Alter: macOS-native AI meeting assistant that records and transcribes calls locally with built-in Whisper and Parakeet models, no bots required. Vibe: Open-source, cross-platform desktop app that transcribes meeting and interview recordings offline using Whisper, keeping all data on your device. This comparison weighs them on pricing, features, and everyday workflow fit.
How Hosiqo compares and tests toolsFinal recommendation
Shortlist Alter when freelancers and consultants privately capturing client calls without a visible bot matters most, and Vibe when developers embedding local transcription via the cli or http api matters most. Trial each on a few real meetings before you commit — the better fit usually shows fast.
macOS-native AI meeting assistant that records and transcribes calls locally with built-in Whisper and Parakeet models, no bots required.
Open-source, cross-platform desktop app that transcribes meeting and interview recordings offline using Whisper, keeping all data on your device.
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
Vibe is a free, open-source transcription application created by the developer thewh1teagle and distributed under the MIT license. It lets users transcribe audio and video files entirely offline on their own machine using OpenAI's Whisper models, so recordings of meetings, interviews, lectures, and calls never have to leave the device. Vibe runs on macOS, Windows, and Linux, with GPU acceleration available for NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel hardware, and it supports a very wide range of languages. It includes speaker diarization so different participants can be separated in the transcript, and it can export results in multiple formats including SRT, VTT, TXT, HTML, PDF, JSON, and DOCX. For automation and integration, Vibe also exposes a command-line interface and an HTTP API with Swagger documentation, making it usable inside larger pipelines. Built with the Tauri framework on top of whisper.cpp, it is actively maintained with frequent releases. Vibe is best suited to privacy-conscious individuals, developers, and teams who want a no-subscription, local-first way to turn recorded conversations into editable text. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
Alter is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); Vibe is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Alter | Vibe |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | On-device transcription using built-in Whisper and Parakeet models | Offline transcription powered by OpenAI Whisper (whisper.cpp) |
| Standout feature | Bot-free capture of system audio and microphone across any meeting or call app | Cross-platform: macOS, Windows, and Linux |
| Team usage | Automatic speaker identification performed locally | Speaker diarization to separate participants |
| Integrations | AI summaries, action items, and chat-with-your-meeting Q&A | Multiple export formats (SRT, VTT, TXT, HTML, PDF, JSON, DOCX) |
| Languages & capture | Integrations with Notion, Slack, Linear, Asana, Jira and other tools | Command-line interface and HTTP API for automation |
| Best-fit workflow | Offline operation with recordings and transcripts stored locally | GPU acceleration for NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel |
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.
Vibe
Choose Vibe if you need transcribing recorded meetings or interviews privately on a laptop — strengths include free and open source under the mit license.
Alter
Vibe
It depends on your workflow. Alter is strong for freelancers and consultants privately capturing client calls without a visible bot, while Vibe is strong for transcribing recorded meetings or interviews privately on a laptop. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Alter is a free tier with paid upgrades and Vibe is a free tier with paid upgrades. Check each vendor's pricing page for the latest plans and free-tier limits.
You can — some teams pair them when each covers a different part of the meeting workflow.
More head-to-head comparisons involving Alter and Vibe.
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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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.
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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.