BetterDictation: A macOS speech-to-text app that uses on-device Whisper to turn spoken words into typed text in any application. Lark Minutes: The AI meeting transcription and notes feature within the Lark productivity suite, turning video meetings into searchable transcripts with summaries. The right pick comes down to team size, budget, and the workflows you want to automate.
How Hosiqo compares and tests toolsFinal recommendation
Shortlist BetterDictation when dictating emails, documents, and notes hands-free across mac apps matters most, and Lark Minutes when distributed teams translating meeting minutes across languages 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.
The AI meeting transcription and notes feature within the Lark productivity suite, turning video meetings into searchable transcripts with summaries.
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
Lark Minutes is the meeting transcription and AI notes feature embedded in Lark, an all-in-one productivity suite that combines messaging, documents, calendar, and video meetings. Minutes automatically transcribes video meetings into transcripts that users can view, search, and collaborate on, so teams can focus on the discussion instead of manual note-taking. The transcripts are interactive: users can post comments on specific parts of the conversation or react with emojis, making the meeting record a collaborative document rather than a static file. Playback tools let users adjust speed, fast-forward or rewind to points of interest, and skip silent sections. Minutes pairs with Lark's AI Meeting Notes capability to produce smart summaries, and meeting minutes can be translated between languages with one click, which is useful for distributed and multilingual teams. Because it is part of the broader Lark suite, transcripts and notes sit alongside the calendar, chat, and documents that teams already use, keeping meeting output within the same workspace. Lark Minutes is positioned for organizations that want integrated meeting transcription and summaries inside their primary collaboration platform rather than adopting a separate standalone notetaker. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
BetterDictation is a free tier with paid upgrades (paid); Lark Minutes is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | BetterDictation | Lark Minutes |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | System-wide dictation that inserts text into any macOS application | Automatic transcription of video meetings into searchable transcripts |
| Standout feature | On-device transcription using OpenAI's Whisper on Apple's Neural Engine | AI-generated meeting summaries via Lark's AI Meeting Notes |
| Team usage | Offline operation for basic dictation with no cloud round-trips | Collaborative transcripts with comments and emoji reactions on specific parts |
| Integrations | Support for 100+ languages with automatic punctuation | One-click translation of meeting minutes between languages |
| Languages & capture | Push-to-talk and toggle-to-talk recording modes | Playback controls including custom speed and silence skipping |
| Best-fit workflow | Optional Pro post-processing: stammer correction and automatic formatting | Integrated within the Lark suite alongside calendar, chat, and documents |
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.
Lark Minutes
Choose Lark Minutes if you need lark users transcribing and summarizing internal video meetings — strengths include built into the lark productivity suite, keeping notes with calendar and docs.
BetterDictation
Lark Minutes
It depends on your workflow. BetterDictation is strong for dictating emails, documents, and notes hands-free across mac apps, while Lark Minutes is strong for lark users transcribing and summarizing internal video meetings. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
BetterDictation is a free tier with paid upgrades and Lark Minutes 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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