Alter: macOS-native AI meeting assistant that records and transcribes calls locally with built-in Whisper and Parakeet models, no bots required. Backtrack: An AI meeting intelligence tool for trade shows and hosted buyer events that captures 1:1 conversations and turns them into CRM-ready notes and insights. This comparison weighs them on pricing, features, and everyday workflow fit.
How Hosiqo compares and tests toolsFinal recommendation
Shortlist Alter when freelancers and consultants privately capturing client calls without a visible bot matters most, and Backtrack when sales teams generating crm-ready follow-ups from event meetings matters most. Try them side by side on real calls before deciding — needs vary by team.
macOS-native AI meeting assistant that records and transcribes calls locally with built-in Whisper and Parakeet models, no bots required.
An AI meeting intelligence tool for trade shows and hosted buyer events that captures 1:1 conversations and turns them into CRM-ready notes and insights.
Alter is a native macOS application that records, transcribes, and analyzes meetings directly on the user's Mac without sending a bot into the call. Instead of joining a meeting as a visible participant, Alter captures audio from the system output and microphone, so it works across Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, WhatsApp, FaceTime, Skype, Discord, and in-person conversations. Transcription runs through on-device models, with a choice of an optimized Parakeet model for major languages or Whisper for broader language coverage, and speaker identification is performed locally. Because processing happens on the device, recordings and transcripts stay on the Mac and the app can operate without an internet connection. Beyond raw transcripts, Alter generates summaries and action items, lets users chat with their meetings, and connects to tools such as Notion, Slack, Linear, Asana, and Jira. It targets solopreneurs, freelancers, consultants, and other professionals who want private, bot-free meeting capture on macOS. The product is actively developed and operating in 2025 and 2026. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
Backtrack is an AI meeting intelligence product focused on a niche that most notetakers ignore: in-person B2B conversations at trade shows, conferences, and hosted buyer events. Rather than running as a meeting bot, Backtrack captures live 1:1 conversations and converts them into transcripts, structured summaries, and CRM-ready follow-up notes so sales teams do not have to take notes during busy events. Its consumer app, marketed as Backtrack, also offers retroactive recording that continuously buffers recent audio and saves only the last several minutes when the user explicitly chooses to, which is useful for capturing a conversation that has already started; the company stores audio locally on-device until the user decides to upload or share, and recordings are not live-streamed. For events, Backtrack offers pre-configured capture that activates around scheduled meetings, transcription tuned for noisy venues, summaries covering buyer intent, objections, priorities, and next steps, and anonymized trend reports for organizers. It supports transcription in over 100 languages and provides an opt-out path for attendees, emphasizing transparency around recording. Backtrack is aimed at exhibitors, event organizers, and sales teams who need reliable conversation capture and follow-up in event settings. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
Alter is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); Backtrack is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Alter | Backtrack |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | On-device transcription using built-in Whisper and Parakeet models | Capture of in-person 1:1 conversations at trade shows and hosted events |
| Standout feature | Bot-free capture of system audio and microphone across any meeting or call app | Retroactive recording that saves the most recent minutes on demand (consumer app) |
| Team usage | Automatic speaker identification performed locally | Transcription tuned for noisy venues in 100+ languages |
| Integrations | AI summaries, action items, and chat-with-your-meeting Q&A | Structured summaries covering buyer intent, objections, priorities, and next steps |
| Languages & capture | Integrations with Notion, Slack, Linear, Asana, Jira and other tools | CRM-ready follow-up notes and anonymized organizer trend reports |
| Best-fit workflow | Offline operation with recordings and transcripts stored locally | Local on-device storage until the user uploads or shares, with attendee opt-out |
Alter
Choose Alter if you need freelancers and consultants privately capturing client calls without a visible bot — strengths include local processing keeps recordings and transcripts on the user's own mac.
Backtrack
Choose Backtrack if you need exhibitors capturing booth and 1:1 buyer conversations at trade shows — strengths include purpose-built for in-person event conversations that most notetakers miss.
Alter
Backtrack
It depends on your workflow. Alter is strong for freelancers and consultants privately capturing client calls without a visible bot, while Backtrack is strong for exhibitors capturing booth and 1:1 buyer conversations at trade shows. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Alter is a free tier with paid upgrades and Backtrack is a free tier with paid upgrades. Check each vendor's pricing page for the latest plans and free-tier limits.
Often yes: teams combine tools when one handles capture and another handles analysis.
More head-to-head comparisons involving Alter and Backtrack.
Alter: macOS-native AI meeting assistant that records and transcribes calls locally with built-in Whisper and Parakeet models, no bots required. Amber Notes: EU-focused AI meeting notetaker by Dutch company Amberscript, with EU-only data hosting, multilingual transcription and an Ask Amber chat. The right pick comes down to team size, budget, and the workflows you want to automate.
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