BetterDictation: A macOS speech-to-text app that uses on-device Whisper to turn spoken words into typed text in any application. VIQ Solutions: VIQ Solutions is an enterprise provider of AI-driven speech-to-text transcription, digital voice and video capture technology, and managed transcription services for legal, government, and other regulated industries. Here's where each one pulls ahead on pricing, features, and the meetings it suits best.
How Hosiqo compares and tests toolsFinal recommendation
Shortlist BetterDictation when dictating emails, documents, and notes hands-free across mac apps matters most, and VIQ Solutions when law firms recording depositions and case notes for searchable, editable documents matters most. Run both through a week of actual calls to see which suits your workflow.
A macOS speech-to-text app that uses on-device Whisper to turn spoken words into typed text in any application.
VIQ Solutions is an enterprise provider of AI-driven speech-to-text transcription, digital voice and video capture technology, and managed transcription services for legal, government, and other regulated industries.
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
VIQ Solutions is a publicly traded (TSXV: VQS) provider of secure, AI-driven digital voice and video capture and transcription technology with deployments in courtrooms across more than 25 countries. Its core platform, NetScribe, manages the documentation workflow from recording and dictation through editing and document distribution, supporting single and multi-channel recordings, including For The Record (TRM) and JAVS (OGG) audio files. Its speech-to-text engine, aiAssist, combines AI, machine learning, and natural language processing with human review to turn single- and multi-speaker audio and audio/video into formatted draft transcripts. The FirstDraft product lets legal professionals record depositions and case notes that are automatically converted into editable, searchable documents. Features include video-synced in-app transcript editing and AI-enabled translation for several non-English languages. VIQ serves courts, law firms, law enforcement, insurance, and media broadcasting, blending recording hardware/software with managed transcription services. It is geared toward organizations producing high volumes of accurate, official documentation from recorded proceedings.
Best suited for
BetterDictation is a free tier with paid upgrades (paid); VIQ Solutions is custom pricing (contact sales). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | BetterDictation | VIQ Solutions |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | System-wide dictation that inserts text into any macOS application | NetScribe transcription workflow platform from dictation to document distribution |
| Standout feature | On-device transcription using OpenAI's Whisper on Apple's Neural Engine | aiAssist AI/ML/NLP speech-to-text engine for single- and multi-speaker audio and video |
| Team usage | Offline operation for basic dictation with no cloud round-trips | FirstDraft: record depositions and case notes into editable, searchable documents |
| Integrations | Support for 100+ languages with automatic punctuation | Support for multi-channel recordings including For The Record (TRM) and JAVS (OGG) files |
| Languages & capture | Push-to-talk and toggle-to-talk recording modes | Video-synced in-app transcript editing |
| Best-fit workflow | Optional Pro post-processing: stammer correction and automatic formatting | AI-enabled translation and transcription for non-English languages (Spanish, French, German, Dutch and more) |
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.
VIQ Solutions
Choose VIQ Solutions if you need producing official court and legal proceeding transcripts from recorded audio/video — strengths include decades of domain expertise with deployments in courtrooms across 25+ countries.
BetterDictation
VIQ Solutions
It depends on your workflow. BetterDictation is strong for dictating emails, documents, and notes hands-free across mac apps, while VIQ Solutions is strong for producing official court and legal proceeding transcripts from recorded audio/video. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
BetterDictation is a free tier with paid upgrades and VIQ Solutions is custom pricing. Check each vendor's pricing page for the latest plans and free-tier limits.
Yes. Many teams run more than one meeting assistant when the workflows are complementary.
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