BetterDictation: A macOS speech-to-text app that uses on-device Whisper to turn spoken words into typed text in any application. Riverside: Browser-based podcast and video recording studio with AI transcription, captions, and text-based editing that also handles interviews and remote meetings. 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 Riverside when running and documenting remote interviews or small group conversations matters most. Test each on your own meetings; the right choice tends to become obvious quickly.
A macOS speech-to-text app that uses on-device Whisper to turn spoken words into typed text in any application.
Browser-based podcast and video recording studio with AI transcription, captions, and text-based editing that also handles interviews and remote meetings.
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
Riverside is a web-based recording and editing studio built primarily for podcasters and video creators, with capabilities that extend to remote interviews and meetings. Participants join through a browser link without signing up, and Riverside records each person's audio and video locally on their own device before uploading the high-quality files after the session, which avoids the compression and dropout problems of standard video-call recording. Once a session is recorded or an existing file is uploaded, Riverside automatically generates a transcript using AI speech recognition, detects and labels separate speakers, and supports transcription across more than 100 languages. The transcript can be downloaded as plain text or as SRT/VTT caption files, and it powers text-based editing, where users trim or rearrange the recording by editing the transcript rather than a waveform. Riverside also offers AI clip generation for short-form social video and a teleprompter. It is aimed at podcasters, content creators, marketing teams, and anyone running recorded interviews or small group conversations that need clean transcripts and captions. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
BetterDictation is a free tier with paid upgrades (paid); Riverside is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | BetterDictation | Riverside |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | System-wide dictation that inserts text into any macOS application | AI-generated transcripts with automatic speaker detection and labeling |
| Standout feature | On-device transcription using OpenAI's Whisper on Apple's Neural Engine | Transcription support across more than 100 languages |
| Team usage | Offline operation for basic dictation with no cloud round-trips | Caption and subtitle export in SRT and VTT formats |
| Integrations | Support for 100+ languages with automatic punctuation | Text-based editing that lets users cut and rearrange recordings by editing the transcript |
| Languages & capture | Push-to-talk and toggle-to-talk recording modes | Local high-quality recording of each participant's audio and video track |
| Best-fit workflow | Optional Pro post-processing: stammer correction and automatic formatting | AI clip generation for short-form social video |
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.
Riverside
Choose Riverside if you need transcribing and captioning recorded podcast episodes and video interviews — strengths include records each participant locally, producing cleaner audio and video than typical call recording.
BetterDictation
Riverside
It depends on your workflow. BetterDictation is strong for dictating emails, documents, and notes hands-free across mac apps, while Riverside is strong for transcribing and captioning recorded podcast episodes and video interviews. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
BetterDictation is a free tier with paid upgrades and Riverside is a free tier with paid upgrades. Check each vendor's pricing page for the latest plans and free-tier limits.
Yes. Many teams run more than one meeting assistant when the workflows are complementary.
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