BetterDictation: A macOS speech-to-text app that uses on-device Whisper to turn spoken words into typed text in any application. Simon Says: AI transcription, captioning, and translation built for professional video and audio workflows. 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 Simon Says when translating subtitles for international distribution 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, captioning, and translation built for professional video and audio workflows.
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
Simon Says is an AI transcription, captioning, and translation platform built for professional audio and video production workflows. Users upload audio or video and Simon Says transcribes the speech into text, with speaker identification to separate dialogue, and can generate subtitles and captions using built-in visual editing tools. The platform supports transcription and translation across roughly a hundred languages, making it useful for international distribution and localization. A defining characteristic is its focus on production environments: Simon Says integrates with industry-standard editing software such as Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, and Avid, so transcripts and captions can move directly into editing timelines. This positions it as a transcription and captioning layer for video editors, producers, post-production teams, and content creators rather than a meeting note-taker. It is aimed at professionals who need accurate, editable transcripts and subtitles that fit into established editing pipelines, as well as researchers and creators who need reliable speech-to-text and multilingual captioning. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
BetterDictation is a free tier with paid upgrades (paid); Simon Says is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | BetterDictation | Simon Says |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | System-wide dictation that inserts text into any macOS application | AI transcription with speaker identification |
| Standout feature | On-device transcription using OpenAI's Whisper on Apple's Neural Engine | Subtitle and caption generation with visual editing |
| Team usage | Offline operation for basic dictation with no cloud round-trips | Translation across many languages |
| Integrations | Support for 100+ languages with automatic punctuation | Integrations with Final Cut Pro, Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, and Avid |
| Languages & capture | Push-to-talk and toggle-to-talk recording modes | Support for professional audio and video formats |
| Best-fit workflow | Optional Pro post-processing: stammer correction and automatic formatting | AI transcription with speaker identification |
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.
Simon Says
Choose Simon Says if you need transcribing and captioning footage for video editing projects — strengths include integrates directly with professional video editing software.
BetterDictation
Simon Says
It depends on your workflow. BetterDictation is strong for dictating emails, documents, and notes hands-free across mac apps, while Simon Says is strong for transcribing and captioning footage for video editing projects. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
BetterDictation is a free tier with paid upgrades and Simon Says 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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