Buzz: Popular open-source desktop app that transcribes and translates audio offline on your own computer using OpenAI's Whisper. Olovka AI: AI lecture recorder for students that captures, transcribes, and summarizes classes into organized notes. Here's where each one pulls ahead on pricing, features, and the meetings it suits best.
How Hosiqo compares and tests toolsFinal recommendation
Shortlist Buzz when transcribing recorded meetings, interviews, podcasts, or lectures offline matters most, and Olovka AI when converting youtube and online-course videos into organized notes 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.
AI lecture recorder for students that captures, transcribes, and summarizes classes into organized notes.
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
Olovka AI is an AI lecture note-taking tool aimed at students who want to focus on listening rather than writing during class. The app records lectures with the goal of high transcription accuracy, provides real-time transcript conversion while recording, and then automatically produces structured, organized notes from the session. It accepts multiple input formats, including live classroom recordings, YouTube videos, and uploaded audio or PDF documents, so students can process both in-person lectures and online course material in one place. A notable capability is assignment detection, where the tool flags homework and tasks mentioned during a lecture so they are not missed. Generated notes are editable and printable, allowing students to refine them and study offline. The service offers free sign-up via Google authentication and runs on AI from OpenAI, with a flashcard feature listed as planned. Olovka positions itself squarely in the education niche for note capture and study, and is marketed toward students at a range of universities. It is best suited to individual learners rather than professional meeting documentation. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
Buzz is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); Olovka AI is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Buzz | Olovka AI |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | Offline transcription and translation using OpenAI's Whisper | Google sign-in for quick onboarding |
| Standout feature | Real-time transcription from microphone input | Live lecture recording with real-time transcription |
| Team usage | Speaker identification and speech separation for noisy audio | Automatic AI-generated structured notes from lectures |
| Integrations | Exports to TXT, SRT, and VTT | Multiple inputs: live recordings, YouTube links, and uploaded audio or PDFs |
| Languages & capture | Watch folder for automatic transcription and a command-line interface | Assignment and homework detection from lecture audio |
| Best-fit workflow | GPU acceleration via CUDA, Apple Silicon, and Vulkan | Editable and printable notes for offline study |
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.
Olovka AI
Choose Olovka AI if you need recording and transcribing in-person university lectures — strengths include purpose-built for student lecture capture and study.
Buzz
Olovka AI
It depends on your workflow. Buzz is strong for transcribing recorded meetings, interviews, podcasts, or lectures offline, while Olovka AI is strong for recording and transcribing in-person university lectures. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Buzz is a free tier with paid upgrades and Olovka AI 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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