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 Spokenly: the honest comparison.
Three tools. Different strengths. Find your fit.
Ottex
FluidVoice
SpokenlyAll 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.
Spokenly
Mac, Windows, iOS, Linux
Choose if
You want unlimited offline dictation without a subscription.
Look elsewhere if
You need a shared workspace for team meeting notes.
The evidence
Pricing
FluidVoice is free; Spokenly offers free local/BYOK access or Pro at $9.99/month ($99.99/year). Ottex is free with local models or your own API key (BYOK), or $14/month ($168/year); BYOK provider charges are separate.
See the evidence — 14 claims across 3 toolsverified Oct 2026Show tableHide table
| Feature | Ottex | FluidVoice | Spokenly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | PartialSource: spokenly.app/pricing — checked Oct 2026No usage limits |
| Subscription | $14/moSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026$14/mo — unlimited dictation and meeting intelligence, all hosted models included. | NoNo subscription plan | $6.99/moSource: spokenly.app/team — checked Oct 2026Each seat includes full Pro with a permanent 30% discount and centralized billing. |
| One-time payment | Not applicableSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Application is free | Not applicableSource: fluidvoice.org/download — checked Oct 2026Application is free | Not applicableSource: spokenly.app/pricing — 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. | YesSource: spokenly.app/privacy — checked Oct 2026BYOK audio and text travel directly from the device to the selected provider. |
| Education discount | NoSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Same pricing for everyone. | No public claim | YesSource: spokenly.app/students — checked Oct 2026Verified students receive 50% off Pro at $4.99/month or $49.99/year after signing in with an academic email and emailing a student ID to support. |
The evidence
Platforms
For Windows or Linux, choose Spokenly; it also supports Mac and iOS. FluidVoice has Mac plus a Windows testing prerelease, while Ottex supports Mac and iOS.
See the evidence — 6 claims across 3 toolsverified Oct 2026Show tableHide table
| Feature | Ottex | FluidVoice | Spokenly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Mac, iOSSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026 | MacSource: fluidvoice.org/download — checked Oct 2026Some platforms in beta/waitlist | Mac, Windows, iOS, LinuxSource: spokenly.app/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. | YesSource: spokenly.app/android — checked Oct 2026The macOS and iOS applications are built with Swift. |
The evidence
Meetings & team memory
All three record bot-free on Mac; FluidVoice requires its beta. Ottex has an experimental opt-in Mac camera recording watermark; support is unverified for Spokenly and FluidVoice, as are recording notices in meeting chat or calendar for all.
See the evidence — 16 claims across 3 toolsverified Oct 2026Show tableHide table
| Feature | Ottex | FluidVoice | Spokenly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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. | PartialSource: spokenly.app/dictation-for-mac — checked Oct 2026Meeting recording ships on Mac and requires macOS 14.4 or later. |
| 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. | YesSource: spokenly.app/blog — checked Oct 2026Mac meeting recording captures audio without a bot joining the call. |
| 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 | No public claim |
| Participant noticesRecording notices in chat or calendar | No public claim | 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. | PartialSource: spokenly.app/blog — checked Oct 2026Saved meeting recordings can be transcribed with voice-based speaker labels that may require manual correction. |
| 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. | PartialSource: spokenly.app/releases — checked Oct 2026Mac meeting detection is documented in release notes, including Safari support. |
| 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. | No public claim |
| Shared team memory | PartialSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Public share links, not a full team workspace. | No public claim | No public claim |
The evidence
From meeting to finished work
FluidVoice summarizes locally in its Mac beta; Spokenly uses configured AI Instructions. Ottex offers structured meeting document templates, a separate transcript chat prompt library, and follow-up email, CRM update and ticket drafts.
