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. Meetingnotes: Free, open-source macOS app that records, transcribes, and summarizes meetings locally using your own OpenAI API key. Here's where each one pulls ahead on pricing, features, and the meetings it suits best.
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 Meetingnotes when individuals wanting a free, self-controlled alternative to subscription notetakers 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.
Free, open-source macOS app that records, transcribes, and summarizes meetings locally using your own OpenAI API key.
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
Meetingnotes is a free, open-source macOS application that records meetings, transcribes them in real time, and generates AI summaries while keeping data stored locally on the user's machine. Built for engineers and privacy-conscious users, it captures both microphone and system audio, produces a live transcript via OpenAI's API, and then combines that transcript with any manual notes the user jots down to create a structured summary. Because it runs locally and requires the user to supply their own OpenAI API key, recordings and notes stay on the device rather than being uploaded to a managed cloud service, and users pay only for their direct API usage instead of a subscription. The app supports customizable system prompts so that summaries can be tailored to a person's preferred note-taking style, and it provides search, copy, and delete capabilities for managing stored notes and transcripts. Released under an open-source license, it invites community contributions and has a roadmap that includes calendar integration and AI-powered question-and-answer chat over past meetings. It is well suited to individuals who want a transparent, self-controlled alternative to commercial meeting notetakers without recurring fees or a call bot joining their meetings. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
BB Recorder is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); Meetingnotes is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | BB Recorder | Meetingnotes |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | No-bot capture of system audio directly on the device | Records both microphone and system audio for meeting capture |
| Standout feature | Fully on-device recording, transcription, and summarization | Real-time transcription using the OpenAI API |
| Team usage | Local AI chat to ask questions about a captured meeting | AI summaries that combine transcripts with manual notes |
| Integrations | Calendar linking to associate recordings with scheduled meetings | Customizable system prompts for personalized note-taking |
| Languages & capture | Available for macOS and iOS | Local storage of notes and transcripts for privacy |
| Best-fit workflow | Built by the BuildBetter team with an AI transparency policy | Search, copy, and delete management for stored notes |
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.
Meetingnotes
Choose Meetingnotes if you need privacy-focused engineers recording and summarizing local meetings — strengths include completely free and open-source with no subscription.
BB Recorder
Meetingnotes
It depends on your workflow. BB Recorder is strong for regulated or privacy-sensitive teams that cannot send audio to the cloud, while Meetingnotes is strong for privacy-focused engineers recording and summarizing local meetings. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
BB Recorder is a free tier with paid upgrades and Meetingnotes 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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