Unlock Efficient Writing: Top Mac Speech-to-Text Tools That Are Free, Easy, and Instantly Accessible

Do you struggle to meet deadlines for your text assignments? If you do, then you are in luck. Speech recognition technology is the best way to beat this challenge. Whether you are a student or a corporate professional, several speech-to-text apps can be used to guarantee that you meet your deadlines. For example, Mac owners can use dragon for Mac to complete typing assignments in half the time.

Below are the best speech-to-text apps on Mac you might have missed since the beginning of 2022. Some of the apps in the list are in-built into your device, while others may require you to download additional software. Regardless, all of those listed below are free to use on your Mac device. Keep reading to find out more.

Part1: Top 1 Built-in Mac Dictation Feature

Did you know your Mac device comes with a built-in speech-to-text feature? So whether you use a laptop or desktop, you can generate text from your voice through your device’s microphone. Officially known as Dictation, the app allows you to transcribe text anywhere you can type it. So, for example, you can use Apple Dictation for your messaging and word processing apps.

The feature has been available since macOS Sierra as a free built-in feature. Earlier versions of Apple Dictation relied on its voice recognition software. However, it now relies on Siri for users of macOS Catalina onwards.

Typically, the app allows you to transcribe thirty seconds and below of audio. However, you can enable Enhanced dictation for longer transcription times. According to most users, the app is suitable for getting the first draft of your assignment, which you can manually edit later.

Follow these steps to enable Apple Dictation on your Mac:

Tap the Apple logo on the top-left toolbar of your screen and select System Preferences from the resulting menu.
Click on the Keyboard option from the system preferences screen.
Once there, click on the Dictation option located at the top of the menu.
Select On to activate the app in its default mode. In addition, you can check the Use Enhanced Dictation box to enable additional functions such as offline use and text commands like bold and italics.
Finally, select your language from the dropdown menu and choose a shortcut key.

Please note that you need to speak your punctuation loudly when using Apple Dictation. Otherwise, the app will consider them as regular words.

Part2: Top 2 Microsoft Word [Free & No Download]

Another option to consider is speech-to-text Microsoft Word Mac. The app is free to use and relies on Microsoft Azure Speech Services to transcribe text. Below are the requirements to use speech-to-text word mac.

An external microphone for your Mac desktop, or you can use your built-in microphone for your MacBook. This is because speech-to-text on Microsoft word mac only allows input with a microphone rather than an audio file upload.
An active Office 365 subscription. Please note you need to log in to your account for the app to function.
Insider builds 16.32 (19120802) and above.
An active internet connection.

Once you have everything set up, follow these steps to use speech-to-text on Word.

Launch Microsoft Word from your desktop.
Click on the Dictate button from the top menu of your Word document, and wait for the red dot to appear. The button features a microphone for easy identification.
Once the dot appears, start speaking to transcribe your text. Ensure you are in a quiet environment for the best results. In addition, speak louder when transcribing punctuations.
Click on the Dictate button to finish the transcription.

Part3: Top 3 Google docs

Google Docs is arguably the market’s most accurate free speech-to-text service. In addition, it allows you to transcribe your voice to text and format documents with your voice. However, you can only use the service through the Chrome browser.

Follow these steps to activate Google Docs voice typing on your Mac device:

Launch the Chrome browser on your macOS and select Docs from the app menu. Please note you will need an active Google account to use the service.
Open a new document and click on the Tools tab from the top menu.
Select Voice Typing from the menu to access speech-to-text on Google Docs.
Tap the microphone to start transcribing, and tap it again to finish.

Google Docs speech-to-text is available in 71 languages. In addition, it supports simple commands such as ‘create a bulleted list,’ which are unavailable on other speech-to-text apps. As such, it is one of the market’s most popular voice typing apps.

Part4: Top 4 Filmora

Free Download For Win 7 or later(64-bit)

Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later

Adding subtitles to your videos can be incredibly time-consuming if you do not have the right tools. However, with Filmora’s speech-to-text function, you can add subtitles to your video with a single click. In addition, it automatically recognizes audio in your videos and transcribes it to text with incredible accuracy. The plugin uses state-of-the-art algorithms to ensure the video industry’s most accurate speech technology.

Furthermore, you can import external files to your video’s timeline and edit them as you please. For example, you can import a video from your thumb drive and use the Filmora speech-to-text plugin to transcribe to text. Currently, the plugin can transcribe the text in 26 languages. As such, it is a favorite for vloggers, teachers, and film editors, who all have to deliver their content with great efficiency.

