Dragon Product Comparison - All Products Side by Side
Compare every Dragon speech recognition product available in Australia. Find the right fit for your profession, team size and infrastructure, then see how Dragon compares to built-in dictation tools and cloud alternatives.
Dragon products compared
Five products across medical, legal, professional and education sectors. All available through Voice Recognition Australia.
| Feature | Medical OneCloud - subscription | Professional 16Desktop - from $994 | AnywhereCloud - subscription | LegalCloud - subscription | EducationDesktop - $545 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deployment and Licensing | |||||
| Deployment | Cloud | Locally installed | Cloud | Cloud | Locally installed |
| Works offline | No - requires internet | Yes - after activation | No - requires internet | No - requires internet | Yes - after activation |
| Licence model | Subscription | Perpetual ($994) or annual ($595/yr) | Subscription | Subscription | Perpetual ($545) |
| PC install limit | Any device | Up to 2 (perpetual) or unlimited (subscription) | Any device | Any device | Up to 2 |
| Free trial | Yes - via VRA | No | No | No | No |
| Vocabulary and Specialisation | |||||
| Medical vocabulary | 80+ specialties built in | General only - add custom | General only - add custom | General only | General only - add custom |
| Legal vocabulary | No | Add via custom vocab | Add via custom vocab | Built in | Add via custom vocab |
| Custom vocabulary | Yes | Yes - deep customisation | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| AutoText shortcuts | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Voice macros/commands | Limited | Full - advanced automation | Yes | Yes | Full - advanced automation |
| Integration and Compatibility | |||||
| EHR integrationBest Practice, Medical Director | Yes - purpose-built | Not medical-specific | Not medical-specific | Not medical-specific | Not medical-specific |
| Microsoft 365 / Teams | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Citrix / Virtual desktop | Yes | No - local install onlySee Anywhere or Group for VDI | Yes - designed for VDI | Yes | No |
| Mobile app | Dragon Anywhere Mobile | No | Dragon Anywhere Mobile | Dragon Anywhere Mobile | No |
| Voice training needed | No - accurate from first use | Brief initial setup | No | No | Brief initial setup |
| Administration and Management | |||||
| Centralised admin (NMC) | Yes | NoGroup edition adds NMC | Yes | Yes | No |
| Usage reporting | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Transcribe audio filesSingle speaker only | No | Yes - MP3, WAV, WMA, DSS, DS2 | No | No | Yes |
| Hands-free PC control | Limited | Full - mouse, navigation, apps | Limited | Limited | Full - accessibility |
| Pricing (AUD inc GST) | |||||
| Price | Contact VRA | $994 perpetual / $595 per yr | Contact VRA | Contact VRA | $545 perpetual |
| Upgrade from v15 | N/A | $495 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Buy / Enquire | Free Trial | Buy now | Enquire | Enquire | Buy now |
Pricing from Voice Recognition Australia (March 2026). Feature information from official Nuance/Dragon documentation. Verify current pricing before purchase.
Dragon vs alternatives
How Dragon compares to Windows built-in dictation, Speech Recognition Cloud, and browser-based tools.
| Feature | Dragon Professional 16Locally installed, Windows | Windows Voice TypingWin+H, built-in | Speech Recognition Cloudspeechrecognition.cloud | Browser Dictation ToolsWeb-based, various |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Works offline | Yes - after activation | No - requires internet | No - cloud-based | No - browser/cloud |
| Works in any Windows app | Yes - Word, Outlook, Teams, EMRs | Limited app support | Yes - any Windows application | Browser onlyCut and paste to use elsewhere |
| Custom vocabulary | Deep customisation | No | AI-assisted | No |
| Voice macros / automation | Full automation | No | 20+ AI commands | No |
| Languages | English onlyAU, NZ, UK, US, CA, IN | English + others | 57+ languages | Varies |
| Transcribe audio files | Yes - single speaker | No | No | No |
| Mac support | Windows only | Windows only | Windows only | Most support Mac |
| Voice training needed | Brief setup | No | No - works instantly | No |
| Cost | From $495 AUD | Free (built-in) | SubscriptionSee pricing | Free / low cost |
Sources: Microsoft Support documentation, Google Docs Help, speechrecognition.cloud, and official Dragon Professional 16 documentation. Comparison reflects publicly available information (March 2026).
Which Dragon product is right for you?
A practical guide based on the most common buying scenarios.
Medical One
Clinicians, GP practices, hospitals and specialist clinics. 80+ medical specialty vocabularies built in. Cloud-based with EHR integration. Free trial available.
Learn moreProfessional 16
Business professionals, government, accounting. Locally installed, works offline. Custom voice commands and macro automation. Perpetual or subscription licence.
Learn moreAnywhere
Enterprise and distributed teams. Cloud-native for Citrix and virtual desktop environments. Centralised admin via NMC. Voice profile roaming.
Learn moreLegal
Law firms, barristers, legal departments. Built-in legal vocabulary covering court terminology, legislation and case law. Cloud-based with firm-wide management.
Learn moreEducation
Students, educators and accessibility. Full Dragon Professional 16 at discounted pricing. NDIS eligible. Perpetual licence - own it beyond graduation.
Learn moreEnterprise / Group
Teams of 5 or more. Dragon Professional Group adds NMC, Active Directory/SSO, volume licensing, usage reporting, and Citrix/RDP support.
EnquireDragon vs Windows built-in voice tools
Windows 11 includes Voice Typing (Win+H) and Voice Access. Here is how they differ from Dragon.
Windows Voice Typing requires an internet connection per Microsoft's own documentation. Dragon Professional 16, once installed and activated, operates without an internet connection. For professionals working with sensitive documents, in environments with limited connectivity, or requiring consistent accuracy with specialised vocabulary, this distinction matters.
Dragon adds professional-grade capabilities that built-in tools do not offer: custom vocabulary for industry-specific terms, AutoText for boilerplate insertion, voice macros for multi-step workflow automation, and single-speaker audio file transcription. For occasional, lightweight dictation where these features are not needed, Windows Voice Typing may be sufficient.
Voice Access (Windows 11 22H2+) does enable some hands-free PC control without internet, but does not include Dragon's dictation accuracy tuning, custom vocabulary, or transcription capabilities.
Dragon vs Speech Recognition Cloud
Dragon and Speech Recognition Cloud serve different needs.
Choose Dragon if you need...
Locally installed offline operation, deep custom vocabulary and voice macros, single-speaker audio transcription, enterprise management via NMC, or medical/legal specialty vocabularies. Dragon is English-only but deeply customisable for professional workflows.
Choose Speech Recognition Cloud if you need...
57+ language support, cloud-based access with no installation, instant setup with no voice training, AI-powered commands, or a simpler subscription model. SRC works in any Windows application and is designed for users who want fast, flexible cloud dictation.
What Dragon does not do
Important limitations across all Dragon products.
Not for meetings
All Dragon products are designed for single-speaker dictation. They will not reliably transcribe multi-speaker conversations, meetings, or interviews.
Windows only
Dragon Professional 16 and Education are Windows-only (Windows 10/11). Cloud products (Medical One, Anywhere, Legal) work via browser on other platforms. Nuance discontinued Dragon for Mac.
English only (desktop)
Dragon Professional 16 supports English across six regional variants. For 57+ languages, consider Speech Recognition Cloud as a cloud-based alternative.
Not sure which product is right?
Voice Recognition Australia has been deploying Dragon across medical, legal, government and enterprise environments for 25 years. Tell us your situation and we will recommend the right product.