Choose Aqua Voice if you mainly need polished system-wide dictation on Mac, Windows, or iOS. Choose Ottex if you want dictation, file transcription, meetings, and finished work outputs in one Mac/iOS-first app.
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.
Aqua Voice
Mac, Windows, iOS · Limited free · $8/mo
Aqua Voice is a polished system-wide dictation app for Mac, Windows, and iOS, with 49 languages and strong formatting controls, but it is not a meeting recorder or file transcription tool and dictation is processed server-side.
Choose if
You want fast, system-wide voice dictation across Mac, Windows, or iOS for everyday writing.
You want dictated text cleaned up automatically with punctuation, paragraphs, filler-word removal, snippets, custom vocabulary, and tone rules.
You are comfortable paying $10/month or $96/year after the 1,000-word trial, which is only about 8 minutes of speech.
Look elsewhere if
You need meeting recording, summaries, action items, speaker identification, or calendar-based meeting workflows.
You need audio or video file transcription with timestamps, speaker labels, exports, batch processing, or watch folders.
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 because it has two real free paths, local AI and your own key, plus $0.2/hour PAYG, $14/mo Pro, and $24/seat/mo Team. Aqua Voice is cheaper as a simple subscription at $10/mo or $96/yr, but its free plan is only 1,000 words, about 8 minutes of speech, so it is a trial, not a working free tier.
See the evidence — 9 claims across 2 toolsverified Jun 2026Show tableHide table
Ottex
Aqua Voice
Free tier
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Forever free with local models and BYOK providers.
PartialSource: aquavoice.com/info — checked Jun 20261,000 free words, no card required
Subscription
$14/moSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026$14/mo — unlimited dictation and meeting intelligence, all hosted models included.
$8/moSource: aquavoice.com/info — checked Jun 2026FAQ says Pro is $8/month billed annually after the free words.
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).
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.
No public claim
Education discount
NoSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Same pricing for everyone.
YesSource: aquavoice.com/info — checked Jun 2026Students with a .edu email get 70% off annual plans.
Platforms
Aqua Voice wins platform coverage because it supports Mac, Windows, and iOS, while Ottex supports Mac and iOS only. Ottex is the wrong pick if Windows, Android, Linux, web access, or a browser extension is required.
See the evidence — 3 claims across 2 toolsverified Jun 2026Show tableHide table
Ottex
Aqua Voice
Platforms
Mac, iOSSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026
Mac, Windows, iOSSource: aquavoice.com/download — checked Jun 2026
Native app footprintLight on memory, instant to invoke
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Native Swift app, ~50MB RAM.
No public claim
Meetings & team memory
Ottex wins meeting capture because it includes meetings, while Aqua Voice does not offer meeting recording, summaries, action items, speaker identification, or calendar-based meeting workflows. Aqua Voice is a dictation app here, not a meeting tool.
See the evidence — 12 claims across 2 toolsverified Jun 2026Show tableHide table
Ottex
Aqua Voice
Meeting recordingThe call is captured at all
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026With speaker separation.
NoSource: aquavoice.com/info — 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.
NoSource: aquavoice.com/info — checked Jun 2026Not supported.
Speaker separation
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026
NoSource: aquavoice.com/info — checked Jun 2026Not supported.
Calendar detection
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Calendar-based meeting detection.
NoSource: aquavoice.com/info — checked Jun 2026Not supported.
Cross-meeting search
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026
NoSource: aquavoice.com/info — checked Jun 2026Not supported.
Shared team memory
PartialSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Public share links, not a full team workspace.
NoSource: aquavoice.com/info — checked Jun 2026Not supported.
From meeting to finished work
Ottex wins meeting intelligence because it can turn dictation and meetings into follow-up emails, Linear tickets, CRM updates, PRDs, notes, docs, and other finished outputs. Aqua Voice focuses on cleaned-up dictated text with punctuation, paragraphs, filler-word removal, snippets, vocabulary, and tone rules, but not meeting follow-through.
See the evidence — 8 claims across 2 toolsverified Jun 2026Show tableHide table
Ottex
Aqua Voice
Decisions, owners, action itemsLeave the meeting with next steps clear
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Decisions with owners extracted.
