BetterDictation: A macOS speech-to-text app that uses on-device Whisper to turn spoken words into typed text in any application. Granola: Granola is an AI notepad for meetings that captures your computer's audio without joining a bot, then transcribes and generates structured notes with action items. Below, they line up on price, capture method, and how each fits a real meeting stack.
How Hosiqo compares and tests toolsFinal recommendation
Shortlist BetterDictation when dictating emails, documents, and notes hands-free across mac apps matters most, and Granola when keeping a searchable record of recurring team meetings matters most. Try them side by side on real calls before deciding — needs vary by team.
A macOS speech-to-text app that uses on-device Whisper to turn spoken words into typed text in any application.
Granola is an AI notepad for meetings that captures your computer's audio without joining a bot, then transcribes and generates structured notes with action items.
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
Granola is a desktop AI notepad for people in frequent meetings. Instead of sending a bot into the call, it captures your computer's audio directly, transcribes the conversation, and combines it with your own typed notes to produce structured summaries, action items, and follow-ups. It syncs with your calendar to detect meetings and works with Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, other video tools, and in-person meetings via the iPhone app. A built-in AI chat answers questions across your meeting notes (for example, what you committed to during the week). Granola runs on macOS and Windows. The free Basic plan offers unlimited note-taking, custom templates, shared folders, multi-language support, and AI chat, but limits viewing notes older than 30 days. Paid tiers add unlimited history, advanced AI models, an MCP connector, API access, and integrations with Notion, Slack, HubSpot, Attio, Affinity, and Zapier.
Best suited for
BetterDictation is a free tier with paid upgrades (paid); Granola is from $0/mo (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | BetterDictation | Granola |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | System-wide dictation that inserts text into any macOS application | AI meeting notes |
| Standout feature | On-device transcription using OpenAI's Whisper on Apple's Neural Engine | On-device audio capture (no bot) |
| Team usage | Offline operation for basic dictation with no cloud round-trips | AI chat across meetings |
| Integrations | Support for 100+ languages with automatic punctuation | Custom note templates |
| Languages & capture | Push-to-talk and toggle-to-talk recording modes | Calendar sync |
| Best-fit workflow | Optional Pro post-processing: stammer correction and automatic formatting | AI meeting notes |
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.
Granola
Choose Granola if you need automatically generating notes and action items from sales or client calls — strengths include captures computer audio without sending a bot into the meeting, so calls stay less disruptive.
BetterDictation
Granola
It depends on your workflow. BetterDictation is strong for dictating emails, documents, and notes hands-free across mac apps, while Granola is strong for automatically generating notes and action items from sales or client calls. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
BetterDictation is a free tier with paid upgrades and Granola is from $0/mo. 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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