Alter: macOS-native AI meeting assistant that records and transcribes calls locally with built-in Whisper and Parakeet models, no bots required. Deciphr: Deciphr is an AI platform that transcribes audio and video files and automatically repurposes them into transcripts, show notes, articles, social captions, and video reels. The right pick comes down to team size, budget, and the workflows you want to automate.
How Hosiqo compares and tests toolsFinal recommendation
Shortlist Alter when freelancers and consultants privately capturing client calls without a visible bot matters most, and Deciphr when marketers repurposing webinars and recorded talks into articles, newsletters, and social posts matters most. Test each on your own meetings; the right choice tends to become obvious quickly.
macOS-native AI meeting assistant that records and transcribes calls locally with built-in Whisper and Parakeet models, no bots required.
Deciphr is an AI platform that transcribes audio and video files and automatically repurposes them into transcripts, show notes, articles, social captions, and video reels.
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
Deciphr is an AI content-automation platform that transcribes audio and video—including podcasts, webinars, and meetings—and turns a single upload into a suite of derived content. After processing a recording, it generates a transcript plus assets such as show notes, episode summaries, chapters, quotes, SEO articles, FAQs, newsletters, social captions, audiograms, and video reels. Its built-in editor supports bulk editing, filler-word filtering, and automated speaker identification, letting users add speaker names and clean up text in-app. An AI chat assistant lets you query a transcript, brainstorm ideas, and pull suggestions from the uploaded content, and batch upload can pull from YouTube channels, playlists, or RSS feeds. Deciphr is aimed primarily at podcasters, YouTubers, webinar hosts, B2B marketers, agencies, and content creators whose main need is repurposing long-form recordings into many marketing assets rather than live meeting capture. It offers a free tier alongside paid Hobbyist, Professional, and Enterprise plans, with API access and advanced batch features available on higher tiers.
Best suited for
Alter is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); Deciphr is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Alter | Deciphr |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | On-device transcription using built-in Whisper and Parakeet models | AI transcription of audio and video files, including podcasts, webinars, and meetings |
| Standout feature | Bot-free capture of system audio and microphone across any meeting or call app | Automated repurposing into 75+ asset types (show notes, summaries, articles, FAQs, captions, newsletters) |
| Team usage | Automatic speaker identification performed locally | Audiogram and video reel generation, plus an AI clip finder for social media |
| Integrations | AI summaries, action items, and chat-with-your-meeting Q&A | In-app editor with bulk editing, filler-word filtering, and automated speaker identification |
| Languages & capture | Integrations with Notion, Slack, Linear, Asana, Jira and other tools | AI chat assistant to query transcripts and brainstorm content ideas |
| Best-fit workflow | Offline operation with recordings and transcripts stored locally | Batch upload from YouTube channels, playlists, or RSS feeds |
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.
Deciphr
Choose Deciphr if you need podcasters generating show notes, transcripts, chapters, and clips from each episode — strengths include turns one recording into many ready-to-use marketing assets, saving significant manual repurposing time.
Alter
Deciphr
It depends on your workflow. Alter is strong for freelancers and consultants privately capturing client calls without a visible bot, while Deciphr is strong for podcasters generating show notes, transcripts, chapters, and clips from each episode. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Alter is a free tier with paid upgrades and Deciphr is a free tier with paid upgrades. Check each vendor's pricing page for the latest plans and free-tier limits.
Sure. Running both makes sense when their strengths don't overlap and the budget allows.
More head-to-head comparisons involving Alter and Deciphr.
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