Alter: macOS-native AI meeting assistant that records and transcribes calls locally with built-in Whisper and Parakeet models, no bots required. Voicy: Voicy is a privacy-focused AI dictation app and Chrome extension that turns speech into formatted text inside any website or desktop application. Here's where each one pulls ahead on pricing, features, and the meetings it suits best.
How Hosiqo compares and tests toolsFinal recommendation
Shortlist Alter when freelancers and consultants privately capturing client calls without a visible bot matters most, and Voicy when dictating prompts into ai assistants like chatgpt, claude, and gemini 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.
Voicy is a privacy-focused AI dictation app and Chrome extension that turns speech into formatted text inside any website or desktop application.
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
Voicy is a cross-platform AI speech-to-text (dictation) tool that lets you write with your voice instead of typing. It runs as a desktop app for Mac, Windows, and Linux, plus a Chrome extension, and also has iOS and Microsoft Store versions. Once active, you trigger dictation system-wide and speak into whatever app or website you're using — email clients, word processors, chat tools, note apps, AI assistants, IDEs, and many others, advertised as 20,000+ destinations. Voicy transcribes in real time using cloud processing, automatically adding punctuation, fixing grammar, and formatting the result, with support for dozens of languages. It also offers AI editing commands, letting you reshape dictated text (for example into bullet points) right after speaking. On privacy, the company states transcripts and recordings are stored only locally on your device and voice data is not used to train AI models, though speech is sent to the cloud for processing. It's aimed at writers, professionals, and anyone who wants to draft faster than typing across their existing tools.
Best suited for
Alter is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); Voicy is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Alter | Voicy |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | On-device transcription using built-in Whisper and Parakeet models | System-wide voice dictation across desktop apps, browsers, and websites |
| Standout feature | Bot-free capture of system audio and microphone across any meeting or call app | Chrome extension plus Mac, Windows, and Linux desktop apps (also iOS and Microsoft Store) |
| Team usage | Automatic speaker identification performed locally | Automatic punctuation, grammar correction, and formatting |
| Integrations | AI summaries, action items, and chat-with-your-meeting Q&A | Real-time cloud transcription with multi-language support |
| Languages & capture | Integrations with Notion, Slack, Linear, Asana, Jira and other tools | Inline AI editing commands to reformat dictated text (e.g. bullet points) |
| Best-fit workflow | Offline operation with recordings and transcripts stored locally | Local-only storage of transcripts with no use of voice data for AI training |
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.
Voicy
Choose Voicy if you need drafting emails, documents, and chat messages by voice instead of typing — strengths include works inside virtually any app or website rather than a single editor.
Alter
Voicy
It depends on your workflow. Alter is strong for freelancers and consultants privately capturing client calls without a visible bot, while Voicy is strong for drafting emails, documents, and chat messages by voice instead of typing. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Alter is a free tier with paid upgrades and Voicy 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 Voicy.
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.
Alter: macOS-native AI meeting assistant that records and transcribes calls locally with built-in Whisper and Parakeet models, no bots required. AmpUp: AI sales coaching platform with a native notetaker that records and transcribes calls, then delivers prep briefs, debriefs, and practice scenarios. 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. Anarlog: Open-source, local-first AI meeting notepad (formerly Hyprnote) by Fastrepl that records and summarizes private meetings on your own device with no bot. 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. AskElephant: AI workflow platform for revenue teams that captures calls and meetings and automates CRM updates, handoffs, and coaching. 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. Aspect: AI interview assistant that records, transcribes, and summarizes recruiting interviews, then autofills ATS scorecards. 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. Attendee: Open-source, self-hostable meeting bot API that sends bots into Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams to capture recordings and transcripts. 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. 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.
Alter: macOS-native AI meeting assistant that records and transcribes calls locally with built-in Whisper and Parakeet models, no bots required. AudiosTranscribe: French-focused, bot-free meeting transcription tool with European inference, summaries, action plans, and automatic audio deletion. 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. 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.