Comparison

Dictate⁺ vs Philips SpeechLive

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

Head to head
About

Dictate⁺

Transform your mobile device into a professional dictation tool. Record, edit, and securely transmit audio with advanced features like voice activation, encryption, and offline speech recognition. Organize and manage your recordings efficiently for seamless workflow.

Highlights
  • Professional dictation recording
  • Lightning-fast recording control
  • Impressively accurate voice activation
  • Secure AES-256 encryption
  • Offline speech recognition
  • Easy editing and transcription
  • Wide range of transmission options
Features
Read full description

Dictate⁺ turns your iPhone or iPad into a professional dictation device that can do more than most high-end dictation devices. Dictate⁺ is an indispensable app for doctors, lawyers, tax consultants, surveyors, journalists and anyone who wants to record speech and send it in accordance with the highest security standards. Dictate⁺ offers excellent sound quality, impressively accurate voice activation, secure encryption and a wealth of transmission options for your dictations and recordings. Professional dictation recordings ∙ Lightning-fast recording control and precise voice activation ∙ Configurable recording quality (8 - 48 kHz) ∙ Control with Bluetooth footswitch possible ∙ Recording in the background¹ Easily edit and transcribe dictations ∙ Smooth rewinding, overwriting and inserting ∙ Move and delete section in the dictation ∙ Set bookmarks in the dictation ∙ Different playback speeds ∙ Offline speech recognition Transmission according to the highest security standards ∙ Highest data security thanks to AES-256 encryption ∙ Access control (also biometric) possible ∙ No collection of usage or telemetry data² ∙ Wide range of sending options (email, download, FTP, WebDAV, SFTP, Dropbox and more) ∙ Preconfiguration of sharing destinations ∙ Dictate⁺ Transfer: end-to-end encrypted transfer of dictations to PC or Mac at no extra cost Easy management of dictations ∙ Organize dictations in folders ∙ MP4/AAC, WAV and AIFF formats ∙ Barcode scanner ∙ File attachments (photos, PDF, etc.) ∙ Document scanner JOTOMI has been developing dictation apps since 2008. “Dictamus” first became “Dictate + Connect” and now “Dictate⁺”. With more than 500,000 downloads worldwide, we are one of the most successful app developers in the field of professional dictation. Together with users from a wide range of industries, we are constantly working on improvements. Dictate⁺ offers all functions out of the box, but the recording length is limited to 15 seconds. Purchase a subscription to remove this limitation. With a "Feature Unlock" subscription, the length of each individual dictation is limited to 24 hours at “Normal” recording quality (5 hours at “Studio” recording quality). Your iTunes account will be charged immediately after confirmation of the subscription purchase. A subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. You can manage your subscriptions and turn off auto-renewal in your iTunes account settings. If you purchase a subscription, any existing free usage will expire and your account will be charged immediately. You can find the terms of use for the Feature Unlock subscription at https://www.dictate-plus.com/dictateplus-termsofuse ¹ Calls made from the iPhone itself cannot be recorded ² When using cloud services to transfer dictations, usage data and telemetry may be collected by the respective cloud provider

About

Philips SpeechLive

This app efficiently converts speech to text with professional recording features. It integrates with a powerful cloud solution for document creation, offering speech recognition, transcription, and workflow management from anywhere. Dictate on the go and send recordings to your typist.

Highlights
  • Speech-to-text conversion
  • Professional recording functions
  • Audio insertion and trimming
  • Image attachment to recordings
  • Browser-based file management
  • Speech recognition
  • Transcription services
Features
Read full description

The most efficient and accurate way to convert your speech into text The new Philips SpeechLive app allows you to take full control of your document creation workflow. You can turn your dictations into written text quicker and easier than ever before. The app offers professional recording functions, such as the ability to insert or trim audio sequences and even allows you to attach images to your recordings. The app is designed to be used with the powerful Philips SpeechLive solution. The innovative document creation solution offers high-quality benefits such as: - Speech recognition - Transcription - Integration of your own personal assistant - Browser-based file management and workflow from anywhere - Individual user management You can also use your Apple Watch to dictate on the go and send the dictation to your preferred typist.

Screenshots

Dictate⁺4 screens
Philips SpeechLive4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Dictate⁺ at 4.7 against Philips SpeechLive's 3.0. Dictate⁺ also leads on ratings volume (660 vs 4) and review sentiment (48% vs 29%). Philips SpeechLive's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2). On price, update cadence, ads and device support 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. Dictate⁺ sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Philips SpeechLive asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Dictate⁺ holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Dictate⁺ has 660 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 48% of Dictate⁺'s written reviews are positive against 29% of Philips SpeechLive's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Dictate⁺ ships an update every 3 weeks, Philips SpeechLive every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and August 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Dictate⁺ versus Philips SpeechLive: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDictate⁺Philips SpeechLive
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (660 ratings) — better3.0 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews47.7% of reviews — better28.6% of reviews
Number of ratings660 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, Apple Watch
Requires iOS15.5 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size29 MB56 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJOTOMISpeech Processing Solutions GmbH

Customer experience

Dictate⁺

All ratings660 ratings
Positive93.8%
Neutral2.7%
Negative3.5%
Written reviews44 reviews
Positive47.7%
Neutral9.1%
Negative43.2%

Philips SpeechLive

All ratings21 ratings
Positive52.4%
Neutral0.0%
Negative47.6%
Written reviews28 reviews
Positive28.6%
Neutral3.6%
Negative67.9%

Bugs and requests

Dictate⁺

Reported bugs

9 issues
  • Low volume playback requiring maximum volume
  • Uploads not forwarded or getting lost
  • Recording stops unexpectedly mid-dictation
  • Dictations cut off at 2/3 through playback
  • Sync issues - green check but still shows as unsent next day
Show 4 more
  • Stuttering sound bar visualization
  • SSL function not working
  • Invalid support email addresses
  • Dictation window too small on screen

Requested features

5 requests
  • Extended free trial period (3+ days)
  • Longer free recording duration
  • Revert to previous UI design
  • Improved backward compatibility with older iOS
  • Stable recording indicator/sound bar visualization

Philips SpeechLive

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Dictate⁺

Subscriptions2
  • Feature Unlock 1 month$5.991 Month
  • Feature Unlock 1 year$59.991 Year
None

Philips SpeechLive

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Dictate⁺ free?
Dictate⁺ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Philips SpeechLive free?
Philips SpeechLive is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Dictate⁺ or Philips SpeechLive?
Dictate⁺ is rated higher. Dictate⁺ averages 4.7 out of 5 from 660 ratings, while Philips SpeechLive averages 3.0 from 4 ratings.
Do Dictate⁺ or Philips SpeechLive have ads?
Neither Dictate⁺ nor Philips SpeechLive shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Dictate⁺ or Philips SpeechLive?
Dictate⁺ ships an update every 3 weeks, and Philips SpeechLive every 5 weeks. Most recently, Dictate⁺ was updated on September 21, 2026 and Philips SpeechLive on August 12, 2026.

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