Voice-to-Text Apps That Actually Work on Loud Jobsites

Difficulty: Journeyman

Typing on a phone while standing on a ladder or kneeling in a crawlspace is a bad idea. Voice-to-text fixes that. You talk, the app transcribes, and you move on.

But not all voice apps work the same way. Some are built for office meetings. Others are built for field conditions. The difference matters when you're trying to document a punch list item with a concrete saw running twenty feet away.

This article covers what actually works for capturing jobsite notes by voice, from free options already on your phone to construction-specific tools worth paying for.

The Basics: What's Already on Your Phone

Before downloading anything, check what you've got.

Apple Dictation (iPhone)

Tap the microphone icon on your keyboard in any app. Say your note. It transcribes in real-time.

Works well in quiet conditions. Struggles with background noise. No automatic punctuation unless you say "period" or "comma" out loud. Free, no setup required.

Best for: Quick notes in relatively quiet spots. Text messages to the office. Adding captions to photos.

Google Voice Typing (Android)

Same idea. Tap the mic on your keyboard, talk, done.

Slightly better at handling accents and construction terminology than Apple. Still struggles with heavy equipment noise. Also free.

Best for: Same as Apple. Quick captures when conditions cooperate.

The Problem With Built-In Options

Both work fine for short notes in decent conditions. Neither was designed for jobsites. No speaker identification, no automatic organization, no integration with project management tools. They're basic dictation, nothing more.

Apps Worth Downloading

Otter

Originally built for meeting transcription, but the mobile app works for field notes too.

You can record longer audio and get a full transcript. Handles multiple speakers reasonably well. Searchable archive means you can find that note from three weeks ago about the electrical rough-in.

Cost: Free tier gives you 300 minutes/month with 30-minute recording limits. Pro runs $8-10/month for 1,200 minutes.

Jobsite reality: Works better for documenting walkthroughs or conversations with subs than quick punch list items. The recording-and-transcript approach takes more time than simple dictation, but you get a better record.

Best for: Site walks, sub meetings, documenting conversations you might need later.

Raken

Daily reporting app built for construction. Voice-to-text is baked into the work log and notes features.

You walk the site, dictate what happened, attach photos, and the app generates a branded PDF report. Subs can submit their own reports that roll up into your master daily log. Been around longer than most options on this list. Recently added AI features for report summaries and photo ID verification, though the voice capture itself is standard dictation rather than AI transcription.

Cost: Starts around $15/user/month. Free for subs if the GC invites them.

Jobsite reality: This is a full daily reporting system, not just voice capture. If you need structured daily logs with work hours, equipment, materials, and safety observations, Raken handles all of it. The voice-to-text is one input method among many.

Best for: GCs and subs who need formal daily reporting, not just quick notes.

CompanyCam

Photo documentation tool that added voice features. Most contractors already know it for jobsite photos.

The AI Walkthrough Note feature lets you walk a site, take photos, and talk through what you're seeing. The app combines everything into a formatted report. Quick Caption lets you add voice descriptions to individual photos without typing.

Cost: Premium plan required for AI features. Starts around $19/user/month.

Jobsite reality: The photo-plus-voice combo is the real value here. You're not just transcribing words. You're building documentation that shows what you saw and what you said about it. The AI cleans up your rambling and removes filler words.

Best for: Progress documentation, punch lists, scope of work walkthroughs, anything where photos and notes go together.

Benetics

Built specifically for construction crews. Swiss company, recently launched U.S. operations.

Voice assistant understands trade terminology and works in 30+ languages. You talk naturally about what happened, and it structures the information into proper reports. Integrates with Procore.

Cost: Free tier for solo users. Team plans require contacting sales.

Jobsite reality: This is the only tool on this list designed from the ground up for field workers. Handles noisy environments better than general-purpose apps. The automatic translation feature matters if you have multilingual crews.

Best for: Daily reports, time-and-material documentation, task assignments, crews who don't want to type anything.

What About Meeting Transcription?

Different problem, different tools.

Jobsite notes are usually one person talking into their phone. Meeting transcription involves multiple speakers, often in conference calls or video meetings.

If you need meeting minutes from owner meetings, sub coordination calls, or internal team discussions, look at tools like Circleback, Fireflies, or Otter's meeting features. Circleback in particular does a solid job of identifying who said what, which matters when you need to document who agreed to what.

That's a separate article. The tools above are for field documentation.

Which One to Pick

If you just need quick notes: Use whatever's built into your phone. It's free and already there.

If you need formal daily reports: Raken. It's a complete reporting system with voice as one input method.

If you need photos with voice descriptions: CompanyCam. The combination is more useful than either alone.

If you need structured field reports without the overhead: Benetics. Purpose-built for crews who won't touch a keyboard.

If you need searchable records of conversations: Otter. The transcript archive is the feature.

Most contractors will end up using more than one. Built-in dictation for quick texts, CompanyCam for photo documentation, maybe Benetics or Otter for specific reporting needs.

The goal isn't finding the perfect app. It's finding something that fits how your crews actually work so they'll use it instead of scribbling on scrap paper or not documenting at all.

Bottom Line

Voice-to-text works on jobsites now. Start with what's on your phone. If that doesn't cut it, add CompanyCam for photos or Benetics for reports.

Talking is faster than typing. Your crews might actually do it.