Ava: AI live captioning and transcription app for accessibility, providing real-time captions for conversations and video meetings. Natively: A free, open-source desktop AI meeting assistant offering real-time transcription, structured notes, and on-call answers with local processing and bring-your-own-key support. We compare them on cost, capture approach, and day-to-day fit so you can choose faster.
How Hosiqo compares and tests toolsFinal recommendation
Shortlist Ava when real-time captioning for deaf and hard-of-hearing participants matters most, and Natively when running a fully local, offline meeting assistant via ollama for sensitive discussions matters most. Test each on your own meetings; the right choice tends to become obvious quickly.
AI live captioning and transcription app for accessibility, providing real-time captions for conversations and video meetings.
A free, open-source desktop AI meeting assistant offering real-time transcription, structured notes, and on-call answers with local processing and bring-your-own-key support.
Ava is a live captioning and transcription service built primarily for deaf and hard-of-hearing users, as well as for organizations that need accessible meetings and conversations. The app captures audio from in-person conversations and from video conferencing tools, then generates real-time captions on a phone, computer, or in the meeting interface. Ava combines automatic speech recognition with an optional professional scribe service for higher-accuracy, ADA-compliant captioning, giving users a choice between fast AI captions and human-assisted transcription. Features include color-coded speaker identification so users can follow who said what, support for many languages, and stored transcripts and summaries after a conversation ends. Through its Ava Connect integration, the service connects with Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams, and it is available across mobile (iOS and Android), web, and desktop (Windows and Mac). Ava is aimed at individuals who need accessibility support in daily conversations and meetings, as well as at educational institutions, healthcare providers, corporations, and event venues that must provide compliant real-time captioning without committing to a traditional CART contract. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
Natively is an open-source AI meeting assistant maintained by the Natively-AI-assistant project and actively developed through 2025 and 2026. It runs as a desktop application on macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel) and Windows, capturing meeting audio directly on the device rather than joining calls as a visible participant. Built with a Rust-based audio pipeline, it provides low-latency real-time transcription and generates structured, searchable meeting notes that include action items, decisions, and key moments, alongside an on-demand AI assist triggered by a keyboard shortcut. It offers several meeting modes for different contexts and works alongside major platforms such as Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams. Natively is bring-your-own-key and supports providers including Google Gemini, OpenAI, Anthropic Claude, and Groq, plus a fully local option through Ollama so transcription and analysis can stay offline on the user's machine; meeting data is stored locally by default. As an indie, community-driven tool it positions itself as a free alternative to paid commercial assistants, though it relies on user-supplied API keys for cloud models and is still evolving. Verify current features and any policies on the official site. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
Ava is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); Natively is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Ava | Natively |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | Integration with Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams | Real-time transcription with a low-latency Rust-based audio pipeline |
| Standout feature | Real-time live captions for in-person and online conversations | Structured, searchable meeting notes with action items and decisions |
| Team usage | Color-coded speaker identification | On-demand AI assist via keyboard shortcut during calls |
| Integrations | Optional professional scribe service for higher accuracy | Bring-your-own-key support for Gemini, OpenAI, Claude, and Groq |
| Languages & capture | Mobile, web, and desktop apps | Fully local/offline option through Ollama with local data storage by default |
| Best-fit workflow | Saved transcripts and conversation summaries | Works alongside Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams without a visible bot |
Ava
Choose Ava if you need real-time captioning for deaf and hard-of-hearing participants — strengths include strong accessibility focus for deaf and hard-of-hearing users.
Natively
Choose Natively if you need capturing real-time transcripts and structured notes from calls without a visible bot — strengths include free and open source with active development.
Ava
Natively
It depends on your workflow. Ava is strong for real-time captioning for deaf and hard-of-hearing participants, while Natively is strong for capturing real-time transcripts and structured notes from calls without a visible bot. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Ava is a free tier with paid upgrades and Natively 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.
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