Beam vs Openbroca
Beam and Openbroca are both personal productivity tools. Beam is aimed at developers and creators, while Openbroca is aimed at freelancers and creators. Openbroca costs less, from $6.99/mo versus $12/mo for Beam. Both have a free plan.
Open individual windows from one Mac as native windows on another
Lightweight AI dictation for Mac that cleans up what you say
| Pricing | Freemium · $12 | Freemium · $7 |
| Starting price | $12/mo | $6.99/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Built for | Developers, Creators, Freelancers, Small businesses | Freelancers, Creators, Developers, Small businesses |
| Platforms | macos | macos |
| Country | — | — |
| Rating | — | — |
Choose Beam if
Developers and creators with two Apple silicon Macs who want a remote app to behave like a local window instead of a full screen share.
- Uses one remote app without taking over the whole desktop
- Window traffic goes directly between your Macs, not through Beam's servers
- Free plan has no card requirement and no limit on host Macs
Look elsewhere if: People who need to reach Windows or Intel machines or control a whole remote desktop across platforms (Jump Desktop, Parsec).
Choose Openbroca if
Individual Mac users who want cheap, fast voice typing with cleanup in many languages.
- Small native app of about 6.5 MB
- Same features on Free and paid plans
- Low price of $6.99 a month or $59.99 a year
Look elsewhere if: Teams that need offline dictation, Windows support or admin controls (Willow, superwhisper).
Beam vs Openbroca pricing
Beam
- Free$0Host unlimited Macs, join share links, 20 minutes a day of use
- Monthly$12/moUnlimited use on every Mac you own, send share links
- Yearly$84/yrSame as Monthly; works out to $7/mo billed annually
- Lifetime$199One-time payment, all future updates, direct connections
- Team$12/seat/moOr $84/seat/yr; 20% off from 10 seats, one invoice
Openbroca
- Free$03,000 text units per week, all features, no card
- Unlimited monthly$6.99/moNo weekly limit; auto-renews or one-time payment
- Unlimited yearly$59.99/yrNo weekly limit, about $5/mo; also sold as one-time payment
- Prepaid creditsCNY 9.90One-time, 30,000 usage units that never expire
Beam · Key features
- Single windows from another Mac open as native windows with Dock and Command-Tab entries
- Beam several windows at once or share an entire display
- Direct typing, shortcuts, two-way resizing, app audio and clipboard sync
- Works with headless Mac minis and Mac Studios that have no display
- Encrypted Mac-to-Mac connection on local Wi-Fi or over Tailscale
- Guest share links open one window in any browser, view-only by default
Cons
- macOS only, with Apple silicon and Sonoma or later required on both Macs
- Free use is capped at 20 minutes a day
- Devices without the Mac app, such as phones, only get browser links
Openbroca · Key features
- Global Option+Space shortcut to toggle or hold to talk
- AI cleanup of filler words and repetition that keeps your tone
- Dictation in 30 languages with automatic language detection
- Translated output into 28 languages
- Personal dictionary with spoken-phrase replacements and Typeless dictionary import
- Learning from corrections made right after a dictation
Cons
- Cloud processing only, so it does not work offline
- Mac only, macOS 15 or later; Windows is on a waitlist
- The site names no company, address or jurisdiction
Beam vs Openbroca: FAQ
Which is cheaper, Beam or Openbroca?
Openbroca starts at $6.99/mo and Beam at $12/mo. Both prices are checked on the vendors' own pricing pages.
Do Beam and Openbroca have a free plan?
Yes, both Beam and Openbroca have a free plan; paid plans add more usage and features.