BetterDictation: A macOS speech-to-text app that uses on-device Whisper to turn spoken words into typed text in any application. Knowt: AI study platform that turns recorded or uploaded lectures into notes, flashcards, and practice quizzes for students. This comparison weighs them on pricing, features, and everyday workflow fit.
How Hosiqo compares and tests toolsFinal recommendation
Shortlist BetterDictation when dictating emails, documents, and notes hands-free across mac apps matters most, and Knowt when generating flashcards and practice tests from course materials before exams 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.
AI study platform that turns recorded or uploaded lectures into notes, flashcards, and practice quizzes for students.
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
Knowt is an AI-powered study platform built primarily for students and teachers that converts lectures and learning materials into organized study resources. Students can record a lecture live in the app or on the website, or upload existing audio, video, PDFs, and slide decks, and the platform's AI assistant (called Kai) generates summarized notes, flashcards, and practice quizzes from the content. Notes can be formatted as outlines or paragraphs, with adjustable detail levels, and the original audio is saved for reference. Beyond capture and transcription-driven summarization, Knowt functions as a broader study workspace, positioning itself as a free alternative to traditional flashcard apps and offering a large library of community-shared study materials. It also includes teacher-facing features for assigning material and tracking student progress. The tool spans web, iOS, and Android, making it usable across classroom, online-course, and self-study settings. Knowt is aimed at learners who want lecture capture to flow directly into reusable, exam-oriented study artifacts rather than just raw transcripts. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
BetterDictation is a free tier with paid upgrades (paid); Knowt is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | BetterDictation | Knowt |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | System-wide dictation that inserts text into any macOS application | Live lecture recording in app and on the web, plus upload of audio, video, PDFs, and slides |
| Standout feature | On-device transcription using OpenAI's Whisper on Apple's Neural Engine | AI-generated notes with adjustable formatting (outline or paragraph) and detail level |
| Team usage | Offline operation for basic dictation with no cloud round-trips | Automatic flashcard generation from lecture and document content |
| Integrations | Support for 100+ languages with automatic punctuation | Practice quiz and test creation from any note, PDF, or video |
| Languages & capture | Push-to-talk and toggle-to-talk recording modes | Kai AI chat for explaining concepts and answering questions |
| Best-fit workflow | Optional Pro post-processing: stammer correction and automatic formatting | Large community library of shared study sets and teacher tools for assignments |
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.
Knowt
Choose Knowt if you need recording university lectures and turning them into structured study notes — strengths include combines capture, summarization, and active-recall study tools in one student-focused app.
BetterDictation
Knowt
It depends on your workflow. BetterDictation is strong for dictating emails, documents, and notes hands-free across mac apps, while Knowt is strong for recording university lectures and turning them into structured study notes. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
BetterDictation is a free tier with paid upgrades and Knowt 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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