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
Spokenly vs Vowen: the honest comparison.
Three tools. Different strengths. Find your fit.
Ottex
Spokenly
VowenAll 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.
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.
Vowen
Mac, Windows
Choose if
You want desktop dictation and meeting notes for $49 once.
Look elsewhere if
You need AI features ready without configuring models or providers.
The evidence
Pricing
Spokenly Pro costs $9.99/mo; Vowen Pro costs $49 once; Ottex Pro costs $14/mo. Spokenly and Ottex offer free app access with local models or BYOK; BYOK can incur provider charges.
See the evidence — 14 claims across 3 toolsverified Oct 2026Show tableHide table
| Feature | Ottex | Spokenly | Vowen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free tier | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Forever free with local models and BYOK providers. | PartialSource: spokenly.app/pricing — checked Oct 2026No usage limits | PartialSource: docs.vowen.ai/pricing — checked Oct 202610 saved meeting notes; 10 manual file transcriptions, for the lifetime of the install; 5 per day Command Mode; 1 Tone; 3 memory items; 1 custom text expansion. |
| Subscription | $14/moSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026$14/mo — unlimited dictation and meeting intelligence, all hosted models included. | $6.99/moSource: spokenly.app/team — checked Oct 2026Each seat includes full Pro with a permanent 30% discount and centralized billing. | NoNo subscription plan |
| One-time payment | Not applicableSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Application is free | Not applicableSource: spokenly.app/pricing — checked Oct 2026Application is free | $49 one-timeSource: vowen.ai/pricing — checked Oct 2026Lifetime updates, including all future versions. |
| 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: spokenly.app/privacy — checked Oct 2026BYOK audio and text travel directly from the device to the selected provider. | YesSource: docs.vowen.ai/ai-features — checked Oct 2026Cloud speech and AI providers use the user's own credentials and bill the user separately. |
| Education discount | NoSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Same pricing for everyone. | 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. | No public claim |
The evidence
Platforms
Spokenly supports Mac, Windows, iOS and Linux; Vowen supports Mac and Windows; Ottex supports Mac and iOS. Choose Spokenly if you need dictation across Windows and iOS.
See the evidence — 5 claims across 3 toolsverified Oct 2026Show tableHide table
| Feature | Ottex | Spokenly | Vowen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Mac, iOSSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026 | Mac, Windows, iOS, LinuxSource: spokenly.app/download — checked Oct 2026Some platforms in beta/waitlist | Mac, WindowsSource: vowen.ai — 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: spokenly.app/android — checked Oct 2026The macOS and iOS applications are built with Swift. | No public claim |
The evidence
Meetings & team memory
Spokenly, Vowen and Ottex record without bots; Spokenly limits capture to Mac. Ottex offers an experimental opt-in macOS camera recording watermark; Vowen sends no recording notices in meeting chat or calendar.
See the evidence — 18 claims across 3 toolsverified Oct 2026Show tableHide table
| Feature | Ottex | Spokenly | Vowen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meeting recordingThe call is captured at all | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026With speaker separation. | PartialSource: spokenly.app/dictation-for-mac — checked Oct 2026Meeting recording ships on Mac and requires macOS 14.4 or later. | YesSource: vowen.ai/tools — checked Oct 2026Records online calls and in-person meetings from the user's computer. |
| Bot-free captureNo "recording bot" joins your call | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026System-audio capture, no bot joins the call. | YesSource: spokenly.app/blog — checked Oct 2026Mac meeting recording captures audio without a bot joining the call. | YesSource: vowen.ai/tools — checked Oct 2026Capture runs on the user's computer 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 | NoSource: vowen.ai/tools — checked Oct 2026Vowen does not notify other participants and asks the recording user to disclose recording themselves. |
| Speaker separation | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026 | PartialSource: spokenly.app/blog — checked Oct 2026Saved meeting recordings can be transcribed with voice-based speaker labels that may require manual correction. | PartialSource: docs.vowen.ai/meeting-notes — checked Oct 2026Pro separates speakers with supported local or cloud models and allows users to rename their labels. |
| Calendar detection | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Calendar-based meeting detection. | PartialSource: spokenly.app/releases — checked Oct 2026Mac meeting detection is documented in release notes, including Safari support. | PartialSource: docs.vowen.ai/meeting-notes — checked Oct 2026Pro optionally detects meeting apps using the microphone and offers a recording prompt. |
| Cross-meeting search | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026 | No public claim | YesSource: docs.vowen.ai/cli — checked Oct 2026The local MCP server exposes full-text search across meeting notes, file transcriptions and dictations. |
| Shared team memory | PartialSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Public share links, not a full team workspace. | No public claim | NoSource: docs.vowen.ai/pricing — checked Oct 2026Shared team workspaces are on the roadmap and are not shipping. |
The evidence
From meeting to finished work
Spokenly summarizes recordings through configured AI Instructions; Vowen offers structured meeting templates and follow-up email drafts. Ottex also offers document templates and follow-up drafts, plus CRM update and ticket drafts.
