Buzz: Popular open-source desktop app that transcribes and translates audio offline on your own computer using OpenAI's Whisper. Sonix: High-accuracy automated transcription in 50+ languages 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 Sonix when interview and podcast transcription 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.
High-accuracy automated transcription in 50+ languages
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
Sonix is an automated transcription service that converts audio and video into accurate, searchable text across a wide range of languages. While not a meeting bot in the traditional sense, it is widely used to transcribe recorded meetings, interviews, podcasts, and videos, making it a core AI-transcription tool for teams that work with recorded conversations. Sonix provides an in-browser editor where users can review and correct transcripts, add timestamps and speaker labels, and search across content quickly. It also offers translation and subtitle features, which helps multilingual teams and content creators repurpose recordings. Because it focuses on high-quality transcription rather than live meeting assistance, Sonix is often paired with recording tools or used to process existing audio and video files. It is popular with researchers, journalists, podcasters, and businesses that need reliable transcripts they can edit, search, and translate, with an emphasis on accuracy and language coverage. Platforms: Web / upload audio and video. Integrations: Zapier, Google Drive. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
Buzz is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); Sonix is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Buzz | Sonix |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | Offline transcription and translation using OpenAI's Whisper | Automated transcription |
| Standout feature | Real-time transcription from microphone input | In-browser transcript editor |
| Team usage | Speaker identification and speech separation for noisy audio | Multi-language support |
| Integrations | Exports to TXT, SRT, and VTT | Translation and subtitles |
| Languages & capture | Watch folder for automatic transcription and a command-line interface | Search across transcripts |
| Best-fit workflow | GPU acceleration via CUDA, Apple Silicon, and Vulkan | Automated 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.
Sonix
Choose Sonix if you need transcribing recorded meetings — strengths include accurate transcription with strong editing.
Buzz
Sonix
It depends on your workflow. Buzz is strong for transcribing recorded meetings, interviews, podcasts, or lectures offline, while Sonix is strong for transcribing recorded meetings. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Buzz is a free tier with paid upgrades and Sonix 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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