Please note that you must have Filmora installed on your Mac device to access the Speech to Text plugin. In addition, check if your Filmora version is compatible with the plugin before downloading. Once you confirm that you meet all the requirements, here is how to use the service:

Launch the Filmora app on your Mac and open a new video workspace.
Click on the microphone symbol at the bottom right corner of the page to start recording. Tap it once again to finish the recording.
Tap the Tools tab on your main menu and select Speech to Text. Then, confirm your preferences and wait for the transcription.

Part5: Top 5 Dragon for Mac

Dragon Dictate is arguably the best dictation software currently on the market. According to most users, its accuracy and feature sets are next to none. For example, the Smart Format Rules learn how you represent dates, numbers, and abbreviations, resulting in less editing work for you. The Dragon Dictate app is free to download from the Apple Store.

Dragon for Mac users reports a dictation accuracy of nearly 99%, which is excellent in the speech-to-text software category. All of Nuance’s Dragon products use deep learning technology to capture your accent and cadence. As such, the app gets better at transcribing your text as you continue using it. In addition, dragon for Mac professional allows you to transcribe audio clips from uploaded files. For example, you can import audio from your iPhone to your Dragon Dictate workspace and transcribe it hassle-free.

Unfortunately, you cannot get a stand-alone dragon app for Mac. This is because Nuance discontinued its development in 2018. In addition, Microsoft’s acquisition of the company in 2021 proves that the decision is permanent. However, you can still use the Windows version of Dragon through Parallels, which allows you to run macOS and Windows simultaneously. In addition, this method also works for M1 Macs.

Part6: FAQs

Is there a difference between voice recognition and speech-to-text?

Voice recognition software allows your device to capture your accent and tone and then stores that data for different functions, such as user logins and speech-to-text functionality. For example, Siri will ask you to repeat a sentence several times as one of the setup steps.

Which is the best external device for the speech-to-text service?

Most users report better speech-to-text accuracy when using headsets compared to using an external microphone. This is because the microphone is much closer to your mouth, so your voice is less affected by external noise.

Can speech-to-text apps automatically translate a transcribed text?

Yes, they can. Apps such as Google’s Speech to Text include a translation feature in their functionality. However, you will need the Google Chrome browser to access Speech to text. This is because the service is only available to active google account holders.

How much faster is speech to text faster than typing?

A 2017 Stanford study states that speech to text is aboutthree times faster than typing . In addition, it found that speech-to-text apps can transcribe over 150 words per minute, while professional transcriptionists range between 50 to 80 words per minute.

Free Download For Win 7 or later(64-bit)

Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later

Launch the Filmora app on your Mac and open a new video workspace.
Click on the microphone symbol at the bottom right corner of the page to start recording. Tap it once again to finish the recording.
Tap the Tools tab on your main menu and select Speech to Text. Then, confirm your preferences and wait for the transcription.

Part5: Top 5 Dragon for Mac

Part6: FAQs

Is there a difference between voice recognition and speech-to-text?

Which is the best external device for the speech-to-text service?

Can speech-to-text apps automatically translate a transcribed text?

How much faster is speech to text faster than typing?

Free Download For Win 7 or later(64-bit)

Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later

‘S Top Free Video Editing Tools for MP4 Files

Top 10 Best MP4 Video Editors

Ollie Mattison

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

MP4 is one of the most popular video formats in the world, however, finding a free video editing software which can edit MP4 or MOV formats videos can be hard - with so many video editing software on the market, you don’t know what is great and what is a piece of junk, you don’t have time to test it one by one.

Thankfully, we have produced a top-five list of the best free MP4 editors for you to check. That’s right - with these video editors, you can just go with it and edit your MP4 video files in no time at all!

Recommended: Wondershare Filmora

If you’re inclined to edit videos with presets and templates and looking for a fully-featured product, you may also want to consider a commercial product like Wondershare Filmora .

This video editing tool enables you to seamlessly put together video clips, music & text, apply effects and get a professional-looking home movie in minutes. Download and try it out.

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

See also: Best Video Editing for Windows

Here is a comparison table about the top MP4 editors. Have a quick look.