See the evidence — 12 claims across 3 toolsverified Oct 2026Show tableHide table
| Feature | Ottex | Spokenly | Vowen |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | PartialSource: docs.vowen.ai/meeting-notes — checked Oct 2026Pro installs templates from a 44-item library whose section instructions structure transcripts into documents such as interviews, design reviews and board minutes. |
| 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 | PartialSource: docs.vowen.ai/meeting-notes — checked Oct 2026Pro Ask AI offers five reusable question starters in the empty chat and slash menu for summaries, decisions, actions, unresolved issues and follow-up emails. |
| Decisions, owners, action itemsLeave the meeting with next steps clear | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Decisions with owners extracted. | No public claim | YesSource: docs.vowen.ai/meeting-notes — checked Oct 2026The default meeting template extracts decisions and follow-ups. |
| Follow-up email draftedThe outcome is sent, not summarized | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Drafted from templates or your own. | No public claim | PartialSource: docs.vowen.ai/meeting-notes — checked Oct 2026Pro includes a Follow-Up Email Draft document template and an Ask AI starter that drafts an email from the meeting. |
| 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. | NoSource: spokenly.app/comparison — checked Oct 2026Not supported. | YesSource: docs.vowen.ai/meeting-notes — checked Oct 2026Notes typed during recording and marked important moments are passed into the summary prompt as context. |
The evidence
Dictation & transcription AI
Spokenly, Vowen and Ottex apply saved instructions to dictation before insertion; Vowen requires enabled AI Enhancement. Vowen and Ottex also insert saved text through spoken triggers; Spokenly does not.
See the evidence — 30 claims across 3 toolsverified Oct 2026Show tableHide table
| Feature | Ottex | Spokenly | Vowen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engines | Cloud: Whisper, Gemini 3 Flash, Voxtral. Local: Whisper, Parakeet v3.Source: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Hosted routing, BYOK, or fully local. | 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. | Whisper, Parakeet, Nemotron; optional BYOK cloud speech models and custom speech serversSource: docs.vowen.ai/transcription — checked Oct 2026Available engines and their streaming capabilities vary by platform and model. |
| Local / on-device optionAudio never leaves the machine | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Whisper and Parakeet v3 run fully on-device. | YesSource: spokenly.app/docs — checked Oct 2026Downloaded local models transcribe offline, and Local Only Mode blocks outbound network access. | YesSource: docs.vowen.ai/transcription — checked Oct 2026Downloaded local speech models transcribe on-device without an internet connection. |
| Model selection per task | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Choose the model per task and per provider. | YesSource: spokenly.app/docs — checked Oct 2026Users choose transcription models and AI providers per mode. | YesSource: docs.vowen.ai/transcription — checked Oct 2026Users choose local or configured cloud speech models and can switch between them. |
| Languages & mixed speechWork that crosses languages mid-sentence | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026100+ languages · Mid-sentence language switching. | PartialSource: spokenly.app/blog — checked Oct 2026100+ languages · Gemini 3.5 Transcribe supports switching languages mid-sentence. | PartialSource: docs.vowen.ai/transcription — checked Oct 202699+ languages · Mid-sentence language switching is documented using Soniox with Auto-detect and the user's API key. |
| 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: spokenly.app/docs — checked Oct 2026Models add punctuation, and optional Smart Paragraphs on Mac adds paragraph breaks; automatic list formatting remains unverified. | PartialSource: docs.vowen.ai/ai-features — checked Oct 2026Optional AI Enhancement automatically adds punctuation, paragraphs and lists, with custom instructions controlling formatting. |
