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. Grain: Grain is an AI notetaker and conversation intelligence platform that records, transcribes, and summarizes video calls and Slack huddles, with or without meeting bots. 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 Grain when recording and summarizing client or team meetings for action items matters most. Run both through a week of actual calls to see which suits your workflow.
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.
Grain is an AI notetaker and conversation intelligence platform that records, transcribes, and summarizes video calls and Slack huddles, with or without meeting bots.
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
Grain is an AI meeting assistant and conversation intelligence platform that automatically records, transcribes, and summarizes meetings, generating AI notes, action items, and shareable video clips. It supports Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams (plus Slack huddles), and can capture audio without a meeting bot via bot-free desktop capture, or join calls with a recording bot. Transcription covers 100+ languages. On higher tiers, Grain syncs meeting notes and insights to CRMs including HubSpot and Salesforce, making it useful for sales and customer success teams tracking deal conversations. The Business tier also adds AI coaching, custom AI follow-up emails, trackers, and team interaction metrics. The Free plan includes unlimited meetings with a 45-minute recording limit, AI notes and action items, 30-day meeting history, and unlimited free viewer seats; paid seats unlock unlimited meeting duration, history, and uploads.
Best suited for
Amical is open source (open source); Grain is from $15/mo (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Amical | Grain |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | Local speech-to-text transcription powered by OpenAI Whisper | AI meeting notes & action items |
| Standout feature | On-device LLM processing via Ollama, with a cloud fallback option | Multi-language transcription (100+ languages) |
| Team usage | Context-aware formatting that adapts tone to the active app (email, chat, IDE, terminal) | Shareable video clips & highlight reels |
| Integrations | Multi-language and mixed-language dictation support | CRM sync (HubSpot & Salesforce) |
| Languages & capture | Custom vocabulary for domain-specific terms and configurable hotkeys | Bot-free desktop capture |
| Best-fit workflow | Smart voice notes with summaries and task generation (in development) | AI meeting notes & action items |
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.
Grain
Choose Grain if you need sales and customer success teams capturing call insights synced to a crm — strengths include records and transcribes meetings with or without a bot, including bot-free desktop (computer-audio) capture.
Amical
Grain
It depends on your workflow. Amical is strong for dictating emails, messages, and documents hands-free with app-appropriate formatting, while Grain is strong for sales and customer success teams capturing call insights synced to a crm. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Amical is open source and Grain is from $15/mo. Check each vendor's pricing page for the latest plans and free-tier limits.
Yes. Many teams run more than one meeting assistant when the workflows are complementary.
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