BetterDictation: A macOS speech-to-text app that uses on-device Whisper to turn spoken words into typed text in any application. Screenpipe: Screenpipe is an open, local-first desktop app that records your screen and audio, transcribes calls on-device with Whisper, and auto-generates meeting summaries with action items. Below, they line up on price, capture method, and how each fits a real meeting stack.
How Hosiqo compares and tests toolsFinal recommendation
Shortlist BetterDictation when dictating emails, documents, and notes hands-free across mac apps matters most, and Screenpipe when building a searchable, private record of meetings and screen activity to recall past discussions and decisions 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.
Screenpipe is an open, local-first desktop app that records your screen and audio, transcribes calls on-device with Whisper, and auto-generates meeting summaries with action items.
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
Screenpipe is a local-first, source-available desktop application that continuously captures your screen and audio to build a private, searchable AI memory of your computer activity. For meetings, it records microphone and system audio in the background and transcribes in real time using OpenAI's Whisper model running locally, so calls from any app that plays through your speakers, including Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and Slack huddles, are captured without a bot joining the call. It supports speaker diarization and many languages. When a meeting ends, a meeting-summary pipe can generate structured notes, including a short bullet summary, action items per person, and decisions plus next steps, and write them to destinations such as Obsidian, Notion, or Apple Notes. Because capture, text extraction, transcription, and search can run entirely offline, data stays in a local database on your device, with options to redact PII and exclude specific apps or windows. Screenpipe also runs as an MCP server, letting AI assistants query your history. It is aimed at engineers, researchers, and privacy-conscious professionals. It runs on macOS, Windows, and Linux.
Best suited for
BetterDictation is a free tier with paid upgrades (paid); Screenpipe is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | BetterDictation | Screenpipe |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | System-wide dictation that inserts text into any macOS application | On-device screen and audio recording that captures system audio from any app, including Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, and Slack huddles |
| Standout feature | On-device transcription using OpenAI's Whisper on Apple's Neural Engine | Local real-time transcription using OpenAI's Whisper model, with speaker diarization and multi-language support |
| Team usage | Offline operation for basic dictation with no cloud round-trips | Automatic meeting summaries with bullet recap, action items per person, and decisions plus next steps |
| Integrations | Support for 100+ languages with automatic punctuation | Writes structured notes to destinations like Obsidian, Notion, and Apple Notes via configurable pipes |
| Languages & capture | Push-to-talk and toggle-to-talk recording modes | Fully offline operation with local storage, on-device PII redaction, and app/window/URL exclusions |
| Best-fit workflow | Optional Pro post-processing: stammer correction and automatic formatting | Runs as an MCP server so AI assistants and clients can query your screen and audio history |
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.
Screenpipe
Choose Screenpipe if you need automatically capturing and summarizing video calls across zoom, meet, and teams without a meeting bot — strengths include privacy-first: capture, transcription, and search can run entirely on-device with no cloud dependency.
BetterDictation
Screenpipe
It depends on your workflow. BetterDictation is strong for dictating emails, documents, and notes hands-free across mac apps, while Screenpipe is strong for automatically capturing and summarizing video calls across zoom, meet, and teams without a meeting bot. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
BetterDictation is a free tier with paid upgrades and Screenpipe 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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