Local AI meeting notes on a Mac, ranked by how local
Local AI meeting notes on Mac, ranked by how much stays on your computer: Talat, MacWhisper, Meetily, Anarlog, QuickQuill, Koi, Shadow, Quill and Notta.
Start here
What is the best AI note taker for Mac without a bot?
Koi, if you want the transcript and a video of the screen kept on your Mac, and Fathom, if you want it free. Granola AI blends your own notes with a cloud transcript. Otter and Fireflies AI suit teams, Jamie keeps data in the EU, and MacWhisper or Talat keep everything local, summaries included.
We make Koi, so it's first here, and you should read the list with that in mind. Koi also has real gaps: it names no one beyond You and Them, has no team workspace or share links, runs only on a Mac, and has no free plan. Every fact about the other apps comes from their own sites, checked October 16, 2026. We didn't run accuracy tests on any of them.
Why no bot
Why skip the meeting bot?
A meeting bot joins the call as a participant, records from inside it, and sits in the list where everyone sees it. That's honest, but plenty of people don't want it on a client call or an interview, and some hosts simply don't let it in. And some bots turn up uninvited, the main complaint in Read AI's Trustpilot reviews; our Read AI alternatives page covers how to stop it.
Google Meet made that harder this year. Since late March 2026, Meet sorts join requests into two queues, and for the queue Google thinks needs a closer look, the default is to deny entry, per Google's Workspace Updates post. Google doesn't name bots there. tl;dv does: its desktop app page says Google now flags third-party notetaker bots as a potential risk and denies them by default, so the host has to let them in by hand.
A bot-free note taker records your own computer instead, so there's nothing to admit. Two things it doesn't change: the audio may still go to the cloud to become text, and the people on the call still deserve to know. More on both below.
The picks
8 AI note takers for Mac that skip the bot
1. Koi
Best for: Keeping the whole call, video and all, on your Mac
Tap Fn + ⌃ and pick Online call. Koi records your Mac, not the meeting, so it works the same in Zoom, Meet, Teams or a call in the browser, as host or guest. Your microphone is You and what the Mac plays is Them, and each stretch of talk is written down on your Mac with Whisper as soon as it pauses. The screen is filmed with both sides' sound, and the video never leaves your Mac.
Koi never joins or starts by itself. When Zoom, Teams, Webex, Slack, Discord or a Meet call in your browser starts using the microphone, the dock asks “Record this call?” and nothing is heard until you say yes. For a meeting or a class in the room, pick In person: Koi listens through the microphone and keeps the sound to play back.
When a recording ends, Koi asks “Summarize this call?” With a yes, only the transcript's words go to Koi's AI, online, and you get a title, a short summary, your own to-dos as checkboxes and a follow-up email that opens as a Mail draft. Say no and nothing from the call leaves your Mac.
Recorded calls are unlimited on every plan. Pro is $20 a month or $192 a year, after a 3-day free trial that needs a card. Lifetime is paid once: $59 for the first 25 buyers, rising to $199. No free plan, Mac only, and everyone else on the call is Them.
2. Fathom
Best for: The biggest free plan, bot or no bot
On paper, Fathom's free plan beats everything here, Koi included: unlimited recordings and transcriptions, instant AI summaries, clips and search, with AI action items and Ask Fathom in limited use. You choose per meeting whether its bot joins or the Mac app records without one. Its what's new page says bot-free capture is live on Mac, with bot-free video in a limited beta for Zoom, and Windows next.
Premium is $20 a month, or $16 billed yearly. Superhuman bought Fathom on September 14, 2026, and its post doesn't say what happens to the free plan. Our Fathom alternatives page has the rest.
3. Granola AI
Best for: Polished notes that blend with your own
Granola listens through your computer's audio while you jot rough notes, then turns both into tidy notes. It never sends a bot. Its security page says audio goes to cloud transcription providers and isn't kept, and notes are stored on AWS in the US. It runs on desktop, iPhone, Android and Apple Watch.
