FluidVoice is the free macOS dictation choice. MacWhisper is the stronger Mac transcription workbench. We make Ottex, so this page also shows where a Mac/iOS tool with meetings and finished outputs fits.
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.
M
MacWhisper
Mac · Limited free · $68 one-time
MacWhisper is a strong Mac-first transcription workbench: $68 one-time gets local, offline transcription, 100+ languages, batch files, subtitles, speaker labels, and AI cleanup, but it is macOS-only and feels more like a transcript tool than a system-wide writing app.
Choose if
You want a native Mac app for private local transcription without a subscription.
You regularly transcribe audio or video files and need batch processing, watch folders, timestamps, speaker labels, and exports like SRT, VTT, DOCX, or Markdown.
You want dictation into other Mac apps with a hotkey, cleanup, filler-word removal, translation, and optional cloud/API models.
Look elsewhere if
You need Windows, iPhone, Android, Linux, web, or browser-extension support.
You need a team meeting workspace with shared memory, calendar detection, CRM/task follow-ups, templates, or collaboration features.
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 path for Mac dictation because it is free forever with no paid tiers. MacWhisper is the better paid value for file transcription because Pro is a $68 one-time purchase after a free version capped at 5 minutes. Ottex has the broadest pricing ladder: free local AI, free with your own key, $0.2/hour PAYG, $14/mo Pro, and $24/seat/mo Team.
See the evidence — 13 claims across 3 toolsverified Jun 2026Show tableHide table
Ottex
FluidVoice
M
MacWhisper
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
PartialSource: goodsnooze.gumroad.com/l — checked Jun 2026Free version can transcribe up to 5 minutes; some features are Pro-only.
Subscription
$14/moSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026$14/mo — unlimited dictation and meeting intelligence, all hosted models included.
NoNo subscription plan
NoNo subscription plan
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
$68 one-timeSource: goodsnooze.gumroad.com/l — checked Jun 2026Pro is sold as a one-time Mac license, with local transcription and optional cloud/API-key transcription providers.
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: goodsnooze.gumroad.com/l — checked Jun 2026The app supports user-provided API keys for cloud transcription and AI providers.
Education discount
NoSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Same pricing for everyone.
No public claim
No public claim
Platforms
FluidVoice and MacWhisper are both Mac-only, so neither helps if you need Windows, Android, Linux, web, or browser-extension support. MacWhisper is the more mature native Mac transcription app, while FluidVoice is the lighter Mac dictation app. Ottex covers Mac and iOS, which makes it the only one of the three with mobile coverage, but it still does not cover Windows or Android.
See the evidence — 6 claims across 3 toolsverified Jun 2026Show tableHide table
Ottex
FluidVoice
M
MacWhisper
Platforms
Mac, iOSSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026
MacSource: github.com/altic-dev — checked Jun 2026
MacSource: goodsnooze.gumroad.com/l — checked Jun 2026
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: goodsnooze.gumroad.com/l — checked Jun 2026The product is a downloadable Mac application.
Meetings & team memory
FluidVoice and MacWhisper do not handle meetings, so neither wins recording, bot-free capture, speaker separation for live calls, calendar detection, or team memory. MacWhisper can work with recorded files and has speaker labels, but that is not the same as a meeting workspace. Ottex is the only one of the three with meetings, alongside dictation and file transcription.
See the evidence — 16 claims across 3 toolsverified Jun 2026Show tableHide table
Ottex
FluidVoice
M
MacWhisper
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: goodsnooze.gumroad.com/l — checked Jun 2026The app can record meetings and transcribe the recording.
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: goodsnooze.gumroad.com/l — checked Jun 2026Recording is done from the Mac app without a meeting bot.
Speaker separation
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026
NoSource: github.com/altic-dev — checked Jun 2026Not supported.
YesSource: goodsnooze.gumroad.com/l — checked Jun 2026The vendor lists speaker recognition.
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.
No public claim
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.
NoSource: goodsnooze.gumroad.com/l — checked Jun 2026Not supported.
From meeting to finished work
FluidVoice is for dictation, not meeting intelligence. MacWhisper can clean up and export transcripts, but it does not provide a team meeting workflow with CRM updates, tickets, templates, or collaboration. Ottex wins this dimension because it turns dictation and meetings into follow-up emails, Linear tickets, CRM updates, PRDs, notes, and docs.
See the evidence — 9 claims across 3 toolsverified Jun 2026Show tableHide table
Ottex
FluidVoice
M
MacWhisper
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: goodsnooze.gumroad.com/l — checked Jun 2026AI actions can extract action items from transcripts.
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.
No public claim
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.
No public claim
Dictation & transcription AI
FluidVoice is the free Mac dictation pick with BYOK, file transcription, and 99 languages, but the digest does not mark a local option. MacWhisper is stronger for local/offline AI with BYOK, file transcription, 100 languages, cleanup, filler-word removal, translation, and optional cloud/API models. Ottex matches the 100-language tier, adds local AI and BYOK, and goes further with mixed-language speech, personal vocab
See the evidence — 11 claims across 3 toolsverified Jun 2026Show tableHide table
Ottex
FluidVoice
M
MacWhisper
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, Parakeet, NVIDIA Canary, ElevenLabs Scribe, Deepgram Nova, Groq, AssemblyAI, Speechmatics, Gladia, OpenAI, Anthropic, Grok, LM Studio, OllamaSource: goodsnooze.gumroad.com/l — checked Jun 2026MacWhisper lists local models and optional cloud/API integrations.
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: goodsnooze.gumroad.com/l — checked Jun 2026Local transcription runs on the Mac without uploading audio.
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: goodsnooze.gumroad.com/l — checked Jun 2026Users can choose among multiple local and cloud transcription 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 MacWhisper: which should I pick?
Pick FluidVoice if you mainly want free macOS dictation with a global hotkey and no paid tiers. Pick MacWhisper if you regularly transcribe audio or video files and want a $68 one-time native Mac app with local transcription, batch files, subtitles, speaker labels, and exports.
Is FluidVoice free?
Yes. FluidVoice is listed as free forever with no paid tiers, which makes it the cheapest option for Mac dictation. The tradeoff is that it is Mac-only and does not include meetings or team workflow features.
Is MacWhisper free?
MacWhisper has a free version, but it can transcribe only up to 5 minutes, so it is a trial-sized path rather than a real long-term transcription setup. The practical paid path is MacWhisper Pro at $68 one-time.
How much does FluidVoice cost compared with MacWhisper?
FluidVoice costs $0 because it has no paid tiers. MacWhisper costs $68 one-time for Pro, while its free version is limited to 5 minutes.
Is FluidVoice safer than MacWhisper?
MacWhisper is the clearer privacy pick if local/offline transcription is the deciding factor, because its digest includes a local option. FluidVoice has BYOK and is free, but its digest does not mark local transcription. Ottex also supports local AI and BYOK if you want privacy plus meetings and dictation.
Is it worth switching from FluidVoice to MacWhisper?
Yes, if you have moved from simple dictation into regular file transcription, subtitles, timestamps, speaker labels, batch processing, or offline local transcription. Stay with FluidVoice if free Mac dictation is the job and you do not need MacWhisper Pro’s $68 transcription workbench.
Does FluidVoice or MacWhisper work on Windows or Android?
No. FluidVoice is Mac-only, and MacWhisper is also Mac-only, so neither covers Windows, Android, Linux, web, or browser extensions.
