Buzz: Popular open-source desktop app that transcribes and translates audio offline on your own computer using OpenAI's Whisper. Upheal: Upheal is an AI-native EHR for mental health therapists that records and transcribes sessions to auto-generate clinical progress notes. This comparison weighs them on pricing, features, and everyday workflow fit.
How Hosiqo compares and tests toolsFinal recommendation
Shortlist Buzz when transcribing recorded meetings, interviews, podcasts, or lectures offline matters most, and Upheal when group practices standardizing documentation and compliance across multiple clinicians 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.
Upheal is an AI-native EHR for mental health therapists that records and transcribes sessions to auto-generate clinical progress notes.
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
Upheal is an AI-native electronic health record (EHR) platform built specifically for mental health therapists and behavioral health practices. It records and transcribes therapy sessions and then generates clinical progress notes formatted to a chosen template, typically within about a minute. Sessions can be captured through Upheal's built-in HIPAA-compliant telehealth video, in-person audio recording, dictation, or by uploading pre-recorded audio files; transcription supports multiple languages including English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, French, Italian, Mandarin, and Hindi. The platform offers numerous note formats such as SOAP, DAP, BIRP, GIRP, EMDR, intake, and mental status exam, plus customizable sections. Beyond documentation, it provides scheduling, client intake forms, billing and superbills, secure messaging, and compliance checking. A browser extension transfers notes into other EHRs and works alongside telehealth tools like Zoom and Google Meet. By default, audio recordings are deleted after transcription unless saved. It is aimed at solo therapists, group practices, and virtual care providers.
Best suited for
Buzz is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); Upheal is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Buzz | Upheal |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | Offline transcription and translation using OpenAI's Whisper | AI-generated clinical progress notes in formats like SOAP, DAP, BIRP, and GIRP with customizable templates |
| Standout feature | Real-time transcription from microphone input | Session capture via built-in HIPAA-compliant telehealth video, in-person audio, dictation, or uploaded recordings |
| Team usage | Speaker identification and speech separation for noisy audio | Multi-language transcription (English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, French, Italian, Mandarin, Hindi) |
| Integrations | Exports to TXT, SRT, and VTT | Browser extension to transfer notes into other EHRs and use alongside Zoom and Google Meet |
| Languages & capture | Watch folder for automatic transcription and a command-line interface | Integrated practice management: scheduling, intake forms, billing/superbills, and secure messaging |
| Best-fit workflow | GPU acceleration via CUDA, Apple Silicon, and Vulkan | Automatic deletion of audio recordings after transcription unless explicitly saved |
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.
Upheal
Choose Upheal if you need therapists automating clinical progress notes after telehealth or in-person sessions — strengths include purpose-built for therapists with clinically structured note templates rather than generic meeting summaries.
Buzz
Upheal
It depends on your workflow. Buzz is strong for transcribing recorded meetings, interviews, podcasts, or lectures offline, while Upheal is strong for therapists automating clinical progress notes after telehealth or in-person sessions. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Buzz is a free tier with paid upgrades and Upheal 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.
More head-to-head comparisons involving Buzz and Upheal.
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.
Buzz: Popular open-source desktop app that transcribes and translates audio offline on your own computer using OpenAI's Whisper. Calendly Notetaker: An AI meeting notetaker built into the Calendly scheduling platform that records meetings and generates summaries, transcripts, and action items. Which one wins depends on your platform mix, budget, and how hands-off you want notes to be.
Buzz: Popular open-source desktop app that transcribes and translates audio offline on your own computer using OpenAI's Whisper. CallBro: Bot-free AI meeting assistant that transcribes calls from system audio and produces structured notes without joining the call. We compare them on cost, capture approach, and day-to-day fit so you can choose faster.
Buzz: Popular open-source desktop app that transcribes and translates audio offline on your own computer using OpenAI's Whisper. Callabo: Korean AI meeting-notes service from Return Zero that records, transcribes, summarizes, and analyzes meetings for individuals and teams. Which one wins depends on your platform mix, budget, and how hands-off you want notes to be.
Buzz: Popular open-source desktop app that transcribes and translates audio offline on your own computer using OpenAI's Whisper. Canopy Notetaker: AI meeting assistant built for accounting firms that records client calls and produces accounting-specific summaries and tasks. Below, they line up on price, capture method, and how each fits a real meeting stack.
Buzz: Popular open-source desktop app that transcribes and translates audio offline on your own computer using OpenAI's Whisper. CaptureMyMeeting: AI meeting assistant that imports Zoom and Webex cloud recordings to generate notes, action items, and insights. Here's where each one pulls ahead on pricing, features, and the meetings it suits best.
Buzz: Popular open-source desktop app that transcribes and translates audio offline on your own computer using OpenAI's Whisper. Carv: AI assistant for recruiters that records, transcribes, and takes notes during interviews and intake calls, then drafts documents and updates the ATS. Below, they line up on price, capture method, and how each fits a real meeting stack.
Buzz: Popular open-source desktop app that transcribes and translates audio offline on your own computer using OpenAI's Whisper. Castmagic: AI content platform that transcribes podcasts, videos, and recorded meetings with speaker diarization and turns them into show notes, summaries, and other assets. The right pick comes down to team size, budget, and the workflows you want to automate.
Buzz: Popular open-source desktop app that transcribes and translates audio offline on your own computer using OpenAI's Whisper. Celeste AI: Brazilian Portuguese-focused AI voice and transcription platform offering on-demand transcription plus a meeting assistant and AI notes, with credit-based and subscription plans. Below, they line up on price, capture method, and how each fits a real meeting stack.
Buzz: Popular open-source desktop app that transcribes and translates audio offline on your own computer using OpenAI's Whisper. Choppity: AI video and audio platform that transcribes recordings, generates styled captions, and turns long-form content into short clips. Below, they line up on price, capture method, and how each fits a real meeting stack.
Buzz: Popular open-source desktop app that transcribes and translates audio offline on your own computer using OpenAI's Whisper. Claap: Async video plus AI meeting recording and CRM updates This comparison weighs them on pricing, features, and everyday workflow fit.
Buzz: Popular open-source desktop app that transcribes and translates audio offline on your own computer using OpenAI's Whisper. Cleft Notes: AI voice-note app that turns spoken thoughts and meeting audio into structured, organized notes. Which one wins depends on your platform mix, budget, and how hands-off you want notes to be.