COMPARISONEvery claim sourced · verified Jun 2026

Alter vs Spokenly: the honest comparison.

Alter is the more opaque choice: Mac-focused, with pricing and core details still unverified. Spokenly is the safer dictation pick across Mac, Windows, and iOS. Ottex sits beside them as our Mac/iOS tool for dictation, file transcription, and meetings.

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.

Spokenly

Mac, Windows, iOS · Limited free · $9.99/mo

Spokenly is a strong pick for Mac-first dictation with real offline and BYOK options, but it is not a meeting assistant and has no web, Linux, Android, or live meeting workflow.

Choose if

You want system-wide push-to-talk dictation on macOS, iOS, or Windows, with text inserted directly into the active app.
You want unlimited free local dictation in 100+ languages, or BYOK transcription where Spokenly charges nothing beyond your provider costs.
You need file transcription from the terminal, including batch audio/video jobs and TXT, SRT, VTT, Markdown, or JSON output.

Look elsewhere if

You need meeting recording, calendar detection, summaries, action items, follow-up emails, or shared meeting memory.
You need a browser, web app, Android, or Linux workflow instead of installed desktop/mobile apps.

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

Spokenly wins pricing clarity over Alter because it has unlimited free local models, free BYOK, and a $9.99/mo Pro plan, while Alter publishes no price. Ottex is broader but costs more if you subscribe, with free local and BYOK paths, $0.2/hour PAYG, $14/mo Pro, and $24/seat/mo Team.

See the evidence — 15 claims across 3 toolsverified Jun 2026Show table

	Ottex	Alter	Spokenly
Free tier	YesForever free with local models and BYOK providers.	PartialAll 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.	PartialUnlimited use; no usage limits
Subscription	$14/mo$14/mo — unlimited dictation and meeting intelligence, all hosted models included.	$2/moOptional annual add-on for advanced local speech-to-text and meeting recording.	$9.99/moThe pricing page shows annual billing at $99.99 per year and references Pro cloud features.
Pay-as-you-go / one-timeEscape the flat subscription	$0.2/hourHosted models at cost: dictation ~$0.2/h, meetings ~$0.5/h (~$3/mo average).	$720 one-timePermanent 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	YesOpenRouter, Google AI, OpenAI, Anthropic, Mistral, and compatible providers.	YesFree plan supports connecting own AI providers like OpenAI and Anthropic.	YesUsers can connect their own API keys from OpenAI, Deepgram, Groq, ElevenLabs, Mistral, and other providers.
Education discount	NoSame pricing for everyone.	YesSpecial pricing is available for students and academics by email request.	YesVerified students get 50% off Pro after contacting support with an academic email.

Platforms

Spokenly wins platform coverage with Mac, Windows, and iOS across 3 platforms. Alter is Mac only, while Ottex is Mac and iOS only, so neither Alter nor Ottex is the right pick if Windows support is required.

See the evidence — 5 claims across 3 toolsverified Jun 2026Show table

	Ottex	Alter	Spokenly
Platforms	Mac, iOS	Mac	Mac, Windows, iOS
Native app footprintLight on memory, instant to invoke	YesNative Swift app, ~50MB RAM.	YesLinkedIn describes Alter as built natively in Swift.	No public claim

Meetings & team memory

Ottex is the only one of the three with confirmed meeting capture, while Alter has no verified meeting capability in the digest and Spokenly has no meetings. Spokenly’s $9.99/mo Pro plan is for dictation, not calls, and Ottex adds meetings through its free local/BYOK paths, $0.2/hour PAYG, $14/mo Pro, and $24/seat/mo Team.

See the evidence — 17 claims across 3 toolsverified Jun 2026Show table

	Ottex	Alter	Spokenly
Meeting recordingThe call is captured at all	YesWith speaker separation.	YesAlter records meeting audio from applications or the system microphone.	NoNot supported.
Bot-free captureNo "recording bot" joins your call	YesSystem-audio capture, no bot joins the call.	YesAlter records from the Mac audio system without a bot joining the meeting.	NoNot supported.
Speaker separation	Yes	YesPaid plans include speaker identification for meeting recordings.	NoNot supported for live meetings.
Calendar detection	YesCalendar-based meeting detection.	YesAlter detects common meeting apps and prompts the user to record.	NoNot supported.
Cross-meeting search	Yes	YesAlter allows search through all past meetings.	NoNot supported.
Shared team memory	PartialPublic share links, not a full team workspace.	No public claim	NoNot supported.

From meeting to finished work

Ottex wins meeting intelligence because it turns meetings into follow-up emails, Linear tickets, CRM updates, PRDs, and docs. Alter has no verified summaries or finished-work workflow, and Spokenly has no meeting assistant at all despite its strong $9.99/mo dictation plan.

