Alter: macOS-native AI meeting assistant that records and transcribes calls locally with built-in Whisper and Parakeet models, no bots required. Typist: AI speech-to-text service that converts audio and video into text and exports captions, with tiered models for speed or accuracy. 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 Typist when generating srt or webvtt captions for podcasts and videos 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 speech-to-text service that converts audio and video into text and exports captions, with tiered models for speed or accuracy.
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
Typist is an AI transcription service that converts audio and video files into text and caption files. Users upload recordings in common formats such as MP3, MP4, M4A, WAV, OGG, FLAC, and WebM, and Typist returns a transcript that can be exported to DOCX, SRT subtitles, WebVTT captions, PDF, or plain text. The platform offers multiple transcription models, described as Turbo for speed, Pro for a balance of speed and accuracy, and Studio for the highest accuracy, with the Studio tier adding speaker identification. Typist supports a wide range of languages and accents and provides word-level and segment-level timestamps, which makes it suitable for producing subtitles that import cleanly into video editors. The product positions itself around fast turnaround for pre-recorded content and predictable, credit-based usage. Its documented use cases span lectures, podcasts, interviews, research and client calls, and consulting meetings, alongside students, therapists, and video editors. A free tier with a limited number of minutes lets new users try the service before moving to paid plans, and a web dashboard handles uploads, transcription, and exports. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
Alter is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); Typist is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Alter | Typist |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | On-device transcription using built-in Whisper and Parakeet models | Audio and video to text transcription across many file formats |
| Standout feature | Bot-free capture of system audio and microphone across any meeting or call app | Export to SRT subtitles, WebVTT captions, DOCX, PDF, and TXT |
| Team usage | Automatic speaker identification performed locally | Multiple transcription models trading off speed and accuracy |
| Integrations | AI summaries, action items, and chat-with-your-meeting Q&A | Speaker identification on the highest-accuracy tier |
| Languages & capture | Integrations with Notion, Slack, Linear, Asana, Jira and other tools | Word-level and segment-level timestamps for clean subtitle timing |
| Best-fit workflow | Offline operation with recordings and transcripts stored locally | Support for a wide range of languages and accents |
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.
Typist
Choose Typist if you need transcribing recorded interviews and research or client calls — strengths include clean subtitle exports (srt and webvtt) that import into video editors.
Alter
Typist
It depends on your workflow. Alter is strong for freelancers and consultants privately capturing client calls without a visible bot, while Typist is strong for transcribing recorded interviews and research or client calls. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Alter is a free tier with paid upgrades and Typist 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.
More head-to-head comparisons involving Alter and Typist.
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.
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