Buzz: Popular open-source desktop app that transcribes and translates audio offline on your own computer using OpenAI's Whisper. VoiceType: An AI speech-to-text dictation app for Mac and Windows that turns spoken input into auto-formatted, edited text inside any app. 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 VoiceType when writing notes, documentation, and journaling faster than typing 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.
An AI speech-to-text dictation app for Mac and Windows that turns spoken input into auto-formatted, edited text inside any app.
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
VoiceType is an AI-powered speech-to-text dictation tool for Mac and Windows that lets you write by speaking instead of typing. It runs across your existing apps — including Slack, Google Docs, Notion, Outlook, Microsoft Teams, and Trello — and inserts your dictated words as polished text directly into whatever field you're working in. Rather than producing a raw transcript, it adds punctuation, corrects grammar, and auto-formats rambling speech into structured writing, with tone matching that adapts the output to the context (for example, a formal email versus a casual chat message). It supports a wide range of languages with automatic detection and handles accents and noisy environments, and includes a whisper mode for speaking quietly. It is built for individual productivity rather than recording multi-party calls: people use it for emails, notes, documentation, journaling, and capturing meeting notes by voice. It is aimed at professionals such as writers, founders, developers, and other knowledge workers who want to draft text faster than they can type.
Best suited for
Buzz is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); VoiceType is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Buzz | VoiceType |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | Offline transcription and translation using OpenAI's Whisper | AI speech-to-text dictation that types your spoken words into any app |
| Standout feature | Real-time transcription from microphone input | Automatic formatting, punctuation, and grammar correction of spoken input |
| Team usage | Speaker identification and speech separation for noisy audio | Tone matching that adapts output style to the app or context |
| Integrations | Exports to TXT, SRT, and VTT | Cross-app compatibility (Slack, Google Docs, Notion, Outlook, Microsoft Teams, Trello, and more) |
| Languages & capture | Watch folder for automatic transcription and a command-line interface | Multilingual support with automatic language detection across many languages |
| Best-fit workflow | GPU acceleration via CUDA, Apple Silicon, and Vulkan | Whisper mode and noise/accent handling for varied speaking conditions |
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.
VoiceType
Choose VoiceType if you need drafting emails and chat messages by voice in apps like outlook, slack, and teams — strengths include works inside existing apps so it fits into current workflows without copy-paste.
Buzz
VoiceType
It depends on your workflow. Buzz is strong for transcribing recorded meetings, interviews, podcasts, or lectures offline, while VoiceType is strong for drafting emails and chat messages by voice in apps like outlook, slack, and teams. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Buzz is a free tier with paid upgrades and VoiceType is a free tier with paid upgrades. Check each vendor's pricing page for the latest plans and free-tier limits.
Sure. Running both makes sense when their strengths don't overlap and the budget allows.
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