Buzz: Popular open-source desktop app that transcribes and translates audio offline on your own computer using OpenAI's Whisper. Equal Time: Meeting notes with speaking-time and inclusion analytics 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 Buzz when transcribing recorded meetings, interviews, podcasts, or lectures offline matters most, and Equal Time when tracking speaking balance 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.
Meeting notes with speaking-time and inclusion analytics
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
Equal Time is an AI meeting assistant that combines standard transcription and notes with a distinctive focus on participation and inclusion analytics. It records and transcribes meetings, generates summaries and action items, and additionally tracks talk-time and speaking balance so teams can see how participation is distributed across a call. This inclusion-oriented angle makes it useful for managers and facilitators who want more equitable meetings, in addition to the usual benefits of automatic notes. Equal Time works across common video platforms, makes notes searchable, and can share recaps with attendees. It also offers prompts and metrics intended to encourage balanced participation during meetings. Equal Time is typically adopted by teams and organizations that care about meeting culture and inclusion alongside documentation, and it differentiates itself from general notetakers by reporting on how people participate, not just what was said, which appeals to leaders trying to improve how their meetings run. Platforms: Zoom / Google Meet / Microsoft Teams. Integrations: Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
Buzz is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); Equal Time is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Buzz | Equal Time |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | Offline transcription and translation using OpenAI's Whisper | Recording and transcription |
| Standout feature | Real-time transcription from microphone input | AI summaries and action items |
| Team usage | Speaker identification and speech separation for noisy audio | Talk-time and participation analytics |
| Integrations | Exports to TXT, SRT, and VTT | Inclusion prompts and metrics |
| Languages & capture | Watch folder for automatic transcription and a command-line interface | Searchable notes |
| Best-fit workflow | GPU acceleration via CUDA, Apple Silicon, and Vulkan | Recording and transcription |
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.
Equal Time
Choose Equal Time if you need improving meeting inclusion — strengths include unique focus on participation and inclusion.
Buzz
Equal Time
It depends on your workflow. Buzz is strong for transcribing recorded meetings, interviews, podcasts, or lectures offline, while Equal Time is strong for improving meeting inclusion. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Buzz is a free tier with paid upgrades and Equal Time 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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