Amical: Amical is an open-source, local-first AI dictation and voice-notes app that transcribes speech to text on your own machine using Whisper and open-source LLMs. Braina: Braina is a Windows AI assistant and speech-to-text software that handles voice dictation, voice commands, and transcription of recorded audio and video files including meetings and interviews. We compare them on cost, capture approach, and day-to-day fit so you can choose faster.
How Hosiqo compares and tests toolsFinal recommendation
Shortlist Amical when dictating emails, messages, and documents hands-free with app-appropriate formatting matters most, and Braina when voice dictation for notes and documents on a windows pc matters most. Trial each on a few real meetings before you commit — the better fit usually shows fast.
Amical is an open-source, local-first AI dictation and voice-notes app that transcribes speech to text on your own machine using Whisper and open-source LLMs.
Braina is a Windows AI assistant and speech-to-text software that handles voice dictation, voice commands, and transcription of recorded audio and video files including meetings and interviews.
Amical is an open-source, MIT-licensed AI dictation application that turns speech into formatted text directly on your device. It runs OpenAI's Whisper for speech recognition locally and uses open-source LLMs (via Ollama) for intelligent processing, so dictation can work offline once a local model is set up; for machines that can't handle local inference, it offers a cloud fallback. Built with Electron and TypeScript, it runs on Mac and Windows as a desktop app with a floating widget interface and configurable hotkeys. Its standout feature is context-aware formatting: it detects the active application and adapts tone and structure accordingly, producing professional text in email, casual phrasing in chat apps, or prompt and command-style output in IDEs and terminals. It supports many languages plus mixed-language dictation, and custom vocabulary for domain-specific terms. Beyond dictation, it is adding smart voice notes with summaries and task generation. It targets privacy-conscious writers, developers, and professionals wanting a free alternative to paid dictation tools.
Best suited for
Braina (short for "Brain Artificial") is a Windows desktop AI assistant and speech-to-text application developed by Brainasoft. For meeting-related work, it transcribes pre-recorded audio and video files (WAV, MP3, M4A, MP4) into text, handling content such as meetings, interviews, lectures, and broadcasts. Transcription runs locally on the user's computer, supports multiple speakers without voice training, and can output plain text, text with timestamps, and subtitle formats (SRT and WebVTT). It also offers live voice dictation into any application across many languages, plus voice commands for controlling the PC. Beyond transcription, Braina provides an interface to local and cloud large language models, note-taking with persistent memory, reminders, and document chat. It runs primarily on Windows, with companion iOS and Android apps that can remotely control a connected PC over Wi-Fi. It is aimed at professionals, students, and researchers who want desktop dictation and offline file transcription rather than an automated bot that joins live meetings.
Best suited for
Amical is open source (open source); Braina is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Amical | Braina |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | Local speech-to-text transcription powered by OpenAI Whisper | Transcribe recorded audio and video files (WAV, MP3, M4A, MP4) to text |
| Standout feature | On-device LLM processing via Ollama, with a cloud fallback option | Offline multi-speaker transcription with no voice training required |
| Team usage | Context-aware formatting that adapts tone to the active app (email, chat, IDE, terminal) | Output to plain text, timestamped text, SRT and WebVTT subtitles |
| Integrations | Multi-language and mixed-language dictation support | Live voice dictation into any application across many languages |
| Languages & capture | Custom vocabulary for domain-specific terms and configurable hotkeys | Voice commands for PC control plus note-taking and reminders |
| Best-fit workflow | Smart voice notes with summaries and task generation (in development) | Interface to local and cloud large language models |
Amical
Choose Amical if you need dictating emails, messages, and documents hands-free with app-appropriate formatting — strengths include fully open source (mit) and actively maintained with frequent releases.
Braina
Choose Braina if you need transcribing recorded meetings and interviews into text or subtitles — strengths include transcription runs locally on your own computer for privacy.
Amical
Braina
It depends on your workflow. Amical is strong for dictating emails, messages, and documents hands-free with app-appropriate formatting, while Braina is strong for transcribing recorded meetings and interviews into text or subtitles. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Amical is open source and Braina is a free tier with paid upgrades. Check each vendor's pricing page for the latest plans and free-tier limits.
Often yes: teams combine tools when one handles capture and another handles analysis.
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