Ottex
Mac, iOS
You want dictated emails to follow your saved writing instructions.
You need voice dictation on a Windows computer.
Three tools. Different strengths. Find your fit.
Each tool takes a different approach. Here’s a quick side-by-side to help you choose based on your workflow, platforms, and goals.
Mac, iOS
You want dictated emails to follow your saved writing instructions.
You need voice dictation on a Windows computer.
Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, Web
You want live suggestions during client calls.
You need system-wide dictation for writing across apps.
Mac, iOS
You want local dictation and meeting notes without recurring fees.
You need a dictation tool that runs on Windows.
Hedy Pro is $12.99/mo or $99.99/yr; QuickWhisper is $3.99/mo or $19.99/yr, with MeetMic Pro from $59 one-time. Ottex app access is free with local models or BYOK; BYOK provider charges are separate.
| Feature | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Free tier | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Forever free with local models and BYOK providers. | PartialSource: hedy.ai/pricing — checked Oct 2026Up to 5 hours per month | PartialSource: meetmic.app/blog — checked Oct 202610 minutes of dictation a day |
| Subscription | $14/moSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026$14/mo — unlimited dictation and meeting intelligence, all hosted models included. | $12.99/moSource: hedy.ai/contact — checked Oct 2026Cloud AI is included, local processing is available, optional external speech providers incur separate API charges, and automatic suggestions stop after 120 minutes per session. | $2/moSource: apps.apple.com/us — checked Oct 2026The US App Store publishes this annual total but does not specify its capability entitlements or inference billing. |
| One-time payment | Not applicableSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Application is free | $299 one-timeSource: hedy.ai/pricing — checked Oct 2026Lifetime feature access and future updates. | $59 one-timeSource: meetmic.app/buy — checked Oct 2026Lifetime updates |
| 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: hedy.ai/help — checked Oct 2026Deepgram, OpenAI, and xAI speech recognition accept user API keys and bill usage separately from Hedy. | YesSource: meetmic.app/press-kit — checked Oct 2026Optional cloud transcription and summaries use user-provided API keys. |
| Education discount | NoSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Same pricing for everyone. | No public claim | YesSource: meetmic.app/edu — checked Oct 2026Students and educators with a university-issued email receive 30% off the one-time Pro license; no discounted USD total is published. |
Hedy supports Mac, Windows, iOS, Android and Web. QuickWhisper and Ottex support Mac and iOS, so choose Hedy for Windows or Android meetings.
| Feature | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Mac, iOSSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026 | Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, WebSource: hedy.ai/downloads — checked Oct 2026 | Mac, iOSSource: meetmic.app/press-kit — checked Oct 2026 |
| Native app footprintLight on memory, instant to invoke | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Native Swift app, ~50MB RAM. | YesSource: hedy.ai/help — checked Oct 2026The import documentation identifies the installed Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android clients as native apps. | No public claim |
Hedy, QuickWhisper and Ottex record without bots. QuickWhisper sends no meeting chat or calendar recording notices; Ottex has an experimental, opt-in macOS camera recording watermark that proves neither visibility nor consent.
