The short answer
Dragon is now Windows only. On a Mac, or if you just want to talk and have it typed, pick one of these.
- SayBriefly: best if dictation is part of your client work. Your own words, any language, tasks to your list, Mac and Windows.
- macOS Dictation and Windows voice typing: best free option, already installed.
- Talon: best for full voice control, the closest match to Dragon's commands.
- MacWhisper: best fully local app for Mac.
- Wispr Flow: best for AI-polished writing.
- Stay with Dragon if you rely on deep voice commands or Dragon Legal or Medical vocabulary on Windows.
We build SayBriefly, so here is our bias up front. Dragon still does things we do not, and we say so below.
Dragon dictation software in 2026
Windows only. Nuance sells Dragon Professional 16 for Windows 11 and 10.
No Mac. Dragon for Mac was discontinued on October 22, 2018.
Price on request. Nuance's page points to sales. Retailers list about $699.99, one-time.
Specialist versions. Dragon Legal from Nuance, and Dragon Medical One from Microsoft, which owns Nuance.
Dragon NaturallySpeaking, the old home version, is no longer the product on Nuance's site. Dragon Professional 16 is.
Dragon and 6 alternatives at a glance
| App | Best for | Mac | Windows | Runs | Voice commands |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 SayBriefly | Dictation plus your work | Yes | Yes | Cloud | No, dictation |
| Dragon | Pro vocab and commands | No | Yes | On the PC, cloud option | Yes, custom |
 macOS Dictation | Free on Mac | Built in | No | On the Mac for many languages | Via Voice Control |
| Windows voice typing | Free on PC | No | Built in | Mostly cloud | Basic |
| Talon | Full voice control | Yes | Yes, plus Linux | On the computer | Yes, custom |
 MacWhisper | Fully local | Yes | No | Local | No |
 Wispr Flow | AI-polished writing | Yes | Yes | Cloud | Some |
Checked on each product's own website, September 2026. Superwhisper is covered in our Mac dictation roundup.
The Dragon alternatives, reviewed
1. SayBriefly: best if dictation is part of your work
Double-tap Shift on Mac, or press Ctrl+Shift+D on Windows, talk, and your words are typed where your cursor is. There is no voice profile to train. It keeps your wording, handles any language, and needs an internet connection. A dictated task can land on your to-do list, next to tasks from your calls and email. More on SayBriefly dictation.
Good
- Works on Mac, where Dragon does not
- Dictation, meetings, tasks and projects in one app
Worth knowing
- Needs a connection
- No voice commands to control the computer
Pick SayBriefly if you want your voice and your work in one app.
2. macOS Dictation: best free Dragon alternative for Mac
Switch it on in System Settings, Keyboard, and press the Microphone key in any text field. Apple's separate Voice Control feature adds spoken commands for the whole Mac. Our speech to text on Mac guide shows the setup.
Good
- Already installed
- Works offline for many languages
Worth knowing
- No custom vocabulary like Dragon
- Basic editing only
Pick it if you dictate now and then on a Mac.
3. Windows voice typing: best free Dragon alternative for Windows
Press Win+H in any text box and talk. Microsoft says it needs a connection on most PCs and supports 40+ languages. It is far lighter than Dragon, with no training and no custom commands.
Good
- Already installed
- Nothing to set up
Worth knowing
- Online on most PCs
- No pro vocabulary
Pick it if you dictate now and then on Windows.
4. Talon: best for full voice control
Talon is hands-free input software. You speak commands like "select all" or "undo that", write your own commands, and can move the mouse with eye tracking. It is popular with programmers. It takes real setup, like Dragon did.
Good
- Custom voice commands
- Runs on Mac, Windows and Linux
Worth knowing
- Steep learning curve
- Built for control more than plain dictation
Pick Talon if you used Dragon to run your computer by voice.
5. MacWhisper: best fully local app for Mac
MacWhisper runs on your Mac, and its site says your data never leaves it. Pro adds system-wide dictation and transcribes audio files, a job Dragon users often did with its transcription feature.
Good
- Fully local
- Pay once
Worth knowing
- Mac only
- No voice commands
Pick MacWhisper if nothing should leave your Mac.
