Wave and aTrain are both AI meeting assistants for recording, transcription, and summaries, compared here on pricing, features, and workflow fit. Wave: Cross-platform AI note taker that records and transcribes meetings, calls, and voice memos into summaries. aTrain: Open-source offline transcription tool from the University of Graz that turns recorded meetings and interviews into text using Whisper and speaker detection. 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 Wave when recording browser-based meetings without a bot joining matters most, and aTrain when researchers transcribing recorded interviews for qualitative analysis matters most. Both record across Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams; trial each on real meetings before committing.
Cross-platform AI note taker that records and transcribes meetings, calls, and voice memos into summaries.
Apps for iOS, Android, web, Mac, Windows, and ChromeBot-free tab audio capture plus combined tab and mic modeEncrypted cloud storage with no model training on user data
Open-source offline transcription tool from the University of Graz that turns recorded meetings and interviews into text using Whisper and speaker detection.
Built on OpenAI Whisper via the faster-whisper engineExports compatible with MAXQDA, ATLAS.ti, and NVivoGraphical interface requiring no programming skills
Wave is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); aTrain is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
Records meetings, calls, lectures, and voice memos
Offline, fully local transcription with no data leaving the device
Standout feature
Bot-free tab audio capture plus combined tab and mic mode
Built on OpenAI Whisper via the faster-whisper engine
Team usage
Speaker-labeled transcripts with summaries and action items
Speaker detection/diarization using pyannote.audio
Integrations
Apps for iOS, Android, web, Mac, Windows, and Chrome
Exports compatible with MAXQDA, ATLAS.ti, and NVivo
Languages & capture
Support for dozens of languages
Graphical interface requiring no programming skills
Best-fit workflow
Encrypted cloud storage with no model training on user data
NVIDIA GPU acceleration support
Best for
Wave
Choose Wave if you need recording browser-based meetings without a bot joining — strengths include bot-free capture across many platforms and devices.
aTrain
Choose aTrain if you need researchers transcribing recorded interviews for qualitative analysis — strengths include free and open source under agpl-3.0.
Pros & cons
Wave
+ Bot-free capture across many platforms and devices
+ Handles both online meetings and in-person voice memos
- Feature set may differ between mobile, web, and extension
- Works on recorded files rather than live meeting capture
FAQ
Is Wave or aTrain better for AI meeting notes?
It depends on your workflow. Wave is strong for recording browser-based meetings without a bot joining, while aTrain is strong for researchers transcribing recorded interviews for qualitative analysis. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
How do Wave and aTrain compare on price?
Wave is a free tier with paid upgrades and aTrain 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 Wave and aTrain?
Yes. Many teams run more than one meeting assistant when the workflows are complementary and the budget is justified.