| Feature | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Meeting recordingThe call is captured at all | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026With speaker separation. | YesSource: hedy.ai/help — checked Oct 2026Saving session audio requires enabling audio recording, which is off by default. | YesSource: meetmic.app/changelog — checked Oct 2026Meeting recording became available without a license in version 1.33. |
| Bot-free captureNo "recording bot" joins your call | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026System-audio capture, no bot joins the call. | YesSource: hedy.ai/downloads — checked Oct 2026Meeting capture does not require a bot to join the call. | YesSource: meetmic.app — checked Oct 2026Captures Mac audio without joining the call as a participant. |
| 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 | NoSource: meetmic.app/blog — checked Oct 2026The vendor states that recording notifications are not broadcast to other participants. |
| Speaker separation | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026 | PartialSource: hedy.ai/help — checked Oct 2026Nemotron separates speakers on supported devices, with names inferred from conversation context or entered manually. | PartialSource: meetmic.app/press-kit — checked Oct 2026Local diarization distinguishes up to 4 speakers, and a speaker registry remembers renamed voices. |
| Calendar detection | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Calendar-based meeting detection. | PartialSource: hedy.ai/help — checked Oct 2026Mac and Windows detect microphone use by Zoom, Teams, and Webex, with FaceTime detection available on Mac. | YesSource: meetmic.app/changelog — checked Oct 2026Apple Calendar and Google Calendar supply meeting events. |
| Cross-meeting search | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026 | PartialSource: hedy.ai/help — checked Oct 2026Topic chat searches related sessions; Free includes one topic, while Pro supports unlimited topics and chat across them. | YesSource: meetmic.app/press-kit — checked Oct 2026Full-text and semantic search retrieve past transcripts across the local archive. |
| Shared team memory | PartialSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Public share links, not a full team workspace. | PartialSource: hedy.ai/help — checked Oct 2026Pro users can share Topics containing current and future sessions with recipients who receive read-only access. | No public claim |
Hedy has chat prompts for transcripts; follow-up emails need external automation. QuickWhisper and Ottex use transcript document templates to draft follow-ups, CRM notes and tickets; Ottex also has chat prompts for transcripts.
| Feature | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | YesSource: meetmic.app/prompts — checked Oct 2026Ready-made prompts automatically receive the transcript and generate structured documents such as technical meeting notes with decisions, blockers, tickets, and follow-ups. |
| 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. | YesSource: hedy.ai/help — checked Oct 2026Built-in Quick Prompts send preset questions to session chat, with different prompt sets for each session type. | No public claim |
| Decisions, owners, action itemsLeave the meeting with next steps clear | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Decisions with owners extracted. | YesSource: hedy.ai/help — checked Oct 2026Session recaps extract action items and next steps into trackable to-do items. | YesSource: meetmic.app/prompts — checked Oct 2026The Decision log prompt extracts decisions, rationale, and owners from the transcript. |
| Follow-up email draftedThe outcome is sent, not summarized | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Drafted from templates or your own. | PartialSource: hedy.ai/integrations — checked Oct 2026A viaSocket template creates an interview follow-up email draft in Gmail from a Hedy session. | YesSource: meetmic.app/prompts — checked Oct 2026A reusable transcript prompt drafts a follow-up email. |
| CRM update / ticket draft | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Structured for the target app. | PartialSource: hedy.ai/integrations — checked Oct 2026A viaSocket workflow sends sales-call notes to a HubSpot contact and requires external automation setup. | YesSource: meetmic.app/prompts — checked Oct 2026Call notes for the CRM generates a structured note for manual insertion into a CRM. |
| Your rough notes steer the result | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Rough notes and instructions steer the result. | YesSource: hedy.ai/help — checked Oct 2026Up to 10,000 characters of user-written session notes inform summaries, detailed notes, and chat responses. | No public claim |
Hedy lacks app dictation. QuickWhisper’s direct Mac build and Ottex format dictation, use custom dictionaries and automatically apply saved writing rules; Ottex also inserts saved text through voice triggers.
