Dictate in any app · Writing
iA Writer strips everything away so nothing stands between you and the words. Typally types what you say straight into iA Writer — hold a key, talk, let go — so you can dictate anywhere iA Writer lets you type.
Written by the team behind Typally. iA Writer's own features are described as accurately as we can — check them yourself before switching anything.None. The editor is deliberately bare, with system dictation available on Mac.
Removing distractions does not remove the difficulty of producing sentences. A blank iA Writer window is the purest version of the blank page problem there is.
In practice people use it for: Essays, articles, blog drafts, journalling, and any first draft that needs momentum.
Because Typally types at the system level rather than plugging into iA Writer, setup is the same everywhere:
Windows or macOS build, signed in once.
Make sure iA Writer has the cursor in the intended field; that is the only thing that decides where words appear.
Say the whole thought, then let go. No time limit.
iA Writer is markdown-based, so dictated hashes and asterisks become formatting.
Typally removes the last obstacle iA Writer's design cannot: producing sentences. Use dictation for the first pass and the app's focus mode for the second, which is what it is genuinely good at. Draft in plain prose — spoken hashes and asterisks become markdown formatting.
A writer who had been managing three hundred words a session in iA Writer starts speaking the first pass. Sessions produce twelve hundred rough words, and the focus mode gets used for what it is good at — cutting them down.
Use its focus mode for editing and dictation for drafting. The app is built for concentration, which is an editing virtue more than a drafting one.
iA Writer is markdown-based, so dictated hashes and asterisks become formatting.
No app-specific feature. macOS dictation and system-level tools both reach the editor.
The app exists to remove obstacles between you and the text. Typing speed is one of those obstacles.
Poorly. Speak the prose and format afterwards.
Free plan: 100 minutes of dictation a month, no card. Pro is $7.99/month if you want more.
Also dictate in: Ulysses · Typora · Ghost · see all apps