Hedy is the broader meeting coach: live prompts, 5 free hours per month, and apps on Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, and web. Hyprnote is the tighter Mac pick: local-first, open source, bot-free notes at $8/month. Ottex is here as our own alternative when the job is dictation plus meetings plus finished work.
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.
Hedy is strongest as a bot-free live meeting coach and searchable conversation memory, with local/offline options and broad platform support, but it is not a system-wide dictation tool and lacks proven speaker labels, hotkeys, snippets, or
Choose if
You want real-time coaching during meetings, with questions, blind-spot alerts, talking points, summaries, to-dos, and follow-up recaps after the session.
You need bot-free capture for Zoom, Teams, Google Meet, in-person conversations, or imported audio/video, with apps across iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, and web
You value privacy controls: local speech recognition by default, optional local AI, optional cloud sync, GDPR, HIPAA, and SOC 2 Type I claims.
Look elsewhere if
You need system-wide dictation that inserts polished text into any app; Hedy explicitly does not support system-wide insertion or context-aware dictation.
You need meeting transcripts with publicly claimed speaker identification, timestamp exports, or speaker labels; those claims are not present here.
Hyprnote
Mac · Free tier · $8/mo
Hyprnote is a strong pick for private, local meeting notes on macOS, especially if you value open source and offline processing; it is weak as a general dictation tool because system-wide insertion, hotkeys, dictation history, and file-disg
Choose if
You want a macOS meeting recorder that keeps recordings, transcripts, and notes on device by default.
You want bot-free meeting capture with mic and system audio, speaker identification, summaries, action items, and transcript chat.
You prefer an open-source desktop app with a real free plan, plus optional Pro at $8/month or $59/year for HyprCloud and Pro models.
Look elsewhere if
You need everyday system-wide dictation with hotkey triggering, text insertion into other apps, dictation history, or search.
You need public claims for audio/video file transcription, batch processing, timestamped exports, 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
Hyprnote is the cheapest paid path at $8/month, and its free tier has no cap stated here. Hedy costs more at $12.99/month, but it gives 5 meeting hours per month free and a $299 one-time Lifetime plan. Ottex has the broadest low-cost menu: free local AI, free BYOK, $0.2/hour PAYG, and $14/month Pro.
See the evidence — 12 claims across 3 toolsverified Jun 2026Show tableHide table
Ottex
Hedy
Hyprnote
Free tier
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Forever free with local models and BYOK providers.
PartialSource: hedy.ai/pricing — checked Jun 2026Up to 5 hours per month; Real-time AI insights (first 30 min/session)
YesSource: fastrepl.mintlify.app/pro — checked Jun 2026Free plan is described as open-source and free.
Subscription
$14/moSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026$14/mo — unlimited dictation and meeting intelligence, all hosted models included.
$12.99/moSource: hedy.ai/pricing — checked Jun 2026Pro adds unlimited sessions, recording import, cross-session organization, Zapier, and API integrations.
$8/moSource: fastrepl.mintlify.app/pro — checked Jun 2026Pro costs $8/month or $59/year and includes HyprCloud and Pro models.
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).
$299 one-timeSource: hedy.ai/pricing — checked Jun 2026All future updates included
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
YesSource: fastrepl.mintlify.app/documents — checked Jun 2026Users can connect third-party APIs such as an OpenAI GPT API.
Education discount
NoSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Same pricing for everyone.
No public claim
No public claim
Platforms
Hedy wins platform coverage with Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, and web. Hyprnote is Mac only, which is fine for a local-first desktop workflow but weak for mixed-device teams. Ottex is also narrower than Hedy at Mac and iOS, so it loses if Windows, Android, or web access matters.
See the evidence — 6 claims across 3 toolsverified Jun 2026Show tableHide table
Ottex
Hedy
Hyprnote
Platforms
Mac, iOSSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026
Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, WebSource: hedy.ai/downloads — checked Jun 2026
MacSource: fastrepl.mintlify.app/using-hyprnote — checked Jun 2026Some platforms in beta/waitlist
Native app footprintLight on memory, instant to invoke
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Native Swift app, ~50MB RAM.
