Buzz: Popular open-source desktop app that transcribes and translates audio offline on your own computer using OpenAI's Whisper. Subanana: Hong Kong AI transcription and subtitling platform with meeting transcription, summaries, and multilingual support. 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 Subanana when generating and exporting subtitles for video content 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.
Hong Kong AI transcription and subtitling platform with meeting transcription, summaries, and multilingual support.
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
Subanana is an AI transcription and subtitling platform based in Hong Kong and operated by Datax AI Solutions. It positions itself as an AI subtitling and transcription tool for the Hong Kong market, handling mixed Cantonese-and-English content as well as more than 80 languages including Chinese, English, Japanese, Korean, and Thai. The platform automatically transcribes audio and video, generates and embeds subtitles, and exports results in multiple formats such as .srt, .docx, .csv, and .txt, making it useful for content creators and marketers in addition to meeting documentation. Its meeting transcription capabilities include real-time voice transcription with live translation, automatic speaker identification, automated summaries, and action items, along with support for recording Google Meet and Microsoft Teams meetings. Subanana offers a freemium model with a short free allowance before paid plans, and it is frequently presented as a local alternative to international tools and to Korean services like Clova Note for users who need strong Cantonese and code-switching handling. The product serves a broad base of individual users and teams across content, business, and remote-work scenarios. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
Buzz is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); Subanana is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Buzz | Subanana |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | Offline transcription and translation using OpenAI's Whisper | AI transcription and subtitle generation across 80+ languages |
| Standout feature | Real-time transcription from microphone input | Strong handling of mixed Cantonese-and-English (code-switching) audio |
| Team usage | Speaker identification and speech separation for noisy audio | Meeting transcription with automated summaries and action items |
| Integrations | Exports to TXT, SRT, and VTT | Real-time voice transcription with live translation |
| Languages & capture | Watch folder for automatic transcription and a command-line interface | Automatic speaker identification |
| Best-fit workflow | GPU acceleration via CUDA, Apple Silicon, and Vulkan | Subtitle embedding and export to .srt, .docx, .csv, and .txt |
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.
Subanana
Choose Subanana if you need transcribing and summarizing cantonese-english meetings for hong kong teams — strengths include built for the hong kong market with strong cantonese and code-switching support.
Buzz
Subanana
It depends on your workflow. Buzz is strong for transcribing recorded meetings, interviews, podcasts, or lectures offline, while Subanana is strong for transcribing and summarizing cantonese-english meetings for hong kong teams. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Buzz is a free tier with paid upgrades and Subanana is a free tier with paid upgrades. Check each vendor's pricing page for the latest plans and free-tier limits.
Yes. Many teams run more than one meeting assistant when the workflows are complementary.
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