Alter: macOS-native AI meeting assistant that records and transcribes calls locally with built-in Whisper and Parakeet models, no bots required. Dialpad: AI-powered communications platform with a sales dialer that provides real-time transcription, live coaching cards, and post-call summaries. Which one wins depends on your platform mix, budget, and how hands-off you want notes to be.
How Hosiqo compares and tests toolsFinal recommendation
Shortlist Alter when freelancers and consultants privately capturing client calls without a visible bot matters most, and Dialpad when generating call transcripts and summaries automatically matters most. Trial each on a few real meetings before you commit — the better fit usually shows fast.
macOS-native AI meeting assistant that records and transcribes calls locally with built-in Whisper and Parakeet models, no bots required.
AI-powered communications platform with a sales dialer that provides real-time transcription, live coaching cards, and post-call summaries.
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
Dialpad is an AI-powered communications platform that combines voice, video, and messaging, with a sales dialer and conversation intelligence layer aimed at outbound and inside sales teams. Its core function for sales is to power calls through the dialer while Dialpad AI transcribes conversations in real time, detects sentiment, and automatically generates post-call summaries. During live calls, the platform surfaces Real-Time Assist cards and AI Live Coach cards that pop up helpful notes, such as competitor talking points or objection-handling guidance, when relevant topics come up. Its AI Playbooks feature uses speech recognition and generative AI to lay out the questions reps should ask for a given sales methodology and marks them off as they are covered. Beyond individual calls, Dialpad helps teams identify keywords and topics prospects raise, track what is said about competitors, and find coaching opportunities across recorded conversations. The dialer includes productivity features like voicemail drop and automatic call logging, and it integrates with CRMs including Salesforce, HubSpot, and Zoho so activity is captured automatically. Dialpad is suited to sales teams that want a dialer and conversation intelligence built into the same phone system. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
Alter is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); Dialpad is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Alter | Dialpad |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | On-device transcription using built-in Whisper and Parakeet models | Real-time call and video transcription with sentiment detection |
| Standout feature | Bot-free capture of system audio and microphone across any meeting or call app | AI Live Coach and Real-Time Assist cards during calls |
| Team usage | Automatic speaker identification performed locally | AI Playbooks that track methodology questions live |
| Integrations | AI summaries, action items, and chat-with-your-meeting Q&A | Automatic post-call summaries |
| Languages & capture | Integrations with Notion, Slack, Linear, Asana, Jira and other tools | CRM integrations with Salesforce, HubSpot, and Zoho plus call logging |
| Best-fit workflow | Offline operation with recordings and transcripts stored locally | Real-time call and video transcription with sentiment detection |
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.
Dialpad
Choose Dialpad if you need equipping inside sales reps with a dialer plus live ai coaching — strengths include dialer and conversation intelligence built into one platform.
Alter
Dialpad
It depends on your workflow. Alter is strong for freelancers and consultants privately capturing client calls without a visible bot, while Dialpad is strong for equipping inside sales reps with a dialer plus live ai coaching. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Alter is a free tier with paid upgrades and Dialpad 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 Dialpad.
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.
Alter: macOS-native AI meeting assistant that records and transcribes calls locally with built-in Whisper and Parakeet models, no bots required. Amberscript: Audio and video to text service offering automatic and human-verified transcripts and subtitles. We compare them on cost, capture approach, and day-to-day fit so you can choose faster.
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