Buzz: Popular open-source desktop app that transcribes and translates audio offline on your own computer using OpenAI's Whisper. Sona Insight: Apple-ecosystem AI app that records, transcribes, summarizes, and lets you chat with meetings, lectures, and interviews. The right pick comes down to team size, budget, and the workflows you want to automate.
How Hosiqo compares and tests toolsFinal recommendation
Shortlist Buzz when transcribing recorded meetings, interviews, podcasts, or lectures offline matters most, and Sona Insight when capturing lectures and interviews with custom summary formats 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.
Apple-ecosystem AI app that records, transcribes, summarizes, and lets you chat with meetings, lectures, and interviews.
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
Sona Insight (also presented simply as Sona, at sona.wtf) is an AI-powered voice-to-text and meeting assistant built for the Apple ecosystem, with support across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and additional Apple platforms, plus a web browser experience. The app records conversations and transcribes them into text across a wide range of languages, then automatically summarizes key points and action items. Users can apply custom summary templates tailored to meetings, lectures, or interviews, and an AI chat feature lets them ask follow-up questions, brainstorm, or draft follow-ups based on the captured conversation. Sona supports offline recording, with internet required only for processing and AI queries, and it includes Apple-native touches such as Live Activities, Dynamic Island support, and an Apple Watch app for quick capture. Transcripts and summaries are stored in each user's personal account and can be exported and shared as PDF or text. The product targets people who want to stay present in a meeting or lecture while letting AI handle transcription, summarization, and recall afterward. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
Buzz is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); Sona Insight is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Buzz | Sona Insight |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | Offline transcription and translation using OpenAI's Whisper | Records and transcribes meetings, lectures, and interviews |
| Standout feature | Real-time transcription from microphone input | Automatic summaries with key points and action items |
| Team usage | Speaker identification and speech separation for noisy audio | Custom summary templates for different conversation types |
| Integrations | Exports to TXT, SRT, and VTT | AI chat to ask questions and draft follow-ups from transcripts |
| Languages & capture | Watch folder for automatic transcription and a command-line interface | Offline recording with PDF/TXT export and sharing |
| Best-fit workflow | GPU acceleration via CUDA, Apple Silicon, and Vulkan | Apple-native Live Activities, Dynamic Island, and Apple Watch support |
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.
Sona Insight
Choose Sona Insight if you need recording and summarizing meetings while staying present — strengths include deep apple-ecosystem integration across iphone, ipad, mac, and watch.
Buzz
Sona Insight
It depends on your workflow. Buzz is strong for transcribing recorded meetings, interviews, podcasts, or lectures offline, while Sona Insight is strong for recording and summarizing meetings while staying present. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Buzz is a free tier with paid upgrades and Sona Insight 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 Sona Insight.
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