Buzz: Popular open-source desktop app that transcribes and translates audio offline on your own computer using OpenAI's Whisper. Wispr Flow: Wispr Flow is a cross-platform AI voice dictation app that turns natural speech into clean, formatted text inside any application on Mac, Windows, iPhone, and Android. 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 Wispr Flow when dictating code comments, prompts, and chat directly into editors and ai tools 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.
Wispr Flow is a cross-platform AI voice dictation app that turns natural speech into clean, formatted text inside any application on Mac, Windows, iPhone, and Android.
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
Wispr Flow is an AI dictation tool that converts spoken words into polished, written text across virtually any app on your device. You activate it with a keyboard shortcut (the Fn key on Mac by default), speak naturally, and it inserts formatted text directly at your cursor, whether you are in Gmail, Slack, Notion, Google Docs, a code editor, or a messaging app. Rather than producing a raw transcript, Flow runs speech through layered AI that removes filler words like "um" and "uh," applies punctuation, corrects spoken backtracking, and adapts tone to the app you are writing in. It supports 100+ languages with automatic detection, plus a personal dictionary for custom terminology and a snippet library for reusable phrases. A Command Mode lets you select text and speak an instruction to rewrite or translate it. It is aimed at writers, developers, professionals, and anyone who wants to draft faster than typing. Note that Flow is a general dictation tool focused on getting text into apps, not a dedicated meeting-recording or call-transcription platform.
Best suited for
Buzz is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); Wispr Flow is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Buzz | Wispr Flow |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | Offline transcription and translation using OpenAI's Whisper | Real-time voice-to-text dictation that inserts formatted text into any app at your cursor |
| Standout feature | Real-time transcription from microphone input | AI auto-edits that remove filler words, add punctuation, and fix spoken backtracking |
| Team usage | Speaker identification and speech separation for noisy audio | Command Mode to select text and verbally rewrite, condense, or translate it |
| Integrations | Exports to TXT, SRT, and VTT | Automatic detection and transcription across 100+ languages |
| Languages & capture | Watch folder for automatic transcription and a command-line interface | Personal dictionary for custom terminology plus a reusable snippet library |
| Best-fit workflow | GPU acceleration via CUDA, Apple Silicon, and Vulkan | Cross-platform apps for Mac, Windows, iPhone, and Android |
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.
Wispr Flow
Choose Wispr Flow if you need drafting emails, documents, and messages by speaking instead of typing — strengths include works system-wide across nearly any application instead of being locked to one tool.
Buzz
Wispr Flow
It depends on your workflow. Buzz is strong for transcribing recorded meetings, interviews, podcasts, or lectures offline, while Wispr Flow is strong for drafting emails, documents, and messages by speaking instead of typing. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Buzz is a free tier with paid upgrades and Wispr Flow 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.
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