Buzz: Popular open-source desktop app that transcribes and translates audio offline on your own computer using OpenAI's Whisper. Superwhisper: Voice-to-text app for Mac, Windows, and iOS that records and transcribes meetings on-device without a bot, with speaker labels and offline processing. We compare them on cost, capture approach, and day-to-day fit so you can choose faster.
How Hosiqo compares and tests toolsFinal recommendation
Shortlist Buzz when transcribing recorded meetings, interviews, podcasts, or lectures offline matters most, and Superwhisper when offline dictation and voice typing across desktop and mobile 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.
Voice-to-text app for Mac, Windows, and iOS that records and transcribes meetings on-device without a bot, with speaker labels and offline processing.
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
Superwhisper is a voice-to-text application for macOS, Windows, and iOS that, in addition to system-wide dictation, can record and transcribe meetings directly from the device without joining the call as a visible bot. Its meeting transcription feature captures audio from meeting apps such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet and produces transcripts with automatic speaker identification across longer recordings. Because the speech recognition models can run on-device, Superwhisper supports offline processing and states that meeting audio does not get uploaded, which the product frames as suitable for confidential calls or organizations with strict data policies. It supports a large range of languages with automatic detection and can transcribe common audio and video file formats including MP3, MP4, M4A, WAV, and WEBM. A Super Mode lets users dictate quick recaps or summaries that can be pasted into productivity tools, and a browser-based voice recorder is available for fast transcription. The app is positioned as both a general dictation tool and a bot-free meeting transcription option, and the website indicates the product is actively maintained. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
Buzz is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); Superwhisper is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Buzz | Superwhisper |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | Offline transcription and translation using OpenAI's Whisper | Bot-free meeting recording and transcription captured from the device |
| Standout feature | Real-time transcription from microphone input | On-device, offline speech recognition that keeps audio local |
| Team usage | Speaker identification and speech separation for noisy audio | Automatic speaker labels across longer recordings |
| Integrations | Exports to TXT, SRT, and VTT | File transcription for MP3, MP4, M4A, WAV, and WEBM formats |
| Languages & capture | Watch folder for automatic transcription and a command-line interface | Super Mode for dictating recaps and summaries |
| Best-fit workflow | GPU acceleration via CUDA, Apple Silicon, and Vulkan | System-wide voice typing across applications |
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.
Superwhisper
Choose Superwhisper if you need transcribing confidential zoom, teams, or meet calls without a bot — strengths include records meetings without adding a visible bot to the call.
Buzz
Superwhisper
It depends on your workflow. Buzz is strong for transcribing recorded meetings, interviews, podcasts, or lectures offline, while Superwhisper is strong for transcribing confidential zoom, teams, or meet calls without a bot. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Buzz is a free tier with paid upgrades and Superwhisper 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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