6. Wispr Flow: best for AI-polished writing
Wispr Flow turns speech into clean, polished writing on every major device. Reviewers report high memory use. See Wispr Flow alternatives for the full picture.
Good
- Polished output, every device
- 100+ languages listed
Worth knowing
- Rewrites more than it transcribes
- Cloud only
Pick Wispr Flow if you want polished text everywhere.
Where Dragon still wins
Voice commands. Custom commands that automate tasks and insert boilerplate text.
Legal and medical words. Dragon Legal and Dragon Medical One are built for that vocabulary.
Batch transcription. It can transcribe folders of recorded audio.
Company rollout. Nuance Management Center handles licenses and shared custom words.
If that is how you work, and you are on Windows, Dragon is still worth it. If you are on a Mac, or you mostly want your words typed, one of the alternatives above is simpler.
How to choose a Dragon alternative
| Your situation | Our pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| You dictate for client work, on Mac or Windows | SayBriefly | Dictation in the app that knows your work |
| You dictate now and then | macOS Dictation or Windows voice typing | Already installed |
| You run the computer by voice | Talon | Closest to Dragon's commands |
| Nothing may leave your Mac | MacWhisper | Fully local |
| You need medical or legal vocabulary on Windows | Dragon | Still the specialist |
New to all this? Start with how voice to text apps compare or the best dictation apps for Mac.
What you used Dragon for, and where to do it now
Dragon was never one feature. People bought it for very different jobs, and the right replacement depends on which job was yours. Find your row.
| What you used Dragon for | Where to do it now | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Dictating email and documents | SayBriefly, macOS Dictation, Windows voice typing, Wispr Flow | No training. Accuracy on plain speech is good out of the box. |
| Running the computer by voice | Talon, or Apple Voice Control on Mac | Real setup time, like Dragon had |
| Transcribing recorded audio files | MacWhisper | Drag in a file, get a transcript on your Mac |
| Legal or medical vocabulary | Dragon Legal, Dragon Medical One | Still the specialist, on Windows |
| Writing up client calls and follow-ups | SayBriefly | Notes from the call with no bot, plus dictation for the follow-up, in one app |
Based on each product's own site, checked September 2026.
How to switch off Dragon without losing a week
The hard part of leaving Dragon is not the new app. It is the habits and the custom words you built over years. Do it in this order.
- List your custom words. Open Dragon's vocabulary tools and write down, or export, the names, client terms and product words you added. That list is your real asset.
- List the commands you actually use. Most people use five or six, like "new paragraph", "scratch that" and a couple of text snippets. Write them down.
- Move snippets to text replacement. Boilerplate paragraphs you inserted by voice can live in your OS text replacements or a snippet tool, triggered by a short typed or spoken phrase.
- Try plain dictation for one week. Use the new app only for email and messages. Keep Dragon on the old PC for anything with heavy commands.
- Decide on commands last. If after a week you miss voice commands, add Talon or Voice Control. Many people find they only needed dictation.
Most Dragon users needed dictation, not a voice-controlled computer.
A worked example: a consultant moving to a Mac
Marco is an independent HR consultant. For eight years he dictated reports into Dragon on a Windows laptop. This year he moved to a MacBook, and Dragon did not come with him. Here is what his setup looks like now.
A typical morning: he opens a client's email thread, double-taps Shift and says "Thanks, Anna. I will send the revised policy draft by Thursday, and we can walk through it on our call Friday at 11." The reply is typed in his own words. Then he dictates the task, send revised policy draft to Anna, Thursday, and it lands on his to-do list with the time on his calendar. On Friday, the call notes open with what changed since the last call.
What he gave up: Dragon's custom commands and trained profile. What he gained: no training, any language, and his dictation living in the same app as his calls and tasks. For him the trade was worth it. For a lawyer who dictates all day with Dragon Legal, it may not be.
Common mistakes when replacing Dragon
- Expecting a trained profile. Modern dictation apps are not trained to your voice the way Dragon was. They start accurate and stay that way. Stop reading training passages.
- Speaking word by word. Dragon users often learned to speak slowly and evenly. Newer engines do better with natural, full sentences.
