MacParakeet and Natively are both AI meeting assistants for recording, transcription, and summaries, compared here on pricing, features, and workflow fit. MacParakeet: Free, open-source local voice app for Apple Silicon Macs offering on-device meeting recording, live transcripts, dictation, and file transcription powered by NVIDIA Parakeet. Natively: A free, open-source desktop AI meeting assistant offering real-time transcription, structured notes, and on-call answers with local processing and bring-your-own-key support. They overlap on ai-meeting-assistants, so the right pick depends on team size, budget, and which meeting workflows you automate.
How Hosiqo compares and tests toolsFinal recommendation
For ai-meeting-assistants workflows, shortlist MacParakeet when capturing and transcribing meetings locally on a mac without a bot matters most, and Natively when capturing real-time transcripts and structured notes from calls without a visible bot matters most. Both record across Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams; trial each on real meetings before committing.
Free, open-source local voice app for Apple Silicon Macs offering on-device meeting recording, live transcripts, dictation, and file transcription powered by NVIDIA Parakeet.
A free, open-source desktop AI meeting assistant offering real-time transcription, structured notes, and on-call answers with local processing and bring-your-own-key support.
MacParakeet is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); Natively is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | MacParakeet | Natively |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | On-device meeting recording with live transcript preview and note-taking | Real-time transcription with a low-latency Rust-based audio pipeline |
| Standout feature | Meeting calendar integration via macOS EventKit with optional auto-start | Structured, searchable meeting notes with action items and decisions |
| Team usage | System-wide dictation with hotkey and push-to-talk modes | On-demand AI assist via keyboard shortcut during calls |
| Integrations | File and URL transcription on the device | Bring-your-own-key support for Gemini, OpenAI, Claude, and Groq |
| Languages & capture | Local NVIDIA Parakeet TDT speech recognition with no cloud STT | Fully local/offline option through Ollama with local data storage by default |
| Best-fit workflow | Text cleanup pipeline including filler removal and custom replacements | Works alongside Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams without a visible bot |
MacParakeet
Choose MacParakeet if you need capturing and transcribing meetings locally on a mac without a bot — strengths include free and open source with on-device speech recognition.
Natively
Choose Natively if you need capturing real-time transcripts and structured notes from calls without a visible bot — strengths include free and open source with active development.
MacParakeet
Natively
It depends on your workflow. MacParakeet is strong for capturing and transcribing meetings locally on a mac without a bot, while Natively is strong for capturing real-time transcripts and structured notes from calls without a visible bot. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
MacParakeet is a free tier with paid upgrades and Natively 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 and the budget is justified.