BetterDictation: A macOS speech-to-text app that uses on-device Whisper to turn spoken words into typed text in any application. Wave: Cross-platform AI note taker that records and transcribes meetings, calls, and voice memos into summaries. 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 Wave when capturing in-person meetings and lectures from a phone 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.
Cross-platform AI note taker that records and transcribes meetings, calls, and voice memos into summaries.
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
Wave is a cross-platform AI note taker and recorder that captures meetings, phone calls, lectures, and voice memos and converts them into speaker-labeled transcripts and concise summaries with key points and action items. It works without sending a bot into a call, offering tab audio capture for recording browser-based meetings, a combined mode that captures both tab audio and the microphone, and a quick voice-memo option for short recordings. Wave is available across a wide range of platforms, including iOS and Android apps, a web app, Mac and Windows, and a Chrome extension, so users can record and review notes on whichever device they are using, including in-person meetings captured directly from a phone's microphone. Transcription and summarization support dozens of languages, and the service stores recordings in secure cloud storage with encryption and states that user data is not used to train AI models. Wave is aimed at professionals, students, and content creators who want a flexible, multi-device tool for recording, transcribing, and organizing spoken content without a meeting bot. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
BetterDictation is a free tier with paid upgrades (paid); Wave is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | BetterDictation | Wave |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | System-wide dictation that inserts text into any macOS application | Records meetings, calls, lectures, and voice memos |
| Standout feature | On-device transcription using OpenAI's Whisper on Apple's Neural Engine | Bot-free tab audio capture plus combined tab and mic mode |
| Team usage | Offline operation for basic dictation with no cloud round-trips | Speaker-labeled transcripts with summaries and action items |
| Integrations | Support for 100+ languages with automatic punctuation | Apps for iOS, Android, web, Mac, Windows, and Chrome |
| Languages & capture | Push-to-talk and toggle-to-talk recording modes | Support for dozens of languages |
| Best-fit workflow | Optional Pro post-processing: stammer correction and automatic formatting | Encrypted cloud storage with no model training on user data |
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.
Wave
Choose Wave if you need recording browser-based meetings without a bot joining — strengths include bot-free capture across many platforms and devices.
BetterDictation
Wave
It depends on your workflow. BetterDictation is strong for dictating emails, documents, and notes hands-free across mac apps, while Wave is strong for recording browser-based meetings without a bot joining. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
BetterDictation is a free tier with paid upgrades and Wave is a free tier with paid upgrades. 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.
More head-to-head comparisons involving BetterDictation and Wave.
BetterDictation: A macOS speech-to-text app that uses on-device Whisper to turn spoken words into typed text in any application. Bliro: Bot-free AI meeting assistant that transcribes online and in-person conversations from device audio without recording audio or video. Below, they line up on price, capture method, and how each fits a real meeting stack.
BetterDictation: A macOS speech-to-text app that uses on-device Whisper to turn spoken words into typed text in any application. Bluedot: Bot-free note taker for Meet, Zoom, Teams plus mobile recording We compare them on cost, capture approach, and day-to-day fit so you can choose faster.
BetterDictation: A macOS speech-to-text app that uses on-device Whisper to turn spoken words into typed text in any application. BoardBreeze: AI software that converts board meeting recordings into compliant, formatted minutes capturing motions, votes, and action items. This comparison weighs them on pricing, features, and everyday workflow fit.
BetterDictation: A macOS speech-to-text app that uses on-device Whisper to turn spoken words into typed text in any application. Boardable: Board meeting platform for nonprofits with AI-generated minutes, an in-meeting assistant, and AI insights that turn discussion into action items. The right pick comes down to team size, budget, and the workflows you want to automate.
BetterDictation: A macOS speech-to-text app that uses on-device Whisper to turn spoken words into typed text in any application. Bold: Bot-free AI notetaker by Bold App Studios that records meetings on-device, transcribes with speaker detection, and writes summaries with action items. We compare them on cost, capture approach, and day-to-day fit so you can choose faster.
BetterDictation: A macOS speech-to-text app that uses on-device Whisper to turn spoken words into typed text in any application. Boostlingo: Language access platform whose AI Pro engine delivers live AI captioning, translation, and transcription for meetings, webinars, and events. Which one wins depends on your platform mix, budget, and how hands-off you want notes to be.
BetterDictation: A macOS speech-to-text app that uses on-device Whisper to turn spoken words into typed text in any application. Brain Dump: Voice to Markdown: An iOS/iPadOS/Mac app that records voice and transcribes it on-device into editable Markdown notes saved as plain-text files in iCloud or an Obsidian vault. Below, they line up on price, capture method, and how each fits a real meeting stack.
BetterDictation: A macOS speech-to-text app that uses on-device Whisper to turn spoken words into typed text in any application. Braina: Braina is a Windows AI assistant and speech-to-text software that handles voice dictation, voice commands, and transcription of recorded audio and video files including meetings and interviews. Here's where each one pulls ahead on pricing, features, and the meetings it suits best.
BetterDictation and Braindump are both AI meeting assistants for recording, transcription, and summaries, compared here on pricing, features, and workflow fit. BetterDictation: A macOS speech-to-text app that uses on-device Whisper to turn spoken words into typed text in any application. Braindump: Braindump is an AI voice-notes mobile app that records spoken thoughts and meetings, transcribes them, and auto-organizes them into structured, searchable notes. They overlap on ai-meeting-assistants, so the right pick depends on team size, budget, and which meeting workflows you automate.
BetterDictation: A macOS speech-to-text app that uses on-device Whisper to turn spoken words into typed text in any application. BriefMe: Italian mobile app that records conversations, transcribes them automatically, and generates AI summaries with key points, decisions, and action items. Which one wins depends on your platform mix, budget, and how hands-off you want notes to be.
BetterDictation: A macOS speech-to-text app that uses on-device Whisper to turn spoken words into typed text in any application. Briefly: AI meeting summaries with CRM and Slack delivery Here's where each one pulls ahead on pricing, features, and the meetings it suits best.
BetterDictation: A macOS speech-to-text app that uses on-device Whisper to turn spoken words into typed text in any application. Bright Pattern: Bright Pattern is an omnichannel contact center platform that transcribes live and recorded customer interactions and applies AI-powered quality management and analytics across all channels. Here's where each one pulls ahead on pricing, features, and the meetings it suits best.