- Buying a special microphone first. A decent headset helps in noise, but try your laptop mic first. It is usually fine for a quiet room.
- Replacing everything at once. Keep Dragon for the one job it does best while you move the rest. Switch fully when you stop opening it.
- Forgetting the connection. Some alternatives, SayBriefly included, need internet to dictate. If you work offline a lot, pick a local option.
One more thing that trips people up: accuracy tests. Do not judge a new app on a paragraph you read off the screen. Read-aloud text sounds stiff, and every engine does worse on it. Judge it on a real reply to a real email, spoken the way you would say it to a colleague.
Who each option is really for
Freelancers and studio owners who write a lot of client email and have client calls. SayBriefly puts dictation, call notes and tasks in one app.
Programmers and people with RSI who need hands-free control. Talon is built for them.
Privacy-first Mac users. MacWhisper keeps everything on the Mac.
Lawyers and clinicians on Windows. Dragon Legal and Dragon Medical One are still the specialists.
How we made this list
We checked Nuance's Dragon Professional page, Nuance's support notice on Dragon for Mac, Microsoft's Dragon Medical One page and each alternative's own website in September 2026. The Dragon price comes from retailers, because Nuance's page does not show one. SayBriefly is our product, and we have said where Dragon and the others are the better choice.
Questions people ask about Dragon dictation software
Is Dragon dictation software still sold?
Yes, on Windows. Nuance's site sells Dragon Professional 16 for Windows 11 and 10, plus Dragon Legal and the cloud-based Dragon Professional Anywhere. Nuance is part of Microsoft.
Is there Dragon for Mac?
No. Nuance discontinued Dragon Professional Individual for Mac on October 22, 2018. Mac users now use macOS Dictation or an app like SayBriefly, MacWhisper or Superwhisper.
How much does Dragon Professional cost?
Nuance's product page does not show a price and points to sales. Retailers list Dragon Professional 16 at around $699.99 as a one-time purchase.
What is the best Dragon alternative for Mac?
For dictation tied to your calls, tasks and client projects, SayBriefly. For free, macOS Dictation. For fully local, MacWhisper. For full voice control of the computer, Talon.
What is the best free alternative to Dragon?
Windows voice typing (Win+H) and macOS Dictation are built in. Talon has a free version for voice control, and MacWhisper and Superwhisper have free versions.
Can anything replace Dragon's voice commands?
Talon is the closest, with custom voice commands and eye-tracking mouse control on Mac, Windows and Linux. Most dictation apps, SayBriefly included, focus on typing your words rather than controlling the computer.
What about Dragon Medical?
Dragon Medical One is now sold by Microsoft for clinicians, with medical vocabulary and templates. For clinical notes it is still a specialist tool the general apps here do not replace.
Is Dragon NaturallySpeaking still available?
Not under that name on Nuance's site. The current product there is Dragon Professional 16 for Windows. Older NaturallySpeaking versions still turn up from resellers, but they are not what Nuance sells now.
Do I need a special microphone for Dragon or its alternatives?
No. A headset helps in noisy rooms, but modern dictation apps work well with a laptop's built-in mic in a quiet space. Try what you have first.
Is Dragon speech to text the same as text to speech?
No. Dragon turns your speech into text. Text to speech is the opposite, reading text out loud. Both Mac and Windows have built-in read-aloud tools for that.
Can I use Dragon on a Mac with Parallels or Boot Camp?
Some people run the Windows version inside Windows on a Mac. It only types into Windows apps, not your Mac apps, so for most Mac users a native alternative is simpler.
What is the closest Dragon alternative for Windows?
For dictation, Windows voice typing (Win+H) is built in, and SayBriefly types anywhere with Ctrl+Shift+D. For Dragon-style voice commands, Talon is the closest.
Does SayBriefly need training like Dragon?
No. There is no voice profile to train. You double-tap Shift on Mac or press Ctrl+Shift+D on Windows and talk. It needs an internet connection.
What is the SayBriefly dictation shortcut?
Double-tap Shift on Mac, or press Ctrl+Shift+D on Windows, wherever your cursor is.
