Meeting Transcriber and Wave are both AI meeting assistants for recording, transcription, and summaries, compared here on pricing, features, and workflow fit. Meeting Transcriber: Open-source, local-first macOS app that auto-records Teams, Zoom, and Webex calls and transcribes, diarizes, and summarizes them entirely on-device. Wave: Cross-platform AI note taker that records and transcribes meetings, calls, and voice memos into summaries. They overlap on ai-meeting-assistants, so the right pick depends on team size, budget, and which meeting workflows you automate.
For ai-meeting-assistants workflows, shortlist Meeting Transcriber when privacy-conscious professionals who want meeting transcripts and notes kept on their own mac matters most, and Wave when recording browser-based meetings without a bot joining matters most. Both record across Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams; trial each on real meetings before committing.
Open-source, local-first macOS app that auto-records Teams, Zoom, and Webex calls and transcribes, diarizes, and summarizes them entirely on-device.
Automatic recording of Teams, Zoom, and Webex meetings via a macOS menu bar appDual-track diarization with separate app and microphone tracks for clean speaker separationManual recording of any application plus import of WAV, MP3, M4A, and MP4 files
Cross-platform AI note taker that records and transcribes meetings, calls, and voice memos into summaries.
Apps for iOS, Android, web, Mac, Windows, and ChromeBot-free tab audio capture plus combined tab and mic modeEncrypted cloud storage with no model training on user data
Meeting Transcriber is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); Wave is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
Pluggable summarization backends: Claude Code CLI, OpenAI-compatible APIs (Ollama, LM Studio), or transcript-only
Encrypted cloud storage with no model training on user data
Best for
Meeting Transcriber
Choose Meeting Transcriber if you need privacy-conscious professionals who want meeting transcripts and notes kept on their own mac — strengths include fully open source under the mit license with development in the open on github.
Wave
Choose Wave if you need recording browser-based meetings without a bot joining — strengths include bot-free capture across many platforms and devices.
Pros & cons
Meeting Transcriber
+ Fully open source under the MIT license with development in the open on GitHub
+ Runs entirely on-device, so audio, transcripts, and summaries can stay local for privacy
- macOS-only and requires macOS 14.2 or later (no Windows or Linux support)
Wave
+ Bot-free capture across many platforms and devices
+ Handles both online meetings and in-person voice memos
- Feature set may differ between mobile, web, and extension
FAQ
Is Meeting Transcriber or Wave better for AI meeting notes?
It depends on your workflow. Meeting Transcriber is strong for privacy-conscious professionals who want meeting transcripts and notes kept on their own mac, while Wave is strong for recording browser-based meetings without a bot joining. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
How do Meeting Transcriber and Wave compare on price?
Meeting Transcriber is a free tier with paid upgrades and Wave is a free tier with paid upgrades. Check each vendor's pricing page for the latest plans and free-tier limits.
Can I use both Meeting Transcriber and Wave?
Yes. Many teams run more than one meeting assistant when the workflows are complementary and the budget is justified.