| Custom dictionary | YesSource: ottex.ai/docs — checked Oct 2026Add or delete names and specialist terms with preferred spellings; entries provide recognition context during transcription. | PartialSource: spokenly.app/docs — checked Oct 2026Supported models accept custom keyterms; ElevenLabs live transcription applies only the first 50 terms. | PartialSource: docs.vowen.ai/features — checked Oct 2026The editable dictionary supports recognition biasing on compatible engines and deterministic misspelling replacements on every engine. |
| 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: spokenly.app/comparison — checked Oct 2026Not supported. | YesSource: docs.vowen.ai/features — checked Oct 2026Threads replace spoken trigger phrases with saved plain or rich text before insertion on local and cloud engines. |
| 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. | YesSource: spokenly.app/docs — checked Oct 2026Saved mode AI Instructions process each dictation before its configured auto-insert action using the selected AI provider. | PartialSource: docs.vowen.ai/ai-features — checked Oct 2026Saved global and per-Tone instructions apply automatically during enabled AI Enhancement before insertion, with global instructions free on every plan. |
| 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. | No public claim | PartialSource: docs.vowen.ai/ai-features — checked Oct 2026Command Mode rewrites, summarizes, translates and formats selected text through a configured AI provider, with 5 runs per day on Free and unlimited on Pro. |
| Per-app output rules | YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Oct 2026Per-app output rules: exact in AI chats, polished in email. | PartialSource: spokenly.app/docs — checked Oct 2026Mac modes automatically activate for configured applications or websites. | PartialSource: docs.vowen.ai/ai-features — checked Oct 2026Tones automatically select instructions, speech models and languages by app or website, with one profile on Free and unlimited on Pro. |
Questions people actually ask.
Spokenly vs Vowen: which should I choose?
Choose Vowen for unlimited meeting notes and follow-up drafts at $49 once, or Spokenly for Linux/iOS coverage and free local dictation. Ottex fits Mac/iOS users who want built-in dictation tone presets alongside saved writing instructions.
Is Spokenly or Vowen free?
Spokenly and Ottex offer free app access using local models or BYOK, with provider charges separate. Vowen has a limited Free plan with 10 saved meeting notes and 10 manual file transcriptions over the install’s lifetime, plus 5 Command Mode runs per day.
How much do Spokenly and Vowen cost?
Spokenly Pro costs $9.99/mo or $99.99/yr; Vowen Pro costs $49 once; Ottex Pro costs $14/mo or $168/yr. All three support local models and BYOK, with cloud-provider charges separate.
Is Spokenly safe for private dictation?
Choose Spokenly if you need Local Only Mode to block outbound network access. Vowen and Ottex also transcribe audio on-device; all three offer cloud/BYOK paths, where cloud transcription sends audio to the configured provider.
Is it worth switching from Spokenly to Vowen?
Switch to Vowen for spoken text expansions, list formatting with enabled AI Enhancement and selected-text rewrites. Spokenly already applies saved dictation instructions and supports model keyterms; Ottex combines automatic list formatting, a custom dictionary, saved rules and existing-text rewrites.
Do Spokenly and Vowen work on Windows or Android?
Spokenly and Vowen work on Windows; Ottex does not. Android is not listed for any of them; Spokenly and Ottex support iOS, while Vowen lists Mac and Windows only.
Do Spokenly and Vowen work offline?
Yes: Spokenly, Vowen and Ottex can transcribe with local speech models offline. All three let you select speech models; Spokenly and Ottex list 100 languages, while Vowen lists 99.