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 Spokenly: the honest comparison.
Three tools. Different strengths. Find your fit.
Ottex
Alter
SpokenlyAll 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.
Spokenly
Mac, Windows, iOS, Linux
Choose if
You want unlimited offline dictation without a subscription.
Look elsewhere if
You need a shared workspace for team meeting notes.
The evidence
Pricing
Alter Pro costs $29/mo; Spokenly Pro costs $9.99/mo; Ottex Pro costs $14/mo. Spokenly and Ottex offer free app access with local models or your own API key (BYOK); API provider charges may apply.
See the evidence — 15 claims across 3 toolsverified Oct 2026Show tableHide table
| Feature | Ottex | Alter | Spokenly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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: spokenly.app/pricing — checked Oct 2026No usage limits |
| 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. | $6.99/moSource: spokenly.app/team — checked Oct 2026Each seat includes full Pro with a permanent 30% discount and centralized billing. |
| 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: spokenly.app/pricing — 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: spokenly.app/privacy — checked Oct 2026BYOK audio and text travel directly from the device to the selected provider. |
| 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. | YesSource: spokenly.app/students — checked Oct 2026Verified students receive 50% off Pro at $4.99/month or $49.99/year after signing in with an academic email and emailing a student ID to support. |
The evidence
Platforms
Spokenly supports Mac, Windows, iOS and Linux; Ottex supports Mac and iOS. Alter is Mac-only, requires macOS 15 or later and currently ships as a beta.
See the evidence — 5 claims across 3 toolsverified Oct 2026Show tableHide table
| Feature | Ottex | Alter | Spokenly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Mac, iOSSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026 | No public claim | Mac, Windows, iOS, LinuxSource: spokenly.app/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. | YesSource: spokenly.app/android — checked Oct 2026The macOS and iOS applications are built with Swift. |
The evidence
Meetings & team memory
Ottex offers an experimental, opt-in macOS camera recording watermark; Alter has none, and support in Spokenly is unverified. Recording notices in meeting chat or calendar are unverified for all three.
See the evidence — 17 claims across 3 toolsverified Oct 2026Show tableHide table
| Feature | Ottex | Alter | Spokenly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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: spokenly.app/dictation-for-mac — checked Oct 2026Meeting recording ships on Mac and requires macOS 14.4 or later. |
| 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. | YesSource: spokenly.app/blog — checked Oct 2026Mac meeting recording captures audio without a bot joining the call. |
| 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: spokenly.app/blog — checked Oct 2026Saved meeting recordings can be transcribed with voice-based speaker labels that may require manual correction. |
| 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: spokenly.app/releases — checked Oct 2026Mac meeting detection is documented in release notes, including Safari support. |
| 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. | No public claim |
| 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
Alter drafts follow-up emails; Spokenly summarizes recordings through AI Instructions. Ottex drafts CRM updates and tickets, with separate libraries for structured documents extracted from transcripts and reusable transcript-chat prompts.
See the evidence — 11 claims across 3 toolsverified Oct 2026Show tableHide table
| Feature | Ottex | Alter | Spokenly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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. | No public claim |
| 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. | NoSource: spokenly.app/comparison — checked Oct 2026Not supported. |
The evidence
Dictation & transcription AI
Alter customizes automatic dictation cleanup; Spokenly and Ottex apply saved writing instructions before insertion. Ottex also formats lists; it and Alter insert voice-triggered saved text, which Spokenly lacks.
See the evidence — 28 claims across 3 toolsverified Oct 2026Show tableHide table
| Feature | Ottex | Alter | Spokenly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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. | Whisper, NVIDIA Parakeet, Apple Speech Analyzer, OpenAI GPT-4o Transcribe, Deepgram Nova, SonioxSource: spokenly.app/docs — checked Oct 2026Local and cloud transcription engines are selectable per mode. |
| 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: spokenly.app/docs — checked Oct 2026Downloaded local models transcribe offline, and Local Only Mode blocks outbound network access. |
| 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: spokenly.app/docs — checked Oct 2026Users choose transcription models and AI providers per mode. |
| Languages & mixed speechWork that crosses languages mid-sentence | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026100+ languages · Mid-sentence language switching. | No public claim | PartialSource: spokenly.app/blog — checked Oct 2026100+ languages · Gemini 3.5 Transcribe supports switching languages mid-sentence. |
| 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: spokenly.app/docs — checked Oct 2026Models add punctuation, and optional Smart Paragraphs on Mac adds paragraph breaks; automatic list formatting remains unverified. |
| 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. | PartialSource: spokenly.app/docs — checked Oct 2026Supported models accept custom keyterms; ElevenLabs live transcription applies only the first 50 terms. |
| 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. | NoSource: spokenly.app/comparison — checked Oct 2026Not supported. |
| 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: spokenly.app/docs — checked Oct 2026Saved mode AI Instructions process each dictation before its configured auto-insert action using the selected AI provider. |
| 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. | No public claim |
| Per-app output rules | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Per-app output rules: exact in AI chats, polished in email. | No public claim | PartialSource: spokenly.app/docs — checked Oct 2026Mac modes automatically activate for configured applications or websites. |
Questions people actually ask.
Alter vs Spokenly: which should I choose?
Choose Spokenly for unlimited free local dictation or Windows support; choose Alter for Mac meeting follow-up drafts and configured CRM or Linear workflows. Choose Ottex for automatic dictation formatting, saved writing examples and structured meeting drafts.
Is Alter or Spokenly free?
Alter has a free tier with unspecified limits; Spokenly offers unlimited free local models and uncapped BYOK app access. Ottex offers free app access with local models or BYOK; using an external API provider may incur charges.
How much do Alter and Spokenly cost?
Alter Local+ costs $3.5/mo or $29/yr, Pro costs $29/mo or $240/yr, and Lifetime costs $720 one-time. Spokenly Pro costs $9.99/mo or $99.99/yr; Ottex Pro costs $14/mo or $168/yr, and both offer free local-model or BYOK app access with possible API provider charges.
Is Alter or Spokenly safer for privacy?
Choose Spokenly if blocking outbound network access is your priority: its Local Only Mode explicitly does that. Alter and Ottex also recognize audio on-device with local models; choosing cloud transcription instead sends audio to the selected provider.
Is it worth switching from Alter to Spokenly?
Switch to Spokenly for Windows support or unlimited free offline dictation; stay with Alter if you rely on voice-triggered snippets or meeting follow-up drafts. Ottex also supports snippets and follow-up drafts, plus saved dictation instructions, but lacks Windows support.
Does Alter or Spokenly work on Windows or Android?
Spokenly supports Windows, Mac, iOS and Linux; Android is not listed. Alter is Mac-only and requires macOS 15 or later, while Ottex supports Mac and iOS, with neither Windows nor Android listed.
Which supports more languages, Alter or Spokenly?
Spokenly and Ottex list 100 languages versus 50 for Alter. Spokenly supports mid-sentence language switching with Gemini 3.5 Transcribe, Ottex also supports it, and mid-sentence switching in Alter is unverified.