Ottex
Mac, iOS
Choose if
You want dictated emails to follow your saved writing instructions.
Look elsewhere if
You need voice dictation on a Windows computer.
ComparisonEvery claim sourced · verified Oct 2026
FluidVoice vs Ottex: the honest comparison.
Two tools. Different strengths. Find your fit.
Ottex
FluidVoiceAll comparisons
FAQ
At a glance
Which one fits your work?
Each tool takes a different approach. Here’s a quick side-by-side to help you choose based on your workflow, platforms, and goals.
FluidVoice
Mac
Choose if
You want free offline dictation shaped by your instructions.
Look elsewhere if
You need meeting recording in a stable release.
The evidence
Pricing
FluidVoice is free without usage caps. Ottex offers free local models and BYOK app access, with provider charges possible, or optional Pro at $14/mo and $168/yr.
See the evidence — 9 claims across 2 toolsverified Oct 2026Show tableHide table
| Feature | Ottex | FluidVoice |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Forever free with local models and BYOK providers. | PartialSource: fluidvoice.org/download — checked Oct 2026no trial, word limit or paid tier |
| Subscription | $14/moSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026$14/mo — unlimited dictation and meeting intelligence, all hosted models included. | NoNo subscription plan |
| One-time payment | Not applicableSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Application is free | Not applicableSource: fluidvoice.org/download — checked Oct 2026Application is free |
| Bring your own keyPay the model provider, not the middleman | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026OpenRouter, Google AI, OpenAI, Anthropic, Mistral, and compatible providers. | YesSource: fluidvoice.org/docs — checked Oct 2026Optional cloud cleanup uses the user's API key and separately billed provider account. |
| Education discount | NoSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Same pricing for everyone. | No public claim |
The evidence
Platforms
Ottex supports Mac and iOS. FluidVoice supports Mac and offers an official Windows pre-release for testing, making it the Windows option if you accept pre-release software.
See the evidence — 4 claims across 2 toolsverified Oct 2026Show tableHide table
| Feature | Ottex | FluidVoice |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Mac, iOSSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026 | MacSource: fluidvoice.org/download — checked Oct 2026Some platforms in beta/waitlist |
| Native app footprintLight on memory, instant to invoke | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Native Swift app, ~50MB RAM. | PartialSource: raw.githubusercontent.com/altic-dev — checked Oct 2026The macOS application uses SwiftUI and AppKit; the Windows implementation was not verified. |
The evidence
Meetings & team memory
Ottex records without a bot and offers an experimental, opt-in macOS camera recording watermark; FluidVoice has bot-free capture in its macOS beta. Neither has verified recording notices in meeting chat or calendar.
See the evidence — 12 claims across 2 toolsverified Oct 2026Show tableHide table
| Feature | Ottex | FluidVoice |
|---|---|---|
| Meeting recordingThe call is captured at all | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026With speaker separation. | PartialSource: github.com/altic-dev — checked Oct 2026FluidMeet records meetings locally in macOS v1.6.10-beta.7. |
| Bot-free captureNo "recording bot" joins your call | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026System-audio capture, no bot joins the call. | PartialSource: raw.githubusercontent.com/altic-dev — checked Oct 2026The macOS beta captures meeting-application audio and microphone audio directly on the computer. |
| Camera recording watermarkShow recording in your camera video | PartialExperimental macOS virtual camera adds an Ottex icon to video; install/enable the extension, select it and turn video on. Guide covers Meet in Chrome and Zoom desktop; effects may obscure it. | No public claim |
| Participant noticesRecording notices in chat or calendar | No public claim | No public claim |
| Speaker separation | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026 | PartialSource: github.com/altic-dev — checked Oct 2026FluidMeet includes speaker labels in the macOS beta; automatic identification of participants by real name is unverified. |
| Calendar detection | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Calendar-based meeting detection. | PartialSource: raw.githubusercontent.com/altic-dev — checked Oct 2026The macOS beta optionally detects Zoom, Teams, Webex, and supported browser meetings, then offers user-started recording. |
| Cross-meeting search | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026 | PartialSource: github.com/altic-dev — checked Oct 2026The macOS beta's Global Search includes transcripts across the application. |
| Shared team memory | PartialSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Public share links, not a full team workspace. | No public claim |
The evidence
From meeting to finished work
FluidVoice generates local summaries in its macOS beta. Ottex drafts follow-up emails, CRM updates and tickets, with ready-made document templates that structure transcripts and a separate library of prompts for transcript chat.
See the evidence — 7 claims across 2 toolsverified Oct 2026Show tableHide table
| Feature | Ottex | FluidVoice |
|---|---|---|
| Meeting template libraryTurn a transcript into a structured document | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Choose a ready-made document template to extract relevant information from a meeting transcript into a structured document, such as a product review or client-call report. | No public claim |
| Transcript chat prompt libraryReady-made prompts for AI chat about meetings | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Use ready-made reusable prompts in AI chat to ask questions, analyze discussions and extract information from meeting transcripts. | No public claim |
| Decisions, owners, action itemsLeave the meeting with next steps clear | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Decisions with owners extracted. | PartialSource: raw.githubusercontent.com/altic-dev — checked Oct 2026The macOS beta offers a Key decisions output, while assignment of decision owners is unverified. |
| Follow-up email draftedThe outcome is sent, not summarized | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Drafted from templates or your own. | No public claim |
| CRM update / ticket draft | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Structured for the target app. | No public claim |
| Your rough notes steer the result | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Rough notes and instructions steer the result. | No public claim |
The evidence
Dictation & transcription AI
Ottex and FluidVoice support saved dictation instructions and custom dictionaries. Ottex also automatically formats lists and expands saved text from voice triggers; FluidVoice uses spoken list directives and optional AI cleanup.
