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. OpenWhispr: Open-source, privacy-first voice-to-text desktop app for Mac, Windows, and Linux that also transcribes meetings into AI-organized notes. 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 OpenWhispr when turning rough in-meeting notes into structured summaries and action items 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.
Open-source, privacy-first voice-to-text desktop app for Mac, Windows, and Linux that also transcribes meetings into AI-organized notes.
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
OpenWhispr is an open-source desktop application for macOS, Windows, and Linux that converts speech to text and includes a meeting notes capability built on the same engine. Its core function is global-hotkey dictation that inserts transcribed text at the cursor in any application, but it also ships an AI Notepad for meetings, an AI Chat that can reference past meetings, and an audio upload feature for transcribing recorded files. For meetings it captures the computer's audio directly rather than sending a bot into the call, transcribes the conversation in the background, and combines rough notes with the transcript to produce structured minutes that highlight decisions, action items, and next steps. Transcription can run locally using bundled Whisper and NVIDIA Parakeet models or connect to cloud models with a bring-your-own-key setup, and the project emphasizes that audio can be processed and discarded for privacy. The codebase is publicly available on GitHub and the app is actively maintained through 2026. It is aimed at developers, writers, and individuals or small teams who want a private, auditable, cross-platform transcription and meeting-notes tool. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
BB Recorder is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); OpenWhispr is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | BB Recorder | OpenWhispr |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | No-bot capture of system audio directly on the device | Open-source and auditable, with code published on GitHub |
| Standout feature | Fully on-device recording, transcription, and summarization | Cross-platform desktop app for macOS, Windows, and Linux |
| Team usage | Local AI chat to ask questions about a captured meeting | Local transcription via bundled Whisper and NVIDIA Parakeet models |
| Integrations | Calendar linking to associate recordings with scheduled meetings | Bring-your-own-key cloud model option for flexibility |
| Languages & capture | Available for macOS and iOS | AI Notepad that turns rough meeting notes plus transcript into structured minutes |
| Best-fit workflow | Built by the BuildBetter team with an AI transparency policy | Full-text search and AI Chat across captured meetings |
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.
OpenWhispr
Choose OpenWhispr if you need privately transcribing computer-audio meetings without a bot joining the call — strengths include fully open source, so users can inspect and self-host the code.
BB Recorder
OpenWhispr
It depends on your workflow. BB Recorder is strong for regulated or privacy-sensitive teams that cannot send audio to the cloud, while OpenWhispr is strong for privately transcribing computer-audio meetings without a bot joining the call. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
BB Recorder is a free tier with paid upgrades and OpenWhispr 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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