Alter is the more ambiguous Mac option: it positions around voice writing and meeting recording, but key buying details are missing. FluidVoice is the clearer pick for macOS dictation, while Ottex is the broader Mac/iOS option when dictation, meetings, and finished work need to live in one tool.
Ottex
Mac, iOS · Free tier · $14/mo · PAYG
Ottex is unusually broad for a young Mac/iOS-first tool: it turns dictation and meetings into emails, tickets, CRM updates, notes, and docs, but it is not the pick if you need Windows, Android, web, browser extension, or compliance paperwork.
Choose if
You want one tool for system-wide dictation, meeting recording, and finished written outcomes like follow-up emails, Linear tickets, CRM updates, PRDs, and docs
You want a real free path: unlimited local dictation, file transcription, and meetings on Mac with Whisper/Parakeet, or BYOK instead of a forced subscription
You need multilingual dictation with 100+ languages, auto-detection, mixed-language speech, personal vocabulary, and per-app output rules
Look elsewhere if
You need Windows, Android, Linux, web access, or a browser extension
You need mature team infrastructure such as a shared workspace, API/webhooks, third-party note destinations, or assistant chat over transcripts today.
Alter
Mac · Limited free · $2/mo · $720 one-time
Alter looks like a Mac-focused tool for dictating into apps and recording meetings, but its public claims are thin: pricing, languages, transcription imports, summaries, privacy posture, and non-Mac platforms are all unverified.
Choose if
You want a Mac app that publicly positions itself around writing by voice in other apps.
You want one product that at least publicly mentions both dictation and meeting recording, and you are willing to verify the missing details directly with the0
Look elsewhere if
You need confirmed Windows, iOS, Android, Linux, web, or browser-extension support.
You need published pricing, trial details, language coverage, offline/local processing, or compliance claims before buying.
FluidVoice
Mac · Limited free
FluidVoice is a free, open-source macOS dictation tool with local model options and system-wide insertion, but it is not a meeting assistant and its public claims are thin on formatting, collaboration, and enterprise controls.
Choose if
You want a free, GPLv3 macOS dictation app with no paid tiers.
You use macOS 15 Sequoia or later and want voice input that works across text fields with a global hotkey.
You want control over speech models, including local options and Whisper support for up to 99 languages.
Look elsewhere if
You need Windows, web, iOS, Android, Linux, or browser-extension support.
You need meeting recording, summaries, action items, speaker identification, calendar integration, or shared team memory.
The evidence
What actually differs, claim by claim.
Each section opens with the takeaway. The table underneath is the receipt — every cell carries its source and the date we checked it.
Pricing
FluidVoice wins simple pricing against Alter and Ottex: it lists one Free forever plan with no paid tiers, while Alter publishes no pricing and only shows an Unknown custom plan. Ottex is more flexible than Alter, with Free local AI, Free BYOK, $0.2/hour PAYG, $14/mo Pro, $24/seat/mo Team, and custom Enterprise, but FluidVoice is the cleanest no-cost choice if its Mac-only dictation scope is enough.
See the evidence — 14 claims across 3 toolsverified Jun 2026Show tableHide table
Ottex
Alter
FluidVoice
Free tier
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Forever free with local models and BYOK providers.
PartialSource: alterhq.com/pricing — checked Jun 2026All core features; uses own API keys or local models; 7 days unlimited access to 50+ AI models; free meeting recording is Very Slow (Whisper) and has no speaker identification.
PartialSource: github.com/altic-dev — checked Jun 2026Free forever, no paid tiers
Subscription
$14/moSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026$14/mo — unlimited dictation and meeting intelligence, all hosted models included.
$2/moSource: alterhq.com/pricing — checked Jun 2026Optional annual add-on for advanced local speech-to-text and meeting recording.
NoNo subscription plan
Pay-as-you-go / one-timeEscape the flat subscription
$0.2/hourSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Hosted models at cost: dictation ~$0.2/h, meetings ~$0.5/h (~$3/mo average).
$720 one-timeSource: alterhq.com/pricing — checked Jun 2026Permanent access to Alter, future platform upgrades, all current and future features, and all AI models subject to fair use.
NoSubscription only
Bring your own keyPay the model provider, not the middleman
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026OpenRouter, Google AI, OpenAI, Anthropic, Mistral, and compatible providers.
YesSource: alterhq.com/pricing — checked Jun 2026Free plan supports connecting own AI providers like OpenAI and Anthropic.
