Shadow and SpeakNotes 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. SpeakNotes: Browser-based AI tool that turns uploaded or recorded meeting audio and video into structured summaries with action items and decisions. 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 Shadow when capturing notes and summaries across multiple conferencing platforms without a bot joining matters most, and SpeakNotes when turning recorded meeting audio or video into structured minutes 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.
Browser-based AI tool that turns uploaded or recorded meeting audio and video into structured summaries with action items and decisions.
Shadow is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); SpeakNotes is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Shadow | SpeakNotes |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | Bot-free capture that records system audio without joining the meeting as a participant | Upload audio/video, paste a YouTube link, or record directly in the browser |
| Standout feature | On-device (local) transcription on macOS | AI transcription and analysis with structured summaries |
| Team usage | Speaker identification during transcription | Extraction of action items, decisions, and key discussion points |
| Integrations | Captures on-screen content in addition to spoken audio | 15+ output formats including meeting notes and transcripts |
| Languages & capture | Customizable prompts/Skills to generate notes, summaries, and emails | 50+ language support |
| Best-fit workflow | Webhook integration to connect outputs to other tools | Export to Notion, Obsidian, and other tools |
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.
SpeakNotes
Choose SpeakNotes if you need turning recorded meeting audio or video into structured minutes — strengths include flexible inputs (file upload, youtube, in-browser recording).
Shadow
SpeakNotes
It depends on your workflow. Shadow is strong for capturing notes and summaries across multiple conferencing platforms without a bot joining, while SpeakNotes is strong for turning recorded meeting audio or video into structured minutes. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Shadow is a free tier with paid upgrades and SpeakNotes 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.