The short answer, if you want to summarize meetings automatically: free pick — Handy; best value — Descript.
“Free open-source push-to-talk dictation”
“Edit audio/video by editing text”
Handy: Free open-source push-to-talk dictation. Best for private offline dictation on any desktop. Watch out for: fewer polish features; you pick the model. Price: Free (open source) (free tier, checked Oct 2026).
Descript: Edit audio/video by editing text. Best for podcasts. Watch out for: heavy app. Price: $24/mo, or $192/yr billed annually (Hobbyist) (free tier, checked Oct 2026).
Otter.ai: Meeting transcripts and summaries. Best for meetings. Watch out for: free minutes capped. Price: $8.33/user/mo billed annually (Pro; $16.99 monthly) (free tier, checked Oct 2026).
Fireflies.ai: AI meeting notetaker. Best for sales/team calls. Watch out for: bot joins calls. Price: $10/seat/mo billed annually ($18 monthly), Pro (free tier, checked Oct 2026).
Granola: Botless meeting notes that enhance yours. Best for back-to-back meetings. Watch out for: desktop-focused. Price: $14/user/mo (Business) (free tier, checked Oct 2026).
MacWhisper: Local Whisper transcription on Mac. Best for private offline transcription. Watch out for: mac only. Price: $72.50 one-time (Pro, personal license) (free tier, checked Oct 2026).
Rev: AI and human transcription. Best for accurate transcripts. Watch out for: human tier costly. Price: $25.49/seat/mo annual ($29.99 monthly) entry plan; human transcription $1.99/min (free tier, checked Oct 2026).
tl;dv: Record and summarize Meet/Zoom. Best for async teams. Watch out for: bot in calls. Price: Check price (free tier, checked Oct 2026).
Notion AI: AI inside your workspace. Best for notes and wikis. Watch out for: ai on higher plans. Price: $10/seat/mo (Plus); AI may need Business $20 (free tier, checked Oct 2026).
Wispr Flow: Dictate polished text into any app. Best for fast talkers who hate typing. Watch out for: cloud processing; unlimited dictation needs pro. Price: $12/user/mo billed annually ($15 monthly), Pro (free tier, checked Oct 2026).
Superwhisper: Dictation with offline models and AI modes. Best for power users who want custom modes. Watch out for: offline models run best on apple silicon. Price: $8.49/mo (Pro, as shown on superwhisper.com) (free tier, checked Oct 2026).
VoiceInk: Local Mac dictation, pay once. Best for mac users who hate subscriptions. Watch out for: apple silicon mac only (macos 14.4+). Price: $25 one-time (1 Mac); $39 for 2, $49 for 3 (no free tier, checked Oct 2026).
Handy — Free open-source push-to-talk dictation. Free tier (checked Oct 2026).
Descript — Edit audio/video by editing text. From $24/mo, or $192/yr billed annually (Hobbyist).
We compare free tiers, cheapest paid plans and known red flags for 102 AI tools, then group picks into free, best value and premium. Prices were checked in Oct 2026 and change often — always confirm on the vendor's site.