Buzz: Popular open-source desktop app that transcribes and translates audio offline on your own computer using OpenAI's Whisper. Memo AI: AI transcription and meeting notetaker available as a Chrome extension and web app that records calls, generates transcripts with speaker labels, and produces AI summaries. 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 Memo AI when uploading recorded audio or video for transcription and summaries 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.
AI transcription and meeting notetaker available as a Chrome extension and web app that records calls, generates transcripts with speaker labels, and produces AI summaries.
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
Memo AI is an AI transcription and meeting notetaking tool offered both as a Chrome extension and as a web application. The Chrome extension records online meetings directly from the browser and automatically generates transcripts with speaker identification, structured notes that highlight key topics, and extracted action items. It supports a broad set of browser-based meeting platforms, including Google Meet, Zoom on the web, Microsoft Teams, and Webex, as well as webinars and any browser tab playing audio, giving it flexible coverage for different meeting environments. Beyond live capture, the companion web app accepts uploaded audio and video files, producing timestamped transcripts with clickable navigation, AI-generated summaries and key points, and exports to formats such as PDF, Word, and plain text. Memo AI also builds a searchable knowledge base of meeting history so teams can revisit past conversations, and it offers workspace and project organization for collaboration. The product positions itself for professionals who need both real-time browser capture and after-the-fact transcription of recorded media, combining a meeting notetaker workflow with a general transcription service in one platform. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
Buzz is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); Memo AI is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Buzz | Memo AI |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | Offline transcription and translation using OpenAI's Whisper | Chrome extension that records and transcribes browser-based meetings |
| Standout feature | Real-time transcription from microphone input | Speaker identification and diarization in transcripts |
| Team usage | Speaker identification and speech separation for noisy audio | Structured notes, AI summaries, and action item extraction |
| Integrations | Exports to TXT, SRT, and VTT | Support for Google Meet, Zoom web, Microsoft Teams, Webex, and any audio tab |
| Languages & capture | Watch folder for automatic transcription and a command-line interface | Web app for uploading and transcribing audio and video files |
| Best-fit workflow | GPU acceleration via CUDA, Apple Silicon, and Vulkan | Timestamped, clickable transcripts and exports to PDF, Word, and text |
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.
Memo AI
Choose Memo AI if you need transcribing live browser meetings across meet, zoom, teams, and webex — strengths include covers both live browser capture and uploaded-file transcription.
Buzz
Memo AI
It depends on your workflow. Buzz is strong for transcribing recorded meetings, interviews, podcasts, or lectures offline, while Memo AI is strong for transcribing live browser meetings across meet, zoom, teams, and webex. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Buzz is a free tier with paid upgrades and Memo AI 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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