BetterDictation: A macOS speech-to-text app that uses on-device Whisper to turn spoken words into typed text in any application. Meetily: Open-source, privacy-first AI meeting assistant that records, transcribes, and summarizes meetings entirely on your own device. Here's where each one pulls ahead on pricing, features, and the meetings it suits best.
How Hosiqo compares and tests toolsFinal recommendation
Shortlist BetterDictation when dictating emails, documents, and notes hands-free across mac apps matters most, and Meetily when capturing and summarizing in-person or any-platform meetings from one app 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.
Open-source, privacy-first AI meeting assistant that records, transcribes, and summarizes meetings entirely on your own device.
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
Meetily is an open-source, privacy-first AI meeting assistant that records, transcribes, and summarizes conversations locally on the user's own machine rather than in the cloud. Instead of joining calls as a visible bot participant, Meetily captures system audio directly from the device, the same way screen recording works, so no extra attendee shows up in the meeting and recordings stay on the host's computer. Because processing happens on-device, it works with effectively any meeting software, including Google Meet, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Discord, as well as in-person conversations. After a meeting, it generates AI summaries that surface key decisions and action items, supports customizable summary templates, and can export notes to Markdown. The project is MIT licensed with a free community edition alongside paid Pro and Enterprise tiers, and it is distributed for macOS and Windows. Meetily is aimed at privacy-conscious individuals, technical teams, and organizations that want a self-hostable, local-first alternative to bot-based notetakers and need to keep sensitive meeting audio off third-party servers. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
BetterDictation is a free tier with paid upgrades (paid); Meetily is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | BetterDictation | Meetily |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | System-wide dictation that inserts text into any macOS application | Local, on-device recording, transcription, and summarization |
| Standout feature | On-device transcription using OpenAI's Whisper on Apple's Neural Engine | Bot-free capture via system audio (no visible meeting participant) |
| Team usage | Offline operation for basic dictation with no cloud round-trips | Works across Google Meet, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Discord, and in-person meetings |
| Integrations | Support for 100+ languages with automatic punctuation | AI summaries highlighting key decisions and action items |
| Languages & capture | Push-to-talk and toggle-to-talk recording modes | Customizable summary templates and Markdown export |
| Best-fit workflow | Optional Pro post-processing: stammer correction and automatic formatting | Open-source (MIT licensed) with self-hosting option |
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.
Meetily
Choose Meetily if you need privacy-conscious teams that need meeting notes without sending audio to the cloud — strengths include strong privacy posture since audio and processing stay on the user's device.
BetterDictation
Meetily
It depends on your workflow. BetterDictation is strong for dictating emails, documents, and notes hands-free across mac apps, while Meetily is strong for privacy-conscious teams that need meeting notes without sending audio to the cloud. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
BetterDictation is a free tier with paid upgrades and Meetily 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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