Natively and Shadow are both AI meeting assistants for recording, transcription, and summaries, compared here on pricing, features, and workflow fit. 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. Shadow: A bot-free, Mac-based AI meeting assistant that transcribes and summarizes calls locally without joining as a participant. 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 Natively when capturing real-time transcripts and structured notes from calls without a visible bot matters most, and Shadow when capturing notes and summaries across multiple conferencing platforms without a bot joining matters most. Both record across Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams; trial each on real meetings before committing.
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.
A bot-free, Mac-based AI meeting assistant that transcribes and summarizes calls locally without joining as a participant.
Natively 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 | Natively | Shadow |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | Real-time transcription with a low-latency Rust-based audio pipeline | Bot-free capture that records system audio without joining the meeting as a participant |
| Standout feature | Structured, searchable meeting notes with action items and decisions | On-device (local) transcription on macOS |
| Team usage | On-demand AI assist via keyboard shortcut during calls | Speaker identification during transcription |
| Integrations | Bring-your-own-key support for Gemini, OpenAI, Claude, and Groq | Captures on-screen content in addition to spoken audio |
| Languages & capture | Fully local/offline option through Ollama with local data storage by default | Customizable prompts/Skills to generate notes, summaries, and emails |
| Best-fit workflow | Works alongside Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams without a visible bot | Webhook integration to connect outputs to other tools |
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.
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.
Natively
Shadow
It depends on your workflow. Natively is strong for capturing real-time transcripts and structured notes from calls without a visible bot, while Shadow is strong for capturing notes and summaries across multiple conferencing platforms without a bot joining. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Natively 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.
Yes. Many teams run more than one meeting assistant when the workflows are complementary and the budget is justified.