Short answer: The best Letterly alternative for voice to text is Voice Keyboard Pro, because one subscription covers both iPhone and Mac. On iPhone you get a full custom keyboard with voice dictation in any app plus Voice Edit and live two-way translation, and on Mac you get a hold-to-talk hotkey that drops accurate text at your cursor anywhere. Pro is $4.99/month or $34.99/year and a free tier has no time limit.
If you have been using Letterly for AI voice notes and you are looking for a Letterly alternative that does more than turn rambling speech into clean text, you are in the right place. Letterly is good at one specific job: you talk, and it rewrites your monologue into a tidy note, summary, or message. But many people want voice to text everywhere they type, not just inside a notes app, and they want it on their laptop too. That is the gap this guide addresses.
Below is an honest look at what Letterly does well, where it falls short for daily use, and why Voice Keyboard Pro is the alternative most people end up preferring when they want voice input across their whole device, on both iPhone and Mac, under a single subscription.
What Letterly Does Well
Letterly built its reputation on AI-assisted note-taking. You open the app, record a stream of consciousness, and it cleans up the result into something readable. It is genuinely useful for brain dumps, journaling, drafting longer thoughts, and turning a messy spoken idea into structured prose. If your main need is "speak a long thought, get a polished paragraph," Letterly handles that well.
It also supports multiple languages and offers different output styles, so you can ask for a summary, a list, or a rewritten version of what you said. For people who think out loud and want an AI to do the editing, that is a real strength, and it is fair to credit it.
Where Letterly Falls Short for Everyday Voice to Text
The trouble starts when you want to use your voice for the dozens of small things you type every day, not just dedicated notes. A few limitations come up repeatedly for people searching for a Letterly alternative.
It lives in its own app
Letterly is primarily a place you go to record and rewrite. To use the text elsewhere, you typically copy it out and paste it into Messages, your email, Slack, or wherever it actually needs to go. That copy-paste round trip is fine occasionally, but it gets tedious when most of what you want is to fire off a quick reply or fill in a field by voice.
Rewriting is not always what you want
Because Letterly leans on AI to reshape your words, the output can drift from what you actually said. For a journal entry that is welcome. For a precise message, a code comment, or a name and a number you need exactly right, an aggressive rewrite is a liability. Sometimes you just want your literal words, fast.
Mobile-first, not laptop-first
If you spend your workday on a Mac writing emails, chatting in Slack, and filling out forms in a browser, a phone-centric notes app does not cover the place you do most of your typing.
Why Voice Keyboard Pro Is the Better Letterly Alternative
Voice Keyboard Pro takes a different approach. Instead of being a destination app you visit, it puts voice to text directly into the tools you already use, on both of your devices.
iPhone: dictate in any app, not just one
On iPhone, Voice Keyboard Pro is a full custom keyboard with a built-in microphone button. That means you can dictate in any app, Messages, WhatsApp, Mail, Notes, your browser, your to-do list, anywhere a keyboard appears. There is no copy-paste step because the text lands exactly where you are typing. You can install the iPhone keyboard from the App Store.
It also includes features Letterly does not focus on:
- Voice Edit: speak a change, like "make that a question" or "replace the last sentence," and it is applied in place. You correct by voice instead of fixing text with your thumbs.
- Two-way live translation: dictate in one of 24 languages and have it appear in another while you speak, useful for messaging someone across a language barrier.
- Swipe typing: when you do not want to talk, the keyboard still works as a normal keyboard.
Mac: hold a hotkey and talk anywhere
On Mac, Voice Keyboard Pro is a native menu bar app. You hold a hotkey, speak, release, and accurate text appears at your cursor in whatever app you are in, usually in under a second. There is nothing to configure beyond granting microphone access. This is the part Letterly does not really cover, and it is where a lot of writing actually happens. If you want to compare it against the built-in option, see our Apple Dictation alternative guide, or browse the best dictation software for Mac roundup.
The Mac app also adds Meeting Mode with speaker detection and AI notes, plus calendar meeting auto-detection, so it can capture and summarize a call automatically. You can get it from the Mac download page.
One subscription, both devices
This is the part that tips the decision for most people. A single Voice Keyboard Pro subscription covers Mac and iPhone together. You dictate a message on your phone during the day and dictate emails on your laptop at your desk, all under one plan, with the same accuracy on both.
Accuracy, Speed, and Privacy
Transcription runs on fast cloud infrastructure using advanced, Whisper-class AI. Because the heavy lifting happens in the cloud, accuracy and speed are identical on every Mac and iPhone, no matter how old the hardware is. An older phone gets the same quality as the newest one.
To stop misheard names and jargon, Voice Keyboard Pro includes Smart Vocabulary, a personal dictionary with replacement rules that learns the names, acronyms, and product terms you actually use. The more you use it, the better it fits your vocabulary.
On privacy, the servers store only operational pings, for example that a transcription happened, for billing and reliability. No audio and no transcript content is stored, and your dictation history stays on your device. If you are sending sensitive messages or notes by voice, that matters.
Letterly vs. Voice Keyboard Pro at a Glance
- Where it works: Letterly centers on its own notes app; Voice Keyboard Pro works in any app on iPhone and anywhere on Mac.
- Devices: Letterly is mobile-first; Voice Keyboard Pro covers iPhone and Mac on one subscription.
- Editing: Letterly rewrites with AI; Voice Keyboard Pro gives you literal dictation plus optional Voice Edit when you want changes.
- Extras: Voice Keyboard Pro adds live translation, swipe typing, and Mac Meeting Mode with AI notes.
- Pricing: Voice Keyboard Pro is $4.99/month or $34.99/year, with a free tier that has daily limits but no time limit. Check Letterly's current pricing before you decide, as plans change.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Voice Keyboard Pro a good Letterly alternative for note-taking?
Yes. You can dictate directly into Notes or any notes app on iPhone, and on Mac you can speak into any document. If you specifically want AI to rewrite long monologues into structured prose, Letterly is built for that, but for fast, accurate voice input everywhere you type, Voice Keyboard Pro is the more flexible choice.
Does it work on both iPhone and Mac?
Yes, and that is one of the main reasons people switch. One subscription covers the iPhone keyboard and the Mac menu bar app, so your voice to text is consistent across both devices.
How much does it cost?
There is a free tier with daily limits and no time limit, so you can try it indefinitely. Pro is $4.99/month or $34.99/year and covers Mac and iPhone together.
Is my dictation private?
Yes. The servers store only operational pings for billing and reliability. No audio and no transcript text is stored on the server, and your history stays on your device.
What if I want something more like a dictation tool than a notes app?
That is exactly the niche Voice Keyboard Pro fills. If you are also weighing other tools, our Superwhisper alternative and Voice Keyboard Pro vs Apple Dictation comparisons may help.
The Bottom Line
Letterly is a capable AI notes app, and if rewriting long spoken thoughts is your only need, it does that job. But if you want voice to text in every app, on both iPhone and Mac, with literal dictation, optional voice editing, live translation, and strong privacy, all on one affordable subscription, Voice Keyboard Pro is the better Letterly alternative. Try the free tier and see how much of your daily typing you can do by voice.