Buzz: Popular open-source desktop app that transcribes and translates audio offline on your own computer using OpenAI's Whisper. Exec: Voice-based AI roleplay platform that lets sales reps practice high-stakes conversations against realistic AI buyers and get instant coaching. This comparison weighs them on pricing, features, and everyday workflow fit.
How Hosiqo compares and tests toolsFinal recommendation
Shortlist Buzz when transcribing recorded meetings, interviews, podcasts, or lectures offline matters most, and Exec when rehearsing product demos and presentations with screen sharing matters most. Try them side by side on real calls before deciding — needs vary by team.
Popular open-source desktop app that transcribes and translates audio offline on your own computer using OpenAI's Whisper.
Voice-based AI roleplay platform that lets sales reps practice high-stakes conversations against realistic AI buyers and get instant coaching.
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
Exec is an AI roleplay and training platform designed to help sales reps, leaders, and support staff practice high-stakes conversations before they happen with real customers. Its core function is generating voice-based AI characters that simulate buyers and other counterparts, complete with industry context and customizable traits, so reps can rehearse cold calls, discovery, negotiation, and objection handling in unscripted, dynamic conversations. The platform supports custom scenario creation and includes screen-sharing functionality so reps can practice product demos and presentations, not just talk tracks. After each roleplay, Exec provides instant performance insights, including actionable improvement tips and an AI coach that can explain scores, surface growth areas, and run short follow-up sessions to work through specific gaps. For managers and enablement teams, Exec offers analytics dashboards tracking skill development over time, performance trending, leaderboards, certification, and integration with existing learning management systems. It maintains SOC 2 Type II certification and states it does not use customer data to train its models. Exec is aimed at enterprise sales and revenue teams that want to close the gap between training content and real behavior change through repeated, measurable practice. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
Buzz is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); Exec is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Buzz | Exec |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | Offline transcription and translation using OpenAI's Whisper | Voice-based AI roleplay with customizable buyer personas |
| Standout feature | Real-time transcription from microphone input | Custom scenario creation for realistic practice situations |
| Team usage | Speaker identification and speech separation for noisy audio | Screen-sharing practice for demos and presentations |
| Integrations | Exports to TXT, SRT, and VTT | AI coach that explains scores and runs follow-up sessions |
| Languages & capture | Watch folder for automatic transcription and a command-line interface | Manager dashboards with skill tracking, leaderboards, and certification |
| Best-fit workflow | GPU acceleration via CUDA, Apple Silicon, and Vulkan | Voice-based AI roleplay with customizable buyer personas |
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.
Exec
Choose Exec if you need practicing cold calls, discovery, and objection handling safely — strengths include voice-based, unscripted roleplays that adapt to the rep.
Buzz
Exec
It depends on your workflow. Buzz is strong for transcribing recorded meetings, interviews, podcasts, or lectures offline, while Exec is strong for practicing cold calls, discovery, and objection handling safely. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Buzz is a free tier with paid upgrades and Exec 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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