BetterDictation: A macOS speech-to-text app that uses on-device Whisper to turn spoken words into typed text in any application. SyncWords: Live AI captioning, subtitling, and voice-dubbing platform for webinars, streams, and hybrid events with real-time multilingual output. 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 SyncWords when delivering accessible, fcc-compliant live captions for a broadcast 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.
Live AI captioning, subtitling, and voice-dubbing platform for webinars, streams, and hybrid events with real-time multilingual output.
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
SyncWords is an AI-powered platform for delivering live and recorded video content to multilingual audiences through real-time captions, subtitles, and voice dubbing. For live scenarios, it produces frame-accurate AI captions that meet broadcast accessibility standards such as CEA-608/708, and its SyncWords Live offering provides professional captioning and real-time translated subtitles for webinars, streaming services, and hybrid events. The platform translates into a wide range of languages, including non-Latin scripts such as Cyrillic, CJK, Arabic, Hebrew, and Thai, and recent engineering work has driven latency down to roughly a second or less even in demanding live environments. Its newer Vocalics capability adds real-time AI voice dubbing that aims to preserve a speaker's tone and delivery across languages. Content is delivered through no-download widget URLs as well as streaming formats like HLS, SRT, CMAF, and VTT, with integrations spanning platforms such as AWS, YouTube, and Vimeo. SyncWords reports processing tens of thousands of events and hundreds of thousands of hours of media, and it received an industry innovation award in 2025, confirming active operation. It best fits broadcasters, media teams, and event organizers who need accessible, multilingual live captioning and translation at scale. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
BetterDictation is a free tier with paid upgrades (paid); SyncWords is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | BetterDictation | SyncWords |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | System-wide dictation that inserts text into any macOS application | Real-time AI live captions with broadcast accessibility compliance |
| Standout feature | On-device transcription using OpenAI's Whisper on Apple's Neural Engine | Live translated subtitles across many languages including non-Latin scripts |
| Team usage | Offline operation for basic dictation with no cloud round-trips | Vocalics real-time AI voice dubbing that preserves speaker delivery |
| Integrations | Support for 100+ languages with automatic punctuation | Ultra-low latency output for live streams and events |
| Languages & capture | Push-to-talk and toggle-to-talk recording modes | No-download widget URLs plus HLS, SRT, CMAF, and VTT delivery |
| Best-fit workflow | Optional Pro post-processing: stammer correction and automatic formatting | Custom dictionaries for accurate terminology in live sessions |
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.
SyncWords
Choose SyncWords if you need providing live translated subtitles for a webinar or streamed event — strengths include strong focus on broadcast-grade, low-latency live captioning.
BetterDictation
SyncWords
It depends on your workflow. BetterDictation is strong for dictating emails, documents, and notes hands-free across mac apps, while SyncWords is strong for providing live translated subtitles for a webinar or streamed event. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
BetterDictation is a free tier with paid upgrades and SyncWords is a free tier with paid upgrades. Check each vendor's pricing page for the latest plans and free-tier limits.
Sure. Running both makes sense when their strengths don't overlap and the budget allows.
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