Buzz: Popular open-source desktop app that transcribes and translates audio offline on your own computer using OpenAI's Whisper. Whisper Notes: Offline, on-device speech-to-text app for Mac and iPhone that records and transcribes meetings locally using Whisper, with auto meeting detection and summaries on Mac. The right pick comes down to team size, budget, and the workflows you want to automate.
How Hosiqo compares and tests toolsFinal recommendation
Shortlist Buzz when transcribing recorded meetings, interviews, podcasts, or lectures offline matters most, and Whisper Notes when transcribing lectures or interviews offline on a mac or iphone 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.
Offline, on-device speech-to-text app for Mac and iPhone that records and transcribes meetings locally using Whisper, with auto meeting detection and summaries on Mac.
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
Whisper Notes is an offline speech-to-text application for Mac and iPhone that records and transcribes meetings, lectures, and voice memos entirely on the device. It is built on OpenAI's Whisper speech recognition, with model options including Whisper Large V3 Turbo on Mac, Parakeet on iPhone, and SenseVoice for Asian languages, and it supports transcription across 100-plus languages. On Mac, the app can automatically detect when a meeting starts on platforms such as Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and Zoom, then record and transcribe it locally without sending a bot into the call. Because processing is fully offline, the company states that data physically never leaves the device and that privacy is architectural rather than a policy promise. Additional Mac capabilities include auto-generated summaries and titles, on-device AI chat with longer transcripts, streaming transcription output, and system-wide dictation via the function key. Users can also import existing MP3, M4A, and WAV files for transcription and export results with timestamps. The product is sold as a one-time purchase per platform rather than a subscription. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
Buzz is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); Whisper Notes is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Buzz | Whisper Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | Offline transcription and translation using OpenAI's Whisper | 100% offline, on-device transcription with Whisper-based models |
| Standout feature | Real-time transcription from microphone input | Automatic meeting detection for Teams, Google Meet, and Zoom on Mac |
| Team usage | Speaker identification and speech separation for noisy audio | Auto-generated summaries and titles for recordings on Mac |
| Integrations | Exports to TXT, SRT, and VTT | On-device AI chat with longer transcripts |
| Languages & capture | Watch folder for automatic transcription and a command-line interface | Import of MP3, M4A, and WAV audio files for transcription |
| Best-fit workflow | GPU acceleration via CUDA, Apple Silicon, and Vulkan | System-wide dictation via the function key on Mac |
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.
Whisper Notes
Choose Whisper Notes if you need recording and transcribing confidential meetings without cloud uploads — strengths include audio and transcripts never leave the device.
Buzz
Whisper Notes
It depends on your workflow. Buzz is strong for transcribing recorded meetings, interviews, podcasts, or lectures offline, while Whisper Notes is strong for recording and transcribing confidential meetings without cloud uploads. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Buzz is a free tier with paid upgrades and Whisper Notes 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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