See the evidence — 20 claims across 2 toolsverified Oct 2026Show tableHide table
| Feature | Ottex | FluidVoice |
|---|---|---|
| Engines | Cloud: Whisper, Gemini 3 Flash, Voxtral. Local: Whisper, Parakeet v3.Source: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Hosted routing, BYOK, or fully local. | Nemotron Speech 3.5, Nemotron 3.5 Multilingual, Parakeet Flash Beta, Parakeet TDT v3, Parakeet TDT v2, Cohere Transcribe, Apple Speech, WhisperSource: fluidvoice.org/models — checked Oct 2026The macOS model lineup varies by hardware and operating-system compatibility. |
| Local / on-device optionAudio never leaves the machine | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Whisper and Parakeet v3 run fully on-device. | YesSource: fluidvoice.org — checked Oct 2026Local recognition and local cleanup work offline after their required assets are installed. |
| Model selection per task | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Choose the model per task and per provider. | YesSource: fluidvoice.org/models — checked Oct 2026Users can download and switch speech models in the application. |
| Languages & mixed speechWork that crosses languages mid-sentence | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026100+ languages · Mid-sentence language switching. | PartialSource: fluidvoice.org/docs — checked Oct 202699+ languages · Mid-sentence language switching can produce errors and requires testing with the selected model. |
| Automatic formatting | YesSource: ottex.ai/docs — checked Oct 2026Dictation automatically fixes punctuation, groups ideas into paragraphs and formats enumerations as lists. Formatting toggles and profile rules customize output. | PartialSource: raw.githubusercontent.com/altic-dev — checked Oct 2026Optional AI cleanup fixes punctuation and capitalization, while spoken directives create line breaks and list items. |
| Custom dictionary | YesSource: ottex.ai/docs — checked Oct 2026Add or delete names and specialist terms with preferred spellings; entries provide recognition context during transcription. | YesSource: fluidvoice.org/features — checked Oct 2026Custom Dictionary accepts preferred spellings for names and jargon, with JSON import and export. |
| Voice snippetsSay a saved phrase to insert a link or text | YesSource: ottex.ai/docs — checked Oct 2026Save a voice trigger and expansion text; saying the trigger while dictating inserts the saved URL or text in place. | No public claim |
| Custom voice instructionsFree-form rules applied after dictation | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Saved profile instructions automatically process dictation before insertion; rules can include writing examples, personal phrasing and email signatures. | YesSource: fluidvoice.org/docs — checked Oct 2026Saved user-written prompts automatically process dictation before insertion when AI cleanup is enabled. |
| Tone presetsChoose a predefined writing style | YesSelect built-in Messaging or Email profiles for casual or professional dictation; assigning apps or websites enables automatic profile activation. | No public claim |
| Text transforms / AI ShortcutsApply an AI action to existing text | YesSource: ottex.ai/docs — checked Oct 2026Select or copy existing text, open Omnibar and run an AI Shortcut to rewrite, translate, summarize or apply a custom prompt; the result is copied/pasted. | PartialSource: fluidvoice.org/features — checked Oct 2026Write Mode replaces selected text using spoken rewrite instructions in Accessibility-compatible fields, with AI-provider compatibility restrictions. |
| Per-app output rules | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Per-app output rules: exact in AI chats, polished in email. | YesSource: fluidvoice.org/docs — checked Oct 2026User-authored per-app instructions are selected automatically for the focused application. |
Questions people actually ask.
Ottex vs FluidVoice: which should I choose?
Choose FluidVoice for unlimited free offline dictation with saved writing prompts. Choose Ottex for automatic list formatting, voice-triggered snippets and meeting-derived follow-up emails, CRM updates and ticket drafts.
Is FluidVoice free?
Yes, FluidVoice has no trial, word limit or paid tier. Ottex also offers free app access with local models or BYOK, though your API provider may charge for BYOK usage.
How much do Ottex and FluidVoice cost?
FluidVoice costs $0 and has no paid tier. Ottex Pro costs $14/mo or $168/yr, and Team costs $24/seat/mo or $288/seat/yr; local models and BYOK need no app subscription, though BYOK provider charges may apply.
Is Ottex or FluidVoice safer for privacy?
Both offer on-device recognition, so privacy alone does not establish a winner. Ottex runs Whisper and Parakeet v3 locally; FluidVoice supports local recognition and local AI cleanup, while BYOK privacy depends on your chosen provider in either app.
Is it worth switching from Ottex to FluidVoice?
Switch to FluidVoice if unlimited free dictation with offline cleanup and saved prompts meets your needs. Stay with Ottex if you rely on voice-triggered snippets, automatic list formatting or meeting-derived email, CRM and ticket drafts.
Do Ottex or FluidVoice work on Windows or Android?
FluidVoice offers an official 64-bit Windows 0.0.10 pre-release for testing, alongside Mac support. Ottex supports Mac and iOS but lacks Windows support; neither lists Android support.
Do Ottex and FluidVoice work offline?
Yes: Ottex runs Whisper and Parakeet v3 fully on-device. FluidVoice supports offline recognition and local AI cleanup after installing the required assets.