YesSource: github.com/altic-dev — checked Jun 2026Optional AI provider API keys can be added for enhanced transcription.
Education discount
NoSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Same pricing for everyone.
YesSource: alterhq.com/pricing — checked Jun 2026Special pricing is available for students and academics by email request.
No public claim
Platforms
Ottex has the widest verified platform coverage of the three with Mac and iOS, while Alter and FluidVoice are both Mac only. FluidVoice requires macOS 15 Sequoia or later in its notes, Alter has no confirmed Windows, iOS, Android, Linux, web, or extension support, and none of the three covers Windows or Android.
See the evidence — 6 claims across 3 toolsverified Jun 2026Show tableHide table
Ottex
Alter
FluidVoice
Platforms
Mac, iOSSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026
MacSource: docs.alterhq.com — checked Jun 2026
MacSource: github.com/altic-dev — checked Jun 2026
Native app footprintLight on memory, instant to invoke
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Native Swift app, ~50MB RAM.
YesSource: linkedin.com/company — checked Jun 2026LinkedIn describes Alter as built natively in Swift.
YesSource: altic.dev/fluid — checked Jun 2026The vendor describes FluidVoice as a native macOS app.
Meetings & team memory
Ottex wins meeting capture because it is the only one of the three with meetings marked true. Alter’s public story mentions meeting recording but the digest does not verify meetings, while FluidVoice has meetings marked false and is explicitly not a meeting assistant.
See the evidence — 17 claims across 3 toolsverified Jun 2026Show tableHide table
Ottex
Alter
FluidVoice
Meeting recordingThe call is captured at all
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026With speaker separation.
YesSource: alterhq.com/meetings — checked Jun 2026Alter records meeting audio from applications or the system microphone.
NoSource: github.com/altic-dev — checked Jun 2026Not supported.
Bot-free captureNo "recording bot" joins your call
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026System-audio capture, no bot joins the call.
YesSource: alterhq.com/meetings — checked Jun 2026Alter records from the Mac audio system without a bot joining the meeting.
NoSource: github.com/altic-dev — checked Jun 2026Not supported.
Speaker separation
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026
YesSource: alterhq.com/pricing — checked Jun 2026Paid plans include speaker identification for meeting recordings.
NoSource: github.com/altic-dev — checked Jun 2026Not supported.
Calendar detection
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Calendar-based meeting detection.
YesSource: docs.alterhq.com/getting-started — checked Jun 2026Alter detects common meeting apps and prompts the user to record.
NoSource: github.com/altic-dev — checked Jun 2026Not supported.
Cross-meeting search
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026
YesSource: alterhq.com/meetings — checked Jun 2026Alter allows search through all past meetings.
NoSource: github.com/altic-dev — checked Jun 2026Not supported.
Shared team memory
PartialSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Public share links, not a full team workspace.
No public claim
NoSource: github.com/altic-dev — checked Jun 2026Not supported.
From meeting to finished work
Ottex wins meeting intelligence because it connects dictation and meetings to finished outcomes like follow-up emails, Linear tickets, CRM updates, PRDs, and docs. Alter has no verified summaries or workflow output in the digest, and FluidVoice is focused on dictation and file transcription rather than action items, calendar context, or shared team memory.
See the evidence — 11 claims across 3 toolsverified Jun 2026Show tableHide table
Ottex
Alter
FluidVoice
Decisions, owners, action itemsLeave the meeting with next steps clear
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Decisions with owners extracted.
YesSource: docs.alterhq.com/getting-started — checked Jun 2026Docs list extracting decisions from meetings.
NoSource: github.com/altic-dev — checked Jun 2026Not supported.
Follow-up email draftedThe outcome is sent, not summarized
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Drafted from templates or your own.
YesSource: docs.alterhq.com/getting-started — checked Jun 2026Docs list a follow-up email draft based on a meeting as a common prompt.
NoSource: github.com/altic-dev — checked Jun 2026Not supported.
CRM update / ticket draft
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Structured for the target app.
PartialSource: alterhq.com/meetings — checked Jun 2026Meetings page says summaries and action items can be pushed to CRM or project management tools after meetings.
NoSource: github.com/altic-dev — checked Jun 2026Not supported.
Your rough notes steer the result
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Rough notes and instructions steer the result.
No public claim
NoSource: github.com/altic-dev — checked Jun 2026Not supported.