Supported system	Ratings from G2	Pricing	Free Trial	Level
Filmora	Windows/Mac	4.4/5	$49.99/Year, $79.99/Perpetual	Available	Newbies and experts. All levels of users.
Windows Movie Maker	Windows	4.0/5	Free	Available	User-friendly. Suitable for all levels.
iMovie	Mac	4.4/5	Free	Available	Beginner friendly
Avidemux	Mac/Windows/Linux	4.4/5	Free	Available	Great for beginners
Lightworks	Mac/Windows/Linux	3.5/5	$9.99 per user per month.	Not available	Suitable for all levels of users
VSDC	Windows	4.0/5	$19.99 per month	Not available	Intermediate
VEGAS Pro	Windows	4.3/5	$12.99 per month	30-day free trial	Suitable for experts.
Openshot	Mac/Windows/Linux	4.4/5	Free	Available	Suitable for newbies and experts.
Clipchamp	Web-based	4.3/5	$6 per month	Available	Newbie-friendly
Freemake	Windows	3.8/5	$24 per month.	Available	Simple. No learning curve. Suitable for all levels of users.
MiniTool MovieMaker	Windows	4.0/5	$12.99 per month	Not available	Suitable for all levels of users.

1. Windows Movie Maker

Windows Movie Maker is a great video editing tool and has been a part of the Windows system for many years. It supports various video formats including MP4, MOV, AVI, WMV, M4V and more. The drag-n-drop functionality enables you to easily add video clips from the computer and drop them to the program.

With it, you can easily combine photos and videos, apply transitions and effects, add music or sound, move images and videos around and have them play at the speed of your choice, post to YouTube and much more.

Pros:

Various video editing options;
Easy-to-use;
Different output options.

Cons:

It crashes a lot;
Many different versions of the same product;
Not available anymore as a part of Windows OS.

Learn more details about Windows Movie Maker

2. iMovie

As the equivalent of Windows Movie Make for Mac OS X, iMovie gives you the chance to turn any movie into a major production. With a simple to use UI, you can easily enhance your videos quicker than ever. Now just import your video clips from computer or external devices, arrange them on the timeline, drop titles, effects and sounds on to the part of the video you wish to edit, and preview the results.

Once it’s all done, one-click to export your file for iOS or Internet usage.

Pros:

User-friendly interface;
Improved audio editing and fun Movie Trailers.

Cons:

No native AVCHD editing or direct import;
Pre-processing and import trans-coding can be time-consuming.

Learn more details about iMovie video editing tips

3. Avidemux

Avidemux is a free open-source video editing program for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. It natively supports a great number of video formats like MP4, AVI, MPEG, MKV and ASF and comes with a well selected feature set to get your cutting, filtering and encoding tasks done. It’s also filled with features like different filters, decoding options, frame rate configuration, processing tools etc.

Other great feature is that tasks can be automated using projects and job queue.

Pros:

Lightweight and fairly simple;
A wide selection of filters;
Provides command-line interface for advanced users.

Cons:

Outdated interface;
May drop frames in certain formats;
Can be complicated for beginning users.

4. Lightworks

Lightworks is one of the most advanced free video editing tools available. With the user-friendly interface and packed timeline, you can easily import, trim and seamlessly weave audio and video files together with a few effortless mouse clicks.

On top of that, it also includes the features like profession-level color correction, video capture function, GPU-accelerated real-time effects and board video formats support.

Pros:

Customizable screens;
Amount of video editing options;
High video quality.

Cons:

It crashes occasionally;
Requires a long learning curve.

5. VSDC Free Video Editor

VSDC is a free video editing program for Windows. The support video formats include MP4, AVI, MKV, MPG, WMV, FLV and more. It provides various video filters, transitions, audio effects as well as drawing and selection tools.

When the editing done, you can choose the optimized save outputs for a variety of devices, including smart phones and gaming consoles.

Pros:

Provides various useful filters;
Different output options.

Cons:

Computer resources (CPU and RAM) are required at a high level.

6. VEGAS Pro MP4

VEGAS Pro is one of the highly-rated premium MP4 editor tools in the market. This program has many amazing features, including advanced HDR color correction, scene detection, sound design, and live streaming.

Furthermore, it has hundreds of filters, effects, titles, and transitions to transform your output file. This array of features makes it easy to edit videos on Windows PC.

Pros:

This program has plenty of video editing features.
It offers many filters, titles, and transitions.
It allows unlimited video and audio tracks.
It allows a nested timeline.
The color grading tools are clear and top-grade.

Cons:

Many users feel the interface is disorganized and difficult for newbies to navigate.
The Multicam feature, although present, is nearly unusable.
There are no welcome tutorials to get you started with ease.
Vegas Pro is expensive and is only suitable for Windows. You can buy it at $249 or subscribe for $12.99 monthly.

