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. VidNotes: VidNotes is an AI tool that transcribes videos, meeting recordings, and lectures, then generates summaries, key points, flashcards, and a chat interface in 30+ languages. Below, they line up on price, capture method, and how each fits a real meeting stack.
How Hosiqo compares and tests toolsFinal recommendation
Shortlist Amical when dictating emails, messages, and documents hands-free with app-appropriate formatting matters most, and VidNotes when professionals extracting action items and decisions from zoom, meet, or teams recordings 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.
VidNotes is an AI tool that transcribes videos, meeting recordings, and lectures, then generates summaries, key points, flashcards, and a chat interface in 30+ languages.
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
VidNotes is an AI-powered transcription and note-taking tool that turns videos, lectures, podcasts, and meeting recordings into structured, searchable text. Users either upload a local file (MP4, MOV, MKV, and more) or paste a link from YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, or Vimeo, including exported recordings from Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and webinars. Under the hood it runs the audio through OpenAI's Whisper model for speech-to-text, then a large language model produces a summary, key points, timestamped notes, auto-generated flashcards, and extracted action items in the same language as the source. A chat feature lets users ask questions about the content and receive answers with citations, and transcripts and notes can be exported as TXT, PDF, Markdown, or SRT captions. It supports English plus 30+ additional languages and handles mixed languages and varied accents. Aimed at students, researchers, content creators, and professionals, VidNotes is available in the browser, as a Chrome extension, and as iOS and Android apps. The app is published by Silpho LLC.
Best suited for
Amical is open source (open source); VidNotes is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Amical | VidNotes |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | Local speech-to-text transcription powered by OpenAI Whisper | Speech-to-text transcription via OpenAI's Whisper, with timestamps |
| Standout feature | On-device LLM processing via Ollama, with a cloud fallback option | AI summaries, key points, and extracted action items from meetings and videos |
| Team usage | Context-aware formatting that adapts tone to the active app (email, chat, IDE, terminal) | Auto-generated flashcards with spaced-repetition review |
| Integrations | Multi-language and mixed-language dictation support | Chat interface that answers questions about a video with citations |
| Languages & capture | Custom vocabulary for domain-specific terms and configurable hotkeys | Supports file uploads plus YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Vimeo, and meeting recordings (Zoom, Google Meet, Teams) |
| Best-fit workflow | Smart voice notes with summaries and task generation (in development) | Export to TXT, PDF, Markdown, and SRT captions across web, Chrome extension, iOS, and Android |
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.
VidNotes
Choose VidNotes if you need students turning recorded lectures into summaries and flashcards for study — strengths include works across web, chrome extension, ios, and android, with no download required for browser use.
Amical
VidNotes
It depends on your workflow. Amical is strong for dictating emails, messages, and documents hands-free with app-appropriate formatting, while VidNotes is strong for students turning recorded lectures into summaries and flashcards for study. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Amical is open source and VidNotes is a free tier with paid upgrades. 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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