Voice Recognition Software: Expert and User Reviews

Our AssessmentZDNet U.K.'s Sandra Vogel issues a comprehensive review of the Dragon NaturallySpeaking 11 Premium software, from installation to final conclusions. She spends significant time detailing the software's initial setup, then moves on to using the software. Overall, she calls it an upgrade over NaturallySpeaking 10, but she says the new Dragon Sidebar needs tweaking.

Our AssessmentDragon Dictate's accuracy and depth of vocabulary impresses Ars Technica reviewer Nate Anderson, who notes that the program nails words like "Nehruvian" and "Engadget" out of the box. He also praises the macro editing tools as much improved since the MacSpeech days, although he notes that they're still below NaturallySpeaking's high standard. While he recommends Dictate as the best option on the Mac, he points people with access to Windows PCs towards NaturallySpeaking.

Our AssessmentDavid Pogue uses a lot of voice recognition tools, as evidenced by this excellent look at the Dragon Dictate software for the Mac. Overall, he says the program is just as responsive and accurate as the NaturallySpeaking software found on Windows computers, and he gushes about the powerful voice commands for three full paragraphs. Although Pogue calls Dictate the best voice recognition software for the Mac and heartily recommends the program, he says small glitches and an inability to mix typed and verbal commands – the so-called "Golden Rule" of Dictate – leaves it slightly inferior to NaturallySpeaking.

Our AssessmentDavid Pogue, an unabashed voice recognition enthusiast, tests Dragon's NaturallySpeaking version 10, observing that the program is taking "voice control unmistakably closer to that holy grail of computing." Pogue's comparison of Windows Speech Recognition (Vista) and NaturallySpeaking 10 offers some brief insight into the similarities between the two products.

Our AssessmentPCMag's review of the Dragon Dictation iPhone app suffers from the same problem as PCMag's review of Dragon NaturallySpeaking 11 – namely, it doesn't describe the testing methodology. That said, reviewer Jeffrey L. Wilson does an admirable job listing several pros and cons about the app in detail. He recommends Dragon Dictation to anybody who hates virtual keyboards and doesn't mind that a working Internet connection is required for the app to work.

Our AssessmentAlthough this review comparison is on the blog of a dictation software service provider, there doesn't seem to be a bit of bias in this look at the differences between the Mac and PC Dragon products. The author says straight away that while Dictate contains many of the same features as NaturallySpeaking, there are some key differences that make Dictate the lesser product, such as an inferior vocabulary editor and the "Golden Rule" that prohibits users from mixing typed and verbal commands. He warns that switching to Dictate may be frustrating for NaturallySpeaking users.

Our AssessmentThis review is exclusively devoted to Windows Speech Recognition. In that regard, it's good and exceptionally informative. The shortcoming is the absence of a needed comparison with Dragon -- vague references to "the competition" are inadequate. Salzman reports the system resource usage of Vista's application and advises, "Without good hardware, the response time for Speech Recognition can become unbearable." With that caveat, he endorses the software.

Our AssessmentThis write-up fails to rate, rank or directly compare voice recognition programs, with the exception of vague contrast between the versions of Windows Speech Recognition offered in Windows Vista and Windows 7. Subjective claims for the quality of each program are made, and each system is reported upon favorably. A brief overview of each program's features and capabilities is helpful.

Our AssessmentMacworld doesn't include any rigorous testing during their review, but reviewer Jeffrey Battersby thoroughly details both the good and the bad features of the Vlingo voice app. Two of the major highlights of the app, according to the report, are its responsive voice commands and its ability to learn from its mistakes. On the other side of the coin, Battersby finds himself needing to click the screen more often than he liked. Only a single user reviewed the Vlingo app on Macworld, rating it 2 stars out of 5.

Our AssessmentPersonal development blogger Steve Pavlina is a fan of voice recognition's potential for maximizing productivity, even if he is less than enthused with most currently available software. Because of his dissatisfaction with Dragon NaturallySpeaking, he decides to try Windows Speech Recognition and is pleasantly surprised. Pavlina finds that the program is more accurate than other (unidentified) systems on the market, though its reliability falters when used in conjunction with non-Microsoft programs.

Our AssessmentOnce you move outside the top competitors in the voice recognition field, the reviews markedly thin out. In fact, this TopTenReviews.com review covering e-Speaking is the only report we could find for the program, other than a single blog post. The review is in-depth, if not directly comparative to other software. Overall, the TopTenReviews.com editors decide e-Speaking is decent, but nothing special, dictating with slightly less accuracy and registering commands with slightly less speed than Dragon NaturallySpeaking 11 and Windows Speech Recognition. They label the software "mediocre" and "functional."

Our AssessmentIt almost seems unfair to place Tazti in the same category of software as the Dragons and Windows Speech Recognitions of the world - the freeware program focuses exclusively on voice commands and provides no dictation support whatsoever. The software's extensive list of preprogrammed commands for opening programs and websites is given accolades, as is the ability to create custom commands, but the lack of dictation leads the TopTenReview.com editors to suggest avoiding the program for everyday use.It almost seems unfair to place Tazti in the same category of software as the Dragons and Windows Speech Recognitions of the world – the freeware program focuses exclusively on voice commands and provides no dictation support whatsoever. The software's extensive list of preprogrammed commands for opening programs and websites is given accolades, as is the ability to create custom commands, but the lack of dictation leads the TopTenReview.com editors to suggest avoiding the program for everyday use.

Our AssessmentBrad Moon approaches Dragon Dictate for the Mac as a voice recognition virgin, having never used dictation software before. As such, he spends more time describing the installation – especially the dialect feature – and his experience with the dictation mode rather than actually testing the product. In fact, he never even touches the verbal navigation commands. Despite the lack of formal testing, Moon says Nuance's 99 percent accuracy claim "wasn't blowing smoke." He critiques several aspects of the software, including the pesky "Golden Rule" mentioned by every Dragon Dictate reviewer and the program's decreased accuracy when he was sick and had a raspy voice.

Our AssessmentThis basic review is more a list of impressions and opinions rather than a formal report. Spanner Spencer praises the app's accuracy and responsiveness and appreciates that the app handled his Yorkshire accent with minimal fuss. He warns that users of Dragon NaturallySpeaking will find the app "seriously simplified," but goes on to say that the app "suggests the days of typing on your iPhone screen are coming to an end." In the final verdict, he rates Dragon Dictation 5 out of 5 stars in every category but features, which he gives 4 stars.

Our AssessmentVictor Marks spends more time talking about how the Dragon Dictation app works than what he thinks about it. The review relies on screenshots rather than in-depth analysis to make an impression. Marks never details what he likes about Dragon Dictation – in fact, he spends a lot of time talking about what he doesn't like – but he awards the app 4 out of 5 stars.

Our AssessmentIn this brief, lightweight review, Martin Heller describes a week spent using Windows Speech Recognition. Although he doesn't get into details, he says the program's accuracy is "good enough to serve the purpose." Heller closes the article by saying that he wouldn't hesitate to use Windows Speech Recognition again if he needed to.