YesSource: hedy.ai/post — checked Jun 2026Vendor describes a native macOS application.
YesSource: fastrepl.mintlify.app/about-hyprnote — checked Jun 2026Docs describe Hyprnote as a Tauri app.
Meetings & team memory
Hyprnote wins pure Mac meeting capture because it records mic and system audio, stays bot-free, and includes speaker identification. Hedy is better for coverage, with bot-free capture across Zoom, Teams, Google Meet, in-person conversations, and imported audio/video, but no public speaker-label claim here. Ottex records meetings too, but this comparison gives Hedy the widest capture surface and Hyprnote the cleaner $
See the evidence — 15 claims across 3 toolsverified Jun 2026Show tableHide table
Ottex
Hedy
Hyprnote
Meeting recordingThe call is captured at all
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026With speaker separation.
YesSource: hedy.ai/help — checked Jun 2026Hedy records live sessions and meeting conversations.
YesSource: fastrepl.mintlify.app/documents — checked Jun 2026Hyprnote records meeting audio locally.
Bot-free captureNo "recording bot" joins your call
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026System-audio capture, no bot joins the call.
YesSource: hedy.ai/features — checked Jun 2026Feature page says no bot joins calls.
YesSource: fastrepl.mintlify.app/about-hyprnote — checked Jun 2026Docs state Hyprnote transcribes and summarizes locally with no bots.
Speaker separation
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026
No public claim
YesSource: fastrepl.mintlify.app/documents — checked Jun 2026Core functionality includes speaker identification.
Calendar detection
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Calendar-based meeting detection.
YesSource: hedy.ai/help — checked Jun 2026Google Calendar is listed in the help center and news page.
No public claim
Cross-meeting search
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026
YesSource: hedy.ai/features — checked Jun 2026Pro users can group sessions and ask questions across conversations weeks ago.
YesSource: fastrepl.mintlify.app/features — checked Jun 2026Search can find notes by title or content across the app.
Shared team memory
PartialSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Public share links, not a full team workspace.
YesSource: hedy.ai/help — checked Jun 2026Sharing sessions and topics is listed in the help center.
No public claim
From meeting to finished work
Hedy is the strongest meeting intelligence tool of the compared pair because it gives real-time coaching, questions, blind-spot alerts, talking points, summaries, to-dos, and follow-up recaps. Hyprnote covers notes, summaries, action items, transcript chat, and speaker identification on Mac, but it is less about live coaching. Ottex goes furthest beyond notes because it can turn meetings into follow-up emails, Linear
See the evidence — 10 claims across 3 toolsverified Jun 2026Show tableHide table
Ottex
Hedy
Hyprnote
Decisions, owners, action itemsLeave the meeting with next steps clear
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Decisions with owners extracted.
YesSource: play.google.com/store — checked Jun 2026Google Play listing says Hedy can find decisions across past conversations.
YesSource: fastrepl.mintlify.app/documents — checked Jun 2026Core functionality includes action items.
Follow-up email draftedThe outcome is sent, not summarized
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Drafted from templates or your own.
YesSource: hedy.ai/pricing — checked Jun 2026Auto-recap emails are listed for sharing insights.
YesSource: fastrepl.mintlify.app/features — checked Jun 2026AI Chat examples include drafting a follow-up email for a meeting.
CRM update / ticket draft
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Structured for the target app.
No public claim
No public claim
Your rough notes steer the result
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Rough notes and instructions steer the result.
YesSource: hedy.ai/post — checked Jun 2026Hedy 3 added in-meeting note-taking that powers AI suggestions.
YesSource: fastrepl.mintlify.app/about-hyprnote — checked Jun 2026Hyprnote crafts summaries by enhancing the user's quick notes.
