The question «which dictation software should I buy for the firm?» had an easy answer for twenty years: Dragon. Today it doesn't. The market has split into three very different families (the free dictation that already comes on your computer, legal suites sold directly and modern AI dictation apps) and each one fails in a different place.
This guide compares the five options a Spanish law firm really considers. Without crowning anyone in the abstract: with what each one does well and what it does badly.
In short: for short notes, Win+H (free) and Word (with Microsoft 365); Dragon Professional v16, Windows only and with no published price; DigaLaw X, a legal suite for Windows (Silver, 299 euros for six months); Wispr Flow, general dictation that also works on your phone (12 dollars a month, billed annually); ablalo, for documents in Spanish on Windows and Mac, with your voice processed on your computer (22 to 29 euros a month plus VAT).
Before comparing: the six criteria that decide
Dictation software is not judged by the words per minute it advertises. It is judged by the total time until the document is ready. These are the six points where that time is won or lost:
- Automatic punctuation in Spanish. If you have to keep saying «coma» (comma), «punto y aparte» (new paragraph), «abrir comillas» (open quotes), you are not dictating: you are typing with your mouth.
- Legal vocabulary and your own. Uncommon surnames, acronyms, company names, cited articles. If every document drags along the same five errors, the tool is no use to you.
- That it works outside Word. A good part of a law firm's work happens in email, in the browser, in a PDF and in the case management software.
- The operating system you actually use. Windows and Mac are not interchangeable, and «it works on Mac with an emulator» is not the same as working on Mac.
- Where your voice and text are processed. This is the professional secrecy question, and it is worth asking before you sign. The questions are set out in client confidentiality and GDPR when using AI in a law firm.
- Being able to try it with your documents. A guided demo shows what the tool does well. Only your own documents show what it does badly.
The five options at a glance
| Win+H | Word | Dragon | DigaLaw X | Wispr Flow | ablalo | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Windows | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Native Mac | No | Yes | No | Via Parallels | Yes | Yes |
| In any program | Yes | Word only | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Punctuates on its own in Spanish | Limited | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Your own vocabulary | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Transcribe recordings | No | Separately, in the cloud | Yes | Yes, 10 to 30 min locally | No | Yes, locally |
| Focus on Spanish law | No | No | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| Try without paying | Free | With M365 | Ask | 1 month, with its masterclass | Free plan | 14 days |
| Approximate cost | 0 euros | With M365 | No published price | Silver: 299 euros/6 months | 12 dollars/month billed annually | 22 to 29 euros/month + VAT |
About the data in this table: it is taken from each vendor's public information, checked on 12 October 2026 (the sources are at the end). Prices and language coverage change, and some products are sold by quotation. Before you buy, confirm it with the vendor: here we tell you where to look, we don't replace their price list.
1. Windows dictation (Win+H) and Word dictation
Who it is for: anyone who wants to find out whether dictating suits them before spending a single euro.
They are included, they cost nothing and they open with a shortcut. For a quick note, a message or a three-line email, they do the job. The problem appears when the text gets longer: in Spanish they fall short on punctuation, on proper names and on any uncommon term, and neither of them lets you teach it vocabulary. You dictate fast and correct slowly.
Word's, moreover, lives inside Word: as soon as you move to your email, the browser or the case management software, you no longer have it.
The long version: ablalo versus Windows and Word dictation.
2. Dragon
Who it is for: law firms that already worked with Dragon and want to stay in that family.
It was the standard for professional dictation for two decades, and it still exists in its professional and sector-specific lines. But for a Spanish law firm there are two serious warnings. The first is that the home range in Spanish stopped at Dragon NaturallySpeaking Premium 13, now discontinued: Nuance's Spanish website today lists only Dragon Professional v16, for Windows 10 and 11, with no published price and sold through its sales team. The second is that Dragon Legal, the version with legal vocabulary and automatic citation formatting, does not appear on that Spanish website: if you are offered it in Spanish, ask for it to be confirmed in writing before you pay.
On top of that, the last version for Mac is from 2018, and Microsoft presented its purchase of Nuance, in 2021, as a bet on healthcare.
The long version: ablalo versus Dragon Legal and what happened to Dragon in Spanish.
3. DigaLaw X
Who it is for: the law firm that wants a complete legal suite, with installation and training included, and doesn't mind paying for it.
It is the longest-standing option for legal dictation in Spanish. It is made by SpeechWare, a company based in Brussels, and it goes well beyond dictation: it transcribes audio and video recordings, extracts data from PDFs and images, comes with about 250 voice formatting commands in its Silver version and is sold with remote installation, one-to-one training and technical support during working hours.
