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 structured notes from bot-free desktop meeting recordings.
You need to dictate text directly into other apps.
Mac, iOS
You want offline Mac transcription with a one-time Pro purchase.
You want automatic dictation rewriting without configuring an AI service.
Krisp Core costs $16/seat/mo; MacWhisper Pro costs $73.2 once. Ottex requires no app subscription with local models or bring your own API key (BYOK), though provider usage charges apply.
| Feature | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Free tier | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Forever free with local models and BYOK providers. | PartialSource: krisp.ai/blog — checked Oct 2026Unlimited transcription; AI noise cancellation (60 minutes daily); AI summaries & action items (2 daily); Meeting history (limited) | YesSource: goodsnooze.gumroad.com/l — checked Oct 2026Free local transcription and basic dictation have no published usage cap, with advanced models and workflows reserved for Pro. |
| Subscription | $14/moSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026$14/mo — unlimited dictation and meeting intelligence, all hosted models included. | $16/moSource: krisp.ai/pricing — checked Oct 2026Monthly billing is $16/mo/user and annual billing is advertised as $8/mo/user with Save 50%, without a published annual total. | $9.99/moSource: apps.apple.com/us — checked Oct 2026Assistant funds hosted transcription and transcript AI in the App Store editions; capture entitlements and dictation coverage remain unverified. |
| One-time payment | Not applicableSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Application is free | NoNo one-time payment plan | $73.2 one-timeSource: goodsnooze.gumroad.com/l — checked Oct 2026All future updates included. |
| Bring your own keyPay the model provider, not the middleman | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026OpenRouter, Google AI, OpenAI, Anthropic, Mistral, and compatible providers. | No public claim | YesSource: docs.macwhisper.com/article — checked Oct 2026Users can configure their own provider credentials, with provider charges separate from the application purchase. |
| Education discount | NoSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Same pricing for everyone. | No public claim | YesSource: docs.macwhisper.com/article — checked Oct 2026Students, journalists and nonprofits can request 25% off the one-time direct-download license by email; no discounted amount or monthly or annual education offer is published. |
Krisp supports Windows and Android alongside Mac, iOS and Web; MacWhisper and Ottex list Mac and iOS. For dictation, MacWhisper requires the direct-download Mac edition.
| Feature | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Mac, iOSSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026 | Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, WebSource: help.krisp.ai/hc — checked Oct 2026 | Mac, iOSSource: docs.macwhisper.com/article — checked Oct 2026 |
| Native app footprintLight on memory, instant to invoke | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Native Swift app, ~50MB RAM. | No public claim | YesSource: goodsnooze.gumroad.com/l — checked Oct 2026The vendor identifies MacWhisper as a native macOS application. |
All three record without bots. Krisp offers optional recording notices in meeting chat or audio that platforms may block; Ottex offers an experimental, opt-in macOS camera recording watermark; MacWhisper disclosure support is unverified.
| Feature | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Meeting recordingThe call is captured at all | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026With speaker separation. | YesSource: help.krisp.ai/hc — checked Oct 2026Core and Advanced support transcription-only, audio recording and screen recording modes. | PartialSource: docs.macwhisper.com/article — checked Oct 2026Pro records meetings, while automatic recording remains labeled beta in its dedicated documentation. |
| Bot-free captureNo "recording bot" joins your call | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026System-audio capture, no bot joins the call. | YesSource: krisp.ai/ai-meeting-assistant — checked Oct 2026Desktop recording can capture meetings without a bot joining the call. | YesSource: macwhisper.com/meeting-recording — checked Oct 2026Meetings are captured locally without a bot joining. |
| 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: help.krisp.ai/hc — checked Oct 2026Notify others you're using Krisp enables chat or audio notices, with possible platform blocking and no verified calendar-invite notice or affirmative consent collection. | No public claim |
| Speaker separation | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026 | YesSource: linkedin.com/pulse — checked Oct 2026Krisp automatically applies speaker names in transcripts and notes while allowing manual edits. | PartialSource: apps.apple.com/us — checked Oct 2026Pro live meetings support speaker identification when enabled with a compatible recognition model. |
| Calendar detection | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Calendar-based meeting detection. | YesSource: help.krisp.ai/hc — checked Oct 2026With Note Taker enabled and audio devices configured, Krisp captures the next call automatically. | PartialSource: docs.macwhisper.com/article — checked Oct 2026Users enable app-based meeting notifications in direct-download MacWhisper; detection excludes FaceTime and remains labeled beta in its documentation. |
| Cross-meeting search | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026 | YesSource: linkedin.com/pulse — checked Oct 2026Global AI Chat answers questions across meetings and identifies which conversations informed the answer. | YesSource: goodsnooze.gumroad.com/l — checked Oct 2026Full-text and speaker search spans saved transcripts, including meeting transcripts. |
| Shared team memory | PartialSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Public share links, not a full team workspace. | YesSource: help.krisp.ai/hc — checked Oct 2026AI Chat supports All Meetings, folders and Shared with Me contexts containing accessible meeting content. | No public claim |
Krisp and Ottex turn meeting transcripts into templated documents; all three offer reusable transcript chat prompts. Ottex drafts follow-up emails, CRM updates and tickets; dedicated workflows for these are unverified in MacWhisper.
