Alter: macOS-native AI meeting assistant that records and transcribes calls locally with built-in Whisper and Parakeet models, no bots required. Screenpipe: Screenpipe is an open, local-first desktop app that records your screen and audio, transcribes calls on-device with Whisper, and auto-generates meeting summaries with action items. 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 Screenpipe when building a searchable, private record of meetings and screen activity to recall past discussions and decisions matters most. Try them side by side on real calls before deciding — needs vary by team.
macOS-native AI meeting assistant that records and transcribes calls locally with built-in Whisper and Parakeet models, no bots required.
Screenpipe is an open, local-first desktop app that records your screen and audio, transcribes calls on-device with Whisper, and auto-generates meeting summaries with action items.
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
Screenpipe is a local-first, source-available desktop application that continuously captures your screen and audio to build a private, searchable AI memory of your computer activity. For meetings, it records microphone and system audio in the background and transcribes in real time using OpenAI's Whisper model running locally, so calls from any app that plays through your speakers, including Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and Slack huddles, are captured without a bot joining the call. It supports speaker diarization and many languages. When a meeting ends, a meeting-summary pipe can generate structured notes, including a short bullet summary, action items per person, and decisions plus next steps, and write them to destinations such as Obsidian, Notion, or Apple Notes. Because capture, text extraction, transcription, and search can run entirely offline, data stays in a local database on your device, with options to redact PII and exclude specific apps or windows. Screenpipe also runs as an MCP server, letting AI assistants query your history. It is aimed at engineers, researchers, and privacy-conscious professionals. It runs on macOS, Windows, and Linux.
Best suited for
Alter is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); Screenpipe is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Alter | Screenpipe |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | On-device transcription using built-in Whisper and Parakeet models | On-device screen and audio recording that captures system audio from any app, including Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, and Slack huddles |
| Standout feature | Bot-free capture of system audio and microphone across any meeting or call app | Local real-time transcription using OpenAI's Whisper model, with speaker diarization and multi-language support |
| Team usage | Automatic speaker identification performed locally | Automatic meeting summaries with bullet recap, action items per person, and decisions plus next steps |
| Integrations | AI summaries, action items, and chat-with-your-meeting Q&A | Writes structured notes to destinations like Obsidian, Notion, and Apple Notes via configurable pipes |
| Languages & capture | Integrations with Notion, Slack, Linear, Asana, Jira and other tools | Fully offline operation with local storage, on-device PII redaction, and app/window/URL exclusions |
| Best-fit workflow | Offline operation with recordings and transcripts stored locally | Runs as an MCP server so AI assistants and clients can query your screen and audio history |
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.
Screenpipe
Choose Screenpipe if you need automatically capturing and summarizing video calls across zoom, meet, and teams without a meeting bot — strengths include privacy-first: capture, transcription, and search can run entirely on-device with no cloud dependency.
Alter
Screenpipe
It depends on your workflow. Alter is strong for freelancers and consultants privately capturing client calls without a visible bot, while Screenpipe is strong for automatically capturing and summarizing video calls across zoom, meet, and teams without a meeting bot. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Alter is a free tier with paid upgrades and Screenpipe 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 Screenpipe.
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.