Updated September 2026
The private Otter alternative
Otter pioneered AI meeting notes, and everything you say goes through their cloud. If your meetings involve clients, patients, or deals, that is a lot of trust to hand over for a transcript.
Windows 10 & 11 (64-bit) · Mac (Apple Silicon) · Free 7-day trial · No card, just your email.
| Private Notetaker | Otter | |
|---|---|---|
| Where meetings are processed | 100% on your device | Processes and stores your meetings on Otter's servers |
| Bots in your meetings | Never | Otter Notetaker bot joins by default; the Mac and Windows desktop app records without a bot, and audio still goes to Otter's cloud |
| Works offline | Yes | No, it needs their cloud |
| How privacy is enforced | Architecture: audio never leaves your device | Policy: SOC 2 program, encryption, deletion controls |
| Where your meetings live | Only on your own disk | Recordings and transcripts live on Otter's servers until you delete them |
| Price | $15/mo or $149 once, yours forever | $16.99/mo (or $8.33/mo billed annually) |
Otter facts and pricing as published 16 September 2026. Free tier capped at 300 min/mo.
Their privacy is a policy.
Ours is architecture.
Privacy by policy
Every cloud note taker
- Hosted in a chosen region, so you trust where the servers are
- Encrypted in transit and at rest, so you trust the keys are handled well
- Deleted on request, so you trust the deletion actually happens
- "We don't train on your data", so you trust the pledge outlives the roadmap
Privacy by architecture
Private Notetaker
- ✓Audio is captured, transcribed, and summarized on your hardware
- ✓There is no server holding your meetings to breach or subpoena
- ✓Nothing to delete, because nothing was ever collected
- ✓No pledge required. The data simply is not there
Don't take our word for it. Turn WiFi off and watch it keep working.
I built this for myself. I live in back-to-back client calls, and I was never comfortable piping confidential conversations about clients' revenue, ad accounts, and contracts through someone else's cloud just to get a summary. So I made a note taker where everything stays on my machine. I have used it every working day since. Now I am opening it up.
Simple pricing. Either way, it is all yours.
Available for Windows & Mac. Pay once or monthly, whichever suits you.
Monthly
Cancel anytime. The notes you took stay yours.
- ✓Unlimited meetings and recording time
- ✓Local transcription and AI summaries
- ✓Full-history search on your device
- ✓Windows and Mac, light and dark mode
- ✓No account required to take notes
Lifetime
Pay once, yours forever. Includes updates.
- ✓Unlimited meetings and recording time
- ✓Local transcription and AI summaries
- ✓Full-history search on your device
- ✓Windows and Mac, light and dark mode
- ✓No account required to take notes
- ✓Never a subscription
Prefer to try first? Download the app and use it free for 7 days. No card, just your email. Buying charges right away and is backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Otter questions, answered
Does Otter process meetings in the cloud? +
Yes. Otter processes and stores your meetings on Otter's servers. Recordings and transcripts live there until you delete them. Private Notetaker does the opposite: transcription and AI notes run on your Mac or Windows PC, so audio never leaves the device.
Does Otter join meetings with a bot? +
By default, yes. Otter Notetaker joins as a participant named '[Your Name]'s Notetaker (Otter.ai)'. Otter's Mac and Windows desktop app can record without the bot, but the recording is still uploaded to Otter for transcription. Private Notetaker never appears in the participant list: it captures audio locally on your machine while you take the meeting like a normal person.
What is the difference between Private Notetaker and Otter? +
Architecture. Otter is a cloud note taker: meetings are processed on its servers, a bot can join the call, and it needs their cloud to work. Private Notetaker is a local app for Mac and Windows: recording, transcription, and summaries all run on your device, it works offline, and no bot joins. $15/mo or a $149 lifetime license, with a 7-day free trial and no card required.
Does Otter work offline? +
No. Otter needs its cloud. Private Notetaker transcribes and summarizes with no internet connection because the speech-to-text and language models run on your computer. Airplane mode is a valid test: if notes still appear, the pipeline is actually local.
Where does Otter store recordings compared with Private Notetaker? +
Otter stores recordings and transcripts on its servers until you delete them. Private Notetaker stores recordings, transcripts, and notes as files on your own disk. Nothing is uploaded, synced, or backed up to any Private Notetaker server.
Is Otter HIPAA compliant? +
Otter's own help centre states HIPAA compliance is only available on the Enterprise plan, with a signed BAA. It is not a HIPAA-covered entity by default. Private Notetaker does not claim HIPAA certification. Audio is processed on your device and notes stay on your disk, so we never hold your meeting data. That is an architecture fact, not a compliance badge. Check the requirements for your profession.
Further reading
- Otter.ai review (2026): what it's great at, and where your meetings go
- Is Otter.ai safe? What actually happens to your recordings
- Which AI notetakers are HIPAA compliant, and on which plan
- How to stop Otter, Read AI and Fireflies bots from joining your meetings
- Granola AI vs Otter: the difference is architecture
Your meetings are nobody else's business.
Download the AI note taker that keeps everything on your device. Free for 7 days. No card, no account, just your email.
Windows & Mac.