COMPARISONEvery claim sourced · verified Aug 2026

FluidVoice vs Hyprnote: the honest comparison.

FluidVoice is the better free dictation tool, while Hyprnote is the clear choice for private meeting capture on Mac. We make Ottex, which combines both jobs and turns speech into finished work.

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.

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 entirely free, while Hyprnote has a real free plan and an optional Pro plan at $8 per month or $59 per year. FluidVoice wins for no-cost dictation; Hyprnote gives meeting users a free local path before charging for HyprCloud and Pro models.

See the evidence — 14 claims across 3 toolsverified Aug 2026Show table

	Ottex	FluidVoice	Hyprnote
Free tier	YesForever free with local models and BYOK providers.	YesThe core app and local inference are free; optional cloud enhancement uses the user's provider key.	YesFree plan is described as open-source and free.
Subscription	$14/mo$14/mo — unlimited dictation and meeting intelligence, all hosted models included.	NoNo subscription plan	$8/moPro costs $8/month or $59/year and includes HyprCloud and Pro models.
Pay-as-you-go / one-timeEscape the flat subscription	$0.2/hourHosted 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	YesOpenRouter, Google AI, OpenAI, Anthropic, Mistral, and compatible providers.	YesUsers can supply OpenAI, Groq, or custom provider API credentials for optional enhancement.	YesUsers can connect third-party APIs such as an OpenAI GPT API.
Education discount	NoSame pricing for everyone.	NoNo separate education discount is published because the product is free.	No public claim

Platforms

FluidVoice wins platform coverage with Mac support and beta Windows installers, while Hyprnote is Mac-only. Neither supports Android; Ottex is also not an Android alternative because it supports only Mac and iOS.

See the evidence — 6 claims across 3 toolsverified Aug 2026Show table

	Ottex	FluidVoice	Hyprnote
Platforms	Mac, iOS	MacSome platforms in beta/waitlist	MacSome platforms in beta/waitlist
Native app footprintLight on memory, instant to invoke	YesNative Swift app, ~50MB RAM.	PartialThe macOS app is native Swift while the Windows beta uses Flutter with native speech and input components.	YesDocs describe Hyprnote as a Tauri app.

Meetings & team memory

Hyprnote wins decisively with bot-free mic and system-audio recording, on-device storage by default, speaker identification, transcripts, and notes. FluidVoice does not record meetings; Ottex is the reference option if you want meetings and system-wide dictation together.

See the evidence — 16 claims across 3 toolsverified Aug 2026Show table

	Ottex	FluidVoice	Hyprnote
Meeting recordingThe call is captured at all	YesWith speaker separation.	NoNot supported.	YesHyprnote records meeting audio locally.
Bot-free captureNo "recording bot" joins your call	YesSystem-audio capture, no bot joins the call.	NoNot supported.	YesDocs state Hyprnote transcribes and summarizes locally with no bots.
Speaker separation	Yes	NoNot supported.	YesCore functionality includes speaker identification.
Calendar detection	YesCalendar-based meeting detection.	NoNot supported.	No public claim
Cross-meeting search	Yes	NoNot supported.	YesSearch can find notes by title or content across the app.
Shared team memory	PartialPublic share links, not a full team workspace.	NoNot supported.	No public claim

From meeting to finished work

Hyprnote provides summaries, action items, and transcript chat, while FluidVoice offers no meeting intelligence. Neither is described as producing follow-up emails, CRM updates, tickets, PRDs, and documents from meetings; Ottex does those jobs.

See the evidence — 11 claims across 3 toolsverified Aug 2026Show table

	Ottex	FluidVoice	Hyprnote
Decisions, owners, action itemsLeave the meeting with next steps clear	YesDecisions with owners extracted.	NoNot supported.	YesCore functionality includes action items.
Follow-up email draftedThe outcome is sent, not summarized	YesDrafted from templates or your own.	NoNot supported.	YesAI Chat examples include drafting a follow-up email for a meeting.
CRM update / ticket draft	YesStructured for the target app.	NoNot supported.	No public claim
Your rough notes steer the result	YesRough notes and instructions steer the result.	NoNot supported.	YesHyprnote crafts summaries by enhancing the user's quick notes.

