StenoAI and WhisperLiveKit are both AI meeting assistants for recording, transcription, and summaries, compared here on pricing, features, and workflow fit. StenoAI: Open-source desktop app that records, transcribes, and summarizes meetings entirely on-device with no bots, subscriptions, or cloud processing. WhisperLiveKit: Open-source, self-hosted real-time speech-to-text and speaker diarization toolkit with a FastAPI server and web interface, suitable for meeting transcription. 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 StenoAI when capturing and summarizing confidential meetings without sending audio to the cloud matters most, and WhisperLiveKit when self-hosted real-time meeting transcription with speaker labels matters most. Both record across Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams; trial each on real meetings before committing.
Open-source desktop app that records, transcribes, and summarizes meetings entirely on-device with no bots, subscriptions, or cloud processing.
Open-source, self-hosted real-time speech-to-text and speaker diarization toolkit with a FastAPI server and web interface, suitable for meeting transcription.
StenoAI is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); WhisperLiveKit is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | StenoAI | WhisperLiveKit |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | On-device transcription with Parakeet TDT v3 (Apple Silicon) or Whisper models | Real-time streaming speech-to-text with low latency over WebSocket |
| Standout feature | System audio and microphone capture via native Core Audio Tap (no bots) | Real-time speaker diarization to distinguish multiple speakers |
| Team usage | Real-time on-screen speaker labels distinguishing you from others | FastAPI backend with OpenAI-compatible REST API and Deepgram-compatible WebSocket protocol |
| Integrations | Local LLM summaries through Ollama, with remote Ollama server support | Multiple ASR backends (Whisper variants, Voxtral, Qwen3-ASR) and 200+ language support with translation |
| Languages & capture | 25 European languages live, up to 99 languages via Whisper after recording | Included customizable HTML/JavaScript web interface and Docker images (GPU and CPU) |
| Best-fit workflow | Markdown export of transcripts and summaries | Voice activity detection and multi-user support on a single backend |
StenoAI
Choose StenoAI if you need capturing and summarizing confidential meetings without sending audio to the cloud — strengths include fully local, bot-free capture with no cloud processing or subscriptions for core use.
WhisperLiveKit
Choose WhisperLiveKit if you need self-hosted real-time meeting transcription with speaker labels — strengths include fully open source (apache 2.0) and self-hostable for private, on-premise transcription.
StenoAI
WhisperLiveKit
It depends on your workflow. StenoAI is strong for capturing and summarizing confidential meetings without sending audio to the cloud, while WhisperLiveKit is strong for self-hosted real-time meeting transcription with speaker labels. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
StenoAI is a free tier with paid upgrades and WhisperLiveKit 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.