BetterDictation: A macOS speech-to-text app that uses on-device Whisper to turn spoken words into typed text in any application. TORTUS: TORTUS is an ambient AI clinical assistant that listens to patient consultations and automatically transcribes them into structured clinical notes, letters, and coding suggestions. 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 TORTUS when transcribing and documenting telephone triage and clinical hub calls 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.
TORTUS is an ambient AI clinical assistant that listens to patient consultations and automatically transcribes them into structured clinical notes, letters, and coding suggestions.
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
TORTUS is a regulated, healthcare-specific ambient voice AI built with the NHS. It acts as an AI scribe that listens to clinician-patient consultations, transcribes the conversation using speaker-diarized speech-to-text, and uses large language models to draft structured clinical notes, referral letters, patient summaries, and suggested clinical coding (including SNOMED) within seconds for clinician review. Audio is captured with on-device, locally encrypted processing, and the company states no patient audio is retained at rest. The platform supports both face-to-face and telephone consultations, with telephony integrations such as X-on Surgery Connect and Avaya. It integrates with major electronic health record systems including Epic, EMIS Health, TPP SystmOne, Oracle Health, Access Rio, and Medicus to enable clinician-approved write-back. It is registered as a UK Class I medical device and holds ISO 13485, ISO 27001, and Cyber Essentials Plus certifications. TORTUS is aimed at clinicians and healthcare organizations such as NHS Trusts, hospitals, ambulance services, outpatient clinics, and GP practices. The company reports use across more than 2.5 million consultations.
Best suited for
BetterDictation is a free tier with paid upgrades (paid); TORTUS is custom pricing (contact sales). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | BetterDictation | TORTUS |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | System-wide dictation that inserts text into any macOS application | Ambient voice capture of face-to-face and telephone consultations |
| Standout feature | On-device transcription using OpenAI's Whisper on Apple's Neural Engine | Real-time transcription with speaker diarization and local encryption |
| Team usage | Offline operation for basic dictation with no cloud round-trips | Auto-generated clinical notes, referral letters, and patient summaries |
| Integrations | Support for 100+ languages with automatic punctuation | Suggested clinical coding including SNOMED |
| Languages & capture | Push-to-talk and toggle-to-talk recording modes | EHR integrations (Epic, EMIS, TPP SystmOne, Oracle Health, Access Rio, Medicus) with clinician-approved write-back |
| Best-fit workflow | Optional Pro post-processing: stammer correction and automatic formatting | Hallucination detection to validate notes against the source context |
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.
TORTUS
Choose TORTUS if you need generating clinical documentation from gp and outpatient consultations — strengths include purpose-built and regulated for clinical use (uk class i medical device, iso 13485 / iso 27001 certified).
BetterDictation
TORTUS
It depends on your workflow. BetterDictation is strong for dictating emails, documents, and notes hands-free across mac apps, while TORTUS is strong for generating clinical documentation from gp and outpatient consultations. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
BetterDictation is a free tier with paid upgrades and TORTUS is custom pricing. 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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