Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 Preferred

Reviews say that Nuance's Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 Preferred is the best voice recognition software, with the potential for 99 percent accuracy -- though most say 97 percent is probably more realistic. The Preferred version can be used with a compatible portable digital voice recorder as well as with a microphone (Bluetooth or wired), and experts find that NaturallySpeaking 10 works well with leading Windows office applications. A major gripe in user reviews is the high cost of telephone and email tech support, though the company now says on its website that the first 90 days of support are free (free support was previously limited to the first problem). Nuance was also roundly criticized for its slow support for 64-bit systems, but that issue has since been fixed. If you have or plan to buy a computer with the Windows Vista or Windows 7 operating system, it's worth trying out Windows Speech Recognition first. Experts say that while Windows Speech Recognition falls a little short of Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 Preferred, it is included free with Vista and Windows 7 and might be sufficient for many typical users.

We found the best coverage of Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 in The New York Times. Although it provides a less detailed analysis of the NaturallySpeaking program itself, TopTenReviews.com offers the strongest comparative assessment, rating Naturally Speaking against its nearest stand-alone competitors, though not Windows Speech Recognition. PCMag.com delivers an exhaustive side-by-side comparison of NaturallySpeaking and Windows Vista Speech Recognition. TrustedReviews.com compares NaturallySpeaking 10 with the previous version. Amazon.com is a good place to go for user opinions.