Choose Willow Voice if you want polished dictation on Mac, Windows, and iPhone. Choose Ottex if you want dictation, file transcription, meetings, and finished work in one Mac/iOS 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.
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 if you can use Mac or iOS: it has free local AI, free BYOK, $0.2/hour PAYG, and Pro at $14/mo. Willow Voice starts with 2,000 free words per week, which is only about 15 minutes of speech, then moves to $15/mo Individual or $12/seat/mo Team with a 3-seat minimum.
See the evidence — 8 claims across 2 toolsverified Jun 2026Show tableHide table
Ottex
Willow Voice
Free tier
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Forever free with local models and BYOK providers.
PartialSource: willowvoice.com/pricing — checked Jun 20262,000 free words per week
Subscription
$14/moSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026$14/mo — unlimited dictation and meeting intelligence, all hosted models included.
$12/moSource: help.willowvoice.com/en — checked Jun 2026Pricing 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/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.
No public claim
Platforms
Willow Voice wins platform coverage because it supports Mac, Windows, and iOS. Ottex is limited to Mac and iOS, so it is the wrong pick if Windows is required.
See the evidence — 4 claims across 2 toolsverified Jun 2026Show tableHide table
Ottex
Willow Voice
Platforms
Mac, iOSSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026
Mac, Windows, iOSSource: willowvoice.com/download — 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.
PartialSource: willowvoice.com/download — checked Jun 2026Mac download appears native; Windows download URL references Electron builds.
Meetings & team memory
Ottex wins meeting capture because it supports meetings, while Willow Voice does not. Willow Voice is a dictation tool, not a meeting recording, summary, action-item, speaker-identification, or follow-up-draft tool.
See the evidence — 12 claims across 2 toolsverified Jun 2026Show tableHide table
Ottex
Willow Voice
Meeting recordingThe call is captured at all
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026With speaker separation.
NoSource: willowvoice.com/pricing — 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: willowvoice.com/pricing — checked Jun 2026Not supported.
Speaker separation
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026
NoSource: willowvoice.com/pricing — checked Jun 2026Not supported.
Calendar detection
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Calendar-based meeting detection.
NoSource: willowvoice.com/pricing — checked Jun 2026Not supported.
Cross-meeting search
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026
NoSource: willowvoice.com/pricing — checked Jun 2026Not supported.
Shared team memory
PartialSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Public share links, not a full team workspace.
NoSource: willowvoice.com/pricing — checked Jun 2026Not supported.
From meeting to finished work
Ottex wins meeting intelligence because it turns dictation and meetings into follow-up emails, Linear tickets, CRM updates, PRDs, and docs. Willow Voice focuses on inserting dictated text and cleaning tone or style, not finished meeting work.
See the evidence — 8 claims across 2 toolsverified Jun 2026Show tableHide table
Ottex
Willow Voice
Decisions, owners, action itemsLeave the meeting with next steps clear
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Decisions with owners extracted.
NoSource: willowvoice.com/pricing — 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: willowvoice.com/pricing — checked Jun 2026Not supported.
CRM update / ticket draft
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Structured for the target app.
NoSource: willowvoice.com/pricing — checked Jun 2026Not supported.
Your rough notes steer the result
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Rough notes and instructions steer the result.
NoSource: willowvoice.com/pricing — checked Jun 2026Not supported.
Dictation & transcription AI
Ottex and Willow Voice both support dictation and 100+ languages, but they split on control. Ottex adds local AI and BYOK plus personal vocabulary and per-app output rules, while Willow Voice adds Mac, Windows, and iOS coverage with custom vocabulary and tone/style cleanup.
See the evidence — 9 claims across 2 toolsverified Jun 2026Show tableHide table
Ottex
Willow Voice
Engines
Cloud: Whisper, Gemini 3 Flash, Voxtral. Local: Whisper, Parakeet v3.Source: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Hosted routing, BYOK, or fully local.
cloud-based AI modelsSource: help.willowvoice.com/en — checked Jun 2026Vendor describes the recognition stack as cloud-based AI models without naming providers.
Local / on-device optionAudio never leaves the machine
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Whisper and Parakeet v3 run fully on-device.
PartialSource: help.willowvoice.com/en — checked Jun 2026Help center lists offline dictation on Individual Pro, while privacy docs say cloud models are used for the main experience.
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: apps.apple.com/us — checked Jun 2026100+ languages · App Store listing says users can switch languages on the fly.
Per-app output rules
YesSource: ottex.ai — checked Jun 2026Per-app output rules: exact in AI chats, polished in email.
PartialSource: apps.apple.com/us — checked Jun 2026App 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.
OttexSubscription - Pro$168/yr$14/mo — unlimited dictation and meeting intelligence, all hosted models included.
Willow VoiceTeam+ Granola for meetings — $168/yr$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+ Granola for meetings — $168/yr$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.
Ottex vs Willow Voice: which should I pick?
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. Pick Willow Voice if you mainly need system-wide dictation on Mac, Windows, and iPhone.
Is Ottex free?
Yes. Ottex has free local AI and free BYOK paths, plus $0.2/hour PAYG, Pro at $14/mo, Team at $24/seat/mo, and custom Enterprise.
Is Willow Voice free?
Only as a teaser. Willow Voice gives 2,000 free words per week, which is about 15 minutes of dictation, then Individual is $15/mo and Team is $12/seat/mo with a 3-seat minimum.
How much does Ottex cost compared with Willow Voice?
Ottex can be free with local AI or your own key, $0.2/hour on PAYG, $14/mo for Pro, or $24/seat/mo for Team. Willow Voice is $15/mo for Individual or $12/seat/mo for Team, but Team has a 3-seat minimum.
Is Ottex or Willow Voice better for Windows?
Willow Voice is the better choice for Windows because it supports Mac, Windows, and iOS. Ottex supports Mac and iOS only.
Does Ottex or Willow Voice work offline?
Ottex is the better fit for offline-style use because it offers a local AI option. Willow Voice has no local option in the provided details.
Which supports more languages, Ottex or Willow Voice?
Neither wins on raw language count because both list 100+ languages. Ottex adds auto-detection, mixed-language speech, personal vocabulary, and per-app output rules, while Willow Voice adds custom vocabulary and tone/style cleanup.
