Ottex
Mac, iOS
Choose if
You want dictated emails to follow your saved writing instructions.
Look elsewhere if
You need voice dictation on a Windows computer.
ComparisonEvery claim sourced · verified Oct 2026
Alter vs FluidVoice: the honest comparison.
Three tools. Different strengths. Find your fit.
Ottex
Alter
FluidVoiceAll comparisons
FAQ
At a glance
Which one fits your work?
Each tool takes a different approach. Here’s a quick side-by-side to help you choose based on your workflow, platforms, and goals.
Alter
—
Choose if
You want customizable automatic cleanup for dictation on your Mac.
Look elsewhere if
You need dictation on a Windows PC.
FluidVoice
Mac
Choose if
You want free offline dictation shaped by your instructions.
Look elsewhere if
You need meeting recording in a stable release.
The evidence
Pricing
FluidVoice is unlimited and free; Alter has a free tier and Local+ at $29/year. Ottex offers free app access with local models or your own API key (BYOK); provider API usage may cost extra.
See the evidence — 14 claims across 3 toolsverified Oct 2026Show tableHide table
| Feature | Ottex | Alter | FluidVoice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free tier | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Forever free with local models and BYOK providers. | YesSource: alterhq.com/pricing — checked Oct 2026Core app access is uncapped with local models or separately billed BYOK inference; advanced local voice models and speaker identification require an upgrade. | PartialSource: fluidvoice.org/download — checked Oct 2026no trial, word limit or paid tier |
| Subscription | $14/moSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026$14/mo — unlimited dictation and meeting intelligence, all hosted models included. | $3.5/moSource: alterhq.com/pricing — checked Oct 2026Adds advanced local voice models; AI cleanup and meeting reports use local generation or separately billed BYOK models. | NoNo subscription plan |
| One-time payment | Not applicableSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Application is free | $720 one-timeSource: alterhq.com/pricing — checked Oct 2026Permanent access to Alter and future platform upgrades. | Not applicableSource: fluidvoice.org/download — checked Oct 2026Application is free |
| Bring your own keyPay the model provider, not the middleman | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026OpenRouter, Google AI, OpenAI, Anthropic, Mistral, and compatible providers. | YesSource: docs.alterhq.com/how-to — checked Oct 2026Users add provider API keys in settings. | YesSource: fluidvoice.org/docs — checked Oct 2026Optional cloud cleanup uses the user's API key and separately billed provider account. |
| Education discount | NoSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Same pricing for everyone. | YesSource: docs.alterhq.com/references — checked Oct 2026Students and academics can request a discount using a university email; discounted monthly and annual prices and percentage are not published. | No public claim |
The evidence
Platforms
Alter currently ships a beta requiring macOS 15 or later; FluidVoice supports Mac and a Windows pre-release testing build. Ottex supports Mac and iOS, making it the mobile choice among these three.
See the evidence — 5 claims across 3 toolsverified Oct 2026Show tableHide table
| Feature | Ottex | Alter | FluidVoice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Mac, iOSSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026 | No public claim | MacSource: fluidvoice.org/download — checked Oct 2026Some platforms in beta/waitlist |
| Native app footprintLight on memory, instant to invoke | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Native Swift app, ~50MB RAM. | YesSource: docs.alterhq.com/references — checked Oct 2026Alter is a native macOS application. | PartialSource: raw.githubusercontent.com/altic-dev — checked Oct 2026The macOS application uses SwiftUI and AppKit; the Windows implementation was not verified. |
The evidence
Meetings & team memory
Alter has no camera recording watermark; support in FluidVoice is unverified. Ottex offers an experimental, opt-in macOS camera recording watermark; recording notices in meeting chat or calendar are unverified for all three.
