BB Recorder: A 100% local, no-bot meeting recorder for Mac and iOS that records, transcribes, and summarizes entirely on-device, built by the BuildBetter team. BetterDictation: A macOS speech-to-text app that uses on-device Whisper to turn spoken words into typed text in any application. Here's where each one pulls ahead on pricing, features, and the meetings it suits best.
How Hosiqo compares and tests toolsFinal recommendation
Shortlist BB Recorder when regulated or privacy-sensitive teams that cannot send audio to the cloud matters most, and BetterDictation when capturing spoken notes quickly during or after meetings matters most. Test each on your own meetings; the right choice tends to become obvious quickly.
A 100% local, no-bot meeting recorder for Mac and iOS that records, transcribes, and summarizes entirely on-device, built by the BuildBetter team.
A macOS speech-to-text app that uses on-device Whisper to turn spoken words into typed text in any application.
BB Recorder is a local-first meeting recorder built by the team behind BuildBetter, designed for people who want meeting capture without any data leaving their device. Rather than dropping a bot into a video call, BB Recorder captures the computer's system audio directly, links to the user's calendar, and turns rough conversation audio into clean transcripts and summaries. Its defining characteristic is that recording, transcription, summarization, and even live AI chat about the meeting can all run locally using on-device models, so there is no server holding the audio or transcripts. The company frames this as making a data breach architecturally impossible because there is no cloud store to compromise, and it points to SOC 2 and HIPAA considerations along with an AI transparency policy. BB Recorder is positioned as a genuinely free, unlimited option for Mac, with no trial tiers or required registration when using local models, and a companion iOS app extends capture to the iPhone. It is aimed at privacy-sensitive professionals, regulated teams, and anyone who wants automatic meeting notes without a visible bot or a cloud transcription pipeline. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
BetterDictation is a system-wide dictation tool for macOS that converts speech into typed text inside any application. Users trigger it with a keyboard shortcut (Option+Space) and can choose push-to-talk or toggle-to-talk modes; the transcribed text is then inserted directly where the cursor sits. It runs OpenAI's Whisper model locally on Apple's Neural Engine, so basic transcription works fully offline and, per the vendor, no audio recordings or transcripts are stored. It supports 100+ languages and applies automatic punctuation. The app requires Apple Silicon (M1 or newer); Intel Macs are not supported. An optional Pro add-on adds stammer correction, automatic formatting, and post-processing of dictations. It is aimed at people who write or capture text frequently, such as founders, engineers, and writers, who want to dictate emails, documents, notes, and messages rather than type them. Because it works across all apps, it can be used to capture spoken notes alongside meetings, though it is a general dictation utility rather than a dedicated meeting-recording assistant.
Best suited for
BB Recorder is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); BetterDictation is a free tier with paid upgrades (paid). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | BB Recorder | BetterDictation |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | No-bot capture of system audio directly on the device | System-wide dictation that inserts text into any macOS application |
| Standout feature | Fully on-device recording, transcription, and summarization | On-device transcription using OpenAI's Whisper on Apple's Neural Engine |
| Team usage | Local AI chat to ask questions about a captured meeting | Offline operation for basic dictation with no cloud round-trips |
| Integrations | Calendar linking to associate recordings with scheduled meetings | Support for 100+ languages with automatic punctuation |
| Languages & capture | Available for macOS and iOS | Push-to-talk and toggle-to-talk recording modes |
| Best-fit workflow | Built by the BuildBetter team with an AI transparency policy | Optional Pro post-processing: stammer correction and automatic formatting |
BB Recorder
Choose BB Recorder if you need regulated or privacy-sensitive teams that cannot send audio to the cloud — strengths include local-only processing keeps meeting audio and transcripts off external servers.
BetterDictation
Choose BetterDictation if you need dictating emails, documents, and notes hands-free across mac apps — strengths include runs locally on-device for privacy; vendor states no audio or transcripts are stored.
BB Recorder
BetterDictation
It depends on your workflow. BB Recorder is strong for regulated or privacy-sensitive teams that cannot send audio to the cloud, while BetterDictation is strong for dictating emails, documents, and notes hands-free across mac apps. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
BB Recorder is a free tier with paid upgrades and BetterDictation 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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