Choose FluidVoice for free, private desktop dictation and Otter.ai for meeting notes and team workflows. Ottex, which we make, is the Mac/iOS reference for combining both jobs.
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.
Otter.ai
Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, Web · Limited free · $16.99/mo
Otter.ai is a strong meeting transcription and team-notes platform with real-time summaries, CRM/workflow integrations, and broad apps, but it is not a system-wide dictation tool and relies on cloud transcription with only 6 published input
Choose if
You want AI meeting notes, summaries, speaker labels, follow-ups, and searchable transcripts across Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, web, desktop, iOS, and i
You run a team that needs shared workspaces, Salesforce or HubSpot note sync, Slack/Zapier workflows, API/webhooks, and compliance claims including SOC 2 Type
You need a meeting-focused product with a usable free trial path: Basic has 300 transcription minutes/month, Pro is $16.99/month or $8.33/user/month annually,
Look elsewhere if
You need true system-wide dictation that inserts text into any app; the dossier says this is not supported.
You need private or offline local transcription, BYOK, or zero-data-retention guarantees; imported files upload to Otter and those privacy claims are not public
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 local tier is free. Otter.ai Basic includes 300 transcription minutes a month, while Pro costs $16.99 monthly or $99.96 yearly; Ottex adds free local and BYOK options, $0.20-per-hour usage pricing, and a $14 monthly or $168 yearly Pro plan.
See the evidence — 15 claims across 3 toolsverified Aug 2026Show tableHide table
Ottex
FluidVoice
Otter.ai
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: otter.ai/start-for-free — checked Jun 2026300 monthly transcription minutes; 30 minutes per conversation; Import and transcribe 3 audio or video files lifetime per user
Subscription
$14/moSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026$14/mo — unlimited dictation and meeting intelligence, all hosted models included.
NoNo subscription plan
$16.99/moSource: otter.ai/pricing — checked Jun 2026Annual price is published as $8.33/user/month and monthly price as $16.99/user/month.
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.
NoSource: otter.ai/pricing — checked Jun 2026No public BYOK transcription or LLM-key support claim found.
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.
YesSource: help.otter.ai/hc — checked Jun 2026Student and teacher discount program is listed for the Pro plan.
Platforms
Otter.ai wins coverage with Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, and web access. FluidVoice supports Mac and partial Windows through beta prerelease installers, while Ottex is limited to Mac and iOS.
See the evidence — 5 claims across 3 toolsverified Aug 2026Show tableHide table
Ottex
FluidVoice
Otter.ai
Platforms
Mac, iOSSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026
MacSource: github.com/altic-dev — checked Aug 2026Some platforms in beta/waitlist
Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, WebSource: otter.ai/integrations — 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
Otter.ai wins this pair because it records meetings, labels speakers, and provides searchable transcripts for teams; FluidVoice does not record meetings at all. Ottex also records meetings, but Otter.ai is the stronger choice for mature shared workspaces.
See the evidence — 18 claims across 3 toolsverified Aug 2026Show tableHide table
Ottex
FluidVoice
Otter.ai
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.otter.ai/hc — checked Jun 2026Otter Notetaker records and transcribes Zoom meetings in real time.
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.
NoSource: github.com/altic-dev — checked Aug 2026Not supported.
YesSource: otter.ai/pricing — checked Jun 2026Speaker identification is listed on the pricing page.
Calendar detection
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Calendar-based meeting detection.
NoSource: github.com/altic-dev — checked Aug 2026Not supported.
YesSource: help.otter.ai/hc — checked Jun 2026Notetaker can automatically join synced calendar event meetings.
Cross-meeting search
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026
NoSource: github.com/altic-dev — checked Aug 2026Not supported.
YesSource: otter.ai — checked Jun 2026Otter AI Chat searches across meetings and connected apps.
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: help.otter.ai/hc — checked Jun 2026Otter Workspaces provide team collaboration and management features.
From meeting to finished work
Otter.ai wins the pair with summaries, follow-ups, CRM note syncing, and Slack and Zapier workflows, while FluidVoice offers no meeting intelligence. Ottex goes further toward finished outputs such as emails, Linear tickets, CRM updates, PRDs, and documents, but Otter.ai has the more mature team infrastructure.
See the evidence — 11 claims across 3 toolsverified Aug 2026Show tableHide table
Ottex
FluidVoice
Otter.ai
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: otter.ai/start-for-free — checked Jun 2026Business trial lists assigning action items to teammates.
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: otter.ai — checked Jun 2026Otter creates follow-ups 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: otter.ai/pricing — checked Jun 2026Pricing lists synced notes to Salesforce or HubSpot and AI Chat with Salesforce.
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.
No public claim
Dictation & transcription AI
FluidVoice decisively beats Otter.ai for dictation with local processing, BYOK, per-app prompts, custom vocabulary, and 99-language model support; Otter.ai is not a system-wide dictation tool and publishes 6 input languages. Ottex is the broader Mac/iOS reference with local and BYOK options, per-app output rules, and 100-language support.
See the evidence — 12 claims across 3 toolsverified Aug 2026Show tableHide table
Ottex
FluidVoice
Otter.ai
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.
proprietary cloud AI transcriptionSource: help.otter.ai/hc — checked Jun 2026Otter describes AI transcription and cloud upload for imported files.
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.otter.ai/hc — checked Jun 2026Imported files upload to Otter for transcription.
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.
NoSource: help.otter.ai/hc — checked Jun 2026No user-selectable recognition model is published.
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.
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.
Otter.aiPro+ Wispr Flow for dictation — $144/yr$244/yr$100 + $144Annual price is published as $8.33/user/month and monthly price as $16.99/user/month. · 1200 in-app recording minutes; Up to 90 mins/meeting; 10 monthly audio/video file imports
Otter.aiBusiness+ Wispr Flow for dictation — $144/yr$384/yr$240 + $144Business is published for teams at $19.99/user/month billed annually. · Unlimited meetings + in-app recordings; 6000 monthly transcription minutes - 4 hours per conversation; Import and transcribe unlimited audio or video files
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 Otter.ai: which should I choose?
Choose FluidVoice for free, private, system-wide desktop dictation and local file transcription. Choose Otter.ai for recorded meetings, summaries, speaker labels, follow-ups, and team workflows.
Is FluidVoice free?
Yes. FluidVoice offers free, unlimited local dictation, supports BYOK, and does not require voice or transcripts to be sent to the vendor.
Is Otter.ai free?
Yes, but Basic is limited to 300 transcription minutes per month, 30 minutes per conversation, and 3 lifetime file imports per user. It is useful for trying meeting transcription, not for unrestricted use.
How much do FluidVoice and Otter.ai cost?
FluidVoice is free. Otter.ai Pro costs $16.99 monthly or $99.96 yearly, while Business costs $19.99 per seat monthly or $239.88 per seat yearly.
Is FluidVoice safer than Otter.ai?
FluidVoice wins when privacy is the deciding factor because it can process dictation and files locally without sending voice or transcripts to the vendor. Otter.ai relies on cloud transcription, and imported files are uploaded to Otter.
Is it worth switching from FluidVoice to Otter.ai?
Switch if you now need meeting recording, summaries, speaker labels, shared workspaces, CRM syncing, or workflow integrations. Stay with FluidVoice if private system-wide dictation and local file transcription are your actual jobs.
Does FluidVoice or Otter.ai work on Windows and Android?
Otter.ai works on Windows and Android, as well as Mac, iOS, and the web. FluidVoice supports Mac, while its published Windows installers are beta prereleases and it does not list Android support.
