Alter: macOS-native AI meeting assistant that records and transcribes calls locally with built-in Whisper and Parakeet models, no bots required. SkyScribe: AI transcription and subtitle platform that turns audio and video into editable text, captions, and repurposed content. 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 SkyScribe when turning interview and meeting recordings into summaries and action items matters most. Run both through a week of actual calls to see which suits your workflow.
macOS-native AI meeting assistant that records and transcribes calls locally with built-in Whisper and Parakeet models, no bots required.
AI transcription and subtitle platform that turns audio and video into editable text, captions, and repurposed content.
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
SkyScribe is an AI transcription, translation, and audio-to-text platform that converts video and audio into editable text and subtitle files. Users can upload media, paste YouTube links, or record directly, and SkyScribe produces a transcript with speaker labels and timestamps. The platform is built for podcasters, video creators, and professionals who handle meetings and interviews, and it leans into turning raw transcripts into usable content: it offers transcript editing with one-click cleanup and filler-word removal, resegmentation that restructures content into customizable blocks, and custom data extraction for summaries, action items, and sentiment. SkyScribe supports translation into more than one hundred languages while keeping original timestamps aligned, which allows subtitle-ready output for international audiences. Export options are broad, spanning SRT subtitles, VTT captions, plus formats such as DOCX, TXT, Markdown, PDF, JSON, and CSV, and it integrates with tools including YouTube Studio, Notion, n8n, and Supabase. A generous daily free transcription allowance lets users test the service, with paid plans offering larger files and unlimited subtitle generation. This makes SkyScribe suitable for transcribing and captioning podcasts, videos, interviews, and meeting recordings within a single workflow. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
Alter is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); SkyScribe is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Alter | SkyScribe |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | On-device transcription using built-in Whisper and Parakeet models | AI transcription with speaker labels and timestamps for audio and video |
| Standout feature | Bot-free capture of system audio and microphone across any meeting or call app | Subtitle and caption export including SRT and VTT, plus DOCX, TXT, Markdown, PDF, JSON, and CSV |
| Team usage | Automatic speaker identification performed locally | Translation into more than one hundred languages with aligned timestamps |
| Integrations | AI summaries, action items, and chat-with-your-meeting Q&A | Transcript editing with one-click cleanup and filler-word removal |
| Languages & capture | Integrations with Notion, Slack, Linear, Asana, Jira and other tools | Custom data extraction for summaries, action items, and sentiment |
| Best-fit workflow | Offline operation with recordings and transcripts stored locally | Integrations with YouTube Studio, Notion, n8n, and Supabase |
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.
SkyScribe
Choose SkyScribe if you need transcribing and captioning podcasts and videos with multi-format export — strengths include very broad set of export formats covering captions, documents, and data.
Alter
SkyScribe
It depends on your workflow. Alter is strong for freelancers and consultants privately capturing client calls without a visible bot, while SkyScribe is strong for transcribing and captioning podcasts and videos with multi-format export. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Alter is a free tier with paid upgrades and SkyScribe is a free tier with paid upgrades. Check each vendor's pricing page for the latest plans and free-tier limits.
Sure. Running both makes sense when their strengths don't overlap and the budget allows.
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