Express Scribe vs. Microsoft 365

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Express Scribe
Score 7.0 out of 10
N/A
Express Scribe Professional is a foot pedal controlled audio player software specifically designed for typists and transcription work. Featuring foot pedal control, variable speed, speech to text engine integration and support for a wide variety of audio formats including .dss, .dct, .wav, .mp3, and .wma. Audio recordings can be loaded automatically from CD, email, LAN, FTP, local hard drive and Express Delegate. Traditional hand held dictation recorders can also be docked and the audio…
$39.95
per user
Microsoft 365
Score 8.6 out of 10
N/A
Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365) is a Microsoft Cloud subscription service that includes Microsoft Office products (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Publisher, and Access). The software can be installed across multiple devices and ensures that users always have the most up-to-date version of the included Office applications.
$5
Per User Per Month
Pricing
Express ScribeMicrosoft 365
Editions & Modules
Basic
$39.95
per user
Professional
$49.99
per user
Business Basic
$5.00
Per User Per Month
Individual
$5.84
*Per Month
Business - Apps
$8.25
Per User Per Month
Enterprise - F3
$10.00
Per User Per Month
Business Standard
$12.50
Per User Per Month
Business Premium
$20.00
Per User Per Month
Enterprise - E3
$32.00
Per User Per Month
Enterprise - E5
$57.00
Per User Per Month
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Express ScribeMicrosoft 365
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
YesNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsLifetime license*When billed annually.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Express ScribeMicrosoft 365
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Express ScribeMicrosoft 365
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Score 8.1 out of 10
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Score 9.1 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Dovetail
Dovetail
Score 8.6 out of 10
Google Workspace
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Score 9.1 out of 10
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Verint Speech and Text Analytics
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Score 8.4 out of 10
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Microsoft 365 Business Premium
Score 8.9 out of 10
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User Ratings
Express ScribeMicrosoft 365
Likelihood to Recommend
7.0
(1 ratings)
7.9
(243 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
-
(0 ratings)
9.5
(6 ratings)
Usability
-
(0 ratings)
7.7
(13 ratings)
Support Rating
-
(0 ratings)
8.9
(54 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(2 ratings)
User Testimonials
Express ScribeMicrosoft 365
Likelihood to Recommend
NCH Software
It has a free trial, which is very nice if someone just needs temporary access to use, and it's not an expensive program overall. It may not be the most robust program available, but it gets the job done at a good price point. It might not be the best if you need something that allows transcriptionists to collaborate (i.e., working on the same file at the same time).
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Microsoft
Office everyday things since time immemorial. It's hard for Google Suite or any other to compete with Microsoft. They have everything, and it all works great, with incredible tools and capabilities. The new integrations work seamlessly most of the time, such as embedding a Power BI in a PPT. Expecting too much AI, like note taking, or LLM-based PPT, is not available in my tier at least, so depending on the budget, you won't get all you may expect from an AI leader. For diagramming and process maps, you're better off with other tools like those above.
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Pros
NCH Software
  • Cost efficient - This is a fairly low-cost transcription software that can be downloaded quickly via web
  • Easy to use - New users can get the hang of this software pretty quickly
  • Customizable - Foot pedal controls and other preferences can be set based on what feels intuitive to the user
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Microsoft
  • It allows us to keep our email organized. I like the fact that I can create folders in Outlook, and they replicate on my mail server.
  • Excellent for drafting and saving those documents as PDFs without needing PDF editing software.
  • Spreadsheets - what more is there to say?
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Cons
NCH Software
  • Interface - The look and feel of the software is quite dated and could use a refresh
  • Enhancing audio - When we need to manipulate an audio file to try to enhance it (amplifying, for example), we have to use another program to do so
  • Hotkeys - Setting up hotkeys may not be as intuitive for new users as would be ideal
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Microsoft
  • Microsoft 365 really needs to work on protection part. In complex environment it is not reliable as compared to its competitors like Proofpoint. There are many instances where it fails to perform effectively.
  • In SharePoint Online the versioning feature of the document needs to be improved by Microsoft. Sometimes when we have to roll back to the previous version it does not work as expected.
  • In Teams messaging and app permission policies can be improved. There are some settings where we have to add a lot of things manually.
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Likelihood to Renew
NCH Software
No answers on this topic
Microsoft
There are many features of Office that we cannot replicate in any other tool. Plus people know it already. It's not going away anytime soon.
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Usability
NCH Software
No answers on this topic
Microsoft
It being the default office suite means it's user experience and idioms are things that everyone is generally very used to and fluent with.
The sharing is relatively simple, being directly hooked into Entra AD, and expiry being a first class concern.
It's usability decreases at scale, with multiple people simultaneously making edits can make documents unusable.
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Support Rating
NCH Software
No answers on this topic
Microsoft
Over the past 8 years of using Microsoft 365, I have noticed that they change vendors often. This always leads to a poor experience in the beginning, then levels out after some time for the company to get things worked out. As a customer, it is really frustrating because I don't have time when something isn't working to have them "look into my issue" and get back with me. They have even closed a ticket I specifically told them to keep open. Your applications are only as good as the support.
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Implementation Rating
NCH Software
No answers on this topic
Microsoft
Everything works and I use it all the time.
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Alternatives Considered
NCH Software
No answers on this topic
Microsoft
Its very user-friendly, collaborative and efficient that boosts productivity using cloud tools. their security is strong and it provides data protection. There are regular updates that shields us from attackers too. It offers a wealth of learning resources, including tutorials, help articles and video guide to help users make the most of the application and personally upgrade their skills.
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Return on Investment
NCH Software
  • Very few 'inaudibles' (spots where we're unable to decipher what was said)
  • Transcribing allows analysts to read scripts rather than listen to audio files, which saves time and money
  • Low cost of software
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Microsoft
  • It has helped keep the high-energy culture my company has since it allows easy communication and calls.
  • Positively impacts responses from clients, since we can see how many times they have been contacted. (the more someone is contacted, the less likely they are to respond. Microsoft helps make sure we all know who and who not to contact)
  • positively impacts my ability to focus, since you can mute notifications. Since I look at my computer all day, it is helpful to lock in and not get distracted by the many emails I receive a day. You can also change preferences, so emails with high urgency are still seen.
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ScreenShots

Express Scribe Screenshots

Screenshot of Load DictationsScreenshot of Playback OptionsScreenshot of Optional Foot Pedal or HotKey ControlScreenshot of Express Scribe Mini Control