Dictation & transcription AI
FluidVoice beats Alter for verified dictation: it has dictation true, file transcription true, BYOK true, and 99 languages, while Alter has dictation false, file transcription false, BYOK false, no local option, and no language count. Ottex is the broader dictation stack with dictation true, file transcription true, BYOK true, localOption true, and 100 languages, so it wins if local processing and per-app output are.
See the evidence — 11 claims across 3 toolsverified Jun 2026Show tableHide table
Ottex
Alter
FluidVoice
Engines
Cloud: Whisper, Gemini 3 Flash, Voxtral. Local: Whisper, Parakeet v3.Source: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Hosted routing, BYOK, or fully local.
Whisper, Whisper Pro, Parakeet v3, local models, cloud models via own API keys or Alter routersSource: alterhq.com/pricing — checked Jun 2026Pricing names Whisper, Whisper Pro, Parakeet v3, local models, BYOK cloud models, and 50+ cloud models on Pro.
Nemotron Speech 3.5, Parakeet Flash, Parakeet TDT v3, Parakeet TDT v2, Cohere Transcribe, Apple Speech, Whisper Tiny/Base/Small/Medium/LargeSource: github.com/altic-dev — checked Jun 2026The README lists these supported speech models.
Local / on-device optionAudio never leaves the machine
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Whisper and Parakeet v3 run fully on-device.
YesSource: alterhq.com/meetings — checked Jun 2026Meetings page says no internet is required for recording and local processing with Parakeet V3.
PartialSource: altic.dev/fluid — checked Jun 2026Local speech models are supported, while Cohere and AI enhancement use optional cloud providers.
Model selection per task
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Choose the model per task and per provider.
YesSource: alterhq.com/pricing — checked Jun 2026Pro routes to a model or lets the user choose a favorite model.
YesSource: github.com/altic-dev — checked Jun 2026Users can choose among multiple supported speech models.
Languages & mixed speechWork that crosses languages mid-sentence
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026100+ languages · Mid-sentence language switching.
No public claim
No public claim
Per-app output rules
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Per-app output rules: exact in AI chats, polished in email.
No public claim
No public claim
Cost
What a year actually costs at your volume.
Personal or team — switch tabs. Subscriptions are flat; usage-based pricing depends on how much you speak and meet.
OttexSubscription - Pro$168/yr$14/mo — unlimited dictation and meeting intelligence, all hosted models included.
Estimates, not quotes. Striped bar segments are the cost of the second app you picked above to cover the gap — rankings use that combined total. PAYG uses hosted at-cost estimates ($0.2/h dictation, $0.5/h meetings); BYOK is estimated at about a third of that because you pay the model provider directly. Bring-your-own-key plans still pay the model provider per use. One-time licenses are amortized over 2 years. Subscriptions use published pricing, checked Jun 2026.
FAQ
Questions people actually ask.
Alter vs FluidVoice: which should I pick?
Pick FluidVoice if you want a concrete macOS dictation tool: it is free, BYOK-ready, supports file transcription, and lists 99 languages. Pick Alter only if you specifically want to evaluate its Mac voice-writing and meeting-recording positioning and are willing to verify pricing, languages, privacy, and platform details directly.
Is Alter free?
Alter does not publish pricing in the provided digest, and its only listed plan is Unknown: custom. That makes it a poor pick if you need a known free tier before trying a voice tool.
Is FluidVoice free?
Yes, FluidVoice lists one Free forever plan with no paid tiers. The tradeoff is scope: it is a Mac dictation and file-transcription app, not a meeting assistant.
How much does Alter cost compared with FluidVoice?
FluidVoice costs $0 under its Free forever plan, while Alter’s pricing is not published and its plan is listed as Unknown: custom. Ottex sits between free and paid usage with Free local AI, Free BYOK, $0.2/hour PAYG, $14/mo Pro, and $24/seat/mo Team.
Is Alter or FluidVoice safer for privacy?
FluidVoice is the clearer privacy pick between the two because it is BYOK-ready and its notes mention model control, while Alter has no verified privacy posture, BYOK, local processing, or compliance claims in the digest. For the strongest local-processing path in this trio, consider Ottex because it has localOption true and free local AI.
Does Alter or FluidVoice work on Windows or Android?
No verified Windows or Android support is listed for either Alter or FluidVoice. Alter is Mac only, FluidVoice is Mac only, and Ottex adds iOS but still does not cover Windows or Android.
Does Alter or FluidVoice work offline?
Alter has no verified local or offline option in the digest, and FluidVoice has localOption marked false even though it supports BYOK and 99 languages. For local processing in this trio, Ottex is the one marked localOption true.
