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. TORTUS: TORTUS is an ambient AI clinical assistant that listens to patient consultations and automatically transcribes them into structured clinical notes, letters, and coding suggestions. 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 TORTUS when transcribing and documenting telephone triage and clinical hub calls matters most. Test each on your own meetings; the right choice tends to become obvious quickly.
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.
TORTUS is an ambient AI clinical assistant that listens to patient consultations and automatically transcribes them into structured clinical notes, letters, and coding suggestions.
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
TORTUS is a regulated, healthcare-specific ambient voice AI built with the NHS. It acts as an AI scribe that listens to clinician-patient consultations, transcribes the conversation using speaker-diarized speech-to-text, and uses large language models to draft structured clinical notes, referral letters, patient summaries, and suggested clinical coding (including SNOMED) within seconds for clinician review. Audio is captured with on-device, locally encrypted processing, and the company states no patient audio is retained at rest. The platform supports both face-to-face and telephone consultations, with telephony integrations such as X-on Surgery Connect and Avaya. It integrates with major electronic health record systems including Epic, EMIS Health, TPP SystmOne, Oracle Health, Access Rio, and Medicus to enable clinician-approved write-back. It is registered as a UK Class I medical device and holds ISO 13485, ISO 27001, and Cyber Essentials Plus certifications. TORTUS is aimed at clinicians and healthcare organizations such as NHS Trusts, hospitals, ambulance services, outpatient clinics, and GP practices. The company reports use across more than 2.5 million consultations.
Best suited for
Amical is open source (open source); TORTUS is custom pricing (contact sales). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Amical | TORTUS |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | Local speech-to-text transcription powered by OpenAI Whisper | Ambient voice capture of face-to-face and telephone consultations |
| Standout feature | On-device LLM processing via Ollama, with a cloud fallback option | Real-time transcription with speaker diarization and local encryption |
| Team usage | Context-aware formatting that adapts tone to the active app (email, chat, IDE, terminal) | Auto-generated clinical notes, referral letters, and patient summaries |
| Integrations | Multi-language and mixed-language dictation support | Suggested clinical coding including SNOMED |
| Languages & capture | Custom vocabulary for domain-specific terms and configurable hotkeys | EHR integrations (Epic, EMIS, TPP SystmOne, Oracle Health, Access Rio, Medicus) with clinician-approved write-back |
| Best-fit workflow | Smart voice notes with summaries and task generation (in development) | Hallucination detection to validate notes against the source context |
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.
TORTUS
Choose TORTUS if you need generating clinical documentation from gp and outpatient consultations — strengths include purpose-built and regulated for clinical use (uk class i medical device, iso 13485 / iso 27001 certified).
Amical
TORTUS
It depends on your workflow. Amical is strong for dictating emails, messages, and documents hands-free with app-appropriate formatting, while TORTUS is strong for generating clinical documentation from gp and outpatient consultations. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Amical is open source and TORTUS is custom pricing. Check each vendor's pricing page for the latest plans and free-tier limits.
You can — some teams pair them when each covers a different part of the meeting workflow.
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