Buzz: Popular open-source desktop app that transcribes and translates audio offline on your own computer using OpenAI's Whisper. FoCase Rec: FoCase Rec is a magnetic hardware recorder plus companion app that captures phone calls and in-person audio, then transcribes and summarizes the recordings using AI. Below, they line up on price, capture method, and how each fits a real meeting stack.
How Hosiqo compares and tests toolsFinal recommendation
Shortlist Buzz when transcribing recorded meetings, interviews, podcasts, or lectures offline matters most, and FoCase Rec when capturing in-person meetings, interviews, and lectures for later transcription and review matters most. Run both through a week of actual calls to see which suits your workflow.
Popular open-source desktop app that transcribes and translates audio offline on your own computer using OpenAI's Whisper.
FoCase Rec is a magnetic hardware recorder plus companion app that captures phone calls and in-person audio, then transcribes and summarizes the recordings using AI.
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
FoCase Rec is a hybrid hardware-and-software product for recording, transcribing, and summarizing conversations. The slim magnetic device attaches to the back of an iPhone and uses vibration-conduction technology to capture both sides of a phone call with a single button press, working around iOS call-recording restrictions without Bluetooth pairing for capture. It also doubles as a standalone voice recorder for lectures, meetings, and interviews, with dual-microphone noise reduction. Recordings sync to the FoCase Rec app, where OpenAI Whisper powers voice-to-text transcription across more than 100 languages, and GPT-based AI generates summaries and mind maps that extract key points. The app supports playback, simple editing, password protection, file transfer, and one-tap sharing of audio, transcripts, and summaries. It is aimed at professionals, sales and support staff, students, and anyone who needs documented records of calls and meetings. The recorder is a one-time purchase, and the company advertises free lifetime call recording plus included AI transcription and summarization up to a monthly minute allowance, avoiding recurring subscription fees.
Best suited for
Buzz is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); FoCase Rec is a free tier with paid upgrades (paid). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Buzz | FoCase Rec |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | Offline transcription and translation using OpenAI's Whisper | Magnetic phone-back recorder that captures both sides of iPhone calls with a single button press |
| Standout feature | Real-time transcription from microphone input | Doubles as a standalone voice recorder for meetings, lectures, and interviews with dual-mic noise reduction |
| Team usage | Speaker identification and speech separation for noisy audio | AI transcription via OpenAI Whisper supporting 100+ languages |
| Integrations | Exports to TXT, SRT, and VTT | AI summarization and mind-map generation using GPT to extract key points |
| Languages & capture | Watch folder for automatic transcription and a command-line interface | Companion app for playback, simple editing, file transfer, and one-tap sharing of audio, transcripts, and summaries |
| Best-fit workflow | GPU acceleration via CUDA, Apple Silicon, and Vulkan | Password protection for stored recordings |
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.
FoCase Rec
Choose FoCase Rec if you need recording and documenting business or sales phone calls with searchable transcripts and summaries — strengths include records phone calls on iphone without app-based workarounds or per-call fees, plus works for in-person audio.
Buzz
FoCase Rec
It depends on your workflow. Buzz is strong for transcribing recorded meetings, interviews, podcasts, or lectures offline, while FoCase Rec is strong for recording and documenting business or sales phone calls with searchable transcripts and summaries. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Buzz is a free tier with paid upgrades and FoCase Rec 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.
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