See the evidence — 8 claims across 3 toolsverified Oct 2026Show tableHide table
| Feature | Ottex | FluidVoice | Spokenly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 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 | 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. | No public claim |
| Follow-up email draftedThe outcome is sent, not summarized | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Drafted from templates or your own. | No public claim | No public claim |
| CRM update / ticket draft | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Structured for the target app. | No public claim | No public claim |
| Your rough notes steer the result | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Rough notes and instructions steer the result. | No public claim | NoSource: spokenly.app/comparison — checked Oct 2026Not supported. |
The evidence
Dictation & transcription AI
All automatically apply saved writing rules after dictation. Ottex formats paragraphs and lists automatically and inserts saved text from voice triggers; FluidVoice uses spoken list directives; automatic list formatting is unverified for Spokenly.
See the evidence — 29 claims across 3 toolsverified Oct 2026Show tableHide table
| Feature | Ottex | FluidVoice | Spokenly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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. | Whisper, NVIDIA Parakeet, Apple Speech Analyzer, OpenAI GPT-4o Transcribe, Deepgram Nova, SonioxSource: spokenly.app/docs — checked Oct 2026Local and cloud transcription engines are selectable per mode. |
| 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. | YesSource: spokenly.app/docs — checked Oct 2026Downloaded local models transcribe offline, and Local Only Mode blocks outbound network access. |
| 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. | YesSource: spokenly.app/docs — checked Oct 2026Users choose transcription models and AI providers per mode. |
| 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. | PartialSource: spokenly.app/blog — checked Oct 2026100+ languages · Gemini 3.5 Transcribe supports switching languages mid-sentence. |
| 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. | PartialSource: spokenly.app/docs — checked Oct 2026Models add punctuation, and optional Smart Paragraphs on Mac adds paragraph breaks; automatic list formatting remains unverified. |
| 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. | PartialSource: spokenly.app/docs — checked Oct 2026Supported models accept custom keyterms; ElevenLabs live transcription applies only the first 50 terms. |
| 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 | NoSource: spokenly.app/comparison — checked Oct 2026Not supported. |
| 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. | YesSource: spokenly.app/docs — checked Oct 2026Saved mode AI Instructions process each dictation before its configured auto-insert action using the selected AI provider. |
| 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 | 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. | No public claim |
| 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. | PartialSource: spokenly.app/docs — checked Oct 2026Mac modes automatically activate for configured applications or websites. |
Questions people actually ask.
FluidVoice vs Spokenly: which should I choose?
Choose FluidVoice for free Mac dictation and spoken rewrites of selected text; choose Spokenly for Windows, Linux or iOS. Ottex suits Mac/iOS users who want automatic paragraph and list formatting, voice-triggered saved text and meeting-derived drafts.
Is FluidVoice free?
FluidVoice is free with no word limit, trial or paid tier. Spokenly has unlimited free local-model and BYOK access; Ottex also has free local-model and BYOK app access, with provider charges separate when you bring your own API key.
How much do FluidVoice and Spokenly cost?
FluidVoice costs $0; Spokenly Pro costs $9.99/month or $99.99/year, and Ottex Pro costs $14/month or $168/year. Spokenly and Ottex also offer free app access with local models or BYOK, with API-provider charges separate.
Is FluidVoice safe for private dictation?
FluidVoice supports local recognition and cleanup, and Ottex runs Whisper and Parakeet v3 on-device, keeping audio processing on your computer. Choose Spokenly if blocking outbound network access matters: its Local Only Mode explicitly provides that control.
Is it worth switching from FluidVoice to Spokenly?
Switch to Spokenly for iOS or Linux, or Windows without FluidVoice's testing prerelease; stay with FluidVoice for spoken rewrites of selected text. Ottex offers Mac/iOS dictation with automatic lists and saved-text voice triggers, plus AI Shortcuts that rewrite selected or copied text.
Do FluidVoice or Spokenly work on Windows or Android?
Spokenly supports Windows; FluidVoice offers a Windows prerelease for testing, and Ottex has no Windows version. Android support is unverified for all three; Spokenly and Ottex support iOS.
Do FluidVoice and Spokenly work offline?
Yes: FluidVoice runs recognition and cleanup offline after assets are installed; Spokenly transcribes with downloaded local models and can block outbound access. Ottex also supports on-device transcription with Whisper and Parakeet v3.