Dictation & transcription AI
Ottex wins dictation outright: it is the only one of the three with system-wide dictation, 100+ languages, BYOK, local models, personal vocabulary, mixed-language speech, and per-app output rules. Hedy is not a system-wide dictation tool, though it has local speech recognition, optional local AI, file transcription, and 30 languages. Hyprnote is also not a general dictation tool; its strength is local Mac meeting
See the evidence — 12 claims across 3 toolsverified Jun 2026Show tableHide table
Ottex
Hedy
Hyprnote
Engines
Cloud: Whisper, Gemini 3 Flash, Voxtral. Local: Whisper, Parakeet v3.Source: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Hosted routing, BYOK, or fully local.
Two local and two cloud speech recognition providersSource: hedy.ai/help — checked Jun 2026Users can choose between private on-device transcription and cloud-based speech recognition.
Whisper, HyprLLM, Llama 3B, Argmax SDK for Pro realtime STTSource: fastrepl.mintlify.app/documents — checked Jun 2026Docs name Whisper for speech-to-text and Pro realtime STT through Argmax SDK.
Local / on-device optionAudio never leaves the machine
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Whisper and Parakeet v3 run fully on-device.
YesSource: hedy.ai/help — checked Jun 2026Local speech recognition and local AI processing can run on-device and offline.
YesSource: fastrepl.mintlify.app/documents — checked Jun 2026Docs state Hyprnote works 100% offline by default.
Model selection per task
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Choose the model per task and per provider.
YesSource: hedy.ai/help — checked Jun 2026Speech recognition provider can be changed in Settings > Speech & AI.
YesSource: fastrepl.mintlify.app/about-hyprnote — checked Jun 2026Users can use local models or bring their own models.
Languages & mixed speechWork that crosses languages mid-sentence
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026100+ languages · Mid-sentence language switching.
YesSource: apps.apple.com/us — checked Jun 202630+ languages · App Store listing says Hedy supports multilingual conversations while returning insights in the preferred language.
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.
Hedy vs Hyprnote: which should I pick?
Pick Hedy if you need meetings across Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, and web, plus live coaching during the call. Pick Hyprnote if you are on Mac and want open-source, local-first meeting notes with speaker identification for $8/month. Pick Ottex if you want one Mac/iOS tool for dictation, meetings, and finished outputs like follow-up emails, Linear tickets, CRM updates, PRDs, and docs.
Is Hedy free?
Hedy has a free plan with up to 5 hours per month and real-time AI insights for the first 30 minutes of a session. That is a real meeting allowance, but Pro is $12.99/month for unlimited meeting length and sessions. For a broader genuinely free path, consider Ottex — unlimited with local AI or your own key.
Is Hyprnote free?
Hyprnote has a free tier, and the input does not state a word cap or hour cap. Pro is $8/month, with Enterprise on custom pricing. If you need free dictation as well as meetings, consider Ottex — free local AI and free BYOK are both listed.
How much does Hedy cost compared with Hyprnote?
Hedy Pro is $12.99/month, or $155.88/year if paid monthly, and Hedy also offers a $299 one-time Lifetime plan. Hyprnote Pro is $8/month, or $96/year if paid monthly, and its notes also list $59/year for Pro. Hyprnote is cheaper as a subscription; Hedy is the one with a one-time license.
Is Hedy or Hyprnote safer for privacy?
Hyprnote wins if privacy means local-first Mac meeting notes because it keeps recordings, transcripts, and notes on device by default. Hedy is also strong on privacy controls, with local speech recognition by default, optional local AI, optional cloud sync, and GDPR, HIPAA, and SOC 2 Type I claims. Ottex is relevant if privacy also has to cover dictation, because it supports local models and BYOK.
Is it worth switching from Hedy to Hyprnote?
Switch from Hedy to Hyprnote if you are Mac-only and care more about local-first recordings, speaker identification, and an $8/month price than broad platform support. Stay with Hedy if you use Windows, Android, iOS, or web, or if live coaching during meetings is the main reason you bought the tool. Ottex is the switch to consider when the missing piece is system-wide dictation and finished work, not just meeting
Does Hedy or Hyprnote work on Windows or Android?
Hedy works on Windows and Android, as well as Mac, iOS, and web. Hyprnote is Mac only. Ottex is Mac and iOS only, so Hedy is the clear pick for Windows, Android, or web coverage.