Dictation & transcription AI

FluidVoice wins easily because Hyprnote is not a general dictation tool. FluidVoice provides free local system-wide dictation, BYOK, per-app prompts, voice commands, custom vocabulary, file transcription, and models covering 99 languages; Ottex is broader at 100 languages while also handling meetings.

See the evidence — 12 claims across 3 toolsverified Aug 2026Show table

	Ottex	FluidVoice	Hyprnote
Engines	Cloud: Whisper, Gemini 3 Flash, Voxtral. Local: Whisper, Parakeet v3.Hosted routing, BYOK, or fully local.	Nemotron Speech 3.5, Parakeet Flash, Parakeet TDT v3 and v2, Cohere Transcribe, Apple Speech, WhisperThe app publishes seven recognition-engine families with multiple variants.	Whisper, HyprLLM, Llama 3B, Argmax SDK for Pro realtime STTDocs name Whisper for speech-to-text and Pro realtime STT through Argmax SDK.
Local / on-device optionAudio never leaves the machine	YesWhisper and Parakeet v3 run fully on-device.	YesSupported speech models run on the device after any required download.	YesDocs state Hyprnote works 100% offline by default.
Model selection per task	YesChoose the model per task and per provider.	YesUsers select among the supported recognition models during onboarding or in settings.	YesUsers can use local models or bring their own models.
Languages & mixed speechWork that crosses languages mid-sentence	Yes100+ languages · Mid-sentence language switching.	No public claim	No public claim
Per-app output rules	YesPer-app output rules: exact in AI chats, polished in email.	YesDifferent prompt sets can be assigned to different applications.	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.

You dictate about 3 h a week≈ 23,400 words at ~130 wpm

0 h5 h10 h

and sit in 4 h of meetings a weekhours you'd want captured and turned into follow-ups

0 h7.5 h15 h

Fill the gaps with:

Dictation appadded to meetings-only toolsMeetings appadded to dictation-only tools

OttexOttex Provider — PAYG$135/yrHosted models at cost: dictation ~$0.2/h, meetings ~$0.5/h (~$3/mo average).

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 Aug 2026.

FAQ

Questions people actually ask.

FluidVoice vs Hyprnote: which should I choose?

Choose FluidVoice for system-wide dictation, 99-language support, voice commands, custom vocabulary, or local file transcription. Choose Hyprnote if your main job is privately recording and summarizing meetings on a Mac.

Is FluidVoice free?

Yes. FluidVoice is free and supports unlimited local dictation, so there is no word-capped teaser or paid plan listed.

Is Hyprnote free?

Yes. Hyprnote has a real free plan for local meeting notes, plus an optional Pro plan for HyprCloud and Pro models at $8 per month or $59 per year.

How much do FluidVoice and Hyprnote cost?

FluidVoice is free. Hyprnote is free locally, while Pro costs $8 per month or the published $59 annual price; Enterprise pricing is custom.

Is FluidVoice safe for private dictation?

FluidVoice is the stronger choice when you do not want voice or transcripts sent to the vendor because it supports unlimited local dictation. Hyprnote is similarly privacy-oriented for meetings, keeping recordings, transcripts, and notes on device by default and supporting offline processing.

Is it worth switching from FluidVoice to Hyprnote?

Switch if meetings have become your main need and you want bot-free recording, speaker identification, summaries, action items, and transcript chat. Stay with FluidVoice if you primarily dictate into desktop apps or transcribe audio and video files.

Does FluidVoice or Hyprnote work on Windows or Android?

FluidVoice offers Windows installers as beta prereleases, while Hyprnote is Mac-only. Neither supports Android.

More FluidVoice alternatives Hyprnote icon

More Hyprnote alternatives