Buzz: Popular open-source desktop app that transcribes and translates audio offline on your own computer using OpenAI's Whisper. DepoDash: Cloud court-reporting platform delivering verbatim deposition transcription via AI, stenographers, or voice writers. The right pick comes down to team size, budget, and the workflows you want to automate.
How Hosiqo compares and tests toolsFinal recommendation
Shortlist Buzz when transcribing recorded meetings, interviews, podcasts, or lectures offline matters most, and DepoDash when uploading existing hearing or deposition audio for ai transcription and certification matters most. Test each on your own meetings; the right choice tends to become obvious quickly.
Popular open-source desktop app that transcribes and translates audio offline on your own computer using OpenAI's Whisper.
Cloud court-reporting platform delivering verbatim deposition transcription via AI, stenographers, or voice writers.
Buzz is a widely used open-source desktop application that transcribes and translates audio offline on the user's personal computer, powered by OpenAI's Whisper. It is MIT-licensed and actively maintained, with v1.4.4 released in March 2026, and it has grown a large community with roughly 19.7k GitHub stars. Buzz runs on macOS, Windows, and Linux, with installation options including Flatpak, Snap, and PyPI. It supports both importing existing audio and video files and real-time transcription from microphone input, and it can export results in formats such as TXT, SRT, and VTT for subtitling and documentation. The app includes an advanced transcript viewer with search and playback controls, a watch folder for automatically transcribing new files, and a command-line interface for automation. It offers GPU acceleration through CUDA for Nvidia cards, Apple Silicon support, and Vulkan for many other GPUs, which makes faster transcription practical even on laptops. Buzz also provides speaker identification and speech separation for noisy audio, plus a plugin system that adds capabilities like AI-generated summaries. Because all processing happens locally, recordings and transcripts remain on the user's machine rather than being uploaded to a cloud service. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
DepoDash is a cloud-based court-reporting and legal transcription platform that delivers on-demand verbatim records for depositions, hearings, and other legal proceedings in a secure environment. The platform mirrors traditional court-reporting workflows and can produce the record through a stenographic reporter, a mask (voice) writer, or AI-based automatic speech recognition, giving legal teams flexible options. For existing recordings, users can upload audio files from depositions, hearings, or interviews and the AI engine identifies speakers and generates formatted transcripts in minutes, which can then be edited and certified by a legal transcriber. DepoDash applies legal-specific formatting such as line numbering, Q&A formatting, and timestamps, and supports real-time transcription with live annotations, exhibit and file sharing, secure breakout rooms, and speaker identification. It emphasizes protecting the integrity of the digital record, restricting access to audio, video, exhibits, and transcripts so the record manager controls the material rather than a general conferencing service. With no software or hardware to install and pay-as-you-go or subscription options, DepoDash targets attorneys, court reporters, and litigation support teams who need accurate, certifiable transcripts that meet legal formatting and evidentiary expectations. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
Buzz is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); DepoDash is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Buzz | DepoDash |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | Offline transcription and translation using OpenAI's Whisper | Cloud court reporting via stenographer, voice writer, or AI ASR |
| Standout feature | Real-time transcription from microphone input | AI transcription of uploaded deposition, hearing, and interview audio with speaker ID |
| Team usage | Speaker identification and speech separation for noisy audio | Legal-specific formatting including line numbering, Q&A, and timestamps |
| Integrations | Exports to TXT, SRT, and VTT | Real-time transcription with live annotations during proceedings |
| Languages & capture | Watch folder for automatic transcription and a command-line interface | Exhibit and file sharing plus secure breakout rooms |
| Best-fit workflow | GPU acceleration via CUDA, Apple Silicon, and Vulkan | Record-integrity controls limiting access to audio, video, and transcripts |
Buzz
Choose Buzz if you need transcribing recorded meetings, interviews, podcasts, or lectures offline — strengths include fully offline so audio and transcripts stay on the user's computer.
DepoDash
Choose DepoDash if you need conducting remote depositions with real-time transcription and exhibit sharing — strengths include flexible record production through ai, stenographers, or voice writers.
Buzz
DepoDash
It depends on your workflow. Buzz is strong for transcribing recorded meetings, interviews, podcasts, or lectures offline, while DepoDash is strong for conducting remote depositions with real-time transcription and exhibit sharing. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Buzz is a free tier with paid upgrades and DepoDash 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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