BetterDictation: A macOS speech-to-text app that uses on-device Whisper to turn spoken words into typed text in any application. Némos: An Apple-focused "second brain" app that records and auto-transcribes voice memos and meeting notes entirely on-device using Apple Intelligence. 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 Némos when capturing spoken thoughts as voice memos and converting them to searchable, formatted notes matters most. Trial each on a few real meetings before you commit — the better fit usually shows fast.
A macOS speech-to-text app that uses on-device Whisper to turn spoken words into typed text in any application.
An Apple-focused "second brain" app that records and auto-transcribes voice memos and meeting notes entirely on-device using Apple Intelligence.
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
Némos is a personal knowledge management ("second brain") app for the Apple ecosystem that captures and automatically organizes many content types, including voice memos that it records and transcribes on-device. Rather than joining video calls as a bot, it captures audio directly from the iPhone or Apple Watch and converts speech to text locally using Apple Intelligence Foundation Models, so data stays on the device. Transcribed audio becomes fully searchable, and recordings can be turned into formats such as bullet points, summaries, meeting notes, emails, or journal entries. Beyond voice, Némos handles screenshots with OCR, links, PDFs, notes, photos, and more, naming and filing them automatically without manual tagging. It runs on iPhone and iPad (with Apple Watch recording, Siri commands, and Chrome, Safari, and Firefox extensions), and offers two-way sync with Apple Reminders, Calendar, Notes, Photos, Files, Maps, and iCloud. It is aimed at students, researchers, writers, and professionals who want private, low-effort capture of voice and other notes. As of mid-2026 it is in private beta.
Best suited for
BetterDictation is a free tier with paid upgrades (paid); Némos is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | BetterDictation | Némos |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | System-wide dictation that inserts text into any macOS application | On-device voice memo recording and automatic speech-to-text transcription |
| Standout feature | On-device transcription using OpenAI's Whisper on Apple's Neural Engine | Local AI processing via Apple Intelligence Foundation Models (data stays on device) |
| Team usage | Offline operation for basic dictation with no cloud round-trips | Auto-formatting of recordings into summaries, meeting notes, bullets, email, or journal entries |
| Integrations | Support for 100+ languages with automatic punctuation | Full-text search across transcribed audio and other captured content |
| Languages & capture | Push-to-talk and toggle-to-talk recording modes | Apple Watch voice recording and Siri voice command support |
| Best-fit workflow | Optional Pro post-processing: stammer correction and automatic formatting | Two-way sync with Apple Reminders, Calendar, Notes, Photos, Files, Maps, and iCloud |
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.
Némos
Choose Némos if you need recording and transcribing in-person meetings or lectures on an iphone or apple watch — strengths include privacy-focused: voice transcription and ai run fully on-device, with no cloud upload.
BetterDictation
Némos
It depends on your workflow. BetterDictation is strong for dictating emails, documents, and notes hands-free across mac apps, while Némos is strong for recording and transcribing in-person meetings or lectures on an iphone or apple watch. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
BetterDictation is a free tier with paid upgrades and Némos is a free tier with paid upgrades. Check each vendor's pricing page for the latest plans and free-tier limits.
You can — some teams pair them when each covers a different part of the meeting workflow.
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