Buzz: Popular open-source desktop app that transcribes and translates audio offline on your own computer using OpenAI's Whisper. TranscribeMe: TranscribeMe is an audio and video transcription service that combines automated speech recognition with human transcriptionists to convert recordings, including meetings and calls, into text. 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 TranscribeMe when producing accurate legal or medical/hipaa-compliant transcripts matters most. Trial each on a few real meetings before you commit — the better fit usually shows fast.
Popular open-source desktop app that transcribes and translates audio offline on your own computer using OpenAI's Whisper.
TranscribeMe is an audio and video transcription service that combines automated speech recognition with human transcriptionists to convert recordings, including meetings and calls, into text.
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
TranscribeMe is a transcription platform that turns audio and video recordings into written text using a hybrid of automated speech recognition and human transcriptionists. Users upload files through a web customer portal, mobile apps for iOS and Android, an API, or SFTP, and can also record audio directly within the mobile app or capture phone calls via its call recorder. It accepts common formats such as MP3, MP4, WAV, M4A, and MOV, and offers multiple service tiers ranging from fully automated machine transcription to human-edited and verbatim output, with options for speaker identification, timestamps, custom formatting, and redaction. Transcripts are delivered to the inbox, the app, and the customer portal. The service supports several languages including English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian, and Mandarin, and provides industry-specific and HIPAA-compliant options. It is aimed at legal, medical, research, education, market research, and enterprise users, as well as individuals needing accurate transcripts of meetings, interviews, and recordings.
Best suited for
Buzz is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); TranscribeMe is a free tier with paid upgrades (paid). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Buzz | TranscribeMe |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | Offline transcription and translation using OpenAI's Whisper | Hybrid automated plus human transcription tiers (machine, human-edited, verbatim) |
| Standout feature | Real-time transcription from microphone input | Mobile apps for iOS and Android with in-app audio recording and a call recorder |
| Team usage | Speaker identification and speech separation for noisy audio | Speaker identification, timestamps, and custom formatting options |
| Integrations | Exports to TXT, SRT, and VTT | API and SFTP upload for programmatic and bulk workflows |
| Languages & capture | Watch folder for automatic transcription and a command-line interface | Multi-language transcription and translation support |
| Best-fit workflow | GPU acceleration via CUDA, Apple Silicon, and Vulkan | HIPAA-compliant and industry-specific transcription options |
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.
TranscribeMe
Choose TranscribeMe if you need transcribing recorded meetings, interviews, and calls into text — strengths include human review tiers can reach high accuracy on difficult audio.
Buzz
TranscribeMe
It depends on your workflow. Buzz is strong for transcribing recorded meetings, interviews, podcasts, or lectures offline, while TranscribeMe is strong for transcribing recorded meetings, interviews, and calls into text. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Buzz is a free tier with paid upgrades and TranscribeMe 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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