BB Recorder: A 100% local, no-bot meeting recorder for Mac and iOS that records, transcribes, and summarizes entirely on-device, built by the BuildBetter team. Fathom: AI meeting assistant with a generous free tier — unlimited recording and transcription plus instant AI summaries. 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 BB Recorder when regulated or privacy-sensitive teams that cannot send audio to the cloud matters most, and Fathom when sales teams using summary templates matters most. Test each on your own meetings; the right choice tends to become obvious quickly.
A 100% local, no-bot meeting recorder for Mac and iOS that records, transcribes, and summarizes entirely on-device, built by the BuildBetter team.
AI meeting assistant with a generous free tier — unlimited recording and transcription plus instant AI summaries.
BB Recorder is a local-first meeting recorder built by the team behind BuildBetter, designed for people who want meeting capture without any data leaving their device. Rather than dropping a bot into a video call, BB Recorder captures the computer's system audio directly, links to the user's calendar, and turns rough conversation audio into clean transcripts and summaries. Its defining characteristic is that recording, transcription, summarization, and even live AI chat about the meeting can all run locally using on-device models, so there is no server holding the audio or transcripts. The company frames this as making a data breach architecturally impossible because there is no cloud store to compromise, and it points to SOC 2 and HIPAA considerations along with an AI transparency policy. BB Recorder is positioned as a genuinely free, unlimited option for Mac, with no trial tiers or required registration when using local models, and a companion iOS app extends capture to the iPhone. It is aimed at privacy-sensitive professionals, regulated teams, and anyone who wants automatic meeting notes without a visible bot or a cloud transcription pipeline. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
Fathom (fathom.ai) records, transcribes, and summarizes meetings across Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams. Its free plan is unusually generous: unlimited recording and transcription with instant AI summaries. Paid plans add 15+ summary templates (BANT, Sandler, etc.), AI action items, CRM sync (HubSpot, Salesforce), and a bot-free capture option (beta on Mac).
Best suited for
BB Recorder is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); Fathom is from $16/mo (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | BB Recorder | Fathom |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | No-bot capture of system audio directly on the device | Unlimited free recording |
| Standout feature | Fully on-device recording, transcription, and summarization | AI summary templates |
| Team usage | Local AI chat to ask questions about a captured meeting | Bot-free option (Mac beta) |
| Integrations | Calendar linking to associate recordings with scheduled meetings | CRM sync |
| Languages & capture | Available for macOS and iOS | Unlimited free recording |
| Best-fit workflow | Built by the BuildBetter team with an AI transparency policy | AI summary templates |
BB Recorder
Choose BB Recorder if you need regulated or privacy-sensitive teams that cannot send audio to the cloud — strengths include local-only processing keeps meeting audio and transcripts off external servers.
Fathom
Choose Fathom if you need solo users and small teams wanting the most generous free recording — strengths include unlimited recording and transcription on the free plan.
BB Recorder
Fathom
It depends on your workflow. BB Recorder is strong for regulated or privacy-sensitive teams that cannot send audio to the cloud, while Fathom is strong for solo users and small teams wanting the most generous free recording. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
BB Recorder is a free tier with paid upgrades and Fathom is from $16/mo. 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 BB Recorder and Fathom.
BB Recorder: A 100% local, no-bot meeting recorder for Mac and iOS that records, transcribes, and summarizes entirely on-device, built by the BuildBetter team. Backtrack: An AI meeting intelligence tool for trade shows and hosted buyer events that captures 1:1 conversations and turns them into CRM-ready notes and insights. Which one wins depends on your platform mix, budget, and how hands-off you want notes to be.
BB Recorder: A 100% local, no-bot meeting recorder for Mac and iOS that records, transcribes, and summarizes entirely on-device, built by the BuildBetter team. Balto: Real-time AI guidance and agent-assist platform that coaches contact-center and sales agents live during calls. Which one wins depends on your platform mix, budget, and how hands-off you want notes to be.
BB Recorder: A 100% local, no-bot meeting recorder for Mac and iOS that records, transcribes, and summarizes entirely on-device, built by the BuildBetter team. BarRaiser: AI interview intelligence platform that records interviews and coaches interviewers for better hiring. We compare them on cost, capture approach, and day-to-day fit so you can choose faster.
BB Recorder: A 100% local, no-bot meeting recorder for Mac and iOS that records, transcribes, and summarizes entirely on-device, built by the BuildBetter team. Basil AI: On-device AI note taker for Apple devices that transcribes and summarizes meetings entirely offline, with no cloud upload. The right pick comes down to team size, budget, and the workflows you want to automate.
BB Recorder: A 100% local, no-bot meeting recorder for Mac and iOS that records, transcribes, and summarizes entirely on-device, built by the BuildBetter team. BeAware Conference Captioning: AI real-time captioning and translation app for live in-person and hybrid events, with on-screen overlays and multilingual attendee access. Here's where each one pulls ahead on pricing, features, and the meetings it suits best.
BB Recorder: A 100% local, no-bot meeting recorder for Mac and iOS that records, transcribes, and summarizes entirely on-device, built by the BuildBetter team. Bee: Wearable AI device that captures spoken conversations and turns them into transcripts, summaries, and reminders. Below, they line up on price, capture method, and how each fits a real meeting stack.
BB Recorder: A 100% local, no-bot meeting recorder for Mac and iOS that records, transcribes, and summarizes entirely on-device, built by the BuildBetter team. Beey: Web app for automatic transcription, subtitle creation, translation, and live transcription. We compare them on cost, capture approach, and day-to-day fit so you can choose faster.
BB Recorder: A 100% local, no-bot meeting recorder for Mac and iOS that records, transcribes, and summarizes entirely on-device, built by the BuildBetter team. Berrycast: A screen recorder and AI meeting notes tool with a Chrome extension and desktop app that records, transcribes, and summarizes calls. Here's where each one pulls ahead on pricing, features, and the meetings it suits best.
BB Recorder: A 100% local, no-bot meeting recorder for Mac and iOS that records, transcribes, and summarizes entirely on-device, built by the BuildBetter team. Bliro: Bot-free AI meeting assistant that transcribes online and in-person conversations from device audio without recording audio or video. The right pick comes down to team size, budget, and the workflows you want to automate.
BB Recorder: A 100% local, no-bot meeting recorder for Mac and iOS that records, transcribes, and summarizes entirely on-device, built by the BuildBetter team. Bluedot: Bot-free note taker for Meet, Zoom, Teams plus mobile recording This comparison weighs them on pricing, features, and everyday workflow fit.
BB Recorder: A 100% local, no-bot meeting recorder for Mac and iOS that records, transcribes, and summarizes entirely on-device, built by the BuildBetter team. BoardBreeze: AI software that converts board meeting recordings into compliant, formatted minutes capturing motions, votes, and action items. We compare them on cost, capture approach, and day-to-day fit so you can choose faster.
BB Recorder: A 100% local, no-bot meeting recorder for Mac and iOS that records, transcribes, and summarizes entirely on-device, built by the BuildBetter team. Boardable: Board meeting platform for nonprofits with AI-generated minutes, an in-meeting assistant, and AI insights that turn discussion into action items. The right pick comes down to team size, budget, and the workflows you want to automate.