Is Descript or Handy better for AI meeting notes?

It depends on your workflow. Descript is strong for editing podcasts and videos by editing the transcript, while Handy is strong for hands-free dictation into emails, documents, chat apps, and code editors. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.

How do Descript and Handy compare on price?

Descript is a free tier with paid upgrades and Handy is open source. Check each vendor's pricing page for the latest plans and free-tier limits.

Can I use both Descript and Handy?

Sure. Running both makes sense when their strengths don't overlap and the budget allows.

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Descript vs Handy

Descript: Video/podcast editor with transcription and meeting recording Handy: Handy is a free, open-source, cross-platform push-to-talk app that transcribes your speech to text completely offline and pastes it into any text field. Here's where each one pulls ahead on pricing, features, and the meetings it suits best.

How Hosiqo compares and tests tools

Final recommendation

Shortlist Descript when editing podcasts and videos by editing the transcript matters most, and Handy when privacy-sensitive voice-to-text where audio must stay on-device matters most. Run both through a week of actual calls to see which suits your workflow.

Descript

CustomAI Meeting Assistants

Video/podcast editor with transcription and meeting recording

Automatic transcription of imported or recorded audio and videoMultitrack audio and video editingOne-click caption and subtitle generation

Details Visit

Handy

CustomAI Meeting Assistants

Handy is a free, open-source, cross-platform push-to-talk app that transcribes your speech to text completely offline and pastes it into any text field.

Automatically pastes transcribed text into any active application text field

About Descript

Descript is an audio and video editing platform built around text-based editing, where the spoken content of a recording is automatically transcribed and the resulting transcript becomes the primary way to edit the media. When users import or record audio and video, Descript generates a transcript that they can read, search, and edit, with changes to the text reflected in the underlying recording. The platform also offers one-click caption and subtitle generation so the transcribed words can be displayed on screen and styled to match a project. In addition to transcription and captions, Descript provides features for podcast and video production, including multitrack editing, screen recording, and AI-assisted tools. Because editing the transcript edits the media, it is especially useful for podcasters, video creators, and teams who want to cut filler, rearrange segments, or repurpose content without working frame by frame. Descript is aimed at content creators, marketers, educators, and teams who want transcription, captions, and editing combined in a single workflow. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.

Best suited for

Editing podcasts and videos by editing the transcript
Generating captions and subtitles for published content
Producing searchable transcripts from recorded sessions

About Handy

Handy is a free, open-source desktop application that turns your voice into text completely offline, with no audio ever leaving your computer. You press a configurable keyboard shortcut, speak, and release (push-to-talk), or use a toggle mode to start and stop; Handy transcribes what you said and automatically pastes the result into whatever text field is active. Because it runs entirely on-device, it is built for privacy-conscious users who want dictation without cloud uploads or subscriptions. Under the hood it is built with Tauri (a Rust backend with a React/TypeScript frontend) and supports multiple local speech-recognition models, including OpenAI's Whisper variants with GPU acceleration and the CPU-friendly Parakeet V3 model with automatic language detection. Silero Voice Activity Detection filters out silence so only speech is processed. Handy runs on macOS (Intel and Apple Silicon), Windows, and Linux, and is released under the MIT license. It positions itself as an accessible, extensible alternative to paid dictation tools, and is best suited for hands-free typing rather than recording multi-party meetings.

Best suited for

Hands-free dictation into emails, documents, chat apps, and code editors
Privacy-sensitive voice-to-text where audio must stay on-device
Accessibility tooling for users who prefer or need to type by speaking

Feature	Descript	Handy
Core capability	Automatic transcription of imported or recorded audio and video	Push-to-talk and toggle dictation modes with a configurable global keyboard shortcut
Standout feature	Text-based editing where editing the transcript edits the media	Fully offline, on-device transcription with no cloud uploads
Team usage	One-click caption and subtitle generation	Multiple local speech models including Whisper (GPU-accelerated) and Parakeet V3 (CPU, auto language detection)
Integrations	Multitrack audio and video editing	Silero Voice Activity Detection to filter silence and process only speech
Languages & capture	Screen and audio recording built in	Automatically pastes transcribed text into any active application text field
Best-fit workflow	Automatic transcription of imported or recorded audio and video	Cross-platform desktop app (macOS, Windows, Linux) built with Tauri

Descript vs Handy

About Descript

About Handy

Pricing comparison

Feature table

Best for

Pros & cons

FAQ

Is Descript or Handy better for AI meeting notes?

How do Descript and Handy compare on price?

Can I use both Descript and Handy?

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