BetterDictation: A macOS speech-to-text app that uses on-device Whisper to turn spoken words into typed text in any application. StreamText: StreamText is a real-time captioning platform that delivers live human or AI-generated captions, translations, and transcripts for events and meetings. We compare them on cost, capture approach, and day-to-day fit so you can choose faster.
How Hosiqo compares and tests toolsFinal recommendation
Shortlist BetterDictation when dictating emails, documents, and notes hands-free across mac apps matters most, and StreamText when real-time captioning and translation in classrooms and lectures for accessibility 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.
StreamText is a real-time captioning platform that delivers live human or AI-generated captions, translations, and transcripts for events and 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
StreamText is an enterprise real-time captioning platform, founded in 2003, that delivers spoken words as live captions to web pages, devices, and conferencing tools. It supports two modes: professional human captioners (using stenography, re-speaking, and text interpreting) and AI-powered automatic speech recognition (ASR), which converts speech to text in real time and produces captions, translations, and transcripts. Source audio is captioned live and streamed to an ADA-compliant viewer that works with screen readers, while AI captioning recognizes around 20 source languages and offers realtime translation into well over 100 languages. Captioned sessions can be exported as timed-text transcript files such as .srt and .vtt, and StreamCast lets organizers overlay captions onto videos and presentations. It integrates with Zoom, Webex, YouTube, and Adobe, and exposes a full API for OEM and third-party embedding. It is aimed at corporate and hybrid events, conferences, classrooms, trade shows, and legal or government settings needing accessibility. Pricing is usage-based per minute with no subscriptions or setup fees.
Best suited for
BetterDictation is a free tier with paid upgrades (paid); StreamText is a free tier with paid upgrades (paid). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | BetterDictation | StreamText |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | System-wide dictation that inserts text into any macOS application | Real-time live captioning streamed to web pages and devices |
| Standout feature | On-device transcription using OpenAI's Whisper on Apple's Neural Engine | AI-powered automatic speech recognition (ASR) for live captions and transcripts |
| Team usage | Offline operation for basic dictation with no cloud round-trips | Professional human captioning via stenography, re-speaking, and text interpreting |
| Integrations | Support for 100+ languages with automatic punctuation | Realtime translation into 100+ languages with ~20 source languages |
| Languages & capture | Push-to-talk and toggle-to-talk recording modes | Downloadable timed-text transcripts (.srt, .vtt) and on-demand transcription |
| Best-fit workflow | Optional Pro post-processing: stammer correction and automatic formatting | Integrations with Zoom, Webex, YouTube, and Adobe plus a full API |
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.
StreamText
Choose StreamText if you need providing live captions and transcripts for corporate, hybrid, and virtual events — strengths include offers both professional human captions and ai captions on one platform.
BetterDictation
StreamText
It depends on your workflow. BetterDictation is strong for dictating emails, documents, and notes hands-free across mac apps, while StreamText is strong for providing live captions and transcripts for corporate, hybrid, and virtual events. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
BetterDictation is a free tier with paid upgrades and StreamText 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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