Buzz: Popular open-source desktop app that transcribes and translates audio offline on your own computer using OpenAI's Whisper. SmartDepo: AI deposition summary platform for litigators that produces cited summaries with page-line citations. 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 SmartDepo when extracting key admissions from testimony for case preparation 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.
AI deposition summary platform for litigators that produces cited summaries with page-line citations.
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
SmartDepo is an AI-powered deposition summary platform built for litigation attorneys that analyzes deposition transcripts and generates comprehensive summaries with precise citations. It offers several summary products, including page/line summaries, key admissions analysis, deposition abstracts, and deposition memos, allowing legal teams to choose the format that fits a given task. SmartDepo emphasizes accurate page-line citations that can be carried directly into court filings, and it uses topic detection to organize information in a way that mirrors how attorneys structure case materials. The platform is designed to analyze entire transcripts without omissions and pairs its AI output with human review by legal professionals, and it reports producing summaries within minutes. SmartDepo is part of Rev, a speech-to-text company, which provides established backing for its operations. Because it is focused specifically on deposition summarization rather than general meeting notes, it is most useful to litigators, paralegals, and litigation support staff who need to quickly extract admissions, build chronologies of testimony, and prepare filings from lengthy deposition records. Its citation-first approach is tailored to the accuracy and traceability demands of legal work. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
Buzz is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); SmartDepo is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Buzz | SmartDepo |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | Offline transcription and translation using OpenAI's Whisper | AI deposition summaries with page-line citations |
| Standout feature | Real-time transcription from microphone input | Multiple summary formats: page/line summaries, key admissions, abstracts, and memos |
| Team usage | Speaker identification and speech separation for noisy audio | Topic detection that organizes content like attorney case materials |
| Integrations | Exports to TXT, SRT, and VTT | Full-transcript analysis without omissions |
| Languages & capture | Watch folder for automatic transcription and a command-line interface | Human review of AI-generated summaries by legal professionals |
| Best-fit workflow | GPU acceleration via CUDA, Apple Silicon, and Vulkan | Fast turnaround, with summaries produced in minutes |
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.
SmartDepo
Choose SmartDepo if you need generating cited page-line summaries of deposition transcripts — strengths include citation-focused output suitable for court filings.
Buzz
SmartDepo
It depends on your workflow. Buzz is strong for transcribing recorded meetings, interviews, podcasts, or lectures offline, while SmartDepo is strong for generating cited page-line summaries of deposition transcripts. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Buzz is a free tier with paid upgrades and SmartDepo 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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