Buzz: Popular open-source desktop app that transcribes and translates audio offline on your own computer using OpenAI's Whisper. Willow Voice: Willow Voice is a system-wide AI dictation app for Mac, Windows, and iPhone that converts speech into cleaned-up, formatted text and inserts it at the cursor in any application. We compare them on cost, capture approach, and day-to-day fit so you can choose faster.
How Hosiqo compares and tests toolsFinal recommendation
Shortlist Buzz when transcribing recorded meetings, interviews, podcasts, or lectures offline matters most, and Willow Voice when writing documents and notes in apps like notion with automatic formatting 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.
Willow Voice is a system-wide AI dictation app for Mac, Windows, and iPhone that converts speech into cleaned-up, formatted text and inserts it at the cursor in any application.
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
Willow Voice is an AI dictation tool that turns spoken words into polished written text inside any application. Instead of recording meetings, it works at the cursor: you place your cursor in a text field (such as Gmail, Slack, Notion, iMessage, or a code editor), hold a hotkey, speak naturally, and formatted text appears in place. As it transcribes, Willow automatically removes filler words, fixes punctuation, and applies formatting, and it can learn your writing style to adapt tone across different apps. The product is built for professionals who want to write messages, emails, and documents faster than typing. It runs on Mac, Windows, and iPhone, supports voice commands for inserting line breaks and bullet points, handles many languages, and offers an auto-learning dictionary for names and terminology. Willow advertises low-latency transcription and an AI mode that expands brief spoken notes into complete messages. For organizations, it markets SOC 2 and HIPAA compliance, zero data retention, and admin controls. It is a dictation tool rather than a meeting or call recorder.
Best suited for
Buzz is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); Willow Voice is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Buzz | Willow Voice |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | Offline transcription and translation using OpenAI's Whisper | System-wide dictation that inserts transcribed text at the cursor in any app via a hotkey |
| Standout feature | Real-time transcription from microphone input | Automatic cleanup that removes filler words, fixes punctuation, and applies formatting |
| Team usage | Speaker identification and speech separation for noisy audio | Style and tone matching that learns and adapts to your writing across apps |
| Integrations | Exports to TXT, SRT, and VTT | AI mode that expands brief spoken notes into complete, polished messages |
| Languages & capture | Watch folder for automatic transcription and a command-line interface | Voice commands for formatting (e.g. new line, bullet point) and an auto-learning dictionary for names and terms |
| Best-fit workflow | GPU acceleration via CUDA, Apple Silicon, and Vulkan | Cross-platform availability on Mac, Windows, and iPhone with support for many languages |
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.
Willow Voice
Choose Willow Voice if you need drafting emails, slack messages, and chat replies by speaking instead of typing — strengths include works everywhere you type instead of being locked to a single app or note interface.
Buzz
Willow Voice
It depends on your workflow. Buzz is strong for transcribing recorded meetings, interviews, podcasts, or lectures offline, while Willow Voice is strong for drafting emails, slack messages, and chat replies by speaking instead of typing. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Buzz is a free tier with paid upgrades and Willow Voice 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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