7. OpenShot MP4 Video Editor

OpenShot is a popular free media editor for Windows, Linux, and Mac. This open-source tool has evolved and now supports many media formats, including audio, video, and image formats.

This tool has one of the simplest user interfaces designed with all categories of users in mind. It supports over 70 languages, and users can add as many layers of tracks.

OpenShot offers a powerful animation framework to allow users to play around with animations to produce quality output videos. OpenShot also provides transitions and over 14 effects to make your output MP4 file attractive.

Pros:

OpenShot is a cross-platform video editor; hence, you can use it on Windows, Mac, and Linux without compatibility issues.
It offers a good collection of animations and effects to make your video more appealing.
It has a simple and user-friendly interface. Therefore, amateurs won’t struggle to edit their MP4 videos.
It supports over 70 different languages.
It is free.

Cons:

Some of the purported features don’t function well.
Although it has a good collection of features, several other useful features are missing.
It cannot open AVCHD files.

8. Clipchamp MP4 Editor Online

Clipchamp is a free, easy-to-use video editor that is suitable for small business marketing. This web-based MP4 editor is designed with simplicity; hence, users can easily edit videos.

With Clipchamp, you can edit videos of all sizes directly on your browser without experience! You can add special effects, transitions, background music, and texts to make your output MP4 file eye-catchy.

Furthermore, you can trim, cut, split, combine, rotate, flip, and mirror videos depending on your need.

Pros:

The combination of intelligent features and shortcuts significantly saves your time and energy.
It offers a sleek and intuitive interface to edit MP4 videos seamlessly.
It provides styling effects and lots of good transitions.
It offers several templates to get started.

Cons:

Users have limited control over the effects.
Most useful content requires subscriptions.
Users complain of slow export rendering.

9. Freemake MP4 Video Editor

Freemake is a common name in the media editing industry and is undoubtedly one of the best MP4 video editor tools.

Although it is not a fully-fledged app like other hot names, it allows you to quickly and easily edit MP4 videos on Windows. With Freemake, you can cut, rotate, and import files directly from YouTube.

Pros:

It supports direct uploads from YouTube.
It supports several file formats.
It is easy to use.

Cons:

It offers basic video editing features.
It does not provide Mac support.

10. MiniTool MovieMaker

MiniTool MovieMaker is an easy-to-use video editor enriched with plenty of good video editing features. This tool offers an intuitive interface and collection of features that easily transform how you produce stunning videos.

With several video templates, you are one click away from generating stylish videos. The good with this tool is that it gives you a platform to inspire your creativity and export 1080P videos without a watermark.

Pros:

It is friendly for beginners. Thanks to the simple and intuitive interface.
It offers plenty of templates, filters, themes, and stickers.

Cons:

It has limited editing features compared to top-grade tools like Filmora.
The free version is ad-laden and has a forced watermark on the exported file.

FAQs About MP4 Video Editing

1. How Do I Shorten an MP4 Video?

In this article, we have listed 10 free MP4 video editors, but Filmora is one the best tool for shortening mp4 videos. It comes with Auto Scene Detection tool, Instant cutter tool & the Trim feature. The Instant Cutter tool allows you to trim MP4 videos quickly without re-encoding. On the timeline, drag the trim icon to the right or left to remove the video’s beginning and end parts, respectively, and trim your video to shorten an MP4 video easily. The instant cutter tool is totally free to use and there is no watermark.

2. How Can I Split MP4 Files Into Parts for Free?

With the instant cutter tool in Filmora, you can easily split mp4 videos into parts for free as you require. Click Import with Instant Cutter Tool and then open the file, move the playhead to the start position of the video part that you want to keep, and then click the Set In icon. Repeat the process to find the ending point, and then click the Add Segment button to split the video and save it as a new one. You can split several clips from the original footage.

A more accessible alternative to this approach is using the Auto Scene Detection tool . It splits your video into multiple strategic segments automatically based on scene changes. You then end up with multiple split parts of the original video which you can selectively delete and then add to the timeline.

Conclusion

This article has highlighted some of the best MP4 converters worth trying. However, not every tool works for you. Choosing a tool that meets your needs and gives you desired MP4 editing experience is important.

Fortunately, the all-in-one Video editor-Filmora Video Editor, ticks all the boxes and easily becomes the best choice. This MP4 editor offers an unmatchable video and audio editing experience within your budget. Try Filmora today and take your MP4 editing experience to another level.

Ollie Mattison

Ollie Mattison is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Ollie Mattison