Voice typing is built into Google Docs: turn it on and your browser's speech-to-text service types for you. It covers Google Docs and the speaker notes and captions in Google Slides. Hovor is for when you want to dictate in any app, not just one editor, with on-device recognition on supported devices.
Google Docs voice typing needs no install and works in the latest Chrome, Edge and Safari. Hovor is an app for Windows (beta), Mac and iPhone that dictates into whatever you are using. The table below covers what is confirmed on each side.
| Feature | Google Docs voice typing | Hovor |
|---|---|---|
| Where it works | Google Docs, and speaker notes and captions in Google Slides (Google Docs Editors Help, “Type & edit with your voice”, answer 4492226, checked 5 October 2026) | The app you are using: pastes into the active app on Mac and Windows, types through the Hovor keyboard on iPhone |
| Platforms | In the browser: latest versions of Chrome, Edge and Safari | Windows (beta), Mac (Apple Silicon, macOS 15 or later), iPhone |
| Speech-to-text service | “Your web browser controls the speech-to-text service” | Hovor Cloud, or an on-device model you download, on supported devices |
| Offline use | Not stated on Google's help page | On-device dictation on supported devices (model download); on Windows it is optional and needs a CPU with AVX2 |
| Install | Nothing to install; built into Google Docs | App install and sign-in |
| Price | No price stated on the help page. Anyone with a Google Account can create in Docs | Free plan, Pro $7.00/mo or $65.00/yr, one-time unlocks |
| Languages | Regional variants listed from Afrikaans to Zulu; no total stated | 30+ languages for dictation |
Voice typing is already inside the tool many people write in. Google's help page says you can use your voice to type and edit your document in Google Docs and your speaker notes and captions in Google Slides, and that it works with the latest versions of Chrome, Edge and Safari. There is nothing to install, and the help page says your computer microphone needs to be on and working.
The same page does not state whether voice typing works offline, how many languages it supports in total, or a price, so this page does not claim any of those either way.
Hovor's differences from Google Docs voice typing are about reach and control: which apps you can dictate into, where recognition can run, and what you can buy once.
On Mac, a global shortcut starts and stops dictation (it needs Accessibility permission) and the text is pasted into the app you are using. On Windows (beta), a global hotkey you can rebind in Settings does the same, with clipboard and Ctrl+V by default or an optional typing mode. On iPhone, the Hovor keyboard types dictated text into any app.
On supported Macs and iPhones you can dictate with on-device Parakeet or Whisper models that you download in the app. On the Windows beta, on-device Parakeet is optional: download the model in Settings; it needs a CPU with AVX2. Until you do, Windows dictation uses the cloud.
Hovor's custom dictionary and snippets sync with your account across your devices. Workflows do not sync.
Local Unlock ($20.00) gives unlimited on-device dictation, unlimited replacements, snippets and workflows, and Meetings on iPhone and Mac; it does not include cloud dictation or BYOK. BYOK Unlock ($15.00) lets you use your own OpenAI, Anthropic, Deepgram, ElevenLabs or custom-endpoint keys, which stay on your device and are never sent to Hovor. The Bundle ($30.00) includes both. With Pro, Hovor can fall back to Hovor Cloud automatically if your provider fails.
Google Docs voice typing is the better pick if you only write in Google Docs or Google Slides in a browser and want nothing to install.
If you also write in email, chat, a code editor or on your phone, or want recognition to run on your device on supported devices, Hovor is worth a look.
Google's help page states no price for voice typing, so the table has no figure for it; the only related statement is that anyone with a Google Account can create in Docs (workspace.google.com/intl/en/products/docs, checked 5 October 2026). Hovor's prices are below.
| Google Docs voice typing | Hovor | |
|---|---|---|
| Included with | Google Docs | Hovor app |
| Price | No price stated on the help page | Pro $7.00/mo or $65.00/yr; one-time unlocks: Local Unlock $20.00 · BYOK Unlock $15.00 · Bundle $30.00 |
You do not have to give up voice typing in Docs: both can sit side by side, and you use Hovor in the apps where Docs voice typing does not reach.
Google's voice typing help page (Google Docs Editors Help, “Type & edit with your voice”, answer 4492226, checked 5 October 2026) says the feature works with the latest versions of Chrome, Edge and Safari, so it is not limited to Chrome. It says that when you turn on voice typing or captions, your web browser controls the speech-to-text service.
Google's voice typing help page (Google Docs Editors Help, “Type & edit with your voice”, answer 4492226, checked 5 October 2026) does not state whether voice typing works offline, so this page makes no claim either way. Hovor can dictate with on-device Parakeet or Whisper models on supported devices once you download them in the app; on iPhone, Parakeet needs 4 GB of RAM or more and Whisper needs 6 GB or more. On the Windows beta, on-device Parakeet is optional, needs a CPU with AVX2, and Windows dictation uses the cloud until you download the model. You also have to sign in to Hovor.
Google's help page describes voice typing in Google Docs and for speaker notes and captions in Google Slides. Hovor is not tied to one editor: on Mac and Windows it pastes dictated text into the app you are using, and on iPhone the Hovor keyboard types dictated text into any app (it requires Full Access).
Hovor has a free plan with 2,000 words per week, shared between cloud and on-device dictation. Pro is $7.00/month or $65.00/year, with no weekly word limit on cloud dictation, translation and sync. One-time unlocks are Local Unlock $20.00, BYOK Unlock $15.00 and a Bundle at $30.00. Google's help page states no price for voice typing; it is built into Google Docs, and anyone with a Google Account can create in Docs (workspace.google.com/intl/en/products/docs, checked 5 October 2026).
Yes, as a beta, alongside the Mac and iPhone apps. Hovor for Windows is an installer from hovor.app/downloads with a global hotkey you can rebind in Settings. Meetings are not available on Windows; they need Local Unlock or Pro on iPhone or Mac.
Windows (beta), Mac and iPhone. Free plan available. On-device dictation on supported devices.
Get HovorDictation app for Windows · Hovor vs Windows voice typing · Voice keyboard for iPhone · Українською