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. Plaud: AI note-taking platform that records conversations and meetings, then transcribes them and generates summaries and action items, via dedicated hardware recorders and a desktop/mobile app. Below, they line up on price, capture method, and how each fits a real meeting stack.
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 Plaud when capturing action items and decisions from conversations matters most. Run both through a week of actual calls to see which suits your workflow.
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 note-taking platform that records conversations and meetings, then transcribes them and generates summaries and action items, via dedicated hardware recorders and a desktop/mobile app.
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
Plaud is an AI note-taking platform that turns conversations and meetings into transcripts, structured summaries, and action items. It pairs dedicated hardware recorders (Plaud Note, Note Pro, and the NotePin wearables) with iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, and web apps. Its desktop app captures audio natively from online meetings in Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams (and other conferencing apps) without joining as a bot, and can auto-detect when a meeting starts. Plaud transcribes in 112+ languages and offers 10,000+ summary templates. The Starter (free) plan includes 300 transcription minutes per month. Paid tiers add the "Ask Plaud" natural-language search across recordings plus Zapier, Google Calendar, and a beta MCP server integration. Plaud states it holds ISO 27001/27701, SOC 2, GDPR, and HIPAA compliance, and describes itself as trusted by over 2 million users globally.
Best suited for
BB Recorder is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); Plaud is from $0/mo (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | BB Recorder | Plaud |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | No-bot capture of system audio directly on the device | AI transcription |
| Standout feature | Fully on-device recording, transcription, and summarization | Meeting summaries & action items |
| Team usage | Local AI chat to ask questions about a captured meeting | Online meeting capture |
| Integrations | Calendar linking to associate recordings with scheduled meetings | Ask Plaud search |
| Languages & capture | Available for macOS and iOS | Summary templates |
| Best-fit workflow | Built by the BuildBetter team with an AI transparency policy | AI transcription |
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.
Plaud
Choose Plaud if you need recording and summarizing in-person and online meetings — strengths include free starter plan includes 300 transcription minutes per month.
BB Recorder
Plaud
It depends on your workflow. BB Recorder is strong for regulated or privacy-sensitive teams that cannot send audio to the cloud, while Plaud is strong for recording and summarizing in-person and online meetings. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
BB Recorder is a free tier with paid upgrades and Plaud is from $0/mo. Check each vendor's pricing page for the latest plans and free-tier limits.
Often yes: teams combine tools when one handles capture and another handles analysis.
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