Best Speech Recognition Software in 2026
Updated
In short: Notta is ranked #1 of 28 as of 4 October 2026, ahead of Speechmatics and Superwhisper. The best-ranked option with a free plan is Speechmatics. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Amazon Transcribe at $0.01/mo.
If you need to turn speech into text, the right comparison depends on where recognition runs and how you plan to use the results. Compared on real-time recognition, offline recognition, deployment, and supported languages, these tools can be assessed against your audio and environment needs. API access and command control may matter for integrating recognition or operating it in a particular workflow; speaker labeling is another factor when voices need to be distinguished. Notta, Speechmatics, and Superwhisper are among the options shown. Check free-plan availability and paid-from pricing as you compare the listed capabilities.
28 speech recognition software ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
10 of the 25 here have a free tier you can use, 0 have open-source code on record, and 0 have full bars: free, open, on most of your devices and documented.
| # | App | Signal | Free tier | Open code | Devices | From | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NottaWeb · Windows · Mac · Android · iPhone · Extension | Three bars | — | 5 of 6 | $8.17/mo | 6.7 | |
| 2 | SpeechmaticsWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | Free | 6.6 | |
| 3 | SuperwhisperWindows · Mac · Android · iPhone | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | $7.08/mo | 6.6 | |
| 4 | MacWhisperMac · iPhone | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | €64/mo | 6.5 | |
| 5 | Amazon TranscribeWeb · API | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | $0.01/mo | 6.4 | |
| 6 | AssemblyAIWeb · Self-hosted · API | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | $0.15/mo | 6.4 | |
| 7 | Google Cloud Speech-to-TextWeb · Self-hosted · API | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | $0.02/mo | 6.4 | |
| 8 | Voice InWindows · Mac · Linux | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 9 | Rev AIAPI | Two bars | — | 0 of 6 | $0.01/mo | 6.3 | |
| 10 | SonioxAPI | Two bars | — | 0 of 6 | $19.99/mo | 6.2 | |
| 11 | Otter.aiWindows · Mac · Android · iPhone · Extension | Two bars | — | — | 4 of 6 | — | 5.7 |
| 12 | KaldiWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android | One bar | — | — | 5 of 6 | — | 5.5 |
| 13 | sherpaWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Android · iPhone | One bar | — | — | 6 of 6 | — | 5.5 |
| 14 | Dragon ProfessionalWindows | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
| 15 | ESPnetWindows · Mac · Linux · API | One bar | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
| 16 | Talon VoiceWindows · Mac · Linux | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
| 17 | Yandex SpeechKitWeb · API | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
| 18 | CMU SphinxWindows · Mac · Linux | One bar | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 19 | SpeechRecognitionWindows · Mac · Linux | One bar | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 20 | WhisperWindows · Mac · Linux | One bar | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 21 | NVIDIA RivaNo platforms listed | No signal | — | — | 0 of 6 | — | 5.1 |
| 22 | VoskAPI | No signal | — | — | 0 of 6 | — | 5.1 |
| 23 | Baidu OCRLinux · Android · iPhone | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.0 |
| 24 | Alibaba Cloud Intelligent Speech InteractionWeb | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 4.9 |
| 25 | GladiaAPI | One bar | — | — | 0 of 6 | $0.20/mo | 4.9 |
Is your app on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored. They are labelled, and the editorial order and scores never change for payment.
Questions about this list
Which speech recognition software is ranked first on Freedom251?
Notta is ranked #1 of 28 with a score of 6.7. Speechmatics is second and Superwhisper third.
How many of these have a free plan?
10 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, Amazon Transcribe has the lowest first paid tier we found: $0.01/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked free-and-open first: a usable free tier and open-source code, then the platforms it runs on and its documentation. Paid placements never change a rank.