The two limits to be clear about are the system and the price. It is built on Windows (on Mac it runs through emulation with Parallels, not natively), and its shop lists, as of 12 October 2026, the Silver version at 299 euros for six months or 499 euros for twelve, Bronze at 199 or 299 euros and Gold at 399 or 599 euros (it does not say whether VAT is included). It is a purchase for a law firm, not for a self-employed lawyer trying things out.
The long version: ablalo versus DigaLaw X.
4. Wispr Flow
Who it is for: anyone who wants modern, fast dictation and doesn't need anything specifically legal or Spanish.
It is the app that popularised the category of AI dictation in any program, and it is good at what it does: it works on Windows, Mac, iOS and Android, it has a free plan (2,000 words a week on the computer) and Spanish is among the languages the vendor highlights for accuracy. If your work is writing emails and notes, it is a perfectly reasonable option.
What it doesn't do: it doesn't know Spanish legal language out of the box, it doesn't cite articles, and it is a US company. That last point is not an abstract objection when what you are dictating is a client's matter.
The long version: ablalo versus Wispr Flow.
5. ablalo
Who it is for: the Spanish lawyer or law firm that drafts all day and wants the draft done by speaking, without installing a suite or going through training.
It is what we make, so read this with that label on. It works natively on Windows and Mac and on top of any program; it punctuates on its own and removes filler words; it recognises more than 30,000 legal terms out of the box and learns the ones you add; and when you name an article («artículo 1124 del Código Civil», article 1124 of the Spanish Civil Code) it puts the full official text into the document. Besides live dictation, it transcribes recordings already made (a court hearing, a witness statement, a meeting) on the computer itself (what the glossary defines as local transcription), which is exactly what you cannot do with a cloud transcription service when the content is covered by professional secrecy.
What it doesn't do, so you don't get a surprise: it doesn't extract data from PDFs or images, it doesn't control the computer by voice and it doesn't replace your case management software. It is dictation and transcription, not a document suite.
How to choose in three questions
If you have got this far and are still unsure, this usually settles it:
- Do you need to transcribe recordings as well as dictate? That rules out Win+H and Wispr Flow in one go. Word has a separate Transcribe feature, which uploads the audio to Microsoft's cloud. That leaves Dragon, DigaLaw X (with its limit on local minutes depending on the version) and ablalo. And if the recording is of a hearing or a witness statement, ask this before the price: whether the file is processed on your computer or uploaded to a server.
- Do you work on a Mac? That rules out quite a lot. Dragon has had no version since 2018 and DigaLaw X goes through emulation. That leaves Word, Wispr Flow and ablalo.
- Does what you dictate include client data? Then the question of where your voice and text are processed stops being a technical detail. Ask for the answer in writing, whoever the vendor is.
A tip that sells nothing: before you decide, take one of your real documents (a long one, with proper names and article citations) and dictate the first page with each candidate. In fifteen minutes you will see more than in any comparison, this one included. To make the test fair, dictate with the method in how to dictate a legal brief.
In short
There is no universal winner. There is free dictation that is fine for getting started and falls short as soon as the document gets longer; a legal suite in Spanish, complete and expensive, tied to Windows; a historic brand that in Spain now sells only its professional version for Windows, with no published price; an excellent international app that knows nothing about Spanish law; and what we make, which is designed precisely for the gap the other four leave.
Whatever you choose, measure just one thing: how long it takes from when you start speaking until the document is ready to review. Everything else is features.
Sources: Nuance, Dragon in Spain (in Spanish); DigaLaw X, versions and prices and frequently asked questions (in Spanish); Wispr Flow, pricing; Microsoft, Transcribe your recordings. Checked on 12 October 2026; prices and terms may change.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best dictation software for a lawyer in Spain?
It depends on what you need. If you want to dictate briefs and emails in any program, in Spanish and without correcting afterwards, the options still on the market are DigaLaw X, Dragon's professional lines, modern AI dictation apps such as ablalo or Wispr Flow, and the free dictation in Windows and Word. If you also have to transcribe recordings of hearings or witness statements, that is a different feature that not all of them include: Dragon, DigaLaw X and ablalo have it, and so does Word with its Transcribe feature, in the cloud. It is worth checking whether the file is processed on your computer or uploaded to a server.
Is free Windows dictation good enough for a law firm?
It is fine for notes and short messages. In a long document in Spanish it falls short on automatic punctuation, proper names and legal vocabulary, and the time you gain by dictating you lose by correcting. It does not let you add your own vocabulary.
What should I check before paying for dictation for the firm?
Six things: that it works on the operating system you actually use, that it punctuates on its own in Spanish, that you can add your vocabulary, that it works outside Word, where the audio and the text are processed (because of professional secrecy), and that you can try it with your own documents before paying.