Free and paid options.I want to read books and documents on the go so I decided listening to it is the best way to go. However I would need to either convert pdfs into mp3s that don't sound terrible or gett a text to speech or eBook reader app for that. I would like free and paid options please. Thanks

Speechify is great but ain't no way I'm paying 30/mn for it.

I've been obsessed with voice input for years. I've used the following tools on my phone:

1. AudioPen

I like it for quick recordings. I think it is a good one for initial practice with speech to text writing. You can change the writing output easily (voice, length, tone, format). I was an early adopter so I got great pricing for the premium version which is now $99 per year. I don’t like the 15 minute time limit and inability to record while switching between apps. https://audiopen.ai

2. Otter

Great for conversations, but you can use it on a monologue too. I’m using Otter to write a course with a group with our virtual meeting transcripts. Paid Otter Pro version is $16.99 per month. https://otter.ai

3. Ultimate Brain Voice Notes

This is my favorite. It integrates with my Notion because I use Thomas Frank’s Ultimate Brain system for Notion. Takes more initial setup, but it's glorious for reducing my administrative burden and digital overwhelm. All I have to do is hit record from my phone, and the transcription shows up in my Notion notes inbox with an AI generated title and even follow up items and a summary. $30 per month for a paid Pipedream account, plus about $0.40/hour for voice recordings. I’m constantly using it. https://thomasjfrank.com/how-to-transcribe-audio-to-text-with-chatgpt-and-notion/

4. Gboard - using it now to write this post by dictating in real time. I use it on my phone to write some texts, emails, etc.

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I know I left out Dragon Nuance, the OG of dictation everyone says is the gold standard. I haven’t tried it yet. I think I might explore it next. $150 for year for Dragon Anywhere.

Any other favorite mobile speech-to-text apps you love for writing?