Speaker names show only in the desktop app on Meet, Zoom and Teams, per its docs; elsewhere it's Me and Them, like Koi. Basic is free with 30 days of history. Business, with briefs, follow-up emails and unlimited history, is $14 a user a month. See our Granola AI page.
4. Otter
Best for: Teams that want a live transcript with speakers
Otter's Notetaker joins Zoom, Teams and Meet from your calendar, but you don't need it: the desktop app for Mac and Windows records without a bot across Zoom, Meet, Slack huddles and in person. Transcription happens in Otter's cloud, in six languages.
Basic is free with 300 minutes a month, 30 minutes per conversation, and only your 25 most recent conversations kept in view. Pro is $16.99 a user a month, or $8.33 billed yearly. Video replay is on Enterprise only. More in our Otter AI alternatives.
5. Fireflies AI
Best for: Sales and ops teams that live in a CRM
Fireflies sends its bot by default, but a desktop app and a Chrome extension for Google Meet record without it. It lists transcription in 100+ languages, with English first and many in beta, plus file uploads, CRM sync and a team library.
Free has limited AI summaries and 400 minutes of storage per team. Pro is $18 a seat a month, or $10 billed yearly. Its pricing cards list video recording on Pro, while its FAQ calls it a Business feature ($29, or $19 yearly), so check before you pay. Our Fireflies AI page covers the auto-join complaints.
6. Jamie
Best for: Bot-free notes with your data kept in the EU
Jamie captures your microphone and system audio on your device, online or in person, with no bot and no invite. Its security page says audio is processed in the EU and deleted after transcription, and your data isn't used for training. It sends a consent email on every plan, which is a nice touch. SOC 2 Type II is listed as pending.
Free gives 10 AI notes a month for meetings up to 30 minutes. Plus is €21 a month billed yearly. On Mac, Windows and iPhone.
7. MacWhisper
Best for: Local transcripts with speaker labels, plus files, paid once
MacWhisper Pro records meetings on your Mac and spots them starting in Zoom, Teams, Slack, WhatsApp, Webex, Discord and browsers. Its docs say FaceTime can't be recorded because of macOS privacy limits, and that the feature is in beta. Version 15.2 splits up to 8 speakers, per 9to5Mac, which beats Koi's You and Them.
It also transcribes audio and video files, which Koi doesn't. Pro is €64 once. It now needs macOS 15, per TidBITS.
8. Talat
Best for: Notes that never leave your Mac, summaries included
Talat transcribes on your computer and writes summaries with a model built into the app, or with your own key if you'd rather. It starts recording by itself when a Zoom, Teams or Meet call begins, and can start from your calendar.
It's $89 a year or $189 once, after 10 free hours with no account and no card. It needs macOS 15 on Apple silicon, and runs on Windows too. Our local meeting notes list has more apps like it.
Also worth a look: tl;dv's desktop app records without a bot on Apple silicon and Intel Macs, with a free plan. Wispr Flow's Notetaker records any call and names speakers from the calendar invite. Notion AI Meeting Notes records bot-free inside Notion, with full use on its Business plan. And Zoom's My Notes works across Zoom, Teams, Meet and in person, three times a month on a free account.
Comparison
Bot-free AI note takers for Mac compared
From each company's own pages, checked October 16, 2026. “Not listed” means the site doesn't say.
| Bot | Speech becomes text | Video | Free plan | Paid from | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Koi | Never | On your Mac | Yes, on your Mac | None. Pro has a 3-day trial | $20 a month, or $59 once | Keeping the call on your Mac |
| Fathom | Your choice, bot-free on Mac in beta | Fathom's service | Yes, bot-free video in a Zoom beta | Unlimited recordings | $20 a month, $16 yearly | Free, with video |
| Granola AI | Never | Cloud providers | No, audio isn't kept | 30 days of history | $14 a user a month | Polished notes |
| Otter | Optional | Otter's cloud | Enterprise only | 300 minutes a month | $16.99 a user a month | Teams with live transcripts |
| Fireflies AI | Default, or the desktop app | Fireflies' cloud | Paid plans | 400 minutes of storage | $18 a seat a month | CRM-heavy teams |
| Jamie | Never | Cloud, in the EU | No, audio deleted | 10 AI notes a month | €21 a month, yearly | Data kept in the EU |
| MacWhisper | Never | On your Mac | Not listed | Files, meetings need Pro | €64 once | Local, with files, paid once |
| Talat | Never | On your Mac | Not listed | 10 free hours | $89 a year, or $189 once | Fully local notes |
Bot-free isn't local
Which bot-free note takers keep your audio local?
