Buzz: Popular open-source desktop app that transcribes and translates audio offline on your own computer using OpenAI's Whisper. ScreenApp: Screen/audio recorder with AI transcription and 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 ScreenApp when documentation and training notes 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.
Screen/audio recorder with AI transcription and 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
ScreenApp is an AI-powered screen and meeting recorder that captures video and audio and then automatically transcribes and summarizes the content. Beyond meetings, it is used to record screen sessions, webinars, and other content, making it a flexible capture-and-transcribe tool rather than a meeting-only assistant. After recording, ScreenApp produces transcripts, summaries, and notes, and lets users search and share the results, which is useful for documentation, training, and revisiting long sessions. It works in the browser and supports recording across common workflows, with AI features that turn raw recordings into structured, searchable text. ScreenApp appeals to creators, support and training teams, and anyone who needs to record and then quickly extract the key points from video or audio. Because it combines screen recording with transcription and summarization, it sits at the intersection of meeting notetakers and general recording tools, with an emphasis on turning any recording into usable notes. Platforms: Browser / Zoom / Google Meet / Microsoft Teams. Integrations: Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
Buzz is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); ScreenApp is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Buzz | ScreenApp |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | Offline transcription and translation using OpenAI's Whisper | Screen and meeting recording |
| Standout feature | Real-time transcription from microphone input | Automatic transcription |
| Team usage | Speaker identification and speech separation for noisy audio | AI summaries and notes |
| Integrations | Exports to TXT, SRT, and VTT | Searchable recordings |
| Languages & capture | Watch folder for automatic transcription and a command-line interface | Sharing and export |
| Best-fit workflow | GPU acceleration via CUDA, Apple Silicon, and Vulkan | Screen and meeting recording |
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.
ScreenApp
Choose ScreenApp if you need recording and transcribing webinars — strengths include flexible recording beyond meetings.
Buzz
ScreenApp
It depends on your workflow. Buzz is strong for transcribing recorded meetings, interviews, podcasts, or lectures offline, while ScreenApp is strong for recording and transcribing webinars. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Buzz is a free tier with paid upgrades and ScreenApp 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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