| 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: help.krisp.ai/hc — checked Oct 2026Ready-made templates such as Project Sync, Client Status Update and Hiring generate structured documents from transcripts and can be selected per meeting or set as the default. | 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. | YesSource: help.krisp.ai/hc — checked Oct 2026Core and Advanced users can select reusable suggested prompts such as Summarize call by speakers and List Q&A in a meeting's Ask Anything tab. | PartialSource: docs.macwhisper.com/article — checked Oct 2026Users select predefined reusable prompts for an opened transcript and run them through a configured AI model. |
| Decisions, owners, action itemsLeave the meeting with next steps clear | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Decisions with owners extracted. | YesSource: krisp.ai/ai-meeting-assistant — checked Oct 2026Meeting notes identify key decisions and next steps, and action items can be assigned to participants. | PartialSource: docs.macwhisper.com/article — checked Oct 2026Configured transcript AI can produce meeting action points. |
| Follow-up email draftedThe outcome is sent, not summarized | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Drafted from templates or your own. | PartialSource: help.krisp.ai/hc — checked Oct 2026Krisp can email meeting recaps to invitees, but a dedicated editable follow-up email drafting workflow is unverified. | No public claim |
| CRM update / ticket draft | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Structured for the target app. | PartialSource: help.krisp.ai/hc — checked Oct 2026Meeting notes can be sent automatically or manually to a selected HubSpot contact, company or deal, without a verified CRM-field draft review workflow. | No public claim |
| Your rough notes steer the result | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Rough notes and instructions steer the result. | YesSource: linkedin.com/pulse — checked Oct 2026Users' manual notes are incorporated into generated summaries, with visual cues distinguishing their contributions from AI content. | No public claim |
Krisp has no system-wide dictation. MacWhisper Pro and Ottex automatically apply saved instructions before inserting dictation; MacWhisper needs AI-service setup, while Ottex also formats dictated paragraphs and lists.
| 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 | WhisperSource: goodsnooze.gumroad.com/l — checked Oct 2026Whisper is explicitly documented for system-wide dictation. |
| Local / on-device optionAudio never leaves the machine | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Whisper and Parakeet v3 run fully on-device. | NoSource: help.krisp.ai/hc — checked Oct 2026Not supported for system-wide dictation. | YesSource: macwhisper.com — checked Oct 2026Whisper recognition can run locally after downloading a model. |
| Model selection per task | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Choose the model per task and per provider. | NoSource: help.krisp.ai/hc — checked Oct 2026Not supported for system-wide dictation. | PartialSource: goodsnooze.gumroad.com/l — checked Oct 2026Dictation supports different Whisper models, with advanced models requiring Pro. |
| Languages & mixed speechWork that crosses languages mid-sentence | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026100+ languages · Mid-sentence language switching. | NoSource: help.krisp.ai/hc — 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: help.krisp.ai/hc — checked Oct 2026Not supported for system-wide dictation. | PartialSource: goodsnooze.gumroad.com/l — checked Oct 2026Pro can improve dictation punctuation through a configured AI service; automatic lists and paragraphing are 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. | NoSource: help.krisp.ai/hc — checked Oct 2026Not supported for system-wide dictation. | No public claim |
| 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: help.krisp.ai/hc — checked Oct 2026Not supported for system-wide dictation. | 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: help.krisp.ai/hc — checked Oct 2026Not supported for system-wide dictation. | PartialSource: docs.macwhisper.com/article — checked Oct 2026Saved user-authored Pro dictation prompts automatically process recognized text before insertion, with AI-service setup required. |
| 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: help.krisp.ai/hc — checked Oct 2026Not supported for system-wide dictation. | 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: help.krisp.ai/hc — checked Oct 2026Core and Advanced users can summarize and analyze meeting transcripts through AI Chat with saved response instructions; arbitrary selected-text actions are unverified. | PartialSource: docs.macwhisper.com/article — checked Oct 2026Users can run saved or custom AI prompts to rewrite or query an opened transcript; arbitrary selected-text actions across other apps are unverified. |
| Per-app output rules | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Per-app output rules: exact in AI chats, polished in email. | NoSource: help.krisp.ai/hc — checked Oct 2026Not supported for system-wide dictation. | PartialSource: docs.macwhisper.com/article — checked Oct 2026Pro lets users assign a saved dictation prompt to each selected destination app. |
Choose Krisp for structured meeting notes and shared meeting AI chat, or MacWhisper for offline Mac transcription with a one-time Pro license. Choose Ottex for automatic dictation formatting, recognition dictionaries and saved text inserted through voice triggers.
Krisp Free includes unlimited transcription, 60 daily noise-cancellation minutes and two daily AI summaries with action items. MacWhisper has a free edition; Ottex offers free app access with local models or BYOK, with provider usage charged separately.
Krisp Core costs $16/seat/mo, totaling $192 for 12 months; no annual price is listed. MacWhisper Pro costs $73.2 once and optional Assistant costs $89.99/yr; Ottex Pro costs $168/yr, while local models or BYOK require no app subscription, with provider charges separate.
Choose MacWhisper or Ottex with local models if keeping speech recognition on-device is your priority; Krisp has no local option. External AI services configured for rewriting can process recognized text, so local recognition and AI rewriting are separate privacy decisions.
Switch to MacWhisper for offline transcription and direct-download Mac dictation; stay with Krisp for shared meeting AI chat. Choose Ottex for built-in casual or professional dictation profiles and AI Shortcuts that rewrite selected or copied text.
Krisp supports Windows and Android; MacWhisper and Ottex list Mac and iOS. Krisp does not provide system-wide dictation, so its wider platform coverage serves meeting workflows.
MacWhisper can recognize speech offline after downloading a Whisper model; Ottex offers on-device Whisper and Parakeet v3. Krisp has no local option, while MacWhisper Pro dictation rewriting requires a separately configured AI service.