Buzz: Popular open-source desktop app that transcribes and translates audio offline on your own computer using OpenAI's Whisper. UMEVO Note Plus: MagSafe AI voice recorder that captures calls and in-person meetings and turns them into transcripts and summaries. Which one wins depends on your platform mix, budget, and how hands-off you want notes to be.
How Hosiqo compares and tests toolsFinal recommendation
Shortlist Buzz when transcribing recorded meetings, interviews, podcasts, or lectures offline matters most, and UMEVO Note Plus when capturing in-person meetings, lectures, and interviews 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.
MagSafe AI voice recorder that captures calls and in-person meetings and turns them into transcripts and summaries.
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
UMEVO Note Plus is a MagSafe-compatible AI voice recorder that captures both phone calls and in-person meetings through a single device and turns them into transcripts, summaries, and visual notes. A physical switch toggles between a call-recording mode, which uses a vibration-conduction sensor to capture phone conversations, and a note-recording mode, which uses air-conduction microphones for meetings, lectures, and interviews. Recordings are processed through UMEVO's companion platform, which applies a large language model to generate transcripts, translations, speaker-separated dialogue, summary documents, and mind maps across well over 100 languages. The device offers substantial onboard storage and long continuous-recording and standby battery life, and it attaches magnetically to the back of a phone for convenient capture. UMEVO sells several models, including the Note Plus, a lower-cost Note, and a screen-equipped variant, all managed through its app and online platform where users can transcribe, summarize, and ask questions grounded in their recordings. It targets professionals, students, and others who need accurate capture of both calls and live conversations. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
Buzz is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); UMEVO Note Plus is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Buzz | UMEVO Note Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | Offline transcription and translation using OpenAI's Whisper | Dual recording modes for phone calls and in-person meetings |
| Standout feature | Real-time transcription from microphone input | Vibration-conduction sensor for call capture and air mics for meetings |
| Team usage | Speaker identification and speech separation for noisy audio | Transcripts, translations, summaries, and mind maps |
| Integrations | Exports to TXT, SRT, and VTT | Speaker-separated dialogue and reference-grounded answers |
| Languages & capture | Watch folder for automatic transcription and a command-line interface | Support for 140+ languages |
| Best-fit workflow | GPU acceleration via CUDA, Apple Silicon, and Vulkan | MagSafe attachment with large onboard storage and long battery |
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.
UMEVO Note Plus
Choose UMEVO Note Plus if you need recording and summarizing phone calls for later reference — strengths include captures both phone calls and live meetings in one device.
Buzz
UMEVO Note Plus
It depends on your workflow. Buzz is strong for transcribing recorded meetings, interviews, podcasts, or lectures offline, while UMEVO Note Plus is strong for recording and summarizing phone calls for later reference. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Buzz is a free tier with paid upgrades and UMEVO Note Plus is a free tier with paid upgrades. Check each vendor's pricing page for the latest plans and free-tier limits.
You can — some teams pair them when each covers a different part of the meeting workflow.
More head-to-head comparisons involving Buzz and UMEVO Note Plus.
Buzz: Popular open-source desktop app that transcribes and translates audio offline on your own computer using OpenAI's Whisper. CLOVA Note: South Korean AI meeting-minutes service by Naver that records meetings, transcribes speech, separates speakers, and generates summaries and action items. Below, they line up on price, capture method, and how each fits a real meeting stack.
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