Choose FluidVoice for free, local, system-wide dictation and file transcription. Choose Granola for bot-free meeting capture, polished notes, and team memory. We make Ottex, the reference option for buyers who want dictation and meetings in one Mac and iOS app.
Ottex
Mac, iOS · Free tier · $14/mo · PAYG
Ottex is unusually broad for a young Mac/iOS-first tool: it turns dictation and meetings into emails, tickets, CRM updates, notes, and docs, but it is not the pick if you need Windows, Android, web, browser extension, or compliance paperwork.
Choose if
You want one tool for system-wide dictation, meeting recording, and finished written outcomes like follow-up emails, Linear tickets, CRM updates, PRDs, and docs
You want a real free path: unlimited local dictation, file transcription, and meetings on Mac with Whisper/Parakeet, or BYOK instead of a forced subscription
You need multilingual dictation with 100+ languages, auto-detection, mixed-language speech, personal vocabulary, and per-app output rules
Look elsewhere if
You need Windows, Android, Linux, web access, or a browser extension
You need mature team infrastructure such as a shared workspace, API/webhooks, third-party note destinations, or assistant chat over transcripts today.
FluidVoice
Mac · Free tier
FluidVoice is a compelling free, open-source choice for local, system-wide dictation with 99-language model support, but it offers no meeting recording or intelligence.
Choose if
You want free, unlimited local dictation without sending voice or transcripts to the vendor.
You need system-wide desktop dictation with per-app prompts, voice commands, and custom vocabulary.
You want to transcribe audio and video files locally, with TXT or JSON export.
Look elsewhere if
You need a meeting assistant for recording, summaries, action items, or team collaboration.
Granola is a strong bot-free meeting notes tool with polished AI summaries and team memory, but it is not a general dictation or file-transcription app.
Choose if
You want bot-free meeting capture that records from your mic and computer audio without joining calls.
You want AI meeting notes shaped by your own notes, with action items, decisions, follow-up emails, and reusable prompts.
You want a team meeting memory with shared workspaces, folders, cross-meeting Q&A, and Google Calendar or Outlook Calendar support.
Look elsewhere if
You need system-wide dictation, hotkeys, voice commands, auto-formatting, snippets, or text insertion into other apps.
You need imported audio or video file transcription, batch processing, timestamps, or export controls with public vendor claims behind them.
The evidence
What actually differs, claim by claim.
Each section opens with the takeaway. The table underneath is the receipt — every cell carries its source and the date we checked it.
Pricing
FluidVoice wins on dictation cost because its only listed plan is free, while Granola’s Basic plan covers 25 meetings per month and Business costs $18 per seat monthly or $168 per seat yearly. Ottex adds two free paths, local AI and BYOK, plus $0.20 per hour usage and a $14 monthly or $168 yearly Pro plan.
See the evidence — 13 claims across 3 toolsverified Aug 2026Show tableHide table
Ottex
FluidVoice
Granola
Free tier
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Forever free with local models and BYOK providers.
YesSource: github.com/altic-dev — checked Aug 2026The core app and local inference are free; optional cloud enhancement uses the user's provider key.
PartialSource: granola.ai/pricing — checked Jun 202625 meetings/month
Subscription
$14/moSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026$14/mo — unlimited dictation and meeting intelligence, all hosted models included.
NoNo subscription plan
$18/moSource: granola.ai/pricing — checked Jun 2026Business is $18 per member/month or $14 per member/month billed annually.
Pay-as-you-go / one-timeEscape the flat subscription
$0.2/hourSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Hosted models at cost: dictation ~$0.2/h, meetings ~$0.5/h (~$3/mo average).
NoSubscription only
NoSubscription only
Bring your own keyPay the model provider, not the middleman
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026OpenRouter, Google AI, OpenAI, Anthropic, Mistral, and compatible providers.
YesSource: github.com/altic-dev — checked Aug 2026Users can supply OpenAI, Groq, or custom provider API credentials for optional enhancement.
No public claim
Education discount
NoSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Same pricing for everyone.
NoSource: github.com/altic-dev — checked Aug 2026No separate education discount is published because the product is free.
