Buzz: Popular open-source desktop app that transcribes and translates audio offline on your own computer using OpenAI's Whisper. Skribe: Skribe is an AI-powered digital reporting and deposition intelligence platform that captures, transcribes, and analyzes legal depositions and sworn testimony. Below, they line up on price, capture method, and how each fits a real meeting stack.
How Hosiqo compares and tests toolsFinal recommendation
Shortlist Buzz when transcribing recorded meetings, interviews, podcasts, or lectures offline matters most, and Skribe when searching and reviewing testimony to find and clip key moments 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.
Skribe is an AI-powered digital reporting and deposition intelligence platform that captures, transcribes, and analyzes legal depositions and sworn testimony.
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
Skribe is a digital reporting and deposition intelligence platform built for litigation teams as an alternative to traditional stenographic court reporting. It captures depositions and sworn proceedings through three methods: Skribe Live, which hosts depositions over Zoom; Skribe Link, a branded recording bot that captures Zoom proceedings even when you are not the host; and Skribe Library, which lets users upload existing audio or video files. Transcription uses automated speech recognition to produce a rough, video-synced draft within minutes, after which professional transcriptionists proofread and correct the text, with human-verified final transcripts delivered in roughly five to seven days. The platform pairs video with searchable transcripts, supports keyword search to locate exact moments, and lets users create and share video clips that play in a browser. It is aimed at attorneys, law firms, and litigation teams conducting depositions and examinations under oath, and is positioned as a more affordable, faster option than conventional court reporting services.
Best suited for
Buzz is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); Skribe is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Buzz | Skribe |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | Offline transcription and translation using OpenAI's Whisper | Skribe Live for hosting depositions over Zoom |
| Standout feature | Real-time transcription from microphone input | Skribe Link branded bot to record Zoom proceedings without being host |
| Team usage | Speaker identification and speech separation for noisy audio | Skribe Library for uploading existing audio and video files |
| Integrations | Exports to TXT, SRT, and VTT | AI (ASR) rough transcript generated within minutes, then human-proofread final transcript |
| Languages & capture | Watch folder for automatic transcription and a command-line interface | Video-synced transcripts with keyword search to find exact moments |
| Best-fit workflow | GPU acceleration via CUDA, Apple Silicon, and Vulkan | Self-service video clip creation and browser-based sharing |
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.
Skribe
Choose Skribe if you need recording and transcribing remote or in-person legal depositions — strengths include faster and more affordable than traditional stenographic court reporting.
Buzz
Skribe
It depends on your workflow. Buzz is strong for transcribing recorded meetings, interviews, podcasts, or lectures offline, while Skribe is strong for recording and transcribing remote or in-person legal depositions. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Buzz is a free tier with paid upgrades and Skribe 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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