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
MacWhisper vs Spokenly: the honest comparison.
Three tools. Different strengths. Find your fit.
Ottex
MacWhisper
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.
MacWhisper
Mac, iOS
Choose if
You want offline Mac transcription with a one-time Pro purchase.
Look elsewhere if
You want automatic dictation rewriting without configuring an AI service.
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
MacWhisper Pro costs $73.2 once; Spokenly Pro costs $99.99/year and Ottex Pro costs $168/year. Spokenly and Ottex offer free app access through local models or BYOK; API providers may charge.
See the evidence — 15 claims across 3 toolsverified Oct 2026Show tableHide table
| Feature | Ottex | MacWhisper | Spokenly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free tier | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Forever free with local models and BYOK providers. | 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. | 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. | $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. | $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 | $73.2 one-timeSource: goodsnooze.gumroad.com/l — checked Oct 2026All future updates included. | 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: docs.macwhisper.com/article — checked Oct 2026Users can configure their own provider credentials, with provider charges separate from the application purchase. | 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. | 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. | 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
Spokenly supports Windows and Linux alongside Mac and iOS; MacWhisper and Ottex support Mac and iOS. Choose Spokenly if you dictate on Windows.
See the evidence — 6 claims across 3 toolsverified Oct 2026Show tableHide table
| Feature | Ottex | MacWhisper | Spokenly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Mac, iOSSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026 | Mac, iOSSource: docs.macwhisper.com/article — checked Oct 2026 | 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. | YesSource: goodsnooze.gumroad.com/l — checked Oct 2026The vendor identifies MacWhisper as a native macOS application. | YesSource: spokenly.app/android — checked Oct 2026The macOS and iOS applications are built with Swift. |
The evidence
Meetings & team memory
MacWhisper, Spokenly and Ottex record without a bot; recording notices in meeting chat or calendar are unverified for all three. Ottex offers an experimental, opt-in macOS camera recording watermark; it does not prove consent.
See the evidence — 16 claims across 3 toolsverified Oct 2026Show tableHide table
| Feature | Ottex | MacWhisper | Spokenly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meeting recordingThe call is captured at all | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026With speaker separation. | PartialSource: docs.macwhisper.com/article — checked Oct 2026Pro records meetings, while automatic recording remains labeled beta in its dedicated documentation. | 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: macwhisper.com/meeting-recording — checked Oct 2026Meetings are captured locally without a bot joining. | 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: apps.apple.com/us — checked Oct 2026Pro live meetings support speaker identification when enabled with a compatible recognition model. | 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: 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. | 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: goodsnooze.gumroad.com/l — checked Oct 2026Full-text and speaker search spans saved transcripts, including meeting transcripts. | 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
MacWhisper and Ottex offer libraries of prompts for transcript analysis; Spokenly uses configured AI Instructions for summaries. Ottex also extracts transcripts into structured document templates and drafts follow-up emails.
See the evidence — 9 claims across 3 toolsverified Oct 2026Show tableHide table
| Feature | Ottex | MacWhisper | 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. | PartialSource: docs.macwhisper.com/article — checked Oct 2026Users select predefined reusable prompts for an opened transcript and run them through a configured AI model. | No public claim |
| Decisions, owners, action itemsLeave the meeting with next steps clear | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Decisions with owners extracted. | PartialSource: docs.macwhisper.com/article — checked Oct 2026Configured transcript AI can produce meeting action points. | 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
MacWhisper Pro, Spokenly and Ottex apply saved instructions to dictation. Spokenly supports recognition keyterms; Ottex supports recognition dictionaries, automatic list formatting and voice-triggered saved-text insertion.
See the evidence — 27 claims across 3 toolsverified Oct 2026Show tableHide table
| Feature | Ottex | MacWhisper | Spokenly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engines | Cloud: Whisper, Gemini 3 Flash, Voxtral. Local: Whisper, Parakeet v3.Source: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Hosted routing, BYOK, or fully local. | WhisperSource: goodsnooze.gumroad.com/l — checked Oct 2026Whisper is explicitly documented for system-wide dictation. | 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: macwhisper.com — checked Oct 2026Whisper recognition can run locally after downloading a model. | 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: goodsnooze.gumroad.com/l — checked Oct 2026Dictation supports different Whisper models, with advanced models requiring Pro. | 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. | PartialSource: goodsnooze.gumroad.com/l — checked Oct 2026Pro can improve dictation punctuation through a configured AI service; automatic lists and paragraphing are unverified. | 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. | PartialSource: docs.macwhisper.com/article — checked Oct 2026Saved user-authored Pro dictation prompts automatically process recognized text before insertion, with AI-service setup required. | 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.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. | No public claim |
| Per-app output rules | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Per-app output rules: exact in AI chats, polished in email. | PartialSource: docs.macwhisper.com/article — checked Oct 2026Pro lets users assign a saved dictation prompt to each selected destination app. | PartialSource: spokenly.app/docs — checked Oct 2026Mac modes automatically activate for configured applications or websites. |
Questions people actually ask.
MacWhisper vs Spokenly: which is better?
Choose MacWhisper for offline transcription with a $73.2 one-time Pro license, or Spokenly for unlimited free local dictation and Windows support. Choose Ottex for automatic list formatting, voice-triggered saved text and writing rules with examples on Mac or iOS.
Is MacWhisper or Spokenly free?
MacWhisper has a free tier; advanced models and meeting recording require Pro. Spokenly and Ottex offer free app access using local models or your own API key; Spokenly lists no usage caps, and API-provider charges remain separate.
How much do MacWhisper and Spokenly cost?
MacWhisper Pro costs $73.2 once; optional Assistant costs $9.99/month or $89.99/year. Spokenly Pro costs $9.99/month or $99.99/year, and Ottex Pro costs $14/month or $168/year; both also offer free app access through local models or BYOK, with provider charges separate.
Is MacWhisper safe for private audio?
MacWhisper, Spokenly and Ottex run recognition on-device when you choose local models; external transcription APIs receive audio. Choose Spokenly if you need an explicit network block: its Local Only Mode blocks outbound access.
Is it worth switching from MacWhisper to Spokenly?
Switch to Spokenly for Windows support or verified recognition keyterms; stay with MacWhisper if offline transcription and your configured Pro dictation prompts meet your needs. Consider Ottex on Mac or iOS for automatic list formatting and voice-triggered saved-text insertion.
Does MacWhisper or Spokenly work on Windows or Android?
Spokenly supports Windows, Mac, Linux and iOS; MacWhisper and Ottex support Mac and iOS. Android support is not listed for any of the three.
Does MacWhisper or Spokenly work offline?
MacWhisper, Spokenly and Ottex support offline recognition with downloaded local models. Spokenly offers unlimited free local dictation; MacWhisper Pro adds advanced Whisper models, and Ottex offers local Whisper and Parakeet v3.