Buzz: Popular open-source desktop app that transcribes and translates audio offline on your own computer using OpenAI's Whisper. Luster: AI Predictive Enablement platform that pairs realistic sales roleplay with live-call analysis to find and close rep skill gaps. We compare them on cost, capture approach, and day-to-day fit so you can choose faster.
How Hosiqo compares and tests toolsFinal recommendation
Shortlist Buzz when transcribing recorded meetings, interviews, podcasts, or lectures offline matters most, and Luster when identifying which reps are at risk of underperforming on upcoming deals 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.
AI Predictive Enablement platform that pairs realistic sales roleplay with live-call analysis to find and close rep skill gaps.
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
Luster is a sales enablement platform that describes its approach as Predictive Enablement, combining AI-powered roleplay practice with analysis of real sales conversations. Reps rehearse high-stakes scenarios such as discovery calls and objection handling against AI buyer personas tuned to different sales stages, personas, and deal sizes, and receive feedback designed to surface where they are likely to struggle before those weaknesses show up in live deals. The platform pairs this practice environment with a live-call analysis capability the company calls EchoIQ, which reviews actual customer calls to detect how well reps apply the skills they have been practicing and where execution gaps remain. For managers and enablement leaders, Luster provides predictive insights into skill readiness, prescriptive guidance for onboarding and hiring, certification workflows, and AI-assisted coaching so that practice can be scaled across a go-to-market team. Luster is aimed at sales reps, frontline managers, and enablement teams who want to connect roleplay performance to real revenue outcomes rather than treating training as a one-off event. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
Buzz is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); Luster is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Buzz | Luster |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | Offline transcription and translation using OpenAI's Whisper | AI roleplay environment for rehearsing discovery, objection handling, and other high-stakes scenarios |
| Standout feature | Real-time transcription from microphone input | Buyer personas configurable by sales stage, persona type, and deal size |
| Team usage | Speaker identification and speech separation for noisy audio | EchoIQ live-call analysis that reviews real customer conversations for skill application |
| Integrations | Exports to TXT, SRT, and VTT | Predictive insights that flag rep readiness risk and skill gaps |
| Languages & capture | Watch folder for automatic transcription and a command-line interface | AI-assisted coaching tools for managers to scale feedback |
| Best-fit workflow | GPU acceleration via CUDA, Apple Silicon, and Vulkan | Certification and onboarding workflows for enablement teams |
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.
Luster
Choose Luster if you need letting sdrs and aes rehearse cold calls and discovery conversations with ai buyers before live calls — strengths include connects practice performance with analysis of real live calls rather than roleplay alone.
Buzz
Luster
It depends on your workflow. Buzz is strong for transcribing recorded meetings, interviews, podcasts, or lectures offline, while Luster is strong for letting sdrs and aes rehearse cold calls and discovery conversations with ai buyers before live calls. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Buzz is a free tier with paid upgrades and Luster is a free tier with paid upgrades. Check each vendor's pricing page for the latest plans and free-tier limits.
You can — some teams pair them when each covers a different part of the meeting workflow.
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