BetterDictation: A macOS speech-to-text app that uses on-device Whisper to turn spoken words into typed text in any application. ScribeBuddy: AI transcription and subtitle tool that converts audio and video to text, generates subtitles, and translates across many languages. 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 ScribeBuddy when generating multilingual subtitles for podcasts and video content 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.
AI transcription and subtitle tool that converts audio and video to text, generates subtitles, and translates across many languages.
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
ScribeBuddy is an AI-powered transcription platform that converts audio and video content into text and subtitles across more than one hundred languages. Users upload recordings or capture live speech, and ScribeBuddy returns a transcript with speaker recognition and timestamps, which can then be summarized, translated, or turned into subtitle files for accessibility and wider reach. The service is positioned for a broad range of source material, including video files, podcasts, meetings and interviews, lectures, voice memos, and YouTube videos, making it relevant to creators as well as professionals who need records of conversations. Beyond core transcription, ScribeBuddy offers AI summaries that distill key information from a recording, real-time live transcription, and translation into a large set of languages so the same content can be repurposed for international audiences. It is available across platforms including iPhone, Android, Mac, and Windows. ScribeBuddy provides a free option for short files alongside pay-as-you-go and paid plans, lowering the barrier for individuals to try the tool before committing while still scaling to larger transcription and subtitling workloads for teams handling meetings, interviews, and media content. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
BetterDictation is a free tier with paid upgrades (paid); ScribeBuddy is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | BetterDictation | ScribeBuddy |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | System-wide dictation that inserts text into any macOS application | AI transcription of audio and video with speaker recognition and timestamps |
| Standout feature | On-device transcription using OpenAI's Whisper on Apple's Neural Engine | Subtitle generation for accessibility and content repurposing |
| Team usage | Offline operation for basic dictation with no cloud round-trips | Translation across a large set of languages |
| Integrations | Support for 100+ languages with automatic punctuation | AI summaries that distill key information from recordings |
| Languages & capture | Push-to-talk and toggle-to-talk recording modes | Real-time live transcription of speech |
| Best-fit workflow | Optional Pro post-processing: stammer correction and automatic formatting | Cross-platform availability on iPhone, Android, Mac, and Windows |
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.
ScribeBuddy
Choose ScribeBuddy if you need transcribing meetings and interviews into searchable text — strengths include handles meetings, interviews, podcasts, and lectures in one tool.
BetterDictation
ScribeBuddy
It depends on your workflow. BetterDictation is strong for dictating emails, documents, and notes hands-free across mac apps, while ScribeBuddy is strong for transcribing meetings and interviews into searchable text. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
BetterDictation is a free tier with paid upgrades and ScribeBuddy 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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