1. Private Notetaker: the full notes pipeline, entirely on-device
Private Notetaker runs the complete meeting workflow locally with zero configuration: recording,
speech-to-text, and the language model that writes structured notes, decisions, and action items.
There is no cloud mode to accidentally end up in and nothing to self-host; local is the only way it
works. Switch on airplane mode and everything still works. No bot joins your calls, no account is
required to take notes, and your entire meeting history is searchable on your own disk. It works with
Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, phone calls on speaker, and in-person conversations.
It is built for people whose meetings are confidential by profession: consultants, financial advisors,
therapists, lawyers, founders, journalists. Pricing is $15 per month or $249 once for a
lifetime license, with a 7-day free trial and no card required. Mac (Apple Silicon) today, Windows in
progress.
Download the free trial 2. Talat: real-time transcription that stays on your Mac
A one-time purchase with no account and no ongoing fees. Ten hours of free recording before you pay. Built around live on-device transcription of meetings, dictation, and recordings.
Platforms: Mac · Price: $49 one-time in pre-release (planned $99 at 1.0) · Site: talat.app
3. MacWhisper: bulk local transcription for files and meetings
A well-established Mac transcription tool. Records Zoom, Teams, and other calls in the background without a bot, and transcribes locally. The optional AI summary features connect to cloud AI services using your own API keys, so summaries are not on-device by default.
Platforms: Mac · Price: Free version; Pro is a one-time purchase (EUR 64) · Site: macwhisper.com
4. Mumble: a free local mode with an optional cloud upgrade
A voice-first workspace covering meetings, dictation, and voice notes. In local mode their site states audio is processed on-device and never transmitted. Cloud mode adds more languages by sending audio to their servers, so check which mode you are in.
Platforms: Mac (macOS 14+, Apple Silicon) · Price: Free during beta; local mode free forever per their site · Site: heymumble.com
5. Meetily: open source and self-hosted
Open source under MIT with a large community. Captures system audio without a bot. Requires a technical setup (Node.js, Python, FFmpeg), which is the trade-off for owning the whole stack.
Platforms: Desktop (self-hosted) · Price: Free Community Edition; Pro from $10/user/mo · Site: meetily.ai
What about Otter, Granola, Fireflies, and Fathom?
They are the best-known AI note takers, and none of them is local. All four process your meetings on
their own servers. Granola deserves credit for dropping the meeting bot, but it still sends audio to
cloud AI models. If cloud processing is acceptable for your meetings, they are capable tools. If it is
not, they are not an option, whatever their privacy policy says.
- Otter ($16.99/mo (or $8.33/mo billed annually)): processes and stores your meetings on Otter's servers. OtterPilot bot joins your calls. See the full comparison.
- Granola ($18/mo individual ($14/user business)): captures audio on your Mac, processes it with cloud AI. No bot, but your audio still leaves the machine. See the full comparison.
- Fireflies ($18/mo (or $10/mo billed annually)): processes and stores your meetings on Fireflies' servers. Fred the notetaker bot joins your calls. See the full comparison.
- Fathom (Free for individuals, teams from $19/user/mo): processes and stores your meetings on Fathom's servers. Fathom bot joins your calls. See the full comparison.
A note on Hyprnote: the popular open-source local notetaker rebranded to Char and is in private beta
at the time of writing, so we left it out until its shipping form is clear.
Common questions
What is a local AI note taker?
An app where the speech-to-text and AI summarization models run on your own computer instead of a company server. Your meeting audio, transcripts, and notes stay on your device, which means the tool works offline and no third party ever processes what was said.
Are popular tools like Otter, Granola, Fireflies, and Fathom local?
No. All four process meetings on their own servers. Granola skips the meeting bot but still sends audio to cloud AI models. Otter, Fireflies, and Fathom store recordings and transcripts in their clouds, and several of them send a bot into your calls.
Which local AI note taker works fully offline?
Private Notetaker transcribes and summarizes with no internet connection at all, because both the speech-to-text model and the language model run on the machine. Talat and MacWhisper also transcribe on-device. Tools with cloud modes or cloud summary features need a connection for those parts.