Shadow and Soniox are both AI meeting assistants for recording, transcription, and summaries, compared here on pricing, features, and workflow fit. Shadow: A bot-free, Mac-based AI meeting assistant that transcribes and summarizes calls locally without joining as a participant. Soniox: Multilingual speech AI platform offering real-time and async speech-to-text and translation APIs for meetings and voice apps. 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 Shadow when capturing notes and summaries across multiple conferencing platforms without a bot joining matters most, and Soniox when transcribing multilingual meetings and calls in real time matters most. Both record across Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams; trial each on real meetings before committing.
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
Multilingual speech AI platform offering real-time and async speech-to-text and translation APIs for meetings and voice apps.
Code-switching support for mid-sentence language changesEnterprise compliance with SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, and GDPRReal-time and asynchronous speech-to-text APIs
Shadow is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); Soniox is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
Bot-free capture that records system audio without joining the meeting as a participant
Real-time and asynchronous speech-to-text APIs
Standout feature
On-device (local) transcription on macOS
Speaker separation for multi-participant conversations
Team usage
Speaker identification during transcription
Real-time speech translation across many language pairs
Integrations
Captures on-screen content in addition to spoken audio
Code-switching support for mid-sentence language changes
Languages & capture
Customizable prompts/Skills to generate notes, summaries, and emails
Web and server SDKs for browser and backend integration
Best-fit workflow
Webhook integration to connect outputs to other tools
Enterprise compliance with SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, and GDPR
Best for
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.
Soniox
Choose Soniox if you need transcribing multilingual meetings and calls in real time — strengths include strong multilingual and translation capabilities for global meetings.
Pros & cons
Shadow
+ Does not add a visible bot to meetings
+ Local transcription keeps core audio processing on the device
- Available for macOS only
Soniox
+ Strong multilingual and translation capabilities for global meetings
+ Low-latency real-time streaming suitable for live use
- Delivered as an API rather than a turnkey meeting product
FAQ
Is Shadow or Soniox better for AI meeting notes?
It depends on your workflow. Shadow is strong for capturing notes and summaries across multiple conferencing platforms without a bot joining, while Soniox is strong for transcribing multilingual meetings and calls in real time. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
How do Shadow and Soniox compare on price?
Shadow is a free tier with paid upgrades and Soniox 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 Shadow and Soniox?
Yes. Many teams run more than one meeting assistant when the workflows are complementary and the budget is justified.