The best AI note takers for Mac, no bot required
The best AI note takers for Mac with no bot in the call: Koi, Fathom, Granola AI, Otter, Fireflies AI, Jamie, MacWhisper and Talat, checked October 16, 2026.
Start here
What is the best alternative to Krisp's note taker?
If you want the notes and not the noise cancelling, Koi records your Mac with no bot and no audio devices to switch, and keeps the transcript and a screen video on your Mac. Granola AI, Otter and Fathom are cloud note takers with free plans, Jamie keeps data in the EU, and Talat or MacWhisper stay fully local.
This page is about Krisp's AI Note Taker. If you came for noise cancellation, stay on Krisp: none of the apps here, Koi included, cleans up your voice for the other people on a call. Koi's noise handling is for its dictation only. Koi also names no one beyond You and Them, has no free plan and runs only on a Mac.
We make Koi, so it's first below. Facts about the others come from their own sites, checked October 16, 2026.
Stay on Krisp if
When Krisp is still the right tool
- Background noise and echo on your own voice are the real problem. Krisp's noise cancellation is on every plan.
- You want accent conversion, which only Krisp offers here.
- You'd like the option of a bot as well as bot-free notes.
- You need Windows or phone apps.
Why switch
Why people look past Krisp's note taker
From Krisp's own pricing page:
- There's no free plan any more, just a 7-day trial that doesn't need a card.
- Core is $16 a user a month, or $8 billed yearly, with 10 GB of storage. Advanced is $30, or $15 yearly, with 60 GB.
- Private, on-device transcription and recordings are an Enterprise feature.
- Transcripts and summaries cover 16+ languages.
Krisp's note taker page describes it working through Krisp's own speaker and microphone devices, which you pick in the call app. Its Trustpilot page, at 3.0 from 412 reviews, has complaints about renewals and refunds and about memory use on Macs. Reviews there aren't verified.
The picks
7 Krisp note taker alternatives for Mac
1. Koi
Best for: Notes and video without changing your audio setup
Koi doesn't sit between you and the call app. You keep your usual microphone and speakers, tap Fn + ⌃, pick Online call, and Koi listens to the two apart: your microphone is You, what the Mac plays is Them. Each stretch is written down on your Mac with Whisper, in any of 57 languages, and the screen is filmed with both sides' sound. The video and transcript are files on your Mac, with no storage quota.
When it ends, Koi asks whether to summarize the call. Say yes, and the transcript's words go to Koi's AI online for a title, a short summary, your to-dos and a follow-up email draft. Calls are unlimited on every plan: Pro is $20 a month or $192 a year after a 3-day trial with a card, or Lifetime, $59 for the first 25 buyers, rising to $199.
2. Granola AI
Best for: Bot-free notes with a free plan
Granola uses your computer's audio, sends no bot and needs no virtual devices. It blends your own rough notes with a cloud transcript. Basic is free with 30 days of history, which Krisp no longer offers at all, and Business is $14 a user a month. See our Granola AI alternatives.
3. Otter
Best for: Team transcripts, with or without a bot
Otter, like Krisp, gives you the choice: a Notetaker that joins from your calendar, or a desktop app that records without one. Basic is free with 300 minutes a month; Pro is $16.99 a user a month, or $8.33 yearly. It transcribes six languages. More in our Otter AI alternatives.
4. Fathom
Best for: Free unlimited recordings
Fathom's free plan has unlimited recordings and transcriptions with summaries, against Krisp's 7-day trial. Its bot is the default, with bot-free capture on Mac in beta. Premium is $20 a month, or $16 yearly. Superhuman bought Fathom in September 2026: see Fathom alternatives.
5. Jamie
Best for: Bot-free notes, processed in the EU
Jamie captures your device's audio with no bot, online or in person, and its security page says audio is processed in the EU and deleted after transcription. Free gives 10 AI notes a month; Plus is €21 a month billed yearly.
6. Talat
Best for: On-device notes without an Enterprise plan
What Krisp keeps for Enterprise, Talat does for everyone: transcription on your computer and summaries from a built-in model, with the audio never leaving. It's $89 a year or $189 once, after 10 free hours. macOS 15 on Apple silicon, or Windows.
7. MacWhisper
Best for: Local transcripts and files, paid once
MacWhisper Pro records meetings and transcribes files on your Mac, with up to 8 speakers. It's €64 once and needs macOS 15. Meeting recording is in beta, and FaceTime isn't supported, per its docs.
Comparison
Krisp's note taker vs the alternatives
From each company's own site, checked October 16, 2026.
| Noise cancelling | Speech becomes text | Free plan | Paid from | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Krisp | Yes, every plan | On device on Enterprise only | None, a 7-day trial | $16 a month, $8 yearly | Clean audio plus notes |
| Koi | No, dictation only | On your Mac | None. Pro has a 3-day trial | $20 a month, or $59 once | Notes and video on your Mac |
| Granola AI | No | Cloud providers | 30 days of history | $14 a user a month | Free bot-free notes |
| Otter | No | Otter's cloud | 300 minutes a month | $16.99 a user a month | Team transcripts |
| Fathom | No | Fathom's service | Unlimited recordings | $20 a month, $16 yearly | Free recording |
| Jamie | No | Cloud, in the EU | 10 AI notes a month | €21 a month, yearly | EU data |
| Talat | No | On your Mac | 10 hours | $89 a year, or $189 once | Fully local notes |
| MacWhisper | No | On your Mac | Files, meetings need Pro | €64 once | Local, with files |
Consent
Do you need consent to record with a note taker?
Often. A bot-free note taker doesn't tell the call it's there, and Koi doesn't announce itself either, so say it at the start. Some places require everyone on a call to agree. This isn't legal advice.
A proposed class action, Chamberlain v. Granola, alleges a bot-free note taker captured conversations without the other participants' knowledge, per RuntimeWire. It's an allegation; nothing has been decided.
Choosing
Which Krisp alternative should you pick?
- Notes and a screen video on your Mac, no audio devices to switch? Koi.
- Bot-free notes with a free plan? Granola AI.
- Team transcripts, bot or no bot? Otter.
- Free unlimited recordings? Fathom.
- On-device notes without paying for Enterprise? Talat or MacWhisper.
- Noise cancelling on your voice? Stay on Krisp.
The full list is in our best AI note takers for Mac.
Keep exploring
Otter AI alternatives that transcribe calls on your Mac
An Otter AI alternative that transcribes calls on your Mac: Koi, Granola, MacWhisper, Fathom, Fireflies, Jamie, tl;dv and Notta compared on bots and price.
The best Fathom alternatives for Mac in 2026
Fathom alternatives for Mac, checked October 16, 2026: Koi, tl;dv, Granola AI, Fireflies AI, Otter, Jamie and MacWhisper on bots, video, local files and price.
Record and transcribe calls on your Mac, with no bot
An AI note taker for Mac with no bot. Tap Fn + ⌃ on Zoom, Meet or Teams, or pick In person, and Koi writes down who said what on your Mac, with the video.
Support
Frequently asked questions
Not any more. Krisp's pricing page shows a 7-day trial that doesn't need a card, then Core at $16 a user a month, or $8 billed yearly.
No. Koi ignores noise when you dictate, but it doesn't clean up your voice for the people on a call. Keep Krisp for that.
Yes. Koi, Talat and MacWhisper turn speech into text on your Mac on every paid plan. Krisp keeps on-device transcription for Enterprise.
No. Koi records your usual microphone as You and what the Mac plays as Them, so you don't pick any special device in the call app.