CallBro: Bot-free AI meeting assistant that transcribes calls from system audio and produces structured notes without joining the call. Shadow: A bot-free, Mac-based AI meeting assistant that transcribes and summarizes calls locally without joining as a participant. Below, they line up on price, capture method, and how each fits a real meeting stack.
How Hosiqo compares and tests toolsFinal recommendation
Shortlist CallBro when transcribing legal client meetings, consultations, and intake calls without a visible recorder matters most, and Shadow when privacy-conscious teams that prefer on-device transcription matters most. Test each on your own meetings; the right choice tends to become obvious quickly.
Bot-free AI meeting assistant that transcribes calls from system audio and produces structured notes without joining the call.
A bot-free, Mac-based AI meeting assistant that transcribes and summarizes calls locally without joining as a participant.
CallBro is a desktop AI meeting assistant that records and transcribes meetings in real time directly from your device's system audio and microphone, without sending a separate bot to join the call. Because capture happens locally at the system level, it works with any meeting platform, including Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams, as well as in-person conversations, and it remains invisible to other participants. CallBro combines the live transcript with the user's own typed notes to generate structured summaries that highlight key decisions, action items, and next steps, and it includes an AI chat that can answer questions about the meeting or draft follow-ups using the full context of the transcript and notes. The product is offered as a downloadable application for macOS and Windows, with Linux noted as upcoming, and the website lists dedicated use cases for lawyers and students alongside general business meetings. Its bot-free, device-only approach makes it relevant for professionals handling sensitive conversations, such as legal client meetings and consultations, where a visible third-party recorder may be undesirable. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
Shadow is a bot-free AI meeting assistant for macOS that captures meetings by listening to your computer's audio in the background rather than joining the call as a visible participant. Because transcription runs locally on the Mac, the audio does not need to leave the device for that core processing step, which the company positions as a privacy advantage. Shadow can automatically detect when a meeting starts, transcribe the conversation with speaker identification, and turn the discussion into structured notes, summaries, and follow-up items. It also captures on-screen content alongside the spoken audio, so material shared during a call (slides, dashboards, or shared windows) can be reflected in the output. The tool works across common conferencing platforms including Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, Webex, Slack, and Discord. Users can configure customizable prompts (described as Skills) to generate notes, summaries, or drafted emails, and connect outputs to other tools via webhooks. It is aimed at professionals and teams who want meeting capture without adding another bot to the call. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
CallBro is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); Shadow is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | CallBro | Shadow |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | Bot-free capture from system audio and microphone, no participant bot | Bot-free capture that records system audio without joining the meeting as a participant |
| Standout feature | Real-time transcription with speaker-aware formatting | On-device (local) transcription on macOS |
| Team usage | Structured notes combining the transcript with the user's own notes | Speaker identification during transcription |
| Integrations | In-meeting and post-meeting AI chat for recall and follow-up drafting | Captures on-screen content in addition to spoken audio |
| Languages & capture | Works with Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, or in-person meetings | Customizable prompts/Skills to generate notes, summaries, and emails |
| Best-fit workflow | Downloadable apps for macOS and Windows | Webhook integration to connect outputs to other tools |
CallBro
Choose CallBro if you need transcribing legal client meetings, consultations, and intake calls without a visible recorder — strengths include no bot joins the call, which suits sensitive or private meetings.
Shadow
Choose Shadow if you need capturing notes and summaries across multiple conferencing platforms without a bot joining — strengths include does not add a visible bot to meetings.
CallBro
Shadow
It depends on your workflow. CallBro is strong for transcribing legal client meetings, consultations, and intake calls without a visible recorder, while Shadow is strong for capturing notes and summaries across multiple conferencing platforms without a bot joining. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
CallBro is a free tier with paid upgrades and Shadow is a free tier with paid upgrades. 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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