Comparison

Penman vs Speech to Text

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Penman

Effortlessly convert spoken words into text notes in over 120 languages using advanced speech-to-text technology. Enhance your writing with AI-powered actions and organize your notes with a powerful, intuitive editor. Sync securely across devices and export your work in various formats.

Highlights
  • Speech to text transcription
  • AI-powered writing enhancements
  • Intuitive text editor
  • Note organization and categorization
  • Cross-device iCloud sync
  • Export to PDF, TXT, Image, HTML
  • Multiple language support
Features
Read full description

Penman turns your voice into notes — and your notes into knowledge. Record lectures, meetings, and ideas with real-time voice transcription in 120+ languages, chat with your notes through Spaces AI, and let built-in study tools create flashcards and quizzes for you. VOICE TO TEXT, LIVE - Real-time speech transcription in 120+ languages - Import audio files and transcribe them in minutes - Dictate hands-free, then refine with AI actions (summarize, reorder, rewrite) SPACES — AI CHAT WITH YOUR NOTES - Ask questions and get grounded answers with citations and source cards - Knowledge retrieval across your notes, documents, and recordings - On-device intelligence with Apple Foundation Models AI STUDY TOOLS - Generate flashcards from any note in one tap - Build quizzes automatically and test yourself - Summarize, reorder, and run custom AI prompts SCAN, LISTEN, CREATE - OCR: turn photos and scans into editable text - Text-to-speech playback with word highlighting - Create images with Apple Image Playground EVERYWHERE YOU WORK - iCloud sync across iPhone, iPad, and Mac - Export to PDF, TXT, JPG, and HTML - App Intents and Shortcuts for automation - Rich text editor with fonts and bidirectional writing support PREMIUM Unlock unlimited transcription, all AI features, and every export format with Penman Premium. Download Penman today and turn every conversation, lecture, and meeting into notes that work for you. Subscriptions will be charged to your credit card through your iTunes account, and will automatically renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage your subscriptions in the App Store Account Settings. Terms of Use: https://penmanai.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://penmanai.app/privacy

About

Speech to Text

Convert spoken words into written text with advanced AI technology. This app allows for efficient voice typing, note-taking, and transcription of audio into text. It supports multiple languages and offers text-to-speech functionality for listening to your notes.

Highlights
  • Speech to Text dictation
  • Multi-language support
  • Text to Speech conversion
  • Share notes via social media
  • Fast and easy to use
Features
Read full description

Speech to Text - Voice Notes is the ultimate solution for anyone who prefers writing by voice or needs a fast, convenient way to take notes on their mobile device. Effortlessly talk to text and transcribe voice to text using AI voice to text technology, making voice typing more efficient than ever. Whether you’re writing messages, converting a voice note to text, or turning lengthy audio into text, this app captures your words accurately. With support for multiple languages, your voice text will be transformed into notes with precision. Plus, enjoy text to speech with AI voices whenever you want to listen instead of read. Key Features: Speech to Text: Dictate seamlessly—just speak and write! Instantly convert your speech into text, perfect for note-taking or writing by voice. Multi-Language Support: Speak any language, and the app will convert your speech to text accurately. Text to Speech: Need to listen to your notes? Convert your text back to audio using text to speech with AI voices. Share Your Notes: Send your voice-dictated notes via WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, and more. Fast and Easy: A user-friendly voice dictate tool that saves time for professionals, students, and anyone wanting to speak and write efficiently. Download Speech to Text - Voice Notes today and experience the convenience of speech to text, voice to text, and voice note to text—all in one powerful app!

Screenshots

Penman4 screens
Speech to Text4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Penman at none against Speech to Text's shown. Penman also leads on review sentiment (58% vs 25%) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months). Speech to Text's advantage is iOS requirement (14.0 vs 17.6). On price, ratings volume, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Penman sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month and Speech to Text sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Penman holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 3.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 252 and 88 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 58% of Penman's written reviews are positive against 25% of Speech to Text's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Penman ships an update every 2 weeks, Speech to Text every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Penman versus Speech to Text: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPenmanSpeech to Text
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (252 ratings) — better3.9 (88 ratings)
Positive reviews57.7% of reviews — better25.0% of reviews
Number of ratings252 — better88
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS17.614.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size104 MB34 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSER_INTMuhammad Islam

Customer experience

Penman

All ratings252 ratings
Positive77.8%
Neutral4.4%
Negative17.9%
Written reviews78 reviews
Positive57.7%
Neutral3.8%
Negative38.5%

Speech to Text

All ratings87 ratings
Positive69.0%
Neutral6.9%
Negative24.1%
Written reviews40 reviews
Positive25.0%
Neutral7.5%
Negative67.5%

Bugs and requests

Penman

Reported bugs

11 issues
  • App crashes on launch or during use
  • Text disappears without user action
  • Transcription halts when device enters sleep mode
  • iCloud sync failures between devices
  • Notes deleted when free trial expires
Show 6 more
  • Highlighting loses color after copy-paste
  • Recording continues but doesn't transcribe after interruption
  • App force closes when deleting notes
  • Restore purchase button non-functional
  • Perpetual onboarding loop after trial signup
  • Transcription accuracy drops after initial sentences

Requested features

10 requests
  • Persistent highlighting tool color selection
  • Export to Markdown (.md) format
  • Custom photo book covers
  • More font options
  • Ability to keep handwritten notes without conversion
Show 5 more
  • Keep phone active during recording
  • Recently deleted folder for recovery
  • Standalone keyboard replacement
  • Unlimited recording time in free version
  • Auto-save and local backup system

Speech to Text

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Penman

Subscriptions7
  • Monthly Discount Premium7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Monthly Penman Premium7 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Yearly Discount Premium$14.991 Year
Show 4 more
  • 6 Months Penman Premium3 Days trial$16.996 Months
  • Yearly Voice to Text plan7 Days trial$19.991 Year
  • Yearly Speech to Text Live6 Months trial$19.991 Year
  • Yearly Speech Voice to Text7 Days trial$29.991 Year
One-time3
  • Unlimited Voice to Text$29.99
  • Unlimited Voice to Text$39.99
  • Unlimited Voice to Text$59.99
4 purchases

Speech to Text

One-time4
  • Remove ads from app$1.99
  • Premium Languages 50 minutes$2.99
  • Premium Languages 100 minutes$4.99
Show 1 more
  • Premium Languages 200 minutes$9.99

Questions

Is Penman free?
Penman is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Speech to Text free?
Speech to Text is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Penman or Speech to Text?
Penman is rated higher. Penman averages 4.1 out of 5 from 252 ratings, while Speech to Text averages 3.9 from 88 ratings.
Do Penman or Speech to Text have ads?
Speech to Text shows ads; Penman does not.
Which is updated more often, Penman or Speech to Text?
Penman ships an update every 2 weeks, and Speech to Text every 2 months. Most recently, Penman was updated on November 6, 2026 and Speech to Text on November 2, 2026.

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