NoSource: aquavoice.com/info — checked Jun 2026Not supported.
Follow-up email draftedThe outcome is sent, not summarized
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Drafted from templates or your own.
NoSource: aquavoice.com/info — checked Jun 2026Not supported.
CRM update / ticket draft
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Structured for the target app.
NoSource: aquavoice.com/info — checked Jun 2026Not supported.
Your rough notes steer the result
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Rough notes and instructions steer the result.
NoSource: aquavoice.com/info — checked Jun 2026Not supported.
Dictation & transcription AI
Ottex wins the AI depth for dictation with local models, BYOK, 100+ languages, auto-detection, mixed-language speech, personal vocabulary, per-app output rules, and file transcription. Aqua Voice still looks strong for everyday dictation because it supports 49 languages and Mac, Windows, and iOS, but it has no local option, no BYOK, and no file transcription.
See the evidence — 9 claims across 2 toolsverified Jun 2026Show tableHide table
Ottex
Aqua Voice
Engines
Cloud: Whisper, Gemini 3 Flash, Voxtral. Local: Whisper, Parakeet v3.Source: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Hosted routing, BYOK, or fully local.
Avalon proprietary speech modelSource: aquavoice.com/info — checked Jun 2026Aqua says it runs on its own Avalon speech model.
Local / on-device optionAudio never leaves the machine
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Whisper and Parakeet v3 run fully on-device.
NoSource: aquavoice.com/vs — checked Jun 2026Aqua requires an internet connection and processes audio server-side.
Model selection per task
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Choose the model per task and per provider.
No public claim
Languages & mixed speechWork that crosses languages mid-sentence
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026100+ languages · Mid-sentence language switching.
YesSource: aquavoice.com/guide — checked Jun 202649+ languages · Language guide says Aqua supports multilingual speakers.
Per-app output rules
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Per-app output rules: exact in AI chats, polished in email.
PartialSource: aquavoice.com/info — checked Jun 2026Aqua formats for the destination app, but no per-app rule editor is documented.
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.
Aqua VoicePro Annual+ Granola for meetings — $168/yr$264/yr$96 + $168FAQ says Pro is $8/month billed annually after the free words. · Unlimited use
Aqua VoicePro Monthly+ Granola for meetings — $168/yr$288/yr$120 + $168A vendor comparison page lists Pro at $10/month. · Unlimited use
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.
Ottex vs Aqua Voice: which should I pick?
Pick Aqua Voice if you want fast system-wide dictation on Mac, Windows, or iOS and are comfortable paying $10/mo or $96/yr after the trial. Pick Ottex if you want one Mac/iOS tool for dictation, file transcription, meetings, and finished outputs like emails, tickets, CRM updates, PRDs, and docs.
Is Aqua Voice free?
Aqua Voice has a free plan with 1,000 free words and no card required, but that is only about 8 minutes of speech. Treat it as a trial before the $10/mo or $96/yr Pro plan, not as a real free dictation setup.
Is Ottex free?
Yes, Ottex has real free paths: local AI is free, and using your own key is free. It also offers Ottex Provider PAYG at $0.2/hour, Pro at $14/mo, Team at $24/seat/mo, and Enterprise custom pricing.
How much does Ottex and Aqua Voice cost?
Aqua Voice is cheaper if you only compare paid subscriptions: $96/yr or $10/mo versus Ottex Pro at $14/mo. Ottex is cheaper if you can use local AI or your own key, because those paths are free, and it also has $0.2/hour PAYG.
Is Ottex or Aqua Voice more private?
Ottex is the better privacy pick because it has a local AI option and BYOK, so you are not forced into provider-side processing. Aqua Voice dictation is processed server-side, which may be fine for convenience but is not the same privacy model.
Does Ottex or Aqua Voice work on Windows or Android?
Aqua Voice works on Windows, Mac, and iOS, so it wins if Windows support matters. Ottex works on Mac and iOS only, and neither tool lists Android support.
Does Ottex or Aqua Voice work offline?
Ottex is the offline-capable choice because it has a local AI option. Aqua Voice has no local option and processes dictation server-side.