No public claim
Platforms
Granola wins coverage with four platforms: Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android. FluidVoice covers two desktop platforms, Mac and Windows, but its Windows installers are beta prereleases; Ottex covers two platforms, Mac and iOS, so Granola is plainly better for Android users and broader device access.
See the evidence — 5 claims across 3 toolsverified Aug 2026Show tableHide table
Ottex
FluidVoice
Granola
Platforms
Mac, iOSSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026
MacSource: github.com/altic-dev — checked Aug 2026Some platforms in beta/waitlist
Mac, Windows, iOS, AndroidSource: granola.ai/download — checked Jun 2026
Native app footprintLight on memory, instant to invoke
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Native Swift app, ~50MB RAM.
PartialSource: github.com/altic-dev — checked Aug 2026The macOS app is native Swift while the Windows beta uses Flutter with native speech and input components.
No public claim
Meetings & team memory
Granola wins meeting capture because it records from the microphone and computer audio without a bot, with 25 meetings per month on Basic and unlimited meetings on its $18-per-seat monthly Business plan. FluidVoice has no meeting recording at any price, while Ottex combines meeting recording with dictation but lacks Granola’s mature shared workspace.
See the evidence — 17 claims across 3 toolsverified Aug 2026Show tableHide table
Ottex
FluidVoice
Granola
Meeting recordingThe call is captured at all
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026With speaker separation.
NoSource: github.com/altic-dev — checked Aug 2026Not supported.
YesSource: help.granola.ai/article — checked Jun 2026Granola records and transcribes meetings without joining as a bot.
Bot-free captureNo "recording bot" joins your call
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026System-audio capture, no bot joins the call.
NoSource: github.com/altic-dev — checked Aug 2026Not supported.
YesSource: granola.ai — checked Jun 2026Granola does not send a bot to meetings.
Speaker separation
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026
NoSource: github.com/altic-dev — checked Aug 2026Not supported.
No public claim
Calendar detection
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Calendar-based meeting detection.
NoSource: github.com/altic-dev — checked Aug 2026Not supported.
YesSource: help.granola.ai/article — checked Jun 2026Granola surfaces calendar events and can start notes from upcoming meetings.
Cross-meeting search
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026
NoSource: github.com/altic-dev — checked Aug 2026Not supported.
YesSource: help.granola.ai/article — checked Jun 2026Ask Granola can answer across past meetings.
Shared team memory
PartialSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Public share links, not a full team workspace.
NoSource: github.com/altic-dev — checked Aug 2026Not supported.
YesSource: granola.ai/pricing — checked Jun 2026Business workspaces include shared notes and folders for teams.
From meeting to finished work
Granola wins meeting intelligence with action items, decisions, follow-up emails, reusable prompts, shared workspaces, folders, and cross-meeting Q&A for $18 per seat monthly or $168 yearly. FluidVoice’s free 99-language dictation does none of this; Ottex goes further on finished outputs such as Linear tickets, CRM updates, PRDs, and documents, but Granola remains stronger for team meeting memory.
See the evidence — 12 claims across 3 toolsverified Aug 2026Show tableHide table
Ottex
FluidVoice
Granola
Decisions, owners, action itemsLeave the meeting with next steps clear
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Decisions with owners extracted.
NoSource: github.com/altic-dev — checked Aug 2026Not supported.
YesSource: help.granola.ai/article — checked Jun 2026Granola can extract decisions from meetings through templates and AI notes.
Follow-up email draftedThe outcome is sent, not summarized
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Drafted from templates or your own.
NoSource: github.com/altic-dev — checked Aug 2026Not supported.
YesSource: help.granola.ai/article — checked Jun 2026Recipes can generate follow-up emails from meetings.
CRM update / ticket draft
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Structured for the target app.
NoSource: github.com/altic-dev — checked Aug 2026Not supported.
YesSource: help.granola.ai/article — checked Jun 2026Granola lists Attio as an integration for sending meeting notes to CRM records.
Your rough notes steer the result
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Rough notes and instructions steer the result.
NoSource: github.com/altic-dev — checked Aug 2026Not supported.
YesSource: help.granola.ai/article — checked Jun 2026User notes are used to guide the generated meeting notes.
