Shadow and spf.io 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. spf.io: AI captioning and translation platform for in-person, virtual, and hybrid events, supporting 100+ languages with broad streaming integrations. 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 spf.io when captioning and translating large in-person conferences across projectors and mobile devices 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
AI captioning and translation platform for in-person, virtual, and hybrid events, supporting 100+ languages with broad streaming integrations.
Automatic live captions and translation in 100+ languages, with translated audio in 70+Integrations with Zoom, Teams, Google Meet, YouTube, OBS, StreamYard, vMix, and TwitchOptional professional captioners, interpreters, and remote operators as add-ons
Shadow is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); spf.io 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
Automatic live captions and translation in 100+ languages, with translated audio in 70+
Standout feature
On-device (local) transcription on macOS
Projector display of up to four languages plus mobile QR/URL attendee access
Team usage
Speaker identification during transcription
Integrations with Zoom, Teams, Google Meet, YouTube, OBS, StreamYard, vMix, and Twitch
Integrations
Captures on-screen content in addition to spoken audio
Supervised/edited captioning and bidirectional translation modes
Languages & capture
Customizable prompts/Skills to generate notes, summaries, and emails
Vocabulary fine-tuning, custom speech recognition, and adapted translation models
Best-fit workflow
Webhook integration to connect outputs to other tools
Optional professional captioners, interpreters, and remote operators as add-ons
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.
spf.io
Choose spf.io if you need captioning and translating large in-person conferences across projectors and mobile devices — strengths include very broad language coverage for both captions and translated audio.
Pros & cons
Shadow
+ Does not add a visible bot to meetings
+ Local transcription keeps core audio processing on the device
- Available for macOS only
spf.io
+ Very broad language coverage for both captions and translated audio
+ Works across in-person, virtual, and hybrid events with many streaming integrations
- Add-on human services and operators add cost beyond the automated tooling
FAQ
Is Shadow or spf.io 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 spf.io is strong for captioning and translating large in-person conferences across projectors and mobile devices. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
How do Shadow and spf.io compare on price?
Shadow is a free tier with paid upgrades and spf.io 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 spf.io?
Yes. Many teams run more than one meeting assistant when the workflows are complementary and the budget is justified.