Alter: macOS-native AI meeting assistant that records and transcribes calls locally with built-in Whisper and Parakeet models, no bots required. Mem: AI second-brain notes app that organizes captured information automatically and can record, transcribe, and summarize meetings. 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 Mem when asking questions across an entire personal knowledge base matters most. Trial each on a few real meetings before you commit — the better fit usually shows fast.
macOS-native AI meeting assistant that records and transcribes calls locally with built-in Whisper and Parakeet models, no bots required.
AI second-brain notes app that organizes captured information automatically and can record, transcribe, and summarize meetings.
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
Mem is an AI-powered notes application positioned as an AI thought partner and second brain, built around the idea that users should not have to manually file information into folders and tags. Users capture notes through typing, voice brain dumps, a Chrome extension for web clipping, and mobile messaging for quick capture on the go, and Mem's AI organizes that material automatically into collections. For meetings, Mem can record, transcribe, and take notes, attaching both the audio and transcript for reference and cleaning up the result into structured notes. Its chat interface lets users ask questions in plain language across their entire note history, with answers synthesized from their own notes and cited to specific sources, so they can recall facts, summarize a span of meetings, or reorganize content by project or topic. A Heads Up feature surfaces related notes and timelines as context. Mem is aimed at knowledge workers, researchers, founders, and anyone who attends many meetings and wants a low-friction way to capture, retrieve, and synthesize information without spending time on manual organization. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
Alter is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); Mem is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Alter | Mem |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | On-device transcription using built-in Whisper and Parakeet models | Automatic AI organization of captured notes into collections |
| Standout feature | Bot-free capture of system audio and microphone across any meeting or call app | Records, transcribes, and summarizes meetings with audio and transcript attached |
| Team usage | Automatic speaker identification performed locally | Chat across your note history with cited answers from your own notes |
| Integrations | AI summaries, action items, and chat-with-your-meeting Q&A | Voice brain dumps turned into organized notes |
| Languages & capture | Integrations with Notion, Slack, Linear, Asana, Jira and other tools | Chrome extension for web clipping and mobile quick capture |
| Best-fit workflow | Offline operation with recordings and transcripts stored locally | Heads Up feature that surfaces related notes and context |
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.
Mem
Choose Mem if you need capturing and summarizing meetings alongside everyday notes — strengths include removes the need to manually organize notes with folders and tags.
Alter
Mem
It depends on your workflow. Alter is strong for freelancers and consultants privately capturing client calls without a visible bot, while Mem is strong for capturing and summarizing meetings alongside everyday notes. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Alter is a free tier with paid upgrades and Mem 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 Mem.
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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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.
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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.