Dictation & transcription AI
FluidVoice decisively beats Granola for dictation with local processing, BYOK, system-wide insertion, per-app prompts, voice commands, custom vocabulary, file transcription, and models covering 99 languages, all free. Granola offers no dictation or file transcription, while Ottex is the broader Mac and iOS reference with local and BYOK options, per-app output rules, and 100 languages.
See the evidence — 11 claims across 3 toolsverified Aug 2026Show tableHide table
Ottex
FluidVoice
Granola
Engines
Cloud: Whisper, Gemini 3 Flash, Voxtral. Local: Whisper, Parakeet v3.Source: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Hosted routing, BYOK, or fully local.
Nemotron Speech 3.5, Parakeet Flash, Parakeet TDT v3 and v2, Cohere Transcribe, Apple Speech, WhisperSource: github.com/altic-dev — checked Aug 2026The app publishes seven recognition-engine families with multiple variants.
No public claim
Local / on-device optionAudio never leaves the machine
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Whisper and Parakeet v3 run fully on-device.
YesSource: github.com/altic-dev — checked Aug 2026Supported speech models run on the device after any required download.
NoSource: help.granola.ai/article — checked Jun 2026Granola states it requires an internet connection to transcribe and generate notes.
Model selection per task
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Choose the model per task and per provider.
YesSource: github.com/altic-dev — checked Aug 2026Users select among the supported recognition models during onboarding or in settings.
No public claim
Languages & mixed speechWork that crosses languages mid-sentence
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026100+ languages · Mid-sentence language switching.
No public claim
No public claim
Per-app output rules
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Per-app output rules: exact in AI chats, polished in email.
YesSource: github.com/altic-dev — checked Aug 2026Different prompt sets can be assigned to different applications.
NoSource: granola.ai — checked Jun 2026Not supported
Cost
What a year actually costs at your volume.
Personal or team — switch tabs. Subscriptions are flat; usage-based pricing depends on how much you speak and meet.
OttexSubscription - Pro$168/yr$14/mo — unlimited dictation and meeting intelligence, all hosted models included.
GranolaBusiness+ Wispr Flow for dictation — $144/yr$312/yr$168 + $144Business is $18 per member/month or $14 per member/month billed annually. · Unlimited meetings
Estimates, not quotes. Striped bar segments are the cost of the second app you picked above to cover the gap — rankings use that combined total. PAYG uses hosted at-cost estimates ($0.2/h dictation, $0.5/h meetings); BYOK is estimated at about a third of that because you pay the model provider directly. Bring-your-own-key plans still pay the model provider per use. One-time licenses are amortized over 2 years. Subscriptions use published pricing, checked Aug 2026.
FAQ
Questions people actually ask.
FluidVoice vs Granola: which should I choose?
Choose FluidVoice for free, private, system-wide dictation and local file transcription in 99 languages. Choose Granola if your actual job is capturing meetings, producing notes, and building team memory.
Is FluidVoice free?
Yes, FluidVoice’s listed plan is free, with unlimited local dictation rather than a word-capped teaser. It also supports BYOK, local file transcription, and models covering 99 languages.
Is Granola free?
Yes, but Granola Basic is limited to 25 meetings per month. Unlimited meetings require Business at $18 per seat monthly or $168 per seat yearly, while Enterprise pricing is custom.
How much do FluidVoice and Granola cost?
FluidVoice costs $0 on its listed free plan. Granola offers 25 meetings per month free, then charges $18 per seat monthly or the published $168 per seat yearly for Business.
Is FluidVoice or Granola safer for private audio?
FluidVoice wins when privacy means keeping voice and transcripts off the vendor’s systems because it supports fully local processing. Granola has no local option, and the provided details do not establish where every part of its audio-processing flow occurs.
Is it worth switching from FluidVoice to Granola?
Switch if meetings, action items, follow-up emails, shared workspaces, and cross-meeting Q&A matter more than dictation. Stay with FluidVoice if you primarily need free local dictation, voice commands, custom vocabulary, or file transcription.
Does FluidVoice or Granola work on Windows or Android?
Granola works on both Windows and Android, as well as Mac and iOS. FluidVoice supports Mac and Windows, but its Windows installers are beta prereleases and it does not list Android support.
