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. FoCase Rec: FoCase Rec is a magnetic hardware recorder plus companion app that captures phone calls and in-person audio, then transcribes and summarizes the recordings using AI. 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 BB Recorder when regulated or privacy-sensitive teams that cannot send audio to the cloud matters most, and FoCase Rec when capturing in-person meetings, interviews, and lectures for later transcription and review matters most. Try them side by side on real calls before deciding — needs vary by team.
A 100% local, no-bot meeting recorder for Mac and iOS that records, transcribes, and summarizes entirely on-device, built by the BuildBetter team.
FoCase Rec is a magnetic hardware recorder plus companion app that captures phone calls and in-person audio, then transcribes and summarizes the recordings using AI.
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
FoCase Rec is a hybrid hardware-and-software product for recording, transcribing, and summarizing conversations. The slim magnetic device attaches to the back of an iPhone and uses vibration-conduction technology to capture both sides of a phone call with a single button press, working around iOS call-recording restrictions without Bluetooth pairing for capture. It also doubles as a standalone voice recorder for lectures, meetings, and interviews, with dual-microphone noise reduction. Recordings sync to the FoCase Rec app, where OpenAI Whisper powers voice-to-text transcription across more than 100 languages, and GPT-based AI generates summaries and mind maps that extract key points. The app supports playback, simple editing, password protection, file transfer, and one-tap sharing of audio, transcripts, and summaries. It is aimed at professionals, sales and support staff, students, and anyone who needs documented records of calls and meetings. The recorder is a one-time purchase, and the company advertises free lifetime call recording plus included AI transcription and summarization up to a monthly minute allowance, avoiding recurring subscription fees.
Best suited for
BB Recorder is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); FoCase Rec is a free tier with paid upgrades (paid). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | BB Recorder | FoCase Rec |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | No-bot capture of system audio directly on the device | Magnetic phone-back recorder that captures both sides of iPhone calls with a single button press |
| Standout feature | Fully on-device recording, transcription, and summarization | Doubles as a standalone voice recorder for meetings, lectures, and interviews with dual-mic noise reduction |
| Team usage | Local AI chat to ask questions about a captured meeting | AI transcription via OpenAI Whisper supporting 100+ languages |
| Integrations | Calendar linking to associate recordings with scheduled meetings | AI summarization and mind-map generation using GPT to extract key points |
| Languages & capture | Available for macOS and iOS | Companion app for playback, simple editing, file transfer, and one-tap sharing of audio, transcripts, and summaries |
| Best-fit workflow | Built by the BuildBetter team with an AI transparency policy | Password protection for stored recordings |
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.
FoCase Rec
Choose FoCase Rec if you need recording and documenting business or sales phone calls with searchable transcripts and summaries — strengths include records phone calls on iphone without app-based workarounds or per-call fees, plus works for in-person audio.
BB Recorder
FoCase Rec
It depends on your workflow. BB Recorder is strong for regulated or privacy-sensitive teams that cannot send audio to the cloud, while FoCase Rec is strong for recording and documenting business or sales phone calls with searchable transcripts and summaries. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
BB Recorder is a free tier with paid upgrades and FoCase Rec is a free tier with paid upgrades. Check each vendor's pricing page for the latest plans and free-tier limits.
Yes. Many teams run more than one meeting assistant when the workflows are complementary.
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