Buzz: Popular open-source desktop app that transcribes and translates audio offline on your own computer using OpenAI's Whisper. Rev: Human and AI transcription, captions and meeting 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 Rev when captioning video content matters most. Trial each on a few real meetings before you commit — the better fit usually shows fast.
Popular open-source desktop app that transcribes and translates audio offline on your own computer using OpenAI's Whisper.
Human and AI transcription, captions and meeting 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
Rev is a well-known transcription and captioning service that offers both automated (AI) and human-generated transcripts, giving users a choice between speed and maximum accuracy. It is widely used to transcribe recorded meetings, interviews, podcasts, and videos, and it also provides captions and subtitles for video content. In addition to file-based transcription, Rev offers an AI notetaker that can join and summarize meetings, extending its core transcription expertise into the live meeting-assistant space. Users can edit transcripts, search content, and export in various formats, and the human-transcription option is valued when near-perfect accuracy is required, such as for legal, media, or research use. Because it spans automated and human services, Rev appeals to a broad audience — from individuals needing a quick transcript to organizations that require verified, high-accuracy text. It is often chosen when transcription quality and reliable turnaround matter as much as automation. Platforms: Web / upload audio and video / meeting notetaker. Integrations: Zapier. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
Buzz is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); Rev is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Buzz | Rev |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | Offline transcription and translation using OpenAI's Whisper | AI and human transcription |
| Standout feature | Real-time transcription from microphone input | Captions and subtitles |
| Team usage | Speaker identification and speech separation for noisy audio | AI meeting notetaker |
| Integrations | Exports to TXT, SRT, and VTT | Transcript editing and export |
| Languages & capture | Watch folder for automatic transcription and a command-line interface | Multi-format output |
| Best-fit workflow | GPU acceleration via CUDA, Apple Silicon, and Vulkan | AI and human transcription |
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.
Rev
Choose Rev if you need high-accuracy transcripts — strengths include choice of ai or human accuracy.
Buzz
Rev
It depends on your workflow. Buzz is strong for transcribing recorded meetings, interviews, podcasts, or lectures offline, while Rev is strong for high-accuracy transcripts. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Buzz is a free tier with paid upgrades and Rev is a free tier with paid upgrades. Check each vendor's pricing page for the latest plans and free-tier limits.
Sure. Running both makes sense when their strengths don't overlap and the budget allows.
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