Buzz: Popular open-source desktop app that transcribes and translates audio offline on your own computer using OpenAI's Whisper. TongueType: TongueType is a privacy-focused macOS voice dictation app that turns speech into text on-device using a local Whisper AI model. 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 TongueType when transcribing recorded audio or video files locally, such as meeting or interview recordings matters most. Run both through a week of actual calls to see which suits your workflow.
Popular open-source desktop app that transcribes and translates audio offline on your own computer using OpenAI's Whisper.
TongueType is a privacy-focused macOS voice dictation app that turns speech into text on-device using a local Whisper AI model.
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
TongueType is a voice dictation application for macOS that converts speech to text entirely on-device using a locally-run Whisper AI model, so audio never leaves the Mac. It lives in the menu bar with no dock icon, and works as a press-to-talk input method: the user holds a configurable hotkey (or uses a double-tap latch), speaks, and the transcribed text is inserted at the cursor in any application that accepts text input. Beyond live dictation, it can transcribe audio and video files (such as WAV, MP3, MP4, and MOV). It supports multiple languages including English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Chinese, and Korean, with automatic language detection, plus customizable post-processing rules, overlay appearance, and microphone options. Preferences can sync across Macs via iCloud. It requires macOS 14+ on Apple Silicon (M1 or later). The app is aimed at people who want faster text entry than typing, professionals needing quick transcription, and users with typing difficulties (arthritis, RSI, tremor, and similar accessibility needs).
Best suited for
Buzz is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); TongueType is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Buzz | TongueType |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | Offline transcription and translation using OpenAI's Whisper | On-device speech-to-text using a local Whisper AI model (no cloud) |
| Standout feature | Real-time transcription from microphone input | Press-to-talk hotkey dictation with double-tap latch, inserting text at the cursor in any app |
| Team usage | Speaker identification and speech separation for noisy audio | Audio and video file transcription (WAV, MP3, MP4, MOV) |
| Integrations | Exports to TXT, SRT, and VTT | Multi-language support with automatic language detection (English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, and more) |
| Languages & capture | Watch folder for automatic transcription and a command-line interface | Customizable post-processing rules, overlay appearance, and microphone options |
| Best-fit workflow | GPU acceleration via CUDA, Apple Silicon, and Vulkan | iCloud sync of preferences across multiple Macs |
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.
TongueType
Choose TongueType if you need dictating text into any macos application instead of typing — strengths include fully on-device processing with no servers or accounts, strong for privacy.
Buzz
TongueType
It depends on your workflow. Buzz is strong for transcribing recorded meetings, interviews, podcasts, or lectures offline, while TongueType is strong for dictating text into any macos application instead of typing. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Buzz is a free tier with paid upgrades and TongueType 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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