Most of what we type now goes into a browser tab: email, documents, chat, tickets, forms, and the prompt box of every AI tool. So it makes sense to look for a speech to text Chrome extension, a microphone you can use in any of those tabs. There are good ones. There is also a catch that most roundups skip: Chrome has no dictation button of its own, but the computer it runs on almost always does, and that dictation already types into Chrome. This guide covers both. Prices and limits come from each vendor's own pages and the Chrome Web Store, checked in November 2026.
The short answer: the most widely used speech to text Chrome extension is Voice In, free for 60 minutes a day or $59.99 a year for unlimited use. Speechnotes is the cheapest (free with ads), and Voicy adds desktop and phone apps. You may not need an extension at all: Mac, Windows, and Chromebook dictation already type into any Chrome text box.
Speech to text in Chrome at a glance
Option | What it is | Free | Paid (at the time of writing) |
|---|---|---|---|
Mac, Windows, or Chromebook dictation | Built into your computer | Yes | None |
Google Docs voice typing | Built into Docs and Slides | Yes | None |
Voice In | Chrome extension | 60 minutes a day | $9.99/mo or $59.99/yr |
Speechnotes | Chrome extension and web notepad | Unlimited, with ads | $1.9/mo, no ads |
Voicy | Extension plus desktop and phone apps | 30-minute trial | $82/yr, or from $8.49/mo |
Speechify Voice Typing | Mac and Windows app | Yes, for now | None today |
Aqua Voice | Mac, Windows, iPhone, and Android app | 1,000 words | $10/mo billed annually |
Does Chrome have built-in speech to text?
Not as a button you can press in any tab. Desktop Chrome has no dictation feature for typing into web pages. What it does have is a speech recognition interface for websites, part of the Web Speech API, which lets a page or an extension listen through your microphone and get text back. Many lightweight dictation tools are built on that kind of plumbing, and some say which engines they use: Speechnotes, for example, says it runs on Google and Microsoft speech engines.
The one Google-made exception lives inside Google Docs. Open a document, choose Tools, then Voice typing, click the microphone, and speak. In Chrome, Ctrl + Shift + S on Windows or ⌘ + Shift + S on a Mac opens it too. Google says it works in the latest versions of Chrome, Edge, and Safari, and its voice commands for editing and formatting work only in English. It types only into Docs (and Slides speaker notes), though, not into Gmail or any other tab. Our Google Docs voice typing guide has the full command list.
The free option you already have: your computer's dictation
Your operating system's dictation types into whatever text field has focus, and a text box in a Chrome tab is a text field like any other. There is nothing to install. The steps below follow Apple's Mac User Guide, Microsoft's voice typing guide, and Google's Chromebook help as they read at the time of writing.
On a Mac
- Choose Apple menu, then System Settings, click Keyboard, and turn on Dictation (click Enable if asked).
- Click into a text box in Chrome.
- Press the Microphone key in the row of function keys, use your Dictation shortcut (pressing Fn twice is a common choice), or choose Edit, then Start Dictation.
- Speak. Press Escape or the same key again to stop. Dictation also stops by itself after 30 seconds without speech.
Press and release the Microphone key: holding it opens Siri instead. In supported languages, macOS adds commas, periods, and question marks for you. More in our guide to dictation on a Mac.
On Windows
- Click into a text box in Chrome.
- Press the Windows logo key + H. The voice typing bar appears.
- Speak, then say "stop listening" or press Win + H again when you are done.
Turn on Automatic punctuation in the voice typing settings so you do not have to say every comma. Voice typing needs an internet connection. More in our guide to voice to text on Windows 11.
On a Chromebook
- Select the time at the bottom right (or press Alt + Shift + S), then Settings, then Accessibility.
- Under Keyboard and text input, turn on Dictation.
- Click into a text box and select Speak, or press Search + D (or Launcher + D).
Say "comma," "period," or "question mark" for punctuation. Google notes that speech will not work if the language you speak does not match the device language. ChromeOS dictation also understands editing commands such as "delete the previous word" and "undo."
