MiniWhisper vs Shadow vs Ottex AI
An honest, side-by-side comparison of features, pricing, privacy, and technology. Find out which dictation tool fits your workflow.
Quick Overview
Ottex AI
Pricing
Free (BYOK, Local models), or pay-as-you-go (Ottex Provider)
Privacy
Excellent - Choose between Local models and BYOK. You control where data goes.
Key Strength
Free for personal use with BYOK/local models (vs $8-15/mo competitors), Gemini 3 Flash (99
MiniWhisper
Pricing
Free for dictation, Pro only for AI-reformatting (No price yet; in public Beta)
Privacy
100% Local for transcription, Venice.ai privacy-focused LLM for (optional) post-processing
Key Strength
Lightweight, AI-text-processing, Auto-translate
Shadow
Pricing
$8/mo
Privacy
Great - Content not accessed except for processing
Key Strength
Shadow lets you build your own AI workflows to handle meeting follow-up tasks your way
Pricing
| Feature | Ottex AI | MiniWhisper | Shadow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lifetime Price | Free (Local models, BYOK) | Free | Free |
| Subscription | Free (BYOK, Local models), or pay-as-you-go (Ottex Provider) | Free for dictation, Pro only for AI-reformatting (No price yet; in public Beta) | $8/mo |
| Education Discount | Same pricing for all | N/A | N/A |
Platform
| Feature | Ottex AI | MiniWhisper | Shadow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platforms | MacOS, iOS | MacOS | MacOS |
| Open Source |
Technology
| Feature | Ottex AI | MiniWhisper | Shadow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transcription Engines | Cloud: Whisper, Gemini 3 Flash, Voxtral. Local: Whisper, Parakeet v3 | Whisper | Whisper |
| Processing Options | Cloud (BYOK), Local | 100% Local | 100% Local |
| Model Selection | |||
| Apple Silicon Optimized | |||
| Memory Management | Excellent (~50MB) |
Dictation
| Feature | Ottex AI | MiniWhisper | Shadow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dictation Type | Realtime, Post-Dictation | Post-Dictation | Realtime |
| Speed | <500msLocal <500ms
Cloud 500ms–2s with Gemini 3 Flash | <500ms | >2 seconds |
| System-Wide Insertion | |||
| Trigger Options | Hotkey, Shortcut | Hotkey, Mouse | Hotkey (non-configurable), Autopilot |
| Language Auto Detection | 100+ languages with Gemini 3 Flash. Mid-sentence language switching. Best multilingual quality available. | ||
| Context Awareness | Screenshot-based context analysis. Work modes per app (email, notes, code). Custom instructions per context. | ||
| Dictation History | |||
| Search | Search |
Text Processing
| Feature | Ottex AI | MiniWhisper | Shadow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Voice Corrections 'Scratch that', 'actually' | |||
| Precision Typing 'New line', 'new paragraph' | new line, new paragraph | ||
| Glossaries | |||
| Filler Word Removal | |||
| Auto-correction | |||
| Translation | via AI commands | Realtime |
AI & Automation
| Feature | Ottex AI | MiniWhisper | Shadow |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI Integration | BYOK - OpenRouter, Google AI, OpenAI, Anthropic, Mistral, OpenAI competible providers | Venice.ai | App-Provided AI Access |
| Custom Prompts | |||
| Inline AI Commands Unique Ottex feature | |||
| AI Shortcuts | |||
| Meeting Summaries |
Features
| Feature | Ottex AI | MiniWhisper | Shadow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Menu Bar Access | |||
| Batch Transcription | |||
| Audio File Transcription | |||
| Video Transcription | With diarization (speaker separation) | ||
| Meeting Recording | With diarization (speaker separation) |
Accessibility
| Feature | Ottex AI | MiniWhisper | Shadow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Shortcuts | |||
| Launcher Support Raycast, Alfred | Raycast, Alfred |
Privacy
| Feature | Ottex AI | MiniWhisper | Shadow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Privacy Policy | Excellent - Choose between Local models and BYOK. You control where data goes. | 100% Local for transcription, Venice.ai privacy-focused LLM for (optional) post-processing | Great - Content not accessed except for processing |
Why Ottex AI is the smart choice
While MiniWhisper and Shadow have their strengths, Ottex AI gives you the best of both worlds: enterprise-grade accuracy via Gemini 3 Flash, complete privacy with Local models and BYOK, and zero subscription lock-in.
Best Value
Free forever with local models or your own API keys. Optional $9/mo premium is cheaper than competitors.
Multilingual King
Gemini 3 Flash supports 100+ languages with 99.1% accuracy and mid-sentence switching.
Inline AI
Don't just dictate. Command. "Fix grammar", "Make professional", "Translate" — all while you speak.
Free for personal use • No credit card required