See the evidence — 18 claims across 3 toolsverified Oct 2026Show tableHide table
| Feature | Ottex | Alter | FluidVoice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meeting recordingThe call is captured at all | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026With speaker separation. | YesSource: docs.alterhq.com/getting-started — checked Oct 2026Meetings can be recorded manually or through configurable automatic capture. | PartialSource: github.com/altic-dev — checked Oct 2026FluidMeet records meetings locally in macOS v1.6.10-beta.7. |
| Bot-free captureNo "recording bot" joins your call | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026System-audio capture, no bot joins the call. | YesSource: alterhq.com/meetings — checked Oct 2026Capture uses Mac audio without a bot joining the call. | PartialSource: raw.githubusercontent.com/altic-dev — checked Oct 2026The macOS beta captures meeting-application audio and microphone audio directly on the computer. |
| Camera recording watermarkShow recording in your camera video | PartialExperimental macOS virtual camera adds an Ottex icon to video; install/enable the extension, select it and turn video on. Guide covers Meet in Chrome and Zoom desktop; effects may obscure it. | NoSource: alterhq.com/meetings — checked Oct 2026Capture is documented as invisible to attendees, without visible meeting-platform indicators. | No public claim |
| Participant noticesRecording notices in chat or calendar | No public claim | No public claim | No public claim |
| Speaker separation | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026 | PartialSource: docs.alterhq.com/workflows — checked Oct 2026Paid voice options identify speakers; saved local voiceprints recognize previously named voices. | PartialSource: github.com/altic-dev — checked Oct 2026FluidMeet includes speaker labels in the macOS beta; automatic identification of participants by real name is unverified. |
| Calendar detection | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Calendar-based meeting detection. | YesSource: docs.alterhq.com/workflows — checked Oct 2026Alter detects meetings in Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, and other conferencing apps. | PartialSource: raw.githubusercontent.com/altic-dev — checked Oct 2026The macOS beta optionally detects Zoom, Teams, Webex, and supported browser meetings, then offers user-started recording. |
| Cross-meeting search | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026 | YesSource: docs.alterhq.com/workflows — checked Oct 2026Transcript search covers titles, content, speakers, and summaries across meetings. | PartialSource: github.com/altic-dev — checked Oct 2026The macOS beta's Global Search includes transcripts across the application. |
| Shared team memory | PartialSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Public share links, not a full team workspace. | No public claim | No public claim |
The evidence
From meeting to finished work
All three summarize meetings; FluidVoice requires its macOS beta. Alter drafts follow-ups and can send summaries to a CRM or action items to Linear; Ottex drafts follow-ups, CRM updates and tickets.
See the evidence — 11 claims across 3 toolsverified Oct 2026Show tableHide table
| Feature | Ottex | Alter | FluidVoice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meeting template libraryTurn a transcript into a structured document | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Choose a ready-made document template to extract relevant information from a meeting transcript into a structured document, such as a product review or client-call report. | No public claim | No public claim |
| Transcript chat prompt libraryReady-made prompts for AI chat about meetings | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Use ready-made reusable prompts in AI chat to ask questions, analyze discussions and extract information from meeting transcripts. | No public claim | No public claim |
| Decisions, owners, action itemsLeave the meeting with next steps clear | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Decisions with owners extracted. | YesSource: docs.alterhq.com/getting-started — checked Oct 2026Transcript prompts extract decisions and unresolved issues. | PartialSource: raw.githubusercontent.com/altic-dev — checked Oct 2026The macOS beta offers a Key decisions output, while assignment of decision owners is unverified. |
| Follow-up email draftedThe outcome is sent, not summarized | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Drafted from templates or your own. | YesSource: docs.alterhq.com/getting-started — checked Oct 2026Users can request a follow-up email draft from a meeting transcript. | No public claim |
| CRM update / ticket draft | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Structured for the target app. | PartialSource: alterhq.com/meetings — checked Oct 2026Configured meeting workflows push summaries to a CRM; a dedicated CRM draft review flow is unspecified. | No public claim |
| Your rough notes steer the result | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Rough notes and instructions steer the result. | YesSource: list.alterhq.com/p — checked Oct 2026Live Notepad content is combined with the meeting transcript to generate recaps. | No public claim |
The evidence
Dictation & transcription AI
All three accept custom dictionaries. Alter and Ottex expand saved text from voice triggers; FluidVoice and Ottex apply saved dictation instructions per app, while Alter customizes cleanup without verified user-set per-app rules.
See the evidence — 28 claims across 3 toolsverified Oct 2026Show tableHide table
| Feature | Ottex | Alter | FluidVoice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engines | Cloud: Whisper, Gemini 3 Flash, Voxtral. Local: Whisper, Parakeet v3.Source: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Hosted routing, BYOK, or fully local. | Apple Speech, Whisper, Whisper Pro, Parakeet, Soniox V5Source: docs.alterhq.com/how-to — checked Oct 2026Voice settings offer Apple, local, advanced local, and cloud processors. | Nemotron Speech 3.5, Nemotron 3.5 Multilingual, Parakeet Flash Beta, Parakeet TDT v3, Parakeet TDT v2, Cohere Transcribe, Apple Speech, WhisperSource: fluidvoice.org/models — checked Oct 2026The macOS model lineup varies by hardware and operating-system compatibility. |
