Scriberr and Shadow are both AI meeting assistants for recording, transcription, and summaries, compared here on pricing, features, and workflow fit. Scriberr: Open-source, self-hosted AI audio transcription app that runs Whisper models locally with speaker diarization, summaries, and chat-with-transcript. 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.
For ai-meeting-assistants workflows, shortlist Scriberr when privacy-conscious teams transcribing meeting and interview recordings on their own infrastructure 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.
Open-source, self-hosted AI audio transcription app that runs Whisper models locally with speaker diarization, summaries, and chat-with-transcript.
AI summaries with custom prompts via Ollama or OpenAI-compatible providersAutomatic speaker diarization (who said what)Built-in audio recorder and note-taking on transcripts
A bot-free, Mac-based AI meeting assistant that transcribes and summarizes calls locally without joining as a participant.
Bot-free capture that records system audio without joining the meeting as a participantCaptures on-screen content in addition to spoken audioCustomizable prompts/Skills to generate notes, summaries, and emails
Scriberr 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.
Local, offline transcription using Whisper models via the WhisperX engine
Bot-free capture that records system audio without joining the meeting as a participant
Standout feature
Automatic speaker diarization (who said what)
On-device (local) transcription on macOS
Team usage
AI summaries with custom prompts via Ollama or OpenAI-compatible providers
Speaker identification during transcription
Integrations
Chat with your transcripts to ask questions and pull insights
Captures on-screen content in addition to spoken audio
Languages & capture
Built-in audio recorder and note-taking on transcripts
Customizable prompts/Skills to generate notes, summaries, and emails
Best-fit workflow
Folder watcher and API endpoints for automation workflows
Webhook integration to connect outputs to other tools
Best for
Scriberr
Choose Scriberr if you need privacy-conscious teams transcribing meeting and interview recordings on their own infrastructure — strengths include fully self-hosted and offline, keeping audio and transcripts on your own hardware.
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.
Pros & cons
Scriberr
+ Fully self-hosted and offline, keeping audio and transcripts on your own hardware
+ MIT-licensed and free to run with no per-minute charges
- Active development was publicly paused by the maintainer, relying on community contributions
Shadow
+ Does not add a visible bot to meetings
+ Local transcription keeps core audio processing on the device
- Available for macOS only
FAQ
Is Scriberr or Shadow better for AI meeting notes?
It depends on your workflow. Scriberr is strong for privacy-conscious teams transcribing meeting and interview recordings on their own infrastructure, while Shadow is strong for capturing notes and summaries across multiple conferencing platforms without a bot joining. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
How do Scriberr and Shadow compare on price?
Scriberr 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.
Can I use both Scriberr and Shadow?
Yes. Many teams run more than one meeting assistant when the workflows are complementary and the budget is justified.