FluidVoice is a free Mac dictation app. Hyprnote is a Mac meeting recorder with local notes and a $8/mo Pro plan. Ottex sits between them with dictation, meetings, local or BYOK paths, and iOS support.
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 · Limited free
FluidVoice is a free, open-source macOS dictation tool with local model options and system-wide insertion, but it is not a meeting assistant and its public claims are thin on formatting, collaboration, and enterprise controls.
Choose if
You want a free, GPLv3 macOS dictation app with no paid tiers.
You use macOS 15 Sequoia or later and want voice input that works across text fields with a global hotkey.
You want control over speech models, including local options and Whisper support for up to 99 languages.
Look elsewhere if
You need Windows, web, iOS, Android, Linux, or browser-extension support.
You need meeting recording, summaries, action items, speaker identification, calendar integration, or shared team memory.
Hyprnote
Mac · Free tier · $8/mo
Hyprnote is a strong pick for private, local meeting notes on macOS, especially if you value open source and offline processing; it is weak as a general dictation tool because system-wide insertion, hotkeys, dictation history, and file-disg
Choose if
You want a macOS meeting recorder that keeps recordings, transcripts, and notes on device by default.
You want bot-free meeting capture with mic and system audio, speaker identification, summaries, action items, and transcript chat.
You prefer an open-source desktop app with a real free plan, plus optional Pro at $8/month or $59/year for HyprCloud and Pro models.
Look elsewhere if
You need everyday system-wide dictation with hotkey triggering, text insertion into other apps, dictation history, or search.
You need public claims for audio/video file transcription, batch processing, timestamped exports, or watch folders.
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 is the cheapest if you only need Mac dictation: it is free forever with no paid tiers. Hyprnote adds a free plan plus Pro at $8/mo, so it wins if you want meeting notes without jumping to a broader paid workflow. Ottex has the widest pricing ladder: free local AI, free BYOK, PAYG at $0.2/hour, Pro at $14/mo, Team at $24/seat/mo, and Enterprise custom.
See the evidence — 13 claims across 3 toolsverified Jun 2026Show tableHide table
Ottex
FluidVoice
Hyprnote
Free tier
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Forever free with local models and BYOK providers.
PartialSource: github.com/altic-dev — checked Jun 2026Free forever, no paid tiers
YesSource: fastrepl.mintlify.app/pro — checked Jun 2026Free plan is described as open-source and free.
Subscription
$14/moSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026$14/mo — unlimited dictation and meeting intelligence, all hosted models included.
NoNo subscription plan
$8/moSource: fastrepl.mintlify.app/pro — checked Jun 2026Pro costs $8/month or $59/year and includes HyprCloud and Pro models.
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 Jun 2026Optional AI provider API keys can be added for enhanced transcription.
YesSource: fastrepl.mintlify.app/documents — checked Jun 2026Users can connect third-party APIs such as an OpenAI GPT API.
Education discount
NoSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Same pricing for everyone.
No public claim
No public claim
Platforms
All three are Mac-first, so Windows, Android, Linux, web, and browser-extension users should avoid this trio. Ottex has the coverage edge because it supports Mac and iOS, while FluidVoice and Hyprnote are Mac-only. The input does not establish a native-versus-Electron quality difference between FluidVoice, Hyprnote, and Ottex.
See the evidence — 6 claims across 3 toolsverified Jun 2026Show tableHide table
Ottex
FluidVoice
Hyprnote
Platforms
Mac, iOSSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026
MacSource: github.com/altic-dev — checked Jun 2026
MacSource: fastrepl.mintlify.app/using-hyprnote — checked Jun 2026Some platforms in beta/waitlist
Native app footprintLight on memory, instant to invoke
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Native Swift app, ~50MB RAM.
YesSource: altic.dev/fluid — checked Jun 2026The vendor describes FluidVoice as a native macOS app.
YesSource: fastrepl.mintlify.app/about-hyprnote — checked Jun 2026Docs describe Hyprnote as a Tauri app.
Meetings & team memory
Hyprnote beats FluidVoice for meeting capture because Hyprnote records meetings on Mac, captures mic and system audio without a bot, identifies speakers, and keeps recordings, transcripts, and notes on device by default. FluidVoice does not offer meetings at all. Ottex also records meetings and adds local AI or BYOK paths, but Hyprnote is the cleaner pick if private Mac meeting notes are the only job.
See the evidence — 16 claims across 3 toolsverified Jun 2026Show tableHide table
Ottex
FluidVoice
Hyprnote
Meeting recordingThe call is captured at all
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026With speaker separation.
NoSource: github.com/altic-dev — checked Jun 2026Not supported.
YesSource: fastrepl.mintlify.app/documents — checked Jun 2026Hyprnote records meeting audio locally.
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 Jun 2026Not supported.
YesSource: fastrepl.mintlify.app/about-hyprnote — checked Jun 2026Docs state Hyprnote transcribes and summarizes locally with no bots.
Speaker separation
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026
NoSource: github.com/altic-dev — checked Jun 2026Not supported.
YesSource: fastrepl.mintlify.app/documents — checked Jun 2026Core functionality includes speaker identification.
Calendar detection
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Calendar-based meeting detection.
NoSource: github.com/altic-dev — checked Jun 2026Not supported.
