Compare
blabe vs Windows voice typing
Windows 11 comes with voice typing: press Windows key + H and talk. blabe is a paid dictation app for Windows 11 and Mac. On Windows, blabe is a 12.1 MB download: one process, ~22 MB idle. On a Mac, text lands about 1 s after you stop speaking.
The short version
Voice typing suits you if you want dictation that’s already on your PC, with nothing to install. Microsoft lists 46 languages for it, you can edit by voice (“delete that”, “press Enter”), and on Copilot+ PCs fluid dictation fixes grammar, punctuation and filler words as you speak.
blabe suits you if you want your exact words with AI cleanup off, a hotkey you choose and the same app on your Mac. It transcribes with Microsoft’s MAI-Transcribe 2. Transcription Microsoft ranks #1 on FLEURS.
At a glance
| Feature | blabe | Windows voice typing |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $7.99 a month or $69 a year, no meter or monthly allowance (fair use applies). Free 2-day trial, no sign-up, up to 30 minutes of audio, no card. | Part of Windows. There’s nothing to install. |
| How you start | A hotkey: Ctrl+Win by default, Right Ctrl, Right Shift, or one you record. Text is pasted when you finish. | Windows key + H, or the microphone on the touch keyboard. It starts listening; say “Stop listening” to stop. |
| Transcription model | Microsoft’s MAI-Transcribe 2, through blabe’s transcription service. | Online speech recognition, powered by Azure Speech services. |
| Cleanup and rewriting | It removes “um” and “uh” (you can turn that off). AI cleanup: Aggressive, Standard or Off. | Automatic punctuation is a setting. On Copilot+ PCs, in English, fluid dictation corrects grammar, punctuation and filler words with small language models on the PC. |
| Editing by voice | No voice commands. You edit with the keyboard. | Commands such as “delete that”, “select that” and “press Enter”. |
| Languages | Auto-detect, or pin one of 60 languages. | 46 languages listed for Windows 11. |
| Works offline | No. It needs the internet to transcribe. | No. You need to be connected to the internet. |
| Runs on | Windows 11 on x64 PCs, and Mac (macOS 14 or later), on one plan for up to 3 devices. | Windows 11 and Windows 10. |
Which one to choose
When to choose voice typing
- You want dictation at no extra cost, with nothing to install.
- You want to edit and punctuate by voice as you go.
- You have a Copilot+ PC and want grammar and filler words fixed as you speak, in English.
- You’re on Windows 10, or on a Windows on Arm PC. blabe doesn’t run on either.
- You need dictation without a connection. Voice typing needs one, but Windows voice access uses on-device speech recognition and works without the internet after setup.
When to choose blabe
- You want your exact words. blabe removes “um” and “uh” (you can turn that off), and with AI cleanup off, no language model touches your text.
- You want a hotkey you pick.
- You dictate names, products and jargon. You can save up to 500 words; blabe sends the top 50 with each dictation.
- You use a Mac too. One plan covers up to 3 devices, Macs and Windows PCs together.
What blabe for Windows doesn’t do yet. It needs Windows 11 on an x64 PC. It can press Enter only in the Codex and Claude desktop apps’ message boxes, and only if you turn sending on; the Mac app can send in more coding agents. In apps run as administrator, in password fields and in fields it can’t confirm, it leaves your words on the clipboard instead of pasting. After the 2-day trial it is a subscription: $7.99 a month or $69 a year for up to 3 devices, with no meter or monthly allowance (fair use applies). It needs the internet.
Try blabe free for 2 days.
No card, no email, no sign-up. Windows 11 on an x64 PC, or macOS 14 or later on Apple silicon or Intel.