Alter: macOS-native AI meeting assistant that records and transcribes calls locally with built-in Whisper and Parakeet models, no bots required. VIQ Solutions: VIQ Solutions is an enterprise provider of AI-driven speech-to-text transcription, digital voice and video capture technology, and managed transcription services for legal, government, and other regulated industries. The right pick comes down to team size, budget, and the workflows you want to automate.
How Hosiqo compares and tests toolsFinal recommendation
Shortlist Alter when freelancers and consultants privately capturing client calls without a visible bot matters most, and VIQ Solutions when law firms recording depositions and case notes for searchable, editable documents 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.
VIQ Solutions is an enterprise provider of AI-driven speech-to-text transcription, digital voice and video capture technology, and managed transcription services for legal, government, and other regulated industries.
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
VIQ Solutions is a publicly traded (TSXV: VQS) provider of secure, AI-driven digital voice and video capture and transcription technology with deployments in courtrooms across more than 25 countries. Its core platform, NetScribe, manages the documentation workflow from recording and dictation through editing and document distribution, supporting single and multi-channel recordings, including For The Record (TRM) and JAVS (OGG) audio files. Its speech-to-text engine, aiAssist, combines AI, machine learning, and natural language processing with human review to turn single- and multi-speaker audio and audio/video into formatted draft transcripts. The FirstDraft product lets legal professionals record depositions and case notes that are automatically converted into editable, searchable documents. Features include video-synced in-app transcript editing and AI-enabled translation for several non-English languages. VIQ serves courts, law firms, law enforcement, insurance, and media broadcasting, blending recording hardware/software with managed transcription services. It is geared toward organizations producing high volumes of accurate, official documentation from recorded proceedings.
Best suited for
Alter is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); VIQ Solutions is custom pricing (contact sales). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Alter | VIQ Solutions |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | On-device transcription using built-in Whisper and Parakeet models | NetScribe transcription workflow platform from dictation to document distribution |
| Standout feature | Bot-free capture of system audio and microphone across any meeting or call app | aiAssist AI/ML/NLP speech-to-text engine for single- and multi-speaker audio and video |
| Team usage | Automatic speaker identification performed locally | FirstDraft: record depositions and case notes into editable, searchable documents |
| Integrations | AI summaries, action items, and chat-with-your-meeting Q&A | Support for multi-channel recordings including For The Record (TRM) and JAVS (OGG) files |
| Languages & capture | Integrations with Notion, Slack, Linear, Asana, Jira and other tools | Video-synced in-app transcript editing |
| Best-fit workflow | Offline operation with recordings and transcripts stored locally | AI-enabled translation and transcription for non-English languages (Spanish, French, German, Dutch and more) |
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.
VIQ Solutions
Choose VIQ Solutions if you need producing official court and legal proceeding transcripts from recorded audio/video — strengths include decades of domain expertise with deployments in courtrooms across 25+ countries.
Alter
VIQ Solutions
It depends on your workflow. Alter is strong for freelancers and consultants privately capturing client calls without a visible bot, while VIQ Solutions is strong for producing official court and legal proceeding transcripts from recorded audio/video. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Alter is a free tier with paid upgrades and VIQ Solutions is custom pricing. 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.
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