Alter: macOS-native AI meeting assistant that records and transcribes calls locally with built-in Whisper and Parakeet models, no bots required. Knowt: AI study platform that turns recorded or uploaded lectures into notes, flashcards, and practice quizzes for students. 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 Knowt when generating flashcards and practice tests from course materials before exams 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.
AI study platform that turns recorded or uploaded lectures into notes, flashcards, and practice quizzes for students.
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
Knowt is an AI-powered study platform built primarily for students and teachers that converts lectures and learning materials into organized study resources. Students can record a lecture live in the app or on the website, or upload existing audio, video, PDFs, and slide decks, and the platform's AI assistant (called Kai) generates summarized notes, flashcards, and practice quizzes from the content. Notes can be formatted as outlines or paragraphs, with adjustable detail levels, and the original audio is saved for reference. Beyond capture and transcription-driven summarization, Knowt functions as a broader study workspace, positioning itself as a free alternative to traditional flashcard apps and offering a large library of community-shared study materials. It also includes teacher-facing features for assigning material and tracking student progress. The tool spans web, iOS, and Android, making it usable across classroom, online-course, and self-study settings. Knowt is aimed at learners who want lecture capture to flow directly into reusable, exam-oriented study artifacts rather than just raw transcripts. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
Alter is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); Knowt is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Alter | Knowt |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | On-device transcription using built-in Whisper and Parakeet models | Live lecture recording in app and on the web, plus upload of audio, video, PDFs, and slides |
| Standout feature | Bot-free capture of system audio and microphone across any meeting or call app | AI-generated notes with adjustable formatting (outline or paragraph) and detail level |
| Team usage | Automatic speaker identification performed locally | Automatic flashcard generation from lecture and document content |
| Integrations | AI summaries, action items, and chat-with-your-meeting Q&A | Practice quiz and test creation from any note, PDF, or video |
| Languages & capture | Integrations with Notion, Slack, Linear, Asana, Jira and other tools | Kai AI chat for explaining concepts and answering questions |
| Best-fit workflow | Offline operation with recordings and transcripts stored locally | Large community library of shared study sets and teacher tools for assignments |
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.
Knowt
Choose Knowt if you need recording university lectures and turning them into structured study notes — strengths include combines capture, summarization, and active-recall study tools in one student-focused app.
Alter
Knowt
It depends on your workflow. Alter is strong for freelancers and consultants privately capturing client calls without a visible bot, while Knowt is strong for recording university lectures and turning them into structured study notes. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Alter is a free tier with paid upgrades and Knowt is a free tier with paid upgrades. Check each vendor's pricing page for the latest plans and free-tier limits.
Often yes: teams combine tools when one handles capture and another handles analysis.
More head-to-head comparisons involving Alter and Knowt.
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