For a quick reply, a search box, or a form, this is often all you need. The extensions below earn their place when you dictate a lot inside the browser and want longer sessions, more commands, or one tool that behaves the same on every computer you use.
The best speech to text Chrome extensions
Each pick is graded on one real reason to choose it. Prices and limits are from each vendor's own pages and the Chrome Web Store at the time of writing.
1. Voice In: the most widely used dictation extension
Voice In, from the team behind Dictanote, is the extension most people find first, and its Chrome Web Store listing backs that up: about 700,000 users and a 4.2-star rating, with an update in November 2026. Install it, click into a text box, right-click, and choose Start Recording. It types in real time, in more than 50 languages, with spoken punctuation commands.
- Free: up to 60 minutes of dictation a day on popular sites such as Gmail and Google Docs. The free version stops listening after 20 seconds of silence, and dictation stops when you switch tabs.
- Voice In Plus: $9.99 a month or $59.99 a year, with a 5-day free trial. It removes the daily cap and adds Advanced Mode for sites the free version cannot type into (Dictanote lists Notion, Slack, Salesforce, and most EHRs), custom voice commands, and dictation that keeps going across tabs. A limited-time lifetime plan is also listed.
- Privacy: Dictanote says your audio is transcribed in the browser and that no audio or transcript is ever sent to its servers. It still needs an internet connection.
The one reason to pick it: broad site support (Dictanote says more than 10,000 sites) and custom voice commands, in the extension with the largest user base here. The limit: it works only in the browser. Dictanote's own FAQ says it does not type into desktop apps like Word or Outlook. Our Aqua Voice vs Voice In page compares it with system-wide dictation.
2. Speechnotes: the cheapest unlimited option
Speechnotes is a free online dictation notepad with a companion Chrome extension for typing into other sites. Dictation is unlimited and free with ads; Premium removes the ads for $1.9 a month. Speechnotes says English accuracy "can easily reach 95%" with good-quality audio (its own figure). It also sells file transcription at $0.1 a minute, which helps if you have recordings rather than live speech.
The one reason to pick it: unlimited dictation for free, or nearly free. The limit: the extension looks neglected. Its Chrome Web Store listing shows about 20,000 users, a 3.3-star rating, and a last update in April 2023, so treat the web notepad as the main product.
3. Voicy: an extension with apps behind it
Voicy offers a Chrome extension and lists apps for Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, and Android on its pricing page, so the same account follows you out of the browser. Its Chrome Web Store listing shows about 10,000 users and a 4.6-star rating, with an update in October 2026.
- Free: a 30-minute trial, no card required.
- Pro: $82 a year on the annual plan, or from $8.49 a month; a $260 lifetime plan; a team plan at $6.79 per user per month with a three-user minimum. Voicy lists 20% student and disability discounts.
The one reason to pick it: it is the extension here that grows into a dictation app on every platform. The limit: a 30-minute trial is short, so you will decide whether to pay quickly. See Aqua Voice vs Voicy.
If you meant meeting transcripts
Some "speech to text extension" lists mix in meeting tools. These transcribe a call rather than type for you. Tactiq, for example, is a Chrome extension that transcribes Google Meet, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams meetings in real time without a bot joining the call. Useful, but a different job: it will not put your words into an email.
Where Chrome extensions fall short
- They stop at the browser. Word, desktop email, Slack's desktop app, your code editor, and the terminal are out of reach. Voice In's FAQ says so plainly.
- Sessions are fragile. Free tiers stop on silence or when you change tabs, so a long dictation gets interrupted and restarted.
- They need access to your pages. An extension that types into any site generally needs access to the pages you visit. Google's Chrome Web Store help explains that this kind of permission can read, request, or modify data on those pages, so check what you are granting, especially on a work account.
- One more tool per device. An extension covers Chrome on one computer. Your phone, and any other browser you use, need something else.
