Alter: macOS-native AI meeting assistant that records and transcribes calls locally with built-in Whisper and Parakeet models, no bots required. Empathia AI: Empathia AI is an ambient AI medical scribe that records patient encounters and automatically generates clinical notes, letters, and billing codes for clinicians. We compare them on cost, capture approach, and day-to-day fit so you can choose faster.
How Hosiqo compares and tests toolsFinal recommendation
Shortlist Alter when freelancers and consultants privately capturing client calls without a visible bot matters most, and Empathia AI when generating referral letters, consult letters, and patient instructions from recorded visits matters most. Run both through a week of actual calls to see which suits your workflow.
macOS-native AI meeting assistant that records and transcribes calls locally with built-in Whisper and Parakeet models, no bots required.
Empathia AI is an ambient AI medical scribe that records patient encounters and automatically generates clinical notes, letters, and billing codes for clinicians.
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
Empathia AI is an AI medical scribe built for clinicians and healthcare practices. Its core engine, EMMA, uses ambient AI to listen to doctor-patient interactions across in-person visits, telehealth, and phone calls, then transcribes the conversation and generates structured, customizable clinical notes. Beyond note-taking, it produces chart summaries, referral and consult letters, form autofill, patient instructions, and suggested ICD/CPT/service billing codes. The platform supports multi-speaker conversations, dictation, and multilingual encounters, and offers specialty-tuned templates across 20+ medical specialties. It works on desktop and mobile and integrates with numerous EMR/EHR systems, including Epic, Athenahealth, eClinicalWorks, NextGen, DrChrono, Practice Fusion, Elation, and Canadian systems such as Accuro, OSCAR, and Juno. Empathia emphasizes compliance, citing HIPAA, PHIPA, PIPEDA, and GDPR alignment, and notes pre-qualified vendor status with Canada Health Infoway's national AI scribe program. It targets individual practitioners and clinics seeking to reduce documentation time and refocus attention on patient care.
Best suited for
Alter is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); Empathia AI is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Alter | Empathia AI |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | On-device transcription using built-in Whisper and Parakeet models | Ambient AI capture (EMMA) for in-person, telehealth, and phone encounters |
| Standout feature | Bot-free capture of system audio and microphone across any meeting or call app | Automatic transcription and structured clinical note generation |
| Team usage | Automatic speaker identification performed locally | Multi-speaker and multilingual support with dictation |
| Integrations | AI summaries, action items, and chat-with-your-meeting Q&A | Specialty-tuned templates across 20+ medical specialties |
| Languages & capture | Integrations with Notion, Slack, Linear, Asana, Jira and other tools | Suggested ICD/CPT/service billing codes, referral and consult letters |
| Best-fit workflow | Offline operation with recordings and transcripts stored locally | EMR/EHR integrations (Epic, Athenahealth, eClinicalWorks, Accuro, OSCAR, and more) |
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.
Empathia AI
Choose Empathia AI if you need clinicians automating post-visit charting and clinical note documentation — strengths include purpose-built for clinical documentation with deep emr integration.
Alter
Empathia AI
It depends on your workflow. Alter is strong for freelancers and consultants privately capturing client calls without a visible bot, while Empathia AI is strong for clinicians automating post-visit charting and clinical note documentation. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Alter is a free tier with paid upgrades and Empathia AI 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 Empathia AI.
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