finished the sales section but the, the customer survey numbers aren't back from Priya yet, and she said they should be in by Wednesday. So I don't think I can, like, send the full report by Monday like we planned. Could we move the deadline to Friday instead? That gives me two days to add the survey results and, you know, check the charts. In the meantime I can send you the sales section tomorrow morning so you has something to review.”
Rewrite level
Retains structure where possible, rewritten in your chosen style
Create your own style
Ask AudioPen to write like your favorite author. Or give it a sample of your own writing, and it will match your voice. If you can describe a style, AudioPen can write in it.
Hi Dana, I got your message about the quarterly report. The sales section is done, but Priya won't have the survey numbers until Wednesday. I can't send the full report by Monday. Could we move the deadline to Friday? That gives me two days to add the survey results and check the charts. I'll send the sales section tomorrow morning.
Free to start, on every device.
Feature by feature
Dragon vs AudioPen, side by side.
| Feature | Dragon |  AudioPen |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | DragonFull voice control of a Windows PC | AudioPenWriting by voice on any device |
| Type with your voice in any app | DragonWindows | AudioPenMac, Windows, iPhone, iPad, Android |
| Control your computer with voice commands | Dragon | AudioPen |
| Understands natural speech without spoken punctuation | Dragon | AudioPen |
| Types in a style you choose, even when you ramble | Dragon | AudioPen |
| Voice training needed for best accuracy | DragonRecommended | AudioPenNone |
| Custom vocabulary and macros | Dragon | AudioPen |
| Offline transcription | DragonWindows desktop | AudioPenOptional on Mac, Windows, iOS, Android |
| Mac app | DragonDiscontinued in 2018 | AudioPen |
| Mobile app | DragonDragon Anywhere no longer sold | AudioPeniPhone, iPad, Android, Apple Watch |
| Notes library you can open in any browser | Dragon | AudioPen |
| Speak one language, write in another | Dragon | AudioPen |
| Free tier | Dragon | AudioPenYes, with limits |
| Price | DragonProfessional v16: $699 one-off license | AudioPenPrime from $33 for 3 months |
Where AudioPen works
One account, every device.
Voice type into any app on Mac and Windows, use the AudioPen keyboard on iPhone and iPad, tap the floating bubble on Android, or open your notes in the web app.
- Web appAny browser
- MacVoice type in any app
- WindowsVoice type in any app
- iPhoneApp and voice keyboard
- iPadApp and voice keyboard
- Apple WatchRecord from your wrist
- AndroidApp and floating bubble
- ChromeBrowser extension
One Prime account covers all of them. Your notes sync across every device, so whatever you capture on one is waiting on the next.
This is by far the greatest and most useful tool I have ever had! I have severe ADHD and it’s able to translate my rambling into a well written and concise note. I feel more organized and less anxious!
I love it. Once AudioPen knows my style, everything I write sounds like me, but better.
I used to manually summarize my transcribed brainstorming sessions. Took hours. AudioPen automates everything to the point where I am almost done with my article after talking about a topic for 10min. Magic.
I use AudioPen mainly as a way of clearing my mind.
I am a natural speaker. My ideas flow faster when I speak. I record my voice notes and with my accent, it is perfect all the time.
Testimonials
Loved by people who think out loud
Read what real users have to say about AudioPen.
No product has fundamentally changed the way I work over the last 12 months more than Audiopen. Home Screen on iPhone.
I can now create 95% of my blog posts and have minimal editing. In my tone of voice. This saves so much time
I’ve been using AudioPen to talk through my ideas, have them summarized and then use the summarization as a draft for blog posts. 13 out of 10. Highly recommend for the “blank page” problem.
This is probably the best product I’ve come across in the past 18 months. So useful and it just keeps getting better.
Simple, but effective. The best tool to convert rambling into structured text, while keeping what you rambled intact.
I freakin love AudioPen.ai. If you are not using it yet, get on it.
Most helpful AI tool = audiopen. Been using it daily to do things like: turn voicenotes into action items, content ideas (magic for this), summarize calls, giving feedback. The UI is also so clean that it’s an absolute joy to use.
You speak to it as thoughts come in. It stitches a fine narrative from the rant. Writers can edit a ‘wrong’ page, not a ‘blank’ page. AudioPen gets you to 90% and then you do the rest.
OH MY GOSH. I just learned about AudioPen today, and it’s already a GAME CHANGER. If you write, create, or do any serious thinking, this tool is for you.
This is one tool that has dramatically changed the way I think. It has allowed me to get the thoughts out of my head and down on paper.
I can’t say enough good things about the AudioPen app. It’s been my go-to app for getting ideas down without having to type. Not only does it arrange even the most inarticulate nonsense into readable sentences, it’s the best dictation app I’ve ever used.
I’ve been writing online for over 10 years and tried virtually every writing app, productivity, note-taking, and idea-capture system out there. Nothing comes close to the amount of time AudioPen saves me.
Best buy in 2023: AudioPen from @louispereira. Hats off.
Switched from Superwhisper to Audiopen Mac App within 20 minutes of using the Mac App.
Tried it out, and paid for the prime version because it is SO good and simple to use. The product has made it so much easier to track my various thoughts throughout my day.
AudioPen is able to clear my spoken thoughts into text in Estonian, one of the most complicated languages in the world! Shut Up And Take My Money!
Already not sure what I did before I had AudioPen. If you often have thoughts you want to capture in writing, check it out. Cost is super reasonable too.
Questions
Everything you might want to know
Straight answers to the questions people ask before they start.