COMPARISONEvery claim sourced · verified Jun 2026

Alter vs Willow Voice: the honest comparison.

Willow Voice is the safer Alter alternative if you need confirmed dictation across Mac, Windows, and iPhone. Alter is Mac-focused, but too many basics are unpublished. Ottex belongs in the mix if you want Mac/iOS dictation plus meetings, files, local models, BYOK, and finished work outputs.

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.

Willow Voice

Mac, Windows, iOS · Limited free · $12/mo

Willow Voice looks strong if you want polished, system-wide AI dictation across Mac, Windows, and iPhone, but it is not a file transcription or meeting-notes tool, and its free tier is only about 15 minutes of speech a week.

Choose if

You want system-wide dictation that inserts text into whatever field your cursor is in.
You dictate across Mac, Windows, and iPhone and care about 100+ languages, custom vocabulary, and tone/style cleanup.
You need team dictation controls like a shared dictionary, shared shortcuts, centralized billing, and a 3-seat minimum is fine.

Look elsewhere if

You need meeting recording, summaries, action items, speaker identification, or follow-up drafts.
You need audio/video file transcription, batch processing, timestamps, or speaker labels from uploaded media files.You need a genuinely usable free plan; 2,000

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

Ottex wins pricing flexibility: it has free local AI, free BYOK, $0.2/hour PAYG, $14/mo Pro, and $24/seat/mo Team. Willow Voice is clearer than Alter, with a 2,000-word/week free tier worth only about 15 minutes of speech, $15/mo Individual, and $12/seat/mo Team with a 3-seat minimum. Alter loses on buyer confidence because its pricing is not published and its only listed plan is custom.

See the evidence — 13 claims across 3 toolsverified Jun 2026Show table

	Ottex	Alter	Willow Voice
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.	Partial2,000 free words per week
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.	$12/moPricing page shows $10/month billed annually; help center says $12 per user/month with 20% off annually.
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.	No public claim
Education discount	NoSame pricing for everyone.	YesSpecial pricing is available for students and academics by email request.	No public claim

Platforms

Willow Voice wins platform coverage with Mac, Windows, and iOS, while Alter is Mac-only and Ottex is Mac and iOS. If Windows matters, Willow Voice is the only viable pick of the three. If you are Apple-only, Ottex is broader than Alter because it pairs Mac/iOS coverage with verified dictation, file transcription, meetings, local mode, and BYOK.

See the evidence — 6 claims across 3 toolsverified Jun 2026Show table

	Ottex	Alter	Willow Voice
Platforms	Mac, iOS	Mac	Mac, Windows, iOSSome platforms in beta/waitlist
Native app footprintLight on memory, instant to invoke	YesNative Swift app, ~50MB RAM.	YesLinkedIn describes Alter as built natively in Swift.	PartialMac download appears native; Windows download URL references Electron builds.

Meetings & team memory

Ottex wins meeting capture because it is the only one of the three with verified meetings support. Alter publicly leans toward dictation and meeting recording, but the digest does not verify meetings, speaker separation, or team memory. Willow Voice has 8-minute recording sessions on Individual, but it is not positioned as a meeting recording, summaries, action-items, or speaker-identification tool.

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

	Ottex	Alter	Willow Voice
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.
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 is the only tool here tied to finished written outcomes like follow-up emails, Linear tickets, CRM updates, PRDs, docs, and notes. Willow Voice is a dictation product, not a meeting-notes or workflow automation tool. Alter has too many unpublished details to trust for summaries, follow-ups, CRM updates, or tickets.

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

	Ottex	Alter	Willow Voice
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

Willow Voice beats Alter for confirmed dictation: it supports Mac, Windows, iOS, unlimited paid words, custom vocabulary, tone cleanup, and 100 languages. Ottex matches the 100-language range and adds local models, BYOK, file transcription, mixed-language speech, personal vocabulary, and per-app output rules on Mac/iOS. Alter may fit Mac-first voice writing, but its languages, local processing, model options, and per

See the evidence — 12 claims across 3 toolsverified Jun 2026Show table

	Ottex	Alter	Willow Voice
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.	cloud-based AI modelsVendor describes the recognition stack as cloud-based AI models without naming providers.
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.	PartialHelp center lists offline dictation on Individual Pro, while privacy docs say cloud models are used for the main experience.
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.	No public claim
Languages & mixed speechWork that crosses languages mid-sentence	Yes100+ languages · Mid-sentence language switching.	No public claim	Yes100+ languages · App Store listing says users can switch languages on the fly.
Per-app output rules	YesPer-app output rules: exact in AI chats, polished in email.	No public claim	PartialApp Store listing says style matching adapts tone by context; TechCrunch reports styles across app categories.

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.

Willow VoiceTeam$283/yr$115 + $168Pricing page shows $10/month billed annually; help center says $12 per user/month with 20% off annually. · Unlimited words; minimum 3 seats

Willow VoiceIndividual$312/yr$144 + $168Pricing page shows $12/month billed annually; help center says $15/month with 20% off annual billing. · Unlimited words to dictate; up to 8 minutes of recording per session

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 Willow Voice: which should I pick?

Pick Willow Voice if you want a confirmed dictation product: Mac, Windows, iOS, 100 languages, and a $15/mo Individual plan. Pick Alter only if you specifically want a Mac-focused tool and are willing to verify pricing, languages, privacy, and meeting details directly. Ottex is the better fit if you want dictation plus meetings, file transcription, local models, BYOK, and finished work outputs.

Is Willow Voice free?

Willow Voice has a free tier, but it is capped at 2,000 words per week, which is only about 15 minutes of speech. That is a teaser, not a real weekly dictation setup. For a genuinely free option, consider Ottex — unlimited with local models or your own key.

Is Alter free?

Alter does not publish pricing in the provided digest, and its plan is listed only as custom. That means you cannot compare a real free tier or monthly price before contacting the company. For a genuinely free option, consider Ottex — unlimited with local models or your own key.

How much does Alter or Willow Voice cost?

Willow Voice lists $15/mo for Individual, $12/seat/mo for Team with a 3-seat minimum, and custom enterprise pricing. Alter does not publish pricing, so the cheaper confirmed path between the two is Willow Voice. Ottex adds other paths: free local AI, free BYOK, $0.2/hour PAYG, and $14/mo Pro.

Is Alter safe?

The provided Alter digest does not verify offline or local processing, compliance claims, or where audio goes. Willow Voice also has no local option in the digest. If privacy is the actual concern, Ottex is the strongest of the three because it supports local models and BYOK.

Is it worth switching from Alter to Willow Voice?

Yes, if you need confirmed dictation on Mac, Windows, or iOS, 100 languages, and published pricing. Stay with Alter only if its Mac-first workflow already fits and you have verified the missing details directly. Do not switch to Willow Voice for meetings, file transcription, speaker labels, or follow-up drafts because it does not cover those jobs.

Does Alter or Willow Voice work on Windows or Android?

Willow Voice works on Windows, Mac, and iOS. Alter is listed as Mac-only, and neither tool lists Android support in the digest. Ottex is also not the Android or Windows answer because it is Mac and iOS.

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