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. IceCubes: Bot-free Chrome and Edge extension that reads a meeting platform's own captions to transcribe and summarize Meet, Zoom, and Teams calls. 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 IceCubes when sales reps who want call summaries automatically tied to crm records 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.
Bot-free Chrome and Edge extension that reads a meeting platform's own captions to transcribe and summarize Meet, Zoom, and Teams calls.
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
IceCubes is an AI meeting assistant distributed as a browser extension for Chrome and Edge that captures meetings without sending a bot participant into the call. Instead of joining as a separate attendee, the extension reads the transcript directly from the conferencing platform's built-in closed-captioning service and maps speaker names from the meeting interface, then layers AI processing on top. It works with the web clients of Google Meet, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams, and supports additional platforms through web tab sharing. After a meeting, IceCubes produces AI summaries, extracts action items, and surfaces conversation insights, with custom 'Smart Tags' for pulling out specific information the user cares about. For revenue teams it adds sales-oriented features such as matching meetings to contacts, deals, and accounts in Salesforce and HubSpot, plus coaching and qualification frameworks. Because it relies on native captions rather than a visible recorder, it is positioned as avoiding the disruption and IT-policy friction of bot-based notetakers. The product is actively maintained, offers a free transcription tier without a credit card, and is operating in 2025-2026. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
Amical is open source (open source); IceCubes is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Amical | IceCubes |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | Local speech-to-text transcription powered by OpenAI Whisper | Chrome and Edge browser extensions |
| Standout feature | On-device LLM processing via Ollama, with a cloud fallback option | Bot-free capture by reading the platform's own closed captions |
| Team usage | Context-aware formatting that adapts tone to the active app (email, chat, IDE, terminal) | Speaker identification mapped from the meeting UI |
| Integrations | Multi-language and mixed-language dictation support | AI summaries, action items, and custom Smart Tags |
| Languages & capture | Custom vocabulary for domain-specific terms and configurable hotkeys | Supports Google Meet, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams web clients |
| Best-fit workflow | Smart voice notes with summaries and task generation (in development) | CRM matching to contacts, deals, and accounts in Salesforce and HubSpot |
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.
IceCubes
Choose IceCubes if you need teams that need notes without a bot joining due to it or compliance constraints — strengths include no visible recording bot, reducing meeting disruption and policy friction.
Amical
IceCubes
It depends on your workflow. Amical is strong for dictating emails, messages, and documents hands-free with app-appropriate formatting, while IceCubes is strong for teams that need notes without a bot joining due to it or compliance constraints. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Amical is open source and IceCubes is a free tier with paid upgrades. Check each vendor's pricing page for the latest plans and free-tier limits.
Sure. Running both makes sense when their strengths don't overlap and the budget allows.
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