Alter: macOS-native AI meeting assistant that records and transcribes calls locally with built-in Whisper and Parakeet models, no bots required. Lark Minutes: The AI meeting transcription and notes feature within the Lark productivity suite, turning video meetings into searchable transcripts with summaries. 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 Lark Minutes when distributed teams translating meeting minutes across languages 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.
The AI meeting transcription and notes feature within the Lark productivity suite, turning video meetings into searchable transcripts with 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
Lark Minutes is the meeting transcription and AI notes feature embedded in Lark, an all-in-one productivity suite that combines messaging, documents, calendar, and video meetings. Minutes automatically transcribes video meetings into transcripts that users can view, search, and collaborate on, so teams can focus on the discussion instead of manual note-taking. The transcripts are interactive: users can post comments on specific parts of the conversation or react with emojis, making the meeting record a collaborative document rather than a static file. Playback tools let users adjust speed, fast-forward or rewind to points of interest, and skip silent sections. Minutes pairs with Lark's AI Meeting Notes capability to produce smart summaries, and meeting minutes can be translated between languages with one click, which is useful for distributed and multilingual teams. Because it is part of the broader Lark suite, transcripts and notes sit alongside the calendar, chat, and documents that teams already use, keeping meeting output within the same workspace. Lark Minutes is positioned for organizations that want integrated meeting transcription and summaries inside their primary collaboration platform rather than adopting a separate standalone notetaker. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
Alter is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); Lark Minutes is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Alter | Lark Minutes |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | On-device transcription using built-in Whisper and Parakeet models | Automatic transcription of video meetings into searchable transcripts |
| Standout feature | Bot-free capture of system audio and microphone across any meeting or call app | AI-generated meeting summaries via Lark's AI Meeting Notes |
| Team usage | Automatic speaker identification performed locally | Collaborative transcripts with comments and emoji reactions on specific parts |
| Integrations | AI summaries, action items, and chat-with-your-meeting Q&A | One-click translation of meeting minutes between languages |
| Languages & capture | Integrations with Notion, Slack, Linear, Asana, Jira and other tools | Playback controls including custom speed and silence skipping |
| Best-fit workflow | Offline operation with recordings and transcripts stored locally | Integrated within the Lark suite alongside calendar, chat, and documents |
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.
Lark Minutes
Choose Lark Minutes if you need lark users transcribing and summarizing internal video meetings — strengths include built into the lark productivity suite, keeping notes with calendar and docs.
Alter
Lark Minutes
It depends on your workflow. Alter is strong for freelancers and consultants privately capturing client calls without a visible bot, while Lark Minutes is strong for lark users transcribing and summarizing internal video meetings. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Alter is a free tier with paid upgrades and Lark Minutes is a free tier with paid upgrades. Check each vendor's pricing page for the latest plans and free-tier limits.
Yes. Many teams run more than one meeting assistant when the workflows are complementary.
More head-to-head comparisons involving Alter and Lark Minutes.
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.
Alter: macOS-native AI meeting assistant that records and transcribes calls locally with built-in Whisper and Parakeet models, no bots required. AmpUp: AI sales coaching platform with a native notetaker that records and transcribes calls, then delivers prep briefs, debriefs, and practice scenarios. This comparison weighs them on pricing, features, and everyday workflow fit.
Alter: macOS-native AI meeting assistant that records and transcribes calls locally with built-in Whisper and Parakeet models, no bots required. Anarlog: Open-source, local-first AI meeting notepad (formerly Hyprnote) by Fastrepl that records and summarizes private meetings on your own device with no bot. Here's where each one pulls ahead on pricing, features, and the meetings it suits best.
Alter: macOS-native AI meeting assistant that records and transcribes calls locally with built-in Whisper and Parakeet models, no bots required. AskElephant: AI workflow platform for revenue teams that captures calls and meetings and automates CRM updates, handoffs, and coaching. This comparison weighs them on pricing, features, and everyday workflow fit.
Alter: macOS-native AI meeting assistant that records and transcribes calls locally with built-in Whisper and Parakeet models, no bots required. Aspect: AI interview assistant that records, transcribes, and summarizes recruiting interviews, then autofills ATS scorecards. Here's where each one pulls ahead on pricing, features, and the meetings it suits best.
Alter: macOS-native AI meeting assistant that records and transcribes calls locally with built-in Whisper and Parakeet models, no bots required. Attendee: Open-source, self-hostable meeting bot API that sends bots into Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams to capture recordings and transcripts. This comparison weighs them on pricing, features, and everyday workflow fit.
Alter: macOS-native AI meeting assistant that records and transcribes calls locally with built-in Whisper and Parakeet models, no bots required. Attention: AI conversation intelligence platform that records and transcribes sales calls, scores them against frameworks, and automates CRM updates and follow-ups. Here's where each one pulls ahead on pricing, features, and the meetings it suits best.
Alter: macOS-native AI meeting assistant that records and transcribes calls locally with built-in Whisper and Parakeet models, no bots required. Attio Call Intelligence: Attio's native call intelligence records, transcribes, and summarizes meetings and syncs every conversation to the Attio CRM automatically. This comparison weighs them on pricing, features, and everyday workflow fit.
Alter: macOS-native AI meeting assistant that records and transcribes calls locally with built-in Whisper and Parakeet models, no bots required. AudioNotes: AI note taker for voice, audio, video, and text that records meetings and memos and turns them into structured notes and summaries. 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. AudiosTranscribe: French-focused, bot-free meeting transcription tool with European inference, summaries, action plans, and automatic audio deletion. Here's where each one pulls ahead on pricing, features, and the meetings it suits best.
Alter: macOS-native AI meeting assistant that records and transcribes calls locally with built-in Whisper and Parakeet models, no bots required. Audiosum: AI transcription platform with Arabic dialect support that transcribes and summarizes meetings, lectures and videos. Which one wins depends on your platform mix, budget, and how hands-off you want notes to be.