Ava: AI live captioning and transcription app for accessibility, providing real-time captions for conversations and video meetings. Whisper Notes: Offline, on-device speech-to-text app for Mac and iPhone that records and transcribes meetings locally using Whisper, with auto meeting detection and summaries on Mac. This comparison weighs them on pricing, features, and everyday workflow fit.
How Hosiqo compares and tests toolsFinal recommendation
Shortlist Ava when real-time captioning for deaf and hard-of-hearing participants matters most, and Whisper Notes when transcribing lectures or interviews offline on a mac or iphone matters most. Trial each on a few real meetings before you commit — the better fit usually shows fast.
AI live captioning and transcription app for accessibility, providing real-time captions for conversations and video meetings.
Offline, on-device speech-to-text app for Mac and iPhone that records and transcribes meetings locally using Whisper, with auto meeting detection and summaries on 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
Whisper Notes is an offline speech-to-text application for Mac and iPhone that records and transcribes meetings, lectures, and voice memos entirely on the device. It is built on OpenAI's Whisper speech recognition, with model options including Whisper Large V3 Turbo on Mac, Parakeet on iPhone, and SenseVoice for Asian languages, and it supports transcription across 100-plus languages. On Mac, the app can automatically detect when a meeting starts on platforms such as Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and Zoom, then record and transcribe it locally without sending a bot into the call. Because processing is fully offline, the company states that data physically never leaves the device and that privacy is architectural rather than a policy promise. Additional Mac capabilities include auto-generated summaries and titles, on-device AI chat with longer transcripts, streaming transcription output, and system-wide dictation via the function key. Users can also import existing MP3, M4A, and WAV files for transcription and export results with timestamps. The product is sold as a one-time purchase per platform rather than a subscription. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
Ava is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); Whisper Notes is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Ava | Whisper Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | Integration with Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams | 100% offline, on-device transcription with Whisper-based models |
| Standout feature | Real-time live captions for in-person and online conversations | Automatic meeting detection for Teams, Google Meet, and Zoom on Mac |
| Team usage | Color-coded speaker identification | Auto-generated summaries and titles for recordings on Mac |
| Integrations | Optional professional scribe service for higher accuracy | On-device AI chat with longer transcripts |
| Languages & capture | Mobile, web, and desktop apps | Import of MP3, M4A, and WAV audio files for transcription |
| Best-fit workflow | Saved transcripts and conversation summaries | System-wide dictation via the function key on Mac |
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.
Whisper Notes
Choose Whisper Notes if you need recording and transcribing confidential meetings without cloud uploads — strengths include audio and transcripts never leave the device.
Ava
Whisper Notes
It depends on your workflow. Ava is strong for real-time captioning for deaf and hard-of-hearing participants, while Whisper Notes is strong for recording and transcribing confidential meetings without cloud uploads. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Ava is a free tier with paid upgrades and Whisper Notes 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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