Talon Voice vs Windows Voice Access in 2026

Talon Voice and Windows Voice Access compared on what each does, pricing, setup and daily use, with QuickDictate as one more option.

By XP Daily · 2026-10-09

XP Daily is published by the makers of DaysAid, QuickDictate and YTSort, which are compared here alongside other tools.

Talon Voice is available on Windows, macOS and Linux (X11). ^[1] Windows Voice Access is a Windows 11 feature for controlling a PC and writing text by voice without an internet connection. ^[2] QuickDictate types speech into any window on Windows. ^[3] ^[3]

Option	Its own fee	Separate provider fee	Platforms
Talon Voice	not published	not published	Windows, macOS, Linux (X11) ^[1]
Windows Voice Access	not published	not published	Windows 11, version 22H2 and later ^[2]
QuickDictate	Free for personal and noncommercial use ^[3]	Cloud providers bill you separately ^[3]	64-bit Windows 10 and 11 ^[3]

The short answer

Talon Voice is available for Windows, macOS and Linux (X11). ^[1]

Windows Voice Access lets people control their PC and write text using only their voice, without an internet connection. ^[2]

If you use macOS or Linux (X11) as well as Windows, Talon's download page lists all three. ^[1] If you use Windows 11 version 22H2 or later and want a built in feature, Voice Access is available there. ^[2]

What Talon Voice and Windows Voice Access are built for

Talon Voice. You can download it for Windows, macOS and Linux (X11). ^[1]

Windows Voice Access. Microsoft describes it as a Windows 11 feature for controlling a PC and writing text by voice, without an internet connection. ^[2]

What QuickDictate is built for

QuickDictate is made by the team that publishes this site. It turns speech into typed text.

You hold a shortcut key while you talk, or tap it to start and stop, and you can change both keys. ^[3] What you say is typed into whichever window has focus, such as an editor, chat box, terminal or web form. ^[3]

You can pick an online speech service from ElevenLabs, Deepgram, OpenAI, AssemblyAI, DashScope or Google, and that service bills you directly. ^[3] With five of those services, words appear while you are still talking. ^[3] You can instead install the Cohere Transcribe or Whisper Large v3 Turbo speech model and dictate on your own PC with no API key and no internet. ^[3]

You can list words and phrases to help recognition, and a replacement table fixes spellings such as "Chat GPT" to "ChatGPT". ^[3] Saying "scratch that" undoes what you just dictated, and it is the only voice command the app has. ^[3] While you dictate, other apps' audio is muted or turned down, then returns to its old level. ^[3]

Pricing and fees

The sources for Talon Voice give no price in the facts used here, so its price is not published on this page. Check its own site before you decide.

The Windows Voice Access source gives no price either, so that is also not published here. It is described as a feature in Windows 11, but the source quoted here says nothing about cost. ^[2]

QuickDictate is free for personal and other noncommercial use, with no subscription or account. ^[3] Cloud providers bill you separately for their service. ^[3] From v0.9.0 on it is source-available under PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0, and commercial use needs a separate licence. ^[3]

Setting it up and daily use

Talon Voice. You download it for your system. ^[1] The facts here say nothing about setup steps or day to day use, so check its documentation.

Windows Voice Access. It is available in Windows 11, version 22H2 and later. ^[2] After you turn it off, you can launch it again from Settings > Accessibility > Speech. ^[2] Voice Access waits for a set amount of time before acting on a command, and its default setting is Medium (0.5 seconds). ^[2]

QuickDictate. It is a downloaded program that updates itself. ^[3] It runs only on 64-bit Windows 10 and 11. ^[3] You can browse and filter your last 50 dictations in Settings, and the history survives a restart or self-update. ^[3] Profiles can change the provider, language, vocabulary and formatting depending on which app is in focus. ^[3] If you sign in, you can sync preferences such as hotkeys and language between PCs. ^[3]

Things to check before you choose

Ask these of any tool.

Which operating system and version do you run, and is it supported?
Do you need to work without an internet connection, and does the tool allow it?
Do you want to dictate text, control the computer, or both?
What does it cost for your kind of use, personal or work?
Does it work in the languages you use?
Can you add your own words for names and terms you use often?
Do you need commands beyond dictation? QuickDictate has one voice command. ^[3]
Do you need a Mac or Linux version? QuickDictate has none. ^[3]

How to choose

You use Windows, macOS or Linux (X11). Talon Voice lists all three. ^[1]

You run Windows 11 22H2 or later and want a built in feature that works without internet. Voice Access says it does. ^[2] ^[2]

You want speech typed into whatever window is open, with your choice of online service or a local model. QuickDictate describes this on 64-bit Windows 10 and 11. ^[3] ^[3] ^[3] ^[3]

You want different settings per app. QuickDictate profiles do that. ^[3]

Frequently asked questions

Does Windows Voice Access work without internet?

Microsoft describes voice access as a Windows 11 feature that lets people control their PC and author text using only their voice and without an internet connection. ^[2] It is available in Windows 11, version 22H2 and later. ^[2] Check your Windows version before relying on it.

Which systems does Talon Voice run on?

Talon's download page lists Windows, macOS and Linux (X11). ^[1] The facts here do not state a price, so check its site for cost.

How much does Talon Voice cost?

The sources used for this page do not publish a Talon Voice price, so none is given here. Check the Talon site directly before you decide. The same applies to Windows Voice Access, where the source quoted here also states no price. For comparison, QuickDictate is free for personal and other noncommercial use, and cloud providers bill separately for their service. ^[3]

What modes does Windows Voice Access have?

The facts used here do not list the modes or microphone states of Windows Voice Access, so check Microsoft's pages for them.

Is QuickDictate free, and can it run offline?

QuickDictate is free for personal and other noncommercial use, with no subscription or account. ^[3] Commercial use needs a separate licence. ^[3] You can install the Cohere Transcribe or Whisper Large v3 Turbo speech model and dictate on your own PC with no API key and no internet. ^[3]

QuickDictate is free for personal and other noncommercial use, with no subscription or account. Cloud providers bill you separately for their service. ^[3]

Try QuickDictate