Alter: macOS-native AI meeting assistant that records and transcribes calls locally with built-in Whisper and Parakeet models, no bots required. Prismical: Open-source AI note taker that transcribes meetings, lectures, and voice notes locally without bots, then organizes them into structured, actionable notes. Here's where each one pulls ahead on pricing, features, and the meetings it suits best.
How Hosiqo compares and tests toolsFinal recommendation
Shortlist Alter when freelancers and consultants privately capturing client calls without a visible bot matters most, and Prismical when capturing voice notes and turning them into structured, searchable notes 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.
Open-source AI note taker that transcribes meetings, lectures, and voice notes locally without bots, then organizes them into structured, actionable notes.
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
Prismical is an open-source AI note taker, from the Amical project, that transcribes meetings, lectures, and voice notes using local AI and without an invasive bot joining the call. It captures system audio in the background and processes it locally with Whisper and Parakeet models, while optionally connecting to cloud providers such as OpenAI, Claude, or Gemini using the user's own API keys. The project is MIT-licensed and actively maintained, with a Prismical Desktop v0.1.0 release in May 2026 and beta mobile apps for iOS and Android. Built with Electron, Next.js, TailwindCSS, and Ollama integration, it provides real-time meeting transcription via system audio capture and a floating widget that shows live transcripts as a conversation happens. Beyond capture, Prismical generates AI-powered summaries and extracts action items, and it keeps notes organized, structured, and searchable with full-text search across captured content. It also exposes an MCP server integration for connecting the tool into broader AI workflows. The combination of bot-free local capture, structured summaries, and free-forever positioning makes it a privacy-oriented alternative to cloud meeting notetakers for individuals who want their recordings to stay on their own devices. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
Alter is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); Prismical is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Alter | Prismical |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | On-device transcription using built-in Whisper and Parakeet models | Bot-free real-time meeting transcription via system audio capture |
| Standout feature | Bot-free capture of system audio and microphone across any meeting or call app | Local-first processing using Whisper and Parakeet models |
| Team usage | Automatic speaker identification performed locally | AI-powered summaries and action-item extraction |
| Integrations | AI summaries, action items, and chat-with-your-meeting Q&A | Floating widget for live transcripts during a conversation |
| Languages & capture | Integrations with Notion, Slack, Linear, Asana, Jira and other tools | Full-text search across captured notes |
| Best-fit workflow | Offline operation with recordings and transcripts stored locally | Optional cloud providers (OpenAI, Claude, Gemini) with user API keys |
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.
Prismical
Choose Prismical if you need individuals transcribing and summarizing meetings or lectures without inviting a bot — strengths include captures meetings and voice notes locally without a bot joining calls.
Alter
Prismical
It depends on your workflow. Alter is strong for freelancers and consultants privately capturing client calls without a visible bot, while Prismical is strong for individuals transcribing and summarizing meetings or lectures without inviting a bot. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Alter is a free tier with paid upgrades and Prismical 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 Prismical.
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. 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.
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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. 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.