Alter vs Aqua Voice 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
Alter
Pricing
Freemium: Local or BYOK $29/mo, $240/yr: 50+ Cloud AI (1/mo free coupon: "AILab")
Privacy
Excellent - Local Models: 100% private. Online models: Great. API keys: direct provider connection.
Key Strength
Unlimited meeting recordings with speaker ID, no bots
Aqua Voice
Pricing
$8/mo, $96/yr
Privacy
Cloud-based processing with Privacy Mode option. When Privacy Mode disabled, transcript data may be stored for product improvement. When enabled, data not stored. TLS-encrypted connections. Team plans support org-wide Privacy Mode.
Key Strength
Industry-leading speed (450ms), 99
Pricing
| Feature | Ottex AI | Alter | Aqua Voice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lifetime Price | Free (Local models, BYOK) | $720 unlimited: 50+ models (10% off coupon: "AILab") | N/A |
| Subscription | Free (BYOK, Local models), or pay-as-you-go (Ottex Provider) | Freemium: Local or BYOK
$29/mo, $240/yr: 50+ Cloud AI (1/mo free coupon: "AILab") | $8/mo, $96/yr |
| Education Discount | Same pricing for all | 35% off students and academics | 70% off annual plans with .edu email |
Platform
| Feature | Ottex AI | Alter | Aqua Voice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platforms | MacOS, iOS | MacOS | MacOS, Windows |
| Open Source |
Technology
| Feature | Ottex AI | Alter | Aqua Voice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transcription Engines | Cloud: Whisper, Gemini 3 Flash, Voxtral. Local: Whisper, Parakeet v3 | Parakeet, Whisper Pro, Apple SpeechAnalyzer, Deepgram | Avalon (proprietary), uses 6 models including OpenAI infrastructure |
| Processing Options | Cloud (BYOK), Local | 100% Local, Cloud (Included) | Cloud |
| Model Selection | |||
| Apple Silicon Optimized | |||
| Memory Management | Excellent (~50MB) |
Dictation
| Feature | Ottex AI | Alter | Aqua Voice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dictation Type | Realtime, Post-Dictation | Post-Dictation, File based | Realtime, Post-Dictation |
| Speed | <500msLocal <500ms
Cloud 500ms–2s with Gemini 3 Flash | <500ms | <500msInstant Mode: 200ms startup, 450ms paste. Streaming Mode: 850ms response. |
| System-Wide Insertion | Works in any text field via floating text box interface, then paste | ||
| Trigger Options | Hotkey, Shortcut | Hotkey, Shortcut, Mouse | Hotkey |
| Language Auto Detection | 100+ languages with Gemini 3 Flash. Mid-sentence language switching. Best multilingual quality available. | Supports 49 languages | |
| Context Awareness | Screenshot-based context analysis. Work modes per app (email, notes, code). Custom instructions per context. | Uses system accessibility APIs to identify relevant words in active applications. Formats output based on app context (legal brief, medical note, casual email, etc.) | |
| Dictation History | meetings, not brief dictations | Stores local history of transcripts and audio | |
| Search | Search |
Text Processing
| Feature | Ottex AI | Alter | Aqua Voice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Voice Corrections 'Scratch that', 'actually' | |||
| Precision Typing 'New line', 'new paragraph' | new line, new paragraph | ||
| Glossaries | Up to 800 custom words/phrases. No pronunciation tuning required. | ||
| Filler Word Removal | |||
| Auto-correction | Claims 99.1% accuracy, fewer errors than Siri or Google Voice. Automatically handles punctuation and paragraph breaks. | ||
| Translation | via AI commands | Realtime & Files | Multilingual transcription (49 languages) but no translation between languages |
AI & Automation
| Feature | Ottex AI | Alter | Aqua Voice |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI Integration | BYOK - OpenRouter, Google AI, OpenAI, Anthropic, Mistral, OpenAI competible providers | App-Provided AI Access | Built-in (proprietary) |
| Custom Prompts | Custom Instructions feature - specify formatting preferences for numbers, currency, percentages, dashes, contractions, sentence structure | ||
| Inline AI Commands Unique Ottex feature | Natural language editing like 'Actually, change for example to for instance'. Can say 'Switch to Streaming Mode'. | ||
| AI Shortcuts | |||
| Meeting Summaries |
Features
| Feature | Ottex AI | Alter | Aqua Voice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Menu Bar Access | |||
| Batch Transcription | |||
| Audio File Transcription | |||
| Video Transcription | With diarization (speaker separation) | ||
| Meeting Recording | With diarization (speaker separation) |
Accessibility
| Feature | Ottex AI | Alter | Aqua Voice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Shortcuts | |||
| Launcher Support Raycast, Alfred | Raycast, Alfred | No native Raycast/Alfred integrations found. Can be triggered via custom workflows. |
Privacy
| Feature | Ottex AI | Alter | Aqua Voice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Privacy Policy | Excellent - Choose between Local models and BYOK. You control where data goes. | Excellent - Local Models: 100% private. Online models: Great. API keys: direct provider connection. | Cloud-based processing with Privacy Mode option. When Privacy Mode disabled, transcript data may be stored for product improvement. When enabled, data not stored. TLS-encrypted connections. Team plans support org-wide Privacy Mode. |
Why Ottex AI is the smart choice
While Alter and Aqua Voice 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