Alter: macOS-native AI meeting assistant that records and transcribes calls locally with built-in Whisper and Parakeet models, no bots required. HeyMarvin: AI research assistant that records and transcribes user-research interviews and builds a searchable insights repository. Below, they line up on price, capture method, and how each fits a real meeting stack.
How Hosiqo compares and tests toolsFinal recommendation
Shortlist Alter when freelancers and consultants privately capturing client calls without a visible bot matters most, and HeyMarvin when product teams clustering interview feedback into shareable themes 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.
AI research assistant that records and transcribes user-research interviews and builds a searchable insights repository.
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
HeyMarvin (Marvin) is an AI-native customer insights platform aimed at user-research and product teams, with the research interview as its central meeting type. During live user-research calls it records sessions, transcribes them automatically, and lets researchers capture time-stamped notes and highlights, including collaborative live note-taking with teammates. After the session, its AI workflows distill feedback into themes and patterns, and an Ask AI feature lets teams query their data and get answers with citations back to the source clips. Everything feeds a centralized, searchable research repository that brings qualitative and quantitative inputs together from many sources, so insights are not scattered across documents and recordings. The platform also offers AI-moderated interviews in multiple languages, video clips and curated playlists for sharing findings, and integrations with tools used to distribute insights. It includes privacy and security features such as PII redaction and enterprise compliance. For a meeting-tools directory, its relevance is the combination of interview capture, AI notetaking, and a repository tuned for analyzing user-research conversations rather than general meetings. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
Alter is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); HeyMarvin is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Alter | HeyMarvin |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | On-device transcription using built-in Whisper and Parakeet models | Records and automatically transcribes user-research interview calls |
| Standout feature | Bot-free capture of system audio and microphone across any meeting or call app | Time-stamped notes and collaborative live note-taking during sessions |
| Team usage | Automatic speaker identification performed locally | AI thematic analysis that clusters feedback into themes and patterns |
| Integrations | AI summaries, action items, and chat-with-your-meeting Q&A | Ask AI querying across research data with citations to source clips |
| Languages & capture | Integrations with Notion, Slack, Linear, Asana, Jira and other tools | Searchable centralized research repository combining many data sources |
| Best-fit workflow | Offline operation with recordings and transcripts stored locally | Video clips, highlight reels, and insight reports for sharing findings |
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.
HeyMarvin
Choose HeyMarvin if you need ux researchers transcribing and tagging user-interview calls — strengths include tailored to user-research interviews rather than generic meeting notes.
Alter
HeyMarvin
It depends on your workflow. Alter is strong for freelancers and consultants privately capturing client calls without a visible bot, while HeyMarvin is strong for ux researchers transcribing and tagging user-interview calls. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Alter is a free tier with paid upgrades and HeyMarvin 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 HeyMarvin.
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