Alter: macOS-native AI meeting assistant that records and transcribes calls locally with built-in Whisper and Parakeet models, no bots required. Castmagic: AI content platform that transcribes podcasts, videos, and recorded meetings with speaker diarization and turns them into show notes, summaries, and other assets. Here's where each one pulls ahead on pricing, features, and the meetings it suits best.
How Hosiqo compares and tests toolsFinal recommendation
Shortlist Alter when freelancers and consultants privately capturing client calls without a visible bot matters most, and Castmagic when turning recorded interviews and meetings into written content and highlights 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.
AI content platform that transcribes podcasts, videos, and recorded meetings with speaker diarization and turns them into show notes, summaries, and other assets.
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
Castmagic is an AI-powered content platform that transforms recorded audio and video into transcripts and a range of derived content. After a file is uploaded or imported, Castmagic transcribes it with speaker diarization and then automatically generates summaries, show notes, timestamps, titles, social media posts, newsletters, and other assets from the same recording. The platform integrates with sources including YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Google Drive, and Zoom, so recorded meetings and interviews can flow directly into a workspace for processing alongside podcast episodes. Castmagic includes semantic search across a media library, brand-voice customization, reusable templates, and commenting and approval workflows aimed at teams and agencies that manage content for multiple brands. While its marketing centers on podcasters and creators, the transcription, speaker labeling, and summary features make it applicable to meeting and interview recordings as well. It is intended for content teams, marketing agencies, podcasters, coaches, and sales organizations that want to convert recorded conversations into transcripts and repurposed written content rather than only a raw transcript. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
Alter is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); Castmagic is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Alter | Castmagic |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | On-device transcription using built-in Whisper and Parakeet models | Transcription of audio and video with speaker diarization |
| Standout feature | Bot-free capture of system audio and microphone across any meeting or call app | Automatic generation of summaries, show notes, titles, and timestamps |
| Team usage | Automatic speaker identification performed locally | Repurposing of recordings into social posts, newsletters, and blog content |
| Integrations | AI summaries, action items, and chat-with-your-meeting Q&A | Direct import from sources including YouTube, Google Drive, and Zoom |
| Languages & capture | Integrations with Notion, Slack, Linear, Asana, Jira and other tools | Semantic search across a media library of past recordings |
| Best-fit workflow | Offline operation with recordings and transcripts stored locally | Multi-brand workspaces with templates and approval workflows for teams |
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.
Castmagic
Choose Castmagic if you need transcribing podcast episodes and generating show notes and summaries — strengths include goes beyond transcription to produce ready-to-use written content from recordings.
Alter
Castmagic
It depends on your workflow. Alter is strong for freelancers and consultants privately capturing client calls without a visible bot, while Castmagic is strong for transcribing podcast episodes and generating show notes and summaries. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Alter is a free tier with paid upgrades and Castmagic is a free tier with paid upgrades. Check each vendor's pricing page for the latest plans and free-tier limits.
Yes. Many teams run more than one meeting assistant when the workflows are complementary.
More head-to-head comparisons involving Alter and Castmagic.
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