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. Dictanote: Dictanote is a browser-based, cross-device notes app with built-in real-time speech-to-text voice typing in 50+ languages, plus an AI assistant that transcribes and summarizes voice notes. 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 Dictanote when professionals capturing voice memos and turning them into clean, summarized text with action items 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.
Dictanote is a browser-based, cross-device notes app with built-in real-time speech-to-text voice typing in 50+ languages, plus an AI assistant that transcribes and summarizes voice notes.
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
Dictanote is a dictation-powered note-taking app that lets you write notes by speaking instead of typing. Its core voice-typing engine transcribes speech to text in real time across more than 50 languages and 80+ dialects, and supports voice commands for inserting punctuation, paragraphs, and symbols, as well as keyboard shortcuts for starting, stopping, and switching dictation languages. Notes sync across devices and can be organized into notebooks, with offline editing available (though live dictation needs connectivity). Its AI layer, AudioScribe, takes raw voice notes and rewrites them into clean, summarized text—automatically adding punctuation and stripping filler words, repetitions, and "umms." Users can choose summarization levels, apply custom writing styles (such as a business memo or to-do list), dictate in one language and output in another, and connect output to other apps via Zapier or webhooks. It targets writers, students, journalists, and professionals who prefer speaking over typing. Dictanote also offers a companion Chrome extension, Voice In, for dictating into other web apps.
Best suited for
BB Recorder is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); Dictanote is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | BB Recorder | Dictanote |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | No-bot capture of system audio directly on the device | Real-time speech-to-text voice typing in 50+ languages and 80+ dialects |
| Standout feature | Fully on-device recording, transcription, and summarization | Voice commands for punctuation, paragraphs, symbols, and dictation control |
| Team usage | Local AI chat to ask questions about a captured meeting | Custom voice commands to automate text entry and correct errors |
| Integrations | Calendar linking to associate recordings with scheduled meetings | AudioScribe AI assistant that transcribes and summarizes voice notes, removing filler words |
| Languages & capture | Available for macOS and iOS | Notebooks for organizing notes, with cloud sync across devices and offline editing |
| Best-fit workflow | Built by the BuildBetter team with an AI transparency policy | Multilingual AI output (dictate in one language, write in another) and Zapier/webhook integrations |
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.
Dictanote
Choose Dictanote if you need students and writers drafting notes, articles, or book content hands-free by voice — strengths include strong multilingual coverage with 50+ languages and 80+ dialects.
BB Recorder
Dictanote
It depends on your workflow. BB Recorder is strong for regulated or privacy-sensitive teams that cannot send audio to the cloud, while Dictanote is strong for students and writers drafting notes, articles, or book content hands-free by voice. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
BB Recorder is a free tier with paid upgrades and Dictanote 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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