See the evidence — 11 claims across 3 toolsverified Jun 2026Show table

	Ottex	Alter	Spokenly
Decisions, owners, action itemsLeave the meeting with next steps clear	YesDecisions with owners extracted.	YesDocs list extracting decisions from meetings.	NoNot supported.
Follow-up email draftedThe outcome is sent, not summarized	YesDrafted from templates or your own.	YesDocs list a follow-up email draft based on a meeting as a common prompt.	NoNot supported.
CRM update / ticket draft	YesStructured for the target app.	PartialMeetings page says summaries and action items can be pushed to CRM or project management tools after meetings.	NoNot supported.
Your rough notes steer the result	YesRough notes and instructions steer the result.	No public claim	NoNot supported.

Dictation & transcription AI

Spokenly beats Alter for dictation AI because it confirms dictation, local models, BYOK, and 100+ languages, while Alter has no verified language count, local option, or BYOK. Ottex matches Spokenly on 100+ languages, local models, and BYOK, then adds file transcription and per-app output rules on Mac and iOS.

See the evidence — 11 claims across 3 toolsverified Jun 2026Show table

	Ottex	Alter	Spokenly
Engines	Cloud: Whisper, Gemini 3 Flash, Voxtral. Local: Whisper, Parakeet v3.Hosted routing, BYOK, or fully local.	Whisper, Whisper Pro, Parakeet v3, local models, cloud models via own API keys or Alter routersPricing names Whisper, Whisper Pro, Parakeet v3, local models, BYOK cloud models, and 50+ cloud models on Pro.	Whisper, Parakeet, Apple Speech Analyzer, GPT-4o Transcribe, Deepgram Nova 3, Soniox, Groq, ElevenLabs, Mistral, Fireworks, CerebrasPublished pages name local, BYOK, managed cloud, and third-party providers across pricing and privacy materials.
Local / on-device optionAudio never leaves the machine	YesWhisper and Parakeet v3 run fully on-device.	YesMeetings page says no internet is required for recording and local processing with Parakeet V3.	YesLocal Only Mode keeps transcription on-device and blocks network access.
Model selection per task	YesChoose the model per task and per provider.	YesPro routes to a model or lets the user choose a favorite model.	YesDocs say users choose between fast and high-accuracy dictation models.
Languages & mixed speechWork that crosses languages mid-sentence	Yes100+ languages · Mid-sentence language switching.	No public claim	No public claim
Per-app output rules	YesPer-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.

You dictate about 3 h a week≈ 23,400 words at ~130 wpm

0 h5 h10 h

and sit in 4 h of meetings a weekhours you'd want captured and turned into follow-ups

0 h7.5 h15 h

Fill the gaps with:

Dictation appadded to meetings-only toolsMeetings appadded to dictation-only tools

OttexOttex Provider — PAYG$135/yrHosted models at cost: dictation ~$0.2/h, meetings ~$0.5/h (~$3/mo average).

OttexSubscription - Pro$168/yr$14/mo — unlimited dictation and meeting intelligence, all hosted models included.

SpokenlyPro$268/yr$100 + $168The pricing page shows annual billing at $99.99 per year and references Pro cloud features. · High-accuracy cloud models; AI text processing; works out of the box; priority support

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 Spokenly: which should I pick?

Pick Spokenly if you want a known dictation product today, because it supports Mac, Windows, and iOS, 100+ languages, local models, BYOK, and a $9.99/mo Pro plan. Pick Alter only if you specifically want to evaluate its Mac app and are comfortable verifying pricing, languages, privacy, and platform details yourself.

Is Alter free?

Alter does not publish pricing in the provided digest, so there is no confirmed free plan to rely on. Spokenly is clearer because local models are free with unlimited use, BYOK is free from Spokenly, and Pro is $9.99/mo.

Is Spokenly free?

Yes, Spokenly has free unlimited local models and a free BYOK mode where Spokenly charges nothing beyond your provider costs. Its paid Pro plan is $9.99/mo for cloud models, AI text processing, and priority support.

How much does Alter cost compared with Spokenly?

Alter pricing is not published, so the honest yearly number cannot be calculated from the digest. Spokenly Pro is $9.99/mo, which is $119.88/year before any outside provider costs in BYOK mode.

Is Alter or Spokenly safer for privacy?

Spokenly is the clearer privacy pick because it offers local models and BYOK, so you have options beyond a forced cloud subscription. Alter’s privacy posture, offline processing, and compliance claims are unverified in the digest.

Does Alter or Spokenly work on Windows or Android?

Spokenly works on Windows, Mac, and iOS, while Alter is confirmed only for Mac. Neither Alter nor Spokenly supports Android, Linux, web, or a browser workflow in the provided digest.

Does Alter or Spokenly work offline?

Spokenly is the offline pick because it has a local model option with unlimited use. Alter has no verified local or offline option in the digest.

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