| Local / on-device optionAudio never leaves the machine | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Whisper and Parakeet v3 run fully on-device. | YesSource: docs.alterhq.com/workflows — checked Oct 2026Apple and downloaded Whisper models support on-device recognition. | YesSource: fluidvoice.org — checked Oct 2026Local recognition and local cleanup work offline after their required assets are installed. |
| Model selection per task | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Choose the model per task and per provider. | YesSource: docs.alterhq.com/workflows — checked Oct 2026Users select the voice processor and downloaded local model. | YesSource: fluidvoice.org/models — checked Oct 2026Users can download and switch speech models in the application. |
| Languages & mixed speechWork that crosses languages mid-sentence | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026100+ languages · Mid-sentence language switching. | No public claim | PartialSource: fluidvoice.org/docs — checked Oct 202699+ languages · Mid-sentence language switching can produce errors and requires testing with the selected model. |
| Automatic formatting | YesSource: ottex.ai/docs — checked Oct 2026Dictation automatically fixes punctuation, groups ideas into paragraphs and formats enumerations as lists. Formatting toggles and profile rules customize output. | PartialSource: list.alterhq.com/p — checked Oct 2026App-aware dictation formatting is documented, but automatic punctuation, paragraphing, and list behavior are not individually specified. | PartialSource: raw.githubusercontent.com/altic-dev — checked Oct 2026Optional AI cleanup fixes punctuation and capitalization, while spoken directives create line breaks and list items. |
| Custom dictionary | YesSource: ottex.ai/docs — checked Oct 2026Add or delete names and specialist terms with preferred spellings; entries provide recognition context during transcription. | YesSource: docs.alterhq.com/workflows — checked Oct 2026Settings → Voice → Dictionary accepts user-defined terms. | YesSource: fluidvoice.org/features — checked Oct 2026Custom Dictionary accepts preferred spellings for names and jargon, with JSON import and export. |
| Voice snippetsSay a saved phrase to insert a link or text | YesSource: ottex.ai/docs — checked Oct 2026Save a voice trigger and expansion text; saying the trigger while dictating inserts the saved URL or text in place. | YesSource: docs.alterhq.com/workflows — checked Oct 2026Spoken-phrase replacements automatically insert saved text, including URLs and signatures, at the end of dictation. | No public claim |
| Custom voice instructionsFree-form rules applied after dictation | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Saved profile instructions automatically process dictation before insertion; rules can include writing examples, personal phrasing and email signatures. | PartialSource: list.alterhq.com/p — checked Oct 2026Automatic dictation cleanup uses a customizable Alter Action; cleanup is disabled for speech-to-prompt. | YesSource: fluidvoice.org/docs — checked Oct 2026Saved user-written prompts automatically process dictation before insertion when AI cleanup is enabled. |
| Tone presetsChoose a predefined writing style | YesSelect built-in Messaging or Email profiles for casual or professional dictation; assigning apps or websites enables automatic profile activation. | No public claim | No public claim |
| Text transforms / AI ShortcutsApply an AI action to existing text | YesSource: ottex.ai/docs — checked Oct 2026Select or copy existing text, open Omnibar and run an AI Shortcut to rewrite, translate, summarize or apply a custom prompt; the result is copied/pasted. | YesSource: docs.alterhq.com/workflows — checked Oct 2026Voice commands rewrite, translate, summarize, or format text selected anywhere on the Mac. | PartialSource: fluidvoice.org/features — checked Oct 2026Write Mode replaces selected text using spoken rewrite instructions in Accessibility-compatible fields, with AI-provider compatibility restrictions. |
| Per-app output rules | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Per-app output rules: exact in AI chats, polished in email. | No public claim | YesSource: fluidvoice.org/docs — checked Oct 2026User-authored per-app instructions are selected automatically for the focused application. |
Questions people actually ask.
Alter vs FluidVoice: which should I choose?
Choose FluidVoice for free offline dictation with per-app instructions, or Alter for Mac meeting follow-ups and configured CRM or Linear workflows. Choose Ottex for iOS dictation or meeting-derived CRM and ticket drafts.
Is Alter or FluidVoice free?
FluidVoice is free without a trial, word limit or paid tier; Alter offers a free tier alongside paid plans. Ottex offers free app access through local models or BYOK, with provider API charges separate.
How much do Alter and FluidVoice cost?
Alter Local+ costs $3.5/month or $29/year, Pro costs $29/month or $240/year, and Lifetime costs $720 once; FluidVoice is free. Ottex offers free local and BYOK app paths, Pro at $14/month or $168/year, and Team at $24/seat/month or $288/seat/year; BYOK provider charges are separate.
Is Alter or FluidVoice better for privacy?
All three offer local audio recognition, so that capability alone does not decide privacy. FluidVoice also supports offline cleanup after downloads; Alter uses on-device Apple or Whisper recognition, and Ottex runs Whisper or Parakeet v3 on-device.
Is it worth switching from Alter to FluidVoice?
Switch to FluidVoice for free offline cleanup and saved per-app rules; stay with Alter for verified voice snippets and meeting follow-ups. Ottex also supports voice snippets and saved per-app instructions, and automatically formats dictated paragraphs and lists.
Do Alter and FluidVoice work on Windows or Android?
FluidVoice offers a Windows 64-bit pre-release testing build and a Mac app; Alter requires macOS 15 or later. Ottex supports Mac and iOS, and none has documented Android support.
Which supports more languages, Alter or FluidVoice?
FluidVoice supports 99 languages versus Alter's 50; Ottex supports 100. Ottex supports mid-sentence language switching, while FluidVoice warns it can produce errors and support in Alter is unverified.