WhisperLiveKit: Open-source, self-hosted real-time speech-to-text and speaker diarization toolkit with a FastAPI server and web interface, suitable for meeting transcription. 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. Below, they line up on price, capture method, and how each fits a real meeting stack.
How Hosiqo compares and tests toolsFinal recommendation
Shortlist WhisperLiveKit when self-hosted real-time meeting transcription with speaker labels matters most, and Willow Voice when writing documents and notes in apps like notion with automatic formatting matters most. Try them side by side on real calls before deciding — needs vary by team.
Open-source, self-hosted real-time speech-to-text and speaker diarization toolkit with a FastAPI server and web interface, suitable for meeting transcription.
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.
WhisperLiveKit is an open-source, self-hosted toolkit for ultra-low-latency real-time speech-to-text and speaker diarization. Rather than naively running Whisper on each audio chunk, it uses state-of-the-art simultaneous-speech research for intelligent buffering and incremental processing, which preserves transcription quality while streaming results with minimal latency. The project ships a complete backend built on FastAPI with WebSocket support, an OpenAI-compatible REST API, a Deepgram-compatible WebSocket protocol, and a simple, customizable HTML and JavaScript web interface that captures microphone audio and streams it to the server. It supports multiple ASR backends including Whisper variants, Voxtral, and Qwen3-ASR, covers 200+ languages with translation, and includes real-time speaker diarization and voice activity detection to reduce processing overhead. It can handle multiple concurrent users on a single backend and is distributed via PyPI with Docker images for both GPU and CPU. Licensed under Apache 2.0 and actively maintained into 2026, the project explicitly lists meeting transcription, accessibility tooling, and podcast or call transcription with speaker identification among its intended use cases, making it a practical building block for private, on-premise meeting transcription pipelines. 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
WhisperLiveKit 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 | WhisperLiveKit | Willow Voice |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | Real-time streaming speech-to-text with low latency over WebSocket | System-wide dictation that inserts transcribed text at the cursor in any app via a hotkey |
| Standout feature | Real-time speaker diarization to distinguish multiple speakers | Automatic cleanup that removes filler words, fixes punctuation, and applies formatting |
| Team usage | FastAPI backend with OpenAI-compatible REST API and Deepgram-compatible WebSocket protocol | Style and tone matching that learns and adapts to your writing across apps |
| Integrations | Multiple ASR backends (Whisper variants, Voxtral, Qwen3-ASR) and 200+ language support with translation | AI mode that expands brief spoken notes into complete, polished messages |
| Languages & capture | Included customizable HTML/JavaScript web interface and Docker images (GPU and CPU) | Voice commands for formatting (e.g. new line, bullet point) and an auto-learning dictionary for names and terms |
| Best-fit workflow | Voice activity detection and multi-user support on a single backend | Cross-platform availability on Mac, Windows, and iPhone with support for many languages |
WhisperLiveKit
Choose WhisperLiveKit if you need self-hosted real-time meeting transcription with speaker labels — strengths include fully open source (apache 2.0) and self-hostable for private, on-premise transcription.
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.
WhisperLiveKit
Willow Voice
It depends on your workflow. WhisperLiveKit is strong for self-hosted real-time meeting transcription with speaker labels, while Willow Voice is strong for drafting emails, slack messages, and chat replies by speaking instead of typing. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
WhisperLiveKit 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.
Often yes: teams combine tools when one handles capture and another handles analysis.
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