BetterDictation: A macOS speech-to-text app that uses on-device Whisper to turn spoken words into typed text in any application. Yating: Taiwan-built AI speech-to-text app for classes, meetings, and interviews, optimized for Taiwanese-accent Mandarin and Mandarin-English code-switching. 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 Yating when professionals capturing meetings and interviews in taiwan 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.
Taiwan-built AI speech-to-text app for classes, meetings, and interviews, optimized for Taiwanese-accent Mandarin and Mandarin-English code-switching.
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
Yating is an AI speech-to-text application developed by AILabs, a privately funded Taiwan-based company, and is described as a handy tool for classes, meetings, interviews, and everyday moments worth saving. It converts speech and voice to text and is notable for being optimized for languages and accents commonly used in Taiwan, handling Mandarin, Taiwanese, English, Japanese, and Cantonese, including sentences that switch between Chinese and English mid-thought. The app offers live transcription that can dictate audio from a microphone in real time as well as transcription of recorded audio and uploaded audio or video files. It includes a subtitle mode for accessibility, speaker identification with timestamps, and is available across mobile, web, and a Chrome plugin. An API is offered for batch processing and automatic speech recognition, and the company emphasizes a privacy-focused approach, stating it does not sell user data and that its technology and data are developed locally in Taiwan. Yating is named after a professional shorthand typist, reflecting its goal of accurate, fast transcription. The application remains active with recent updates, and it is positioned for students, podcasters, researchers, data analysts, and people who are hard of hearing. A free tier is available on iPhone alongside other offerings. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
BetterDictation is a free tier with paid upgrades (paid); Yating is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | BetterDictation | Yating |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | System-wide dictation that inserts text into any macOS application | Live microphone transcription plus transcription of recorded and uploaded files |
| Standout feature | On-device transcription using OpenAI's Whisper on Apple's Neural Engine | Optimized for Taiwanese-accent Mandarin and Mandarin-English code-switching |
| Team usage | Offline operation for basic dictation with no cloud round-trips | Support for Mandarin, Taiwanese, English, Japanese, and Cantonese |
| Integrations | Support for 100+ languages with automatic punctuation | Speaker identification with timestamps |
| Languages & capture | Push-to-talk and toggle-to-talk recording modes | Subtitle mode for accessibility |
| Best-fit workflow | Optional Pro post-processing: stammer correction and automatic formatting | Cross-platform: mobile, web, and Chrome plugin |
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.
Yating
Choose Yating if you need students transcribing lectures and classes in mandarin or mixed mandarin-english — strengths include strong handling of taiwanese-accent mandarin and chinese-english code-switching.
BetterDictation
Yating
It depends on your workflow. BetterDictation is strong for dictating emails, documents, and notes hands-free across mac apps, while Yating is strong for students transcribing lectures and classes in mandarin or mixed mandarin-english. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
BetterDictation is a free tier with paid upgrades and Yating 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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