Fewer than you'd think. Most apps above are bot-free only in what the other people see: the audio still goes to the company's servers, or its providers, to become text. Granola AI, Jamie, Otter's desktop app and Fathom's bot-free mode all work that way.
Koi, MacWhisper and Talat turn speech into text on your Mac. Koi's AI notes are the exception to the rule: they're written online, from the transcript's words only, and only after you say yes. Talat and MacWhisper can summarize with a model on your own computer. If that matters most, our list of local AI meeting notes apps ranks them by how much stays on the Mac, and MacWhisper vs Granola AI puts the two approaches side by side.
Consent
Do you need consent to use a bot-free note taker?
Often, yes. A bot in the participant list at least tells people something is listening. A bot-free app doesn't, so telling them is your job. Some places require everyone on the call to agree. This isn't legal advice, so check the rules where you and the others are.
Two lawsuits show where this is heading, and both are allegations, not rulings. Chamberlain v. Granola, a proposed class action in the Northern District of California, alleges Granola captures conversations without the other participants' knowledge, per RuntimeWire on August 1, 2026. Brewer v. Otter.ai, filed in August 2025, alleges Otter's Notetaker recorded people without their consent, per NPR.
Koi doesn't announce itself to the call, and its dock never shows in a screen you share. So say it out loud at the start: “Mind if I record this for my notes?” Our guide to recording a Zoom meeting on a Mac covers what Zoom itself tells people.
Choosing
Which bot-free note taker should you pick?
- The transcript and a screen video on your Mac, notes only when you say yes? Koi.
- Free, and the cloud is fine? Fathom.
- Notes that blend your own scribbles with the transcript? Granola AI.
- A team that shares calls and wants a calendar bot as an option? Otter or Fireflies AI.
- Meeting data kept in the EU? Jamie.
- Everything on your Mac, summaries too? Talat or MacWhisper.
Koi's Pro trial lasts 3 days and records without a limit, so try it on a real call first. It needs a card. See Koi's plans, or how Koi records calls.
Keep exploring
The best Granola AI alternatives in 2026
Granola AI alternatives compared: Koi, Otter, Fathom, Fireflies, Jamie, MacWhisper and Meetily. Bots, where transcription happens, free tiers and prices.
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.
How to record a meeting on a Mac, in any app
How to record a meeting on a Mac in Zoom, Meet, Teams, Webex, FaceTime or in the room: who can press Record, where files go, and what to ask before you start.
Support
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Koi, Granola AI, Jamie, MacWhisper and Talat never send a bot, and Otter, Fathom, Fireflies AI and tl;dv have desktop apps that record without one. They capture your computer's microphone and sound instead.
Fathom, on paper: its free plan has unlimited recordings and transcriptions, with bot-free capture on Mac in beta. Koi has no free plan; its Pro trial lasts 3 days and needs a card.
Usually. Granola AI, Jamie, Otter and Fathom transcribe in the cloud even without a bot. Koi, MacWhisper and Talat turn speech into text on your Mac. Koi's AI notes are written online, from the transcript's words, only after you say yes.
No. Koi splits a call into You, your microphone, and Them, what the Mac plays. On a call with five people, the other four are all Them. MacWhisper splits up to 8 speakers, and Granola AI names people on Meet, Zoom and Teams.
Often. Some places require everyone on the call to agree, and a bot-free app doesn't tell them. Koi doesn't announce itself, so say you're recording at the start. This isn't legal advice.