BetterDictation: A macOS speech-to-text app that uses on-device Whisper to turn spoken words into typed text in any application. Nota: Nota is an AI note-taking and voice app for Apple devices that transcribes speech in real time and uses AI to refine, summarize, and reshape your notes. 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 Nota when capturing voice brain dumps and ideas on the go, including from an apple watch matters most. Run both through a week of actual calls to see which suits your workflow.
A macOS speech-to-text app that uses on-device Whisper to turn spoken words into typed text in any application.
Nota is an AI note-taking and voice app for Apple devices that transcribes speech in real time and uses AI to refine, summarize, and reshape your notes.
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
Nota, made by Hue Network, Inc., is a note-taking and voice-capture app built for the Apple ecosystem. It lets you record voice memos, brain dumps, meetings, and conversations and transcribes them in real time, with multilingual transcription support (the website cites 45 languages). Beyond voice, you can type in a clean editor, sketch with Apple Pencil, or scan documents, whiteboards, business cards, and receipts using OCR. Built-in AI assists let you rewrite, expand, summarize, clarify, polish, and reshape selected text, and users can choose between available models (Gemini, Claude, or OpenAI) or bring their own key. It runs across iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch, with dictation supported directly from the watch. A free tier offers unlimited local notes, voice capture, AI, and drawing on-device with no account required; a Pro subscription adds cloud sync across devices, higher AI usage limits, more transcription time, and collaboration features. It is aimed at founders, creatives, operators, and anyone who wants flexible thought capture.
Best suited for
BetterDictation is a free tier with paid upgrades (paid); Nota is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | BetterDictation | Nota |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | System-wide dictation that inserts text into any macOS application | Real-time multilingual voice transcription (cited at 45 languages) |
| Standout feature | On-device transcription using OpenAI's Whisper on Apple's Neural Engine | AI assists to rewrite, expand, summarize, clarify, and reshape notes |
| Team usage | Offline operation for basic dictation with no cloud round-trips | Multiple capture modes: voice, typing, Apple Pencil sketching, and OCR scanning |
| Integrations | Support for 100+ languages with automatic punctuation | Choice of AI models (Gemini, Claude, OpenAI) with bring-your-own-key option |
| Languages & capture | Push-to-talk and toggle-to-talk recording modes | Cross-device support across iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch |
| Best-fit workflow | Optional Pro post-processing: stammer correction and automatic formatting | Cloud sync and collaboration on the Pro tier |
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.
Nota
Choose Nota if you need recording and transcribing in-person meetings and conversations — strengths include free tier works fully on-device with no account required.
BetterDictation
Nota
It depends on your workflow. BetterDictation is strong for dictating emails, documents, and notes hands-free across mac apps, while Nota is strong for recording and transcribing in-person meetings and conversations. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
BetterDictation is a free tier with paid upgrades and Nota 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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