Alter: macOS-native AI meeting assistant that records and transcribes calls locally with built-in Whisper and Parakeet models, no bots required. OpenTranscribe: Self-hosted, containerized web app for transcribing and analyzing audio/video with WhisperX, speaker diarization, search, and collaboration. The right pick comes down to team size, budget, and the workflows you want to automate.
How Hosiqo compares and tests toolsFinal recommendation
Shortlist Alter when freelancers and consultants privately capturing client calls without a visible bot matters most, and OpenTranscribe when collaborative review of transcripts with time-stamped annotations 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.
Self-hosted, containerized web app for transcribing and analyzing audio/video with WhisperX, speaker diarization, search, and collaboration.
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
OpenTranscribe is a self-hosted, containerized web application for transcribing and analyzing audio and video files using current AI models. It is built with a FastAPI backend, a Svelte/TypeScript progressive web app frontend, and a Docker-based stack that includes PostgreSQL, Redis/Celery task queues, MinIO object storage, and OpenSearch for full-text indexing. Transcription is handled by WhisperX with the large-v3-turbo model and Faster-Whisper, supporting more than 100 languages, while automatic speaker diarization uses PyAnnote v4 with overlap detection. The project is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and is actively maintained, with v0.4.1 released in April 2026. Beyond transcription, OpenTranscribe provides AI-powered summarization (including BLUF-format and custom JSON schemas), topic extraction, and content analysis through multiple LLM providers such as OpenAI, Claude, vLLM, Ollama, and OpenRouter. Collaboration features include time-stamped comments and annotations, and the platform can automatically import media from local folders, S3, and SMB shares. It also supports a set of cloud ASR providers as alternatives to local transcription, giving teams flexibility between fully local processing and managed services while keeping the application running on their own infrastructure. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
Alter is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); OpenTranscribe is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Alter | OpenTranscribe |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | On-device transcription using built-in Whisper and Parakeet models | WhisperX transcription with large-v3-turbo and 100+ language support |
| Standout feature | Bot-free capture of system audio and microphone across any meeting or call app | Automatic speaker diarization via PyAnnote v4 with overlap detection |
| Team usage | Automatic speaker identification performed locally | Full-text search and filtering powered by OpenSearch |
| Integrations | AI summaries, action items, and chat-with-your-meeting Q&A | AI summarization, topic extraction, and content analysis via multiple LLM providers |
| Languages & capture | Integrations with Notion, Slack, Linear, Asana, Jira and other tools | Time-stamped comments for collaboration and annotation |
| Best-fit workflow | Offline operation with recordings and transcripts stored locally | Auto-import from local folders, S3, and SMB shares |
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.
OpenTranscribe
Choose OpenTranscribe if you need teams self-hosting a searchable archive of transcribed meeting and media recordings — strengths include fully self-hosted web app with a complete transcription-and-analysis stack.
Alter
OpenTranscribe
It depends on your workflow. Alter is strong for freelancers and consultants privately capturing client calls without a visible bot, while OpenTranscribe is strong for teams self-hosting a searchable archive of transcribed meeting and media recordings. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Alter is a free tier with paid upgrades and OpenTranscribe 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 OpenTranscribe.
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.