Alter: macOS-native AI meeting assistant that records and transcribes calls locally with built-in Whisper and Parakeet models, no bots required. StreamText: StreamText is a real-time captioning platform that delivers live human or AI-generated captions, translations, and transcripts for events and 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 StreamText when real-time captioning and translation in classrooms and lectures for accessibility 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.
StreamText is a real-time captioning platform that delivers live human or AI-generated captions, translations, and transcripts for events and 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
StreamText is an enterprise real-time captioning platform, founded in 2003, that delivers spoken words as live captions to web pages, devices, and conferencing tools. It supports two modes: professional human captioners (using stenography, re-speaking, and text interpreting) and AI-powered automatic speech recognition (ASR), which converts speech to text in real time and produces captions, translations, and transcripts. Source audio is captioned live and streamed to an ADA-compliant viewer that works with screen readers, while AI captioning recognizes around 20 source languages and offers realtime translation into well over 100 languages. Captioned sessions can be exported as timed-text transcript files such as .srt and .vtt, and StreamCast lets organizers overlay captions onto videos and presentations. It integrates with Zoom, Webex, YouTube, and Adobe, and exposes a full API for OEM and third-party embedding. It is aimed at corporate and hybrid events, conferences, classrooms, trade shows, and legal or government settings needing accessibility. Pricing is usage-based per minute with no subscriptions or setup fees.
Best suited for
Alter is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); StreamText is a free tier with paid upgrades (paid). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Alter | StreamText |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | On-device transcription using built-in Whisper and Parakeet models | Real-time live captioning streamed to web pages and devices |
| Standout feature | Bot-free capture of system audio and microphone across any meeting or call app | AI-powered automatic speech recognition (ASR) for live captions and transcripts |
| Team usage | Automatic speaker identification performed locally | Professional human captioning via stenography, re-speaking, and text interpreting |
| Integrations | AI summaries, action items, and chat-with-your-meeting Q&A | Realtime translation into 100+ languages with ~20 source languages |
| Languages & capture | Integrations with Notion, Slack, Linear, Asana, Jira and other tools | Downloadable timed-text transcripts (.srt, .vtt) and on-demand transcription |
| Best-fit workflow | Offline operation with recordings and transcripts stored locally | Integrations with Zoom, Webex, YouTube, and Adobe plus a full API |
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.
StreamText
Choose StreamText if you need providing live captions and transcripts for corporate, hybrid, and virtual events — strengths include offers both professional human captions and ai captions on one platform.
Alter
StreamText
It depends on your workflow. Alter is strong for freelancers and consultants privately capturing client calls without a visible bot, while StreamText is strong for providing live captions and transcripts for corporate, hybrid, and virtual events. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Alter is a free tier with paid upgrades and StreamText 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.
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