Alter: macOS-native AI meeting assistant that records and transcribes calls locally with built-in Whisper and Parakeet models, no bots required. Echometer: Psychology-based platform for agile retrospectives, recurring team health checks, and structured 1:1 meetings with AI-assisted suggestions. 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 Echometer when tracking team health and morale trends across multiple sprints 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.
Psychology-based platform for agile retrospectives, recurring team health checks, and structured 1:1 meetings with AI-assisted suggestions.
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
Echometer is a German-built platform purpose-made for running team retrospectives, recurring team health checks, and structured one-on-one (1:1) meetings. Aimed at engineering managers, scrum masters, and agile coaches, it pairs interactive retrospective boards with research-grounded survey questions so teams get guided, psychology-based reflection rather than a blank whiteboard. The retrospective tool offers a wide range of templates (such as Sailboat, Keep-Stop-Start, and others), supports both synchronous and asynchronous retros, and lets teams group, prioritize, and track measures coming out of each session. Health-check pulses run on a recurring basis to gather anonymous feedback and visualize how a team's agile maturity and satisfaction develop over time. A separate 1:1 meeting module provides templates and structured formats for manager-employee conversations. Echometer includes smart, AI-supported recommendations that surface food for thought and help brainstorm action items during retrospectives and 1:1s. The product is hosted in an ISO 27001-certified data center in Germany, offers a free tier, and is used by both small teams and large enterprises that want a consistent, data-informed approach to continuous team improvement. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
Alter is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); Echometer is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Alter | Echometer |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | On-device transcription using built-in Whisper and Parakeet models | Interactive, psychology-based retrospective boards with grouping and prioritization |
| Standout feature | Bot-free capture of system audio and microphone across any meeting or call app | Recurring team health-check pulses with longitudinal trend visualization |
| Team usage | Automatic speaker identification performed locally | Dedicated 1:1 meeting module with structured templates |
| Integrations | AI summaries, action items, and chat-with-your-meeting Q&A | AI-supported recommendations for retro and 1:1 discussion topics and action items |
| Languages & capture | Integrations with Notion, Slack, Linear, Asana, Jira and other tools | Synchronous and asynchronous retrospective support |
| Best-fit workflow | Offline operation with recordings and transcripts stored locally | Tracking of measures and action items across sessions |
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.
Echometer
Choose Echometer if you need running recurring agile retrospectives with consistent, structured templates — strengths include covers retrospectives, health checks, and 1:1s in a single purpose-built tool.
Alter
Echometer
It depends on your workflow. Alter is strong for freelancers and consultants privately capturing client calls without a visible bot, while Echometer is strong for running recurring agile retrospectives with consistent, structured templates. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Alter is a free tier with paid upgrades and Echometer is a free tier with paid upgrades. Check each vendor's pricing page for the latest plans and free-tier limits.
You can — some teams pair them when each covers a different part of the meeting workflow.
More head-to-head comparisons involving Alter and Echometer.
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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