BetterDictation: A macOS speech-to-text app that uses on-device Whisper to turn spoken words into typed text in any application. iFlyRec: iFLYTEK's Chinese AI transcription platform for recording-to-text, meeting minutes, and multilingual translation. Which one wins depends on your platform mix, budget, and how hands-off you want notes to be.
How Hosiqo compares and tests toolsFinal recommendation
Shortlist BetterDictation when dictating emails, documents, and notes hands-free across mac apps matters most, and iFlyRec when journalists and researchers converting recordings to searchable text 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.
iFLYTEK's Chinese AI transcription platform for recording-to-text, meeting minutes, and multilingual translation.
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
iFlyRec (Chinese name Xunfei Tingjian) is an AI transcription and meeting documentation platform from iFLYTEK, a Chinese company specializing in speech recognition and natural language processing. The platform converts spoken audio into text and generates meeting minutes automatically. It supports two main workflows: real-time recording with simultaneous transcription during meetings, and file import for batch transcription of existing audio or video, with the vendor stating that an hour of audio can be processed in a few minutes. iFlyRec identifies and separates speaker roles so that transcripts and minutes can attribute statements to individual participants, and it offers AI-generated meeting summaries that extract key points. It also provides multilingual transcription and translation, with several languages available for instant translation, and connects to iFLYTEK's broader tooling such as an AI writing assistant for refining output. Built on iFLYTEK's mature Chinese speech-recognition technology, iFlyRec is aimed at Chinese-language professionals such as journalists, researchers, and corporate staff who need fast, accurate transcription of recordings, interviews, and meetings, and it offers enterprise deployment options for organizations with larger needs. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
BetterDictation is a free tier with paid upgrades (paid); iFlyRec is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | BetterDictation | iFlyRec |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | System-wide dictation that inserts text into any macOS application | Real-time recording with simultaneous transcription |
| Standout feature | On-device transcription using OpenAI's Whisper on Apple's Neural Engine | Fast batch transcription of imported audio and video files |
| Team usage | Offline operation for basic dictation with no cloud round-trips | Speaker role identification and segmentation |
| Integrations | Support for 100+ languages with automatic punctuation | AI-generated meeting summaries with key-point extraction |
| Languages & capture | Push-to-talk and toggle-to-talk recording modes | Multilingual transcription with instant translation options |
| Best-fit workflow | Optional Pro post-processing: stammer correction and automatic formatting | Integration with iFLYTEK's AI writing assistant |
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.
iFlyRec
Choose iFlyRec if you need chinese-language professionals transcribing meetings and interviews — strengths include built on iflytek's mature chinese speech-recognition technology.
BetterDictation
iFlyRec
It depends on your workflow. BetterDictation is strong for dictating emails, documents, and notes hands-free across mac apps, while iFlyRec is strong for chinese-language professionals transcribing meetings and interviews. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
BetterDictation is a free tier with paid upgrades and iFlyRec 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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