Buzz: Popular open-source desktop app that transcribes and translates audio offline on your own computer using OpenAI's Whisper. Sonnet AI: Bot-free AI meeting assistant that records device audio, transcribes, and generates structured notes and action items across major conferencing apps. 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 Sonnet AI when recruiters documenting candidate interviews with structured templates 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.
Bot-free AI meeting assistant that records device audio, transcribes, and generates structured notes and action items across major conferencing apps.
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
Sonnet AI is an end-to-end AI meeting assistant and notetaker that captures conversations without sending a separate bot into the call. Instead of joining as a visible participant, it records high-quality audio directly from the user's device, which lets it work across Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Slack and Discord without per-platform integrations or plug-ins. Once a meeting ends, Sonnet produces a transcript and a structured set of notes, pulls out action items with potential assignees and deadlines, and stores everything in a searchable conversation database so users can revisit past discussions. It offers a template gallery aimed at specific contexts such as sales, recruiting, legal and medical meetings, along with customizable note layouts that support elements like tables and concept maps. Additional features include meeting reminders and preparation tools, participant relationship tracking, and the ability to keep CRM records updated from meeting content. It is designed for professionals and teams who want hands-free note capture and reliable post-meeting follow-up without disrupting the flow of a live conversation. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
Buzz is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); Sonnet AI is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Buzz | Sonnet AI |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | Offline transcription and translation using OpenAI's Whisper | Bot-free recording that captures device audio without joining the call as a participant |
| Standout feature | Real-time transcription from microphone input | Automatic transcription with AI-generated structured notes |
| Team usage | Speaker identification and speech separation for noisy audio | Action item extraction with assignees and deadlines |
| Integrations | Exports to TXT, SRT, and VTT | Template gallery for sales, recruiting, legal, medical and other meeting types |
| Languages & capture | Watch folder for automatic transcription and a command-line interface | Searchable database of past conversations |
| Best-fit workflow | GPU acceleration via CUDA, Apple Silicon, and Vulkan | Works across Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Slack and Discord |
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.
Sonnet AI
Choose Sonnet AI if you need sales reps capturing call notes and follow-ups without a bot in the room — strengths include no visible bot joins the meeting, which can feel less intrusive to participants.
Buzz
Sonnet AI
It depends on your workflow. Buzz is strong for transcribing recorded meetings, interviews, podcasts, or lectures offline, while Sonnet AI is strong for sales reps capturing call notes and follow-ups without a bot in the room. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Buzz is a free tier with paid upgrades and Sonnet AI is a free tier with paid upgrades. Check each vendor's pricing page for the latest plans and free-tier limits.
Often yes: teams combine tools when one handles capture and another handles analysis.
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