BB RecordervsAqua Voice
Aqua's accuracy. Your hardware.
Aqua Voice built a great cloud dictation product with screen context. BB Recorder gets you the same speed and accuracy with a local-first option, custom models, and meeting + screen recording in the same app.
100% local option · BYO keys + models · meeting recorder, dictation, and screen recording in one app.
Free forever
Speak your thoughts into any app.
Free capped · $8/mo Pro
Where we differ
Local inference option
Aqua processes audio in the cloud. BB Recorder can run transcription and cleanup entirely on your Mac — nothing leaves the device when you don't want it to.
Bring your own model
Aqua's Avalon model is proprietary. BB Recorder lets you run Apple Intelligence, drop a Whisper .bin, or a GGUF file, or point at Ollama / LM Studio for any model you pulled.
Custom cleanup prompts
Tune cleanup per-context: tighter for Slack, looser for Google Docs, preserve developer jargon in your terminal. BB Recorder's custom cleaner instructions are yours to write.
Dictation + meetings + screen
Aqua is dictation only. BB Recorder also runs a no-bot meeting recorder and a screen recorder from the same library and hotkeys.
No word or usage cap
Aqua's free tier caps at 1,000 words. BB Recorder is unlimited and free.
Feature-by-feature
Privacy
Writing workflow
AI engine
Scope
Pricing
Upload to BuildBetter on demand
Every local recording — meeting, dictation snippet, or screen capture — can be uploaded to BuildBetter's SOC 2 / HIPAA-ready cloud for a shared team library, search across all recordings, and org-wide access controls. Opt-in per recording. Never automatic.
Compare to other tools
BB Recorder vs Granola
BB Recorder matches Granola feature-for-feature on meeting notes — enhanced summaries, templates, AI chat — and runs 100% locally when you want it to. Plus dictation and screen recording in the same app.
Read comparisonBB Recorder vs Hyprnote / Char
Char (formerly Hyprnote) got the local-first posture right. BB Recorder matches the privacy story and adds dictation, screen recording, a more polished experience, and an optional SOC 2 / HIPAA-compliant cloud when your team needs it.
Read comparisonBB Recorder vs Loom
Loom made screen recording a team primitive — but every video lives on their cloud. BB Recorder records locally, saves to your Mac, and lets you optionally share through BuildBetter's team infrastructure.
Read comparison