| Feature | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Engines | Cloud: Whisper, Gemini 3 Flash, Voxtral. Local: Whisper, Parakeet v3.Source: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Hosted routing, BYOK, or fully local. | No public claim | Whisper, Apple transcription, NVIDIA Parakeet, Nemotron, MLX modelsSource: meetmic.app/press-kit — checked Oct 2026Local speech models and optional API-key-based cloud transcription are available. |
| Local / on-device optionAudio never leaves the machine | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Whisper and Parakeet v3 run fully on-device. | NoSource: hedy.ai/features — checked Oct 2026Not supported for system-wide dictation. | YesSource: meetmic.app/blog — checked Oct 2026Installed local models transcribe without an internet connection. |
| Model selection per task | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Choose the model per task and per provider. | NoSource: hedy.ai/features — checked Oct 2026Not supported for system-wide dictation. | YesSource: meetmic.app/changelog — checked Oct 2026Users select transcription models in Settings and can import custom Whisper models. |
| Languages & mixed speechWork that crosses languages mid-sentence | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026100+ languages · Mid-sentence language switching. | NoSource: hedy.ai/features — checked Oct 2026Not supported for system-wide dictation. | No public claim |
| 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. | NoSource: hedy.ai/features — checked Oct 2026Not supported for system-wide dictation. | YesSource: meetmic.app/prompts — checked Oct 2026The selectable Clean up prompt adds punctuation, topic paragraphs, and lists where appropriate. |
| Custom dictionary | YesSource: ottex.ai/docs — checked Oct 2026Add or delete names and specialist terms with preferred spellings; entries provide recognition context during transcription. | NoSource: hedy.ai/features — checked Oct 2026Not supported for system-wide dictation. | YesSource: meetmic.app/changelog — checked Oct 2026Dictation settings provide a custom vocabulary and replacement list with export and import. |
| 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. | NoSource: hedy.ai/features — checked Oct 2026Not supported. | 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. | NoSource: hedy.ai/features — checked Oct 2026Not supported for system-wide dictation. | PartialSource: meetmic.app/prompts — checked Oct 2026Users can save and edit dictation prompts that process speech before insertion, with automatic app or website selection in the direct Mac build. |
| 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. | NoSource: hedy.ai/features — checked Oct 2026Not supported for system-wide dictation. | PartialSource: meetmic.app/prompts — checked Oct 2026The direct Mac build accepts predefined dictation prompts including Professional, Chat message, and Email. |
| 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: hedy.ai/help — checked Oct 2026Completed session transcripts can be manually cleaned and translated using cloud AI on the original capturing device. | PartialSource: meetmic.app/prompts — checked Oct 2026AI prompts transform existing transcripts into summaries and other documents; arbitrary selected or copied text actions were not verified. |
| Per-app output rules | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Per-app output rules: exact in AI chats, polished in email. | NoSource: hedy.ai/features — checked Oct 2026Not supported. | PartialSource: meetmic.app/changelog — checked Oct 2026Dictation prompts switch by app or website, with website matching limited to Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Brave, Arc, and Dia. |
Choose Hedy for live call coaching or Windows meetings; choose QuickWhisper for local Mac dictation and meeting notes with a $59 one-time license. Ottex fits when you also want voice-triggered saved text and AI rewrites of selected or copied text.
Hedy allows up to 5 meeting hours/month free; QuickWhisper includes 10 minutes of dictation/day and free meeting recording from version 1.33. Ottex offers free app access with local models or BYOK, with provider charges separate.
Hedy costs $99.99/yr for Pro or $299 for Lifetime; QuickWhisper lists $19.99/yr, MeetMic Pro from $59 one-time and a $69.99 lifetime license. Ottex Pro costs $168/yr, with free local-model or BYOK app access and separate provider charges.
Choose QuickWhisper or Ottex with local models to keep dictation audio on-device. Hedy has no verified local option; it uses cloud AI for transcript cleanup, while its audio destination is unverified.
Switch to QuickWhisper’s direct Mac build for local dictation into apps; stay with Hedy for live call suggestions or Windows and Android access. Ottex also supports Mac dictation, adding voice-triggered saved text and AI rewrites of selected or copied text.
Hedy supports Windows and Android for meetings, but cannot dictate into other apps. QuickWhisper and Ottex support Mac and iOS and have no Windows or Android app listed.
Hedy, QuickWhisper and Ottex record without a bot joining the call. Hedy asks users to obtain consent manually, QuickWhisper sends no meeting chat or calendar recording notices, and Ottex’s experimental, opt-in macOS camera recording watermark does not prove consent.