Ava: AI live captioning and transcription app for accessibility, providing real-time captions for conversations and video meetings. Thoth: Privacy-first macOS app that records, transcribes, and summarizes meetings entirely on-device with no cloud or data leaving the Mac. The right pick comes down to team size, budget, and the workflows you want to automate.
How Hosiqo compares and tests toolsFinal recommendation
Shortlist Ava when real-time captioning for deaf and hard-of-hearing participants matters most, and Thoth when users who want offline, private meeting notes on a mac matters most. Try them side by side on real calls before deciding — needs vary by team.
AI live captioning and transcription app for accessibility, providing real-time captions for conversations and video meetings.
Privacy-first macOS app that records, transcribes, and summarizes meetings entirely on-device with no cloud or data leaving the Mac.
Ava is a live captioning and transcription service built primarily for deaf and hard-of-hearing users, as well as for organizations that need accessible meetings and conversations. The app captures audio from in-person conversations and from video conferencing tools, then generates real-time captions on a phone, computer, or in the meeting interface. Ava combines automatic speech recognition with an optional professional scribe service for higher-accuracy, ADA-compliant captioning, giving users a choice between fast AI captions and human-assisted transcription. Features include color-coded speaker identification so users can follow who said what, support for many languages, and stored transcripts and summaries after a conversation ends. Through its Ava Connect integration, the service connects with Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams, and it is available across mobile (iOS and Android), web, and desktop (Windows and Mac). Ava is aimed at individuals who need accessibility support in daily conversations and meetings, as well as at educational institutions, healthcare providers, corporations, and event venues that must provide compliant real-time captioning without committing to a traditional CART contract. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
Thoth is a native macOS application, created by Matthieu Veinhard, that records, transcribes, and summarizes meetings entirely on the user's device. It captures both microphone and system audio so it can record both sides of online meetings on platforms such as Zoom, Teams, and Google Meet, and it provides live transcription with on-device speech-to-text. An on-device engine detects and color-codes individual speakers in the transcript, and the app supports a large number of languages via Whisper-based transcription. After a meeting, Thoth extracts notes, action items, and key decisions, and lets users choose between several on-device models or supply their own cloud API key, with an on-device anonymization step that can redact sensitive information before any optional cloud processing. Output can be exported to formats including PDF, Word, Markdown, and timestamped JSON. Because the app has no server and no user database, the company emphasizes that there is nothing to breach or hand over. Thoth requires Apple Silicon and is aimed at privacy-conscious professionals, those handling confidential information, and neurodivergent users who benefit from automatic capture, and it is available on the Mac App Store with an iOS beta in progress. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
Ava is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); Thoth is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Ava | Thoth |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | Integration with Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams | 100% local, on-device recording, transcription, and summarization |
| Standout feature | Real-time live captions for in-person and online conversations | Dual-channel capture of microphone and system audio |
| Team usage | Color-coded speaker identification | On-device speaker detection with color-coded transcripts |
| Integrations | Optional professional scribe service for higher accuracy | Whisper-based transcription supporting many languages |
| Languages & capture | Mobile, web, and desktop apps | On-device anonymization to redact sensitive content |
| Best-fit workflow | Saved transcripts and conversation summaries | Export to PDF, Word, Markdown, and timestamped JSON |
Ava
Choose Ava if you need real-time captioning for deaf and hard-of-hearing participants — strengths include strong accessibility focus for deaf and hard-of-hearing users.
Thoth
Choose Thoth if you need professionals handling confidential or regulated information — strengths include fully local processing with no cloud requirement and no user database.
Ava
Thoth
It depends on your workflow. Ava is strong for real-time captioning for deaf and hard-of-hearing participants, while Thoth is strong for professionals handling confidential or regulated information. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Ava is a free tier with paid upgrades and Thoth 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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