Or skip the extension: system-wide dictation
If you dictate in more places than Chrome, a desktop dictation app covers the browser and everything else with one key. Two worth knowing:
Speechify Voice Typing
Speechify, best known for text to speech, now has a free dictation app for Mac (macOS 14 or later) and Windows. Hold Fn on a Mac or the right Alt key on Windows, speak, and Speechify removes fillers before the text lands in the app you are in, Chrome included. Speechify says voice typing is free today but that this may change, and it ships an on-device model, so it can work offline. The one reason to pick it: free, system-wide, and offline-capable. The limit: "free for now" is not a price you can plan around.
Aqua Voice
We build Aqua Voice, so weigh this section accordingly. Aqua is not an extension: it is a dictation app that types into Chrome and every other app on your computer and phone.
- Hold, talk, release. On a Mac, hold Fn; on Windows, hold your Aqua key. Text starts appearing in under 50ms and the final text lands in about 450ms, punctuated and formatted (self-reported).
- Every tab and every app. Gmail, Google Docs, ChatGPT, and Notion in the browser, and Word, Slack, your editor, and the terminal outside it. Nothing stops when you switch tabs.
- A dictionary you fill once. Names and jargon come out right, and the dictionary syncs across Mac, Windows, iPhone, and Android.
- Edit by voice. Select a sentence, hold the key, and say the change ("make it shorter"). Aqua rewrites the selection in place.
- Accuracy you can check. In 9to5Mac's side-by-side test, built-in Mac dictation made 17 errors on the same passage where Aqua made 1 (one passage, one speaker). Aqua runs on Avalon, our own speech model, which was the #1 proprietary model on the OpenASR leaderboard at its October 2025 debut.
- On your phone, too. On Android, Aqua is a floating button above the keyboard you already use, so you keep Gboard or Samsung Keyboard (launch post, Google Play). On iPhone, it is a keyboard you switch to.
The honest limits: Aqua is an app you install, so it is not an option on a work computer where only extensions are allowed, and it has no ChromeOS app, so on a Chromebook use ChromeOS dictation or an extension. It transcribes in the cloud, so it needs an internet connection. It supports 49 languages. The Free plan includes 1,000 words with no card required; Pro is $10/mo billed annually or $12/mo month to month, and one subscription covers Mac, Windows, iPhone, and Android (app store billing may differ). Aqua has a SOC 2 Type II audit report and is ISO 27001 certified. It is also GDPR and HIPAA compliant. Setup steps are in the guide.
How to choose
- You dictate a sentence here and there: use your computer's built-in dictation. It is free and already works in every Chrome tab.
- You write long documents in Google Docs: Docs voice typing, with its editing commands (in English).
- You live in the browser and want one extension: Voice In. Start free and upgrade if 60 minutes a day is not enough.
- You want unlimited dictation for almost nothing: Speechnotes.
- You are on a Chromebook: ChromeOS dictation first, then Voice In, which Dictanote says works on Chromebooks.
- You type in the browser and in desktop apps: a system-wide app such as Speechify Voice Typing or Aqua Voice. Our best dictation software roundup compares more options, and our Gmail dictation guide covers email on every device.
FAQ
Does Chrome have speech to text built in?
Not as a dictation button for every tab. Google Docs has its own voice typing (Tools, then Voice typing), and your computer's dictation types into any Chrome text box: the Microphone key or Fn twice on a Mac, Windows key + H on Windows, and Search + D on a Chromebook.
What is the best free speech to text Chrome extension?
Voice In's free plan, 60 minutes a day on popular sites, is the most widely used, with about 700,000 users. Speechnotes offers unlimited free dictation with ads. If you dictate only now and then, your computer's built-in dictation is free and needs no extension at all.
Do speech to text Chrome extensions work offline?
Usually not. Voice In, for one, requires an internet connection. For offline dictation you need a tool with an on-device model, such as Speechify Voice Typing (per Speechify). Aqua transcribes in the cloud, so it needs a connection too.
Can a Chrome extension type into apps outside the browser?
No. Extensions run inside the browser, and Voice In's own FAQ says it works only there. To dictate into Word, desktop email, or any other app, use your computer's dictation or a system-wide app such as Aqua Voice, which types into any app on Mac, Windows, iPhone, and Android.
