Buzz: Popular open-source desktop app that transcribes and translates audio offline on your own computer using OpenAI's Whisper. Recolx: An AI voice recorder combining a portable hardware device and a companion app that transcribes conversations in 112 languages with speaker labels and auto-generates summaries and briefs. 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 Recolx when capturing lectures or interviews and turning them into structured transcripts and briefs 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.
An AI voice recorder combining a portable hardware device and a companion app that transcribes conversations in 112 languages with speaker labels and auto-generates summaries and briefs.
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
Recolx is an AI voice-recording and note-taking system that pairs portable hardware devices (the Recolx Tap, Tap Pro, and AI earbuds) with a companion mobile and web app. You capture a conversation with one tap, and the platform transcribes the audio with speaker identification, then automatically produces organized notes, summaries, and "AI Briefs" surfacing key points, decisions, and action items. Transcription covers a wide range of languages, and the app adds live speech-to-text while recording plus translation features. The hardware uses a multi-microphone array with 360-degree AI noise reduction for clearer capture in noisy settings, with long continuous recording on a charge. A library of professional templates formats notes for meetings, lectures, interviews, sales calls, and legal use, and finished content can be exported to PDF, Word, or Markdown or shared to Notion, Google Docs, and Slack. It targets professionals such as attorneys, salespeople, students, and researchers who want to stay engaged in a conversation while documentation happens automatically. The app works with the hardware or with standalone recordings.
Best suited for
Buzz is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); Recolx is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Buzz | Recolx |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | Offline transcription and translation using OpenAI's Whisper | One-tap recording on a portable hardware device with a companion app that auto-generates organized notes |
| Standout feature | Real-time transcription from microphone input | Transcription in 112 languages with speaker labels, plus live speech-to-text and translation in the app |
| Team usage | Speaker identification and speech separation for noisy audio | AI-generated summaries and briefs surfacing key points, decisions, and action items |
| Integrations | Exports to TXT, SRT, and VTT | Library of professional templates for meetings, lectures, interviews, sales, and legal contexts |
| Languages & capture | Watch folder for automatic transcription and a command-line interface | 360-degree AI noise reduction via a multi-microphone array for clearer capture in noisy environments |
| Best-fit workflow | GPU acceleration via CUDA, Apple Silicon, and Vulkan | Exports to PDF, Word, and Markdown and sharing to Notion, Google Docs, and Slack |
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.
Recolx
Choose Recolx if you need recording and summarizing in-person meetings and sales calls into ready-to-use notes — strengths include combines dedicated capture hardware with ai transcription and summarization in one workflow.
Buzz
Recolx
It depends on your workflow. Buzz is strong for transcribing recorded meetings, interviews, podcasts, or lectures offline, while Recolx is strong for recording and summarizing in-person meetings and sales calls into ready-to-use notes. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Buzz is a free tier with paid upgrades and Recolx 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.
More head-to-head comparisons involving Buzz and Recolx.
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