AutoMemo: Japanese transcription AI from Sourcenext that records meetings via web app, smartphone app, or dedicated voice recorders, then transcribes, summarizes, and shares. Shadow: A bot-free, Mac-based AI meeting assistant that transcribes and summarizes calls locally without joining as a participant. 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 AutoMemo when capturing and transcribing in-person business meetings matters most, and Shadow when privacy-conscious teams that prefer on-device transcription matters most. Trial each on a few real meetings before you commit — the better fit usually shows fast.
Japanese transcription AI from Sourcenext that records meetings via web app, smartphone app, or dedicated voice recorders, then transcribes, summarizes, and shares.
A bot-free, Mac-based AI meeting assistant that transcribes and summarizes calls locally without joining as a participant.
AutoMemo (オートメモ) is a transcription AI developed, sold, and supported by Sourcenext Corporation in Japan. It is built around a multi-surface approach: users can capture audio through a web browser app, a dedicated smartphone app, or standalone hardware voice recorders (the AutoMemo S and AutoMemo R devices), and the captured audio is automatically converted to text. The service uses a Whisper-based speech recognition engine, automatically inserts punctuation, removes filler words such as Japanese hesitation sounds, and recognizes speakers so that transcription results are divided into speaker blocks. On top of the transcript, AutoMemo can automatically generate summaries and extract to-do items and deadlines, and it has added features such as AI-generated titles for recordings. Audio and transcripts are saved to the cloud for later editing, searching, and sharing. AutoMemo positions itself for business meetings, interviews, and lecture capture in Japanese-language workflows, and offers a limited free transcription allowance with paid plans for higher usage. It remains actively developed and marketed in 2025/2026. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
Shadow is a bot-free AI meeting assistant for macOS that captures meetings by listening to your computer's audio in the background rather than joining the call as a visible participant. Because transcription runs locally on the Mac, the audio does not need to leave the device for that core processing step, which the company positions as a privacy advantage. Shadow can automatically detect when a meeting starts, transcribe the conversation with speaker identification, and turn the discussion into structured notes, summaries, and follow-up items. It also captures on-screen content alongside the spoken audio, so material shared during a call (slides, dashboards, or shared windows) can be reflected in the output. The tool works across common conferencing platforms including Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, Webex, Slack, and Discord. Users can configure customizable prompts (described as Skills) to generate notes, summaries, or drafted emails, and connect outputs to other tools via webhooks. It is aimed at professionals and teams who want meeting capture without adding another bot to the call. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
AutoMemo is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); Shadow is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | AutoMemo | Shadow |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | Records via web app, smartphone app, or dedicated voice recorder hardware | Bot-free capture that records system audio without joining the meeting as a participant |
| Standout feature | Whisper-based speech-to-text with automatic punctuation | On-device (local) transcription on macOS |
| Team usage | Speaker recognition that splits transcripts into per-speaker blocks | Speaker identification during transcription |
| Integrations | AI summaries with to-do and deadline extraction | Captures on-screen content in addition to spoken audio |
| Languages & capture | Automatic filler-word removal | Customizable prompts/Skills to generate notes, summaries, and emails |
| Best-fit workflow | Cloud storage with editing, search, and sharing | Webhook integration to connect outputs to other tools |
AutoMemo
Choose AutoMemo if you need capturing and transcribing in-person business meetings — strengths include multiple capture options including standalone hardware recorders.
Shadow
Choose Shadow if you need capturing notes and summaries across multiple conferencing platforms without a bot joining — strengths include does not add a visible bot to meetings.
AutoMemo
Shadow
It depends on your workflow. AutoMemo is strong for capturing and transcribing in-person business meetings, while Shadow is strong for capturing notes and summaries across multiple conferencing platforms without a bot joining. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
AutoMemo is a free tier with paid upgrades and Shadow 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.
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