No public claim
Cross-meeting search
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026
NoSource: github.com/altic-dev — checked Jun 2026Not supported.
YesSource: fastrepl.mintlify.app/features — checked Jun 2026Search can find notes by title or content across the app.
Shared team memory
PartialSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Public share links, not a full team workspace.
NoSource: github.com/altic-dev — checked Jun 2026Not supported.
No public claim
From meeting to finished work
Ottex wins meeting intelligence because it turns dictation and meetings into follow-up emails, Linear tickets, CRM updates, PRDs, notes, and docs. Hyprnote covers meeting summaries, action items, and transcript chat, which is strong for notes but narrower than finished work. FluidVoice has no meeting summaries, action items, calendar integration, speaker identification, or shared team memory.
See the evidence — 11 claims across 3 toolsverified Jun 2026Show tableHide table
Ottex
FluidVoice
Hyprnote
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 Jun 2026Not supported.
YesSource: fastrepl.mintlify.app/documents — checked Jun 2026Core functionality includes action items.
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 Jun 2026Not supported.
YesSource: fastrepl.mintlify.app/features — checked Jun 2026AI Chat examples include drafting a follow-up email for a meeting.
CRM update / ticket draft
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Structured for the target app.
NoSource: github.com/altic-dev — checked Jun 2026Not supported.
No public claim
Your rough notes steer the result
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Rough notes and instructions steer the result.
NoSource: github.com/altic-dev — checked Jun 2026Not supported.
YesSource: fastrepl.mintlify.app/about-hyprnote — checked Jun 2026Hyprnote crafts summaries by enhancing the user's quick notes.
Dictation & transcription AI
Ottex wins broad dictation because it supports dictation, file transcription, local AI, BYOK, 100 languages, auto-detection, mixed-language speech, personal vocabulary, and per-app output rules. FluidVoice is the focused free Mac dictation choice with BYOK, file transcription, and 99 languages, but it does not cover meetings. Hyprnote has local processing and BYOK, but it is not a general dictation tool and does not,
See the evidence — 11 claims across 3 toolsverified Jun 2026Show tableHide table
Ottex
FluidVoice
Hyprnote
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, Parakeet TDT v2, Cohere Transcribe, Apple Speech, Whisper Tiny/Base/Small/Medium/LargeSource: github.com/altic-dev — checked Jun 2026The README lists these supported speech models.
Whisper, HyprLLM, Llama 3B, Argmax SDK for Pro realtime STTSource: fastrepl.mintlify.app/documents — checked Jun 2026Docs name Whisper for speech-to-text and Pro realtime STT through Argmax SDK.
Local / on-device optionAudio never leaves the machine
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Whisper and Parakeet v3 run fully on-device.
PartialSource: altic.dev/fluid — checked Jun 2026Local speech models are supported, while Cohere and AI enhancement use optional cloud providers.
YesSource: fastrepl.mintlify.app/documents — checked Jun 2026Docs state Hyprnote works 100% offline by default.
Model selection per task
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Choose the model per task and per provider.
YesSource: github.com/altic-dev — checked Jun 2026Users can choose among multiple supported speech models.
YesSource: fastrepl.mintlify.app/about-hyprnote — checked Jun 2026Users can use local models or bring their own models.
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.
No public claim
No public claim
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.
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 Jun 2026.
FAQ
Questions people actually ask.
FluidVoice vs Hyprnote: which should I pick?
Pick FluidVoice if you want free Mac dictation and do not need meeting capture. Pick Hyprnote if you want private Mac meeting notes with bot-free recording, speaker identification, summaries, action items, and transcript chat. Pick Ottex if you want dictation and meetings in one Mac/iOS tool.
Is FluidVoice free?
Yes. FluidVoice is listed as free forever with no paid tiers, so its yearly price is $0. The tradeoff is scope: it is Mac-only dictation, not a meeting assistant.
Is Hyprnote free?
Hyprnote has a free plan, plus Pro at $8/mo. Its notes also list $59/year for HyprCloud and Pro models, so it has both a free path and paid upgrade path. Use it when meetings are the job, not everyday system-wide dictation.
How much does FluidVoice and Hyprnote cost?
FluidVoice costs $0/year because it has no paid tiers. Hyprnote Pro is $8/mo, which is $96/year if paid monthly, and its notes also list $59/year. Ottex adds free local AI, free BYOK, PAYG at $0.2/hour, Pro at $14/mo, and Team at $24/seat/mo.
Is FluidVoice or Hyprnote better for privacy?
Hyprnote is the stronger privacy pick for meetings because it keeps recordings, transcripts, and notes on device by default. FluidVoice is open source and BYOK for dictation, but it is not a meeting recorder. Ottex is the broader privacy-conscious option when you need both meetings and dictation with local AI or your own key.
Does FluidVoice or Hyprnote work on Windows or Android?
No. FluidVoice and Hyprnote are both Mac-only in the provided platform data. Ottex supports Mac and iOS, but it also does not cover Windows or Android.
Does FluidVoice or Hyprnote work offline?
Hyprnote is the safer offline answer because it is described as local and on-device by default for meeting recordings, transcripts, and notes. FluidVoice has BYOK and model control, but the digest does not list a local option. Ottex supports local AI for dictation, file transcription, and meetings.
