Alter: macOS-native AI meeting assistant that records and transcribes calls locally with built-in Whisper and Parakeet models, no bots required. Strella: AI-moderated customer research platform that runs in-depth interviews and synthesizes findings in real time, with an option for human-led calls. Which one wins depends on your platform mix, budget, and how hands-off you want notes to be.
How Hosiqo compares and tests toolsFinal recommendation
Shortlist Alter when freelancers and consultants privately capturing client calls without a visible bot matters most, and Strella when b2b and b2c qualitative studies with built-in recruitment 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.
AI-moderated customer research platform that runs in-depth interviews and synthesizes findings in real time, with an option for human-led calls.
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
Strella is an AI-powered customer research platform designed to run in-depth interviews and generate actionable insights in hours rather than weeks. Teams create a study in minutes using AI-generated, unbiased discussion guides that any team member can refine and launch, and they can either lead interviews themselves or hand moderation to Strella's AI moderator for faster results. During AI-moderated sessions, the platform conducts the conversation and adapts questions in real time based on each participant's responses, asking thoughtful follow-up questions to explore topics more deeply. Strella handles study logistics including recruitment, incentives, and scheduling, and offers a choice between interviewing customers a team already knows or recruiting from a panel of millions of global participants with targeting across professional, demographic, and behavioral segments; it supports research in dozens of languages for both B2B and B2C studies. On the analysis side, the platform synthesizes findings in real time, identifies themes across participants and segments, and lets researchers chat with their research to generate video highlight reels and pull insights at multiple levels, from an individual participant up to broader strategic patterns. The company is venture-backed and reports use by recognized consumer brands. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
Alter is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); Strella is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Alter | Strella |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | On-device transcription using built-in Whisper and Parakeet models | AI moderator conducting adaptive, in-depth interviews in real time |
| Standout feature | Bot-free capture of system audio and microphone across any meeting or call app | Optional human-led moderation alongside AI-moderated sessions |
| Team usage | Automatic speaker identification performed locally | AI-generated unbiased discussion guides editable by the team |
| Integrations | AI summaries, action items, and chat-with-your-meeting Q&A | Recruitment, incentives, and scheduling handled in-platform |
| Languages & capture | Integrations with Notion, Slack, Linear, Asana, Jira and other tools | Real-time synthesis with cross-participant and segment-level themes |
| Best-fit workflow | Offline operation with recordings and transcripts stored locally | Chat-with-research and video highlight reel generation |
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.
Strella
Choose Strella if you need rapid customer discovery and concept validation interviews — strengths include flexibility to run interviews via ai or have a human moderate.
Alter
Strella
It depends on your workflow. Alter is strong for freelancers and consultants privately capturing client calls without a visible bot, while Strella is strong for rapid customer discovery and concept validation interviews. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Alter is a free tier with paid upgrades and Strella is a free tier with paid upgrades. Check each vendor's pricing page for the latest plans and free-tier limits.
Often yes: teams combine tools when one handles capture and another handles analysis.
More head-to-head comparisons involving Alter and Strella.
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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