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
You want unlimited meeting transcription using local models.
You need personal writing rules applied automatically during dictation.
Mac, Windows, iOS, Linux
You want unlimited offline dictation without a subscription.
You need a shared workspace for team meeting notes.
Spokenly Pro costs $99.99/year; Hyprnote Pro costs $140/year; Ottex Pro costs $168/year. All offer free local models; Ottex also offers free app access with your own API key, with provider usage billed separately.
| Feature | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Free tier | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Forever free with local models and BYOK providers. | PartialSource: anarlog.so/pricing — checked Oct 2026Unlimited on-device transcription | 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. | $14/moSource: anarlog.so/pricing — checked Oct 2026Published USD prices are per person for individuals and teams, with hosted transcription, AI, dictation, sync, and collaboration included. | $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: anarlog.so/pricing — 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: anarlog.so/pricing — checked Oct 2026Users can supply their own transcription and Intelligence provider API keys. | 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. |
Spokenly supports Mac, Windows, Linux and iOS; Hyprnote supports Mac with Windows and Linux in beta. Ottex supports Mac and iOS, so choose Spokenly for Windows dictation without a beta.
| Feature | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Mac, iOSSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026 | MacSource: docs.anarlog.so/desktop-installation — 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. | NoSource: github.com/fastrepl — checked Oct 2026The desktop application uses Tauri v2 with a React and TypeScript interface and Rust backend. | YesSource: spokenly.app/android — checked Oct 2026The macOS and iOS applications are built with Swift. |
Hyprnote, Spokenly and Ottex record without bots. Hyprnote offers optional recording notices in supported Mac/Linux meeting chats; Ottex offers an experimental, opt-in macOS camera recording watermark requiring video to be on.
| Feature | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Meeting recordingThe call is captured at all | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026With speaker separation. | YesSource: docs.anarlog.so/meetings — checked Oct 2026Meetings can be recorded from calendar events or new notes. | 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. | YesSource: docs.anarlog.so/meetings — checked Oct 2026Desktop capture adds no participant to the call. | 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 | PartialSource: docs.anarlog.so/automatic-capture — checked Oct 2026Users can enable recording disclosures in supported meeting chats on macOS and Linux, with no Windows support or verified calendar notice. | No public claim |
| Speaker separation | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026 | PartialSource: docs.anarlog.so/models-and-providers — checked Oct 2026Supported models provide speaker diarization, and users can assign participant names to transcript labels. | 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. | YesSource: docs.anarlog.so/calendar — checked Oct 2026Apple Calendar is supported on macOS, with read-only Google Calendar and Outlook connections. | 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 | YesSource: docs.anarlog.so/chat — checked Oct 2026Chat searches meeting titles, content, and recurring meeting history. | No public claim |
| Shared team memory | PartialSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Public share links, not a full team workspace. | PartialSource: docs.anarlog.so/teams — checked Oct 2026Pro workspaces share meeting notes and new notes created in designated team folders. | No public claim |
Hyprnote and Ottex structure transcripts with document templates and draft follow-up emails; Spokenly needs AI Instructions for summaries. Ottex also drafts CRM updates and tickets and has ready-made prompts for querying 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. | YesSource: docs.anarlog.so/customize-summaries — checked Oct 2026The Summary picker offers named formats that structure meeting content into sections such as decisions, action items, or one-on-ones. | 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. | YesSource: docs.anarlog.so/customize-summaries — checked Oct 2026Summary formats can extract action items with owners and due dates. | No public claim |
| Follow-up email draftedThe outcome is sent, not summarized | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Drafted from templates or your own. | YesSource: docs.anarlog.so/chat — checked Oct 2026Chat can draft a follow-up email from the open meeting. | No public claim |
| CRM update / ticket draft | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Structured for the target app. | PartialSource: docs.anarlog.so/automations — checked Oct 2026Pro automations create Linear issue drafts from assigned meeting follow-ups. | No public claim |
| Your rough notes steer the result | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Rough notes and instructions steer the result. | YesSource: docs.anarlog.so/meetings — checked Oct 2026User-written Memos provide context for generated meeting summaries. | NoSource: spokenly.app/comparison — checked Oct 2026Not supported. |
Spokenly and Ottex automatically apply saved writing instructions to dictation; this is unverified for Hyprnote. Ottex also formats lists and expands voice snippets; Spokenly adds punctuation but has no voice snippets.
| Feature | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Engines | Cloud: Whisper, Gemini 3 Flash, Voxtral. Local: Whisper, Parakeet v3.Source: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Hosted routing, BYOK, or fully local. | Configurable hosted or local transcription providersSource: docs.anarlog.so/dictation — checked Oct 2026Dictation uses the selected Transcription provider. | 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. | PartialSource: docs.anarlog.so/dictation — checked Oct 2026A supported local transcription provider keeps dictation processing on the computer. | 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. | PartialSource: docs.anarlog.so/dictation — checked Oct 2026The dictation setup explicitly allows choosing a transcription provider. | 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. | No public claim | 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. | No public claim | 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. | No public claim | 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. | No public claim | 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: docs.anarlog.so/chat — checked Oct 2026Meeting Chat can propose summary edits and transcript corrections for user review. | No public claim |
| Per-app output rules | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Per-app output rules: exact in AI chats, polished in email. | No public claim | PartialSource: spokenly.app/docs — checked Oct 2026Mac modes automatically activate for configured applications or websites. |
Choose Hyprnote for unlimited local meeting transcription and shared team notes on Pro, or Spokenly for unlimited offline dictation with saved writing instructions. Choose Ottex on Mac or iOS if you need those instructions plus voice snippets and automatic list formatting.
Yes: Hyprnote offers unlimited on-device transcription, and Spokenly offers unlimited local dictation or free app access with your API keys. Ottex also offers free local-model and BYOK app access; API providers may charge for usage.
Hyprnote Pro costs $14/month or $140/year; Spokenly Pro costs $9.99/month or $99.99/year, with its team plan at $6.99/seat/month or $69.99/seat/year. Ottex Pro costs $14/month or $168/year; all three offer free local paths, while BYOK can incur provider charges.
Choose Spokenly for an explicit network block: Local Only Mode blocks outbound access while downloaded models transcribe offline. Hyprnote supports local transcription and Ottex runs Whisper or Parakeet on-device; choosing cloud providers instead sends processing to those providers.
Switch to Spokenly for instructions automatically applied to dictation and model-specific custom keyterms; stay with Hyprnote for shared team notes on Pro. Ottex has automatic dictation instructions, a custom dictionary, voice snippets and separate rewrites of existing text, but lacks a full team workspace.
Spokenly supports Windows, Linux, Mac and iOS; Hyprnote has Windows and Linux beta builds alongside Mac support. Ottex supports Mac and iOS, with no Windows support; Android support is unverified for all three.
Hyprnote, Spokenly on macOS 14.4 or later, and Ottex capture meeting audio without a bot joining. Hyprnote offers optional recording notices in supported Mac/Linux chats; Ottex has an experimental, opt-in macOS camera recording watermark, and Spokenly tells users to inform participants and obtain permission.