Voice In Review

What Is Voice In?

Google Docs has built-in voice typing, but it only works inside Google Docs. Voice In removes that limitation. Install the Chrome extension, click the microphone icon on any website, and start dictating. Your voice becomes text in Gmail compose windows, Salesforce record fields, LinkedIn post editors, ChatGPT prompts, Reddit comment boxes — anywhere Chrome shows an editable text field.

With 600,000+ Chrome Web Store users, Voice In is the most popular browser dictation extension by a wide margin. It processes audio locally in your browser using the Web Speech API, so your recordings don't get sent to Voice In's servers. The extension supports 50+ languages with in-session switching for multilingual users.

Free vs Voice In Plus: What You Actually Get

The free plan handles basic dictation on popular websites — Google Docs, Gmail, Facebook, Twitter, and about 100 other commonly used sites. You get built-in punctuation commands (say 'period', 'comma', 'new line') and automatic capitalization.

Voice In Plus at $60/year ($5/month) unlocks the Advanced Mode that works on 1,000+ additional websites, multi-tab dictation, a floating dictation box, custom voice commands, and language switching shortcuts. The custom voice commands are the standout feature — map any phrase to a text snippet, so saying 'insert signature' pastes your email sign-off, or 'standard reply' drops in a templated response.

How Dictation Actually Works

Voice In uses Chrome's built-in Web Speech API for recognition. You press a keyboard shortcut or click the extension icon, speak naturally, and text appears in the active text field. Recognition happens in near real-time with minimal lag. The extension auto-formats with capitalization at the start of sentences and basic punctuation insertion.

For more control, built-in voice commands handle formatting: say 'new line' for a line break, 'new paragraph' for a double break, 'period', 'comma', 'question mark', and 'exclamation mark' for punctuation. On the Plus plan, you can define custom commands for any repeated text or action.

Website Compatibility

Voice In works on any site with standard HTML text inputs and contenteditable fields. The free plan covers about 100 popular sites. The Plus plan's Advanced Mode extends compatibility to 1,000+ sites by injecting text into more complex web editors — including CRM platforms, project management tools, and custom web applications.

Sites using non-standard custom editors (like some Notion blocks or Figma text fields) may not work perfectly. In those cases, Voice In offers a Dictation Box — a floating window where you dictate, then copy the result into the target field. It's a workaround, but it covers the edge cases.

Privacy and Security

Voice In processes speech recognition through Chrome's built-in Web Speech API, which sends audio to Google's servers for processing. The extension itself doesn't collect or store your audio — it acts as a bridge between the browser's speech recognition and the text field on the page. Permissions are minimal: it only accesses the active tab's text fields, not your browsing history or other data.

For users concerned about Google processing their audio, this is worth noting. The audio goes to Google regardless, since that's how Chrome's speech API works. If you need fully local processing, look at LipSurf or desktop apps like Superwhisper instead.

Language Support: 50+ Languages with Live Switching

Voice In supports over 50 languages including English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Hindi, and many more. You can switch languages mid-session using keyboard shortcuts on the Plus plan — useful for bilingual users who mix languages in emails or messages.

Recognition quality varies by language. English, Spanish, and major European languages work well. Less common languages may have lower accuracy depending on Chrome's speech recognition support for that locale.

Voice In vs Google Docs Voice Typing

Google Docs Voice Typing is free and works well — inside Google Docs. Voice In's value is going everywhere else. If your workflow is 90% Google Docs, the built-in option suffices. If you type into Gmail, CRMs, social media, messaging platforms, and web apps throughout your day, Voice In fills the gap Google doesn't cover.

Voice In also offers custom voice commands and text snippets that Google Docs Voice Typing lacks. The ability to say a trigger phrase and insert a multi-line template is a genuine productivity feature for email power users and support staff.

Voice In vs Speechnotes and LipSurf

Speechnotes is simpler and cheaper ($1.90/month) but works as a standalone notepad rather than injecting text directly into websites. You'd dictate in Speechnotes and then copy-paste. Voice In puts text directly where you need it.

LipSurf offers voice-controlled browsing (click links, scroll pages, switch tabs by voice) in addition to dictation. Voice In is dictation-only but more polished and widely tested for that specific use case. If you need hands-free browser control for accessibility reasons, LipSurf is the better choice. For pure voice typing, Voice In has the larger user base and wider site compatibility.

Limitations

Voice In only works in Chrome (and Chromium-based browsers like Edge and Brave). There's no Firefox, Safari, or desktop app. Audio goes through Google's speech recognition servers, so fully local processing isn't an option. The free plan's site compatibility is limited, pushing most serious users to the $60/year Plus plan. And because it relies on the Web Speech API, accuracy and language support are ultimately bounded by what Google provides.

Verdict

Voice In is the default recommendation for anyone who wants voice typing across the web in Chrome. 600,000+ users trust it, it works on more websites than any competitor, and the custom voice commands on the Plus plan save real time for email-heavy workflows. Best for professionals who type into multiple web apps daily. Skip if you need desktop-wide dictation outside the browser or fully local audio processing.