A MacWhisper alternative for meeting notes
MacWhisper and Hearkeeper both keep transcription on your Mac. The difference is what they are for: MacWhisper is a versatile transcription tool, Hearkeeper is built around meetings. Here is an honest comparison.
MacWhisper is a Mac app from an independent developer, and it is one of the few tools that shares Hearkeeper’s starting point: it transcribes with local models, so your audio does not have to leave your Mac. Drop in an interview, a lecture or a voice memo and it turns it into text. It supports 100 languages, makes subtitles, offers system-wide dictation, and exports to formats such as SRT, VTT, Markdown, PDF and DOCX. It can also record meetings from Zoom, Teams, Webex and other apps with no bot. There is a free version, and Pro is a one-time purchase.
Hearkeeper is not released yet. If you are comparing the two, you probably already care about local processing, so this page is about the other differences.
The core difference
A transcription tool, or a meeting-notes app. MacWhisper’s centre is the transcript: files in, text out, with many ways to clean it up, translate it and export it. Its meeting recording is one feature among many, and MacWhisper’s own help page describes automatic meeting recording as a beta.
Hearkeeper’s centre is the meeting. It records your microphone and your computer’s audio, shows live captions about two to four seconds behind the speaker, and after the call runs a final pass with Whisper large-v3 turbo that separates speakers. On Apple silicon we measured that pass at about ten times faster than real time. Then it writes a summary, the decisions and the to-dos, and every line cites the second it was said, so you can click through and check it.
AI on top of the transcript. MacWhisper Pro connects to AI services with your own API keys (it names OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini and others) or to local models through Ollama or LM Studio, with custom prompts. That is flexible, and it is yours to set up. Hearkeeper uses a local language model for summaries, decisions and to-dos, with no API key. You can ask questions during the call and across all your meetings, and each answer cites the moment it came from.
Consent. We did not find consent features described on MacWhisper’s pages. Hearkeeper starts every recording with a consent step: read a short notice aloud, post it in the call’s chat, or both. A consent receipt is saved with the recording, and the recording pill stays on screen, including in screen shares, with no hide button.
Search across meetings. Hearkeeper keeps every meeting in one SQLite file on your disk, with full-text and semantic search, so you can find what was said last month without remembering which recording it was in.
Icelandic. MacWhisper says it supports 100 languages; we did not find a published list to check Icelandic against. Hearkeeper treats Icelandic as a first-class language and detects mixed Icelandic and English in the same meeting, among 99 languages in all.
MacWhisper and Hearkeeper side by side
| MacWhisper | Hearkeeper | |
|---|---|---|
| Bot in the call | No. Records meeting apps on your Mac | No. Records on your Mac |
| Where audio is transcribed | On your Mac, with local models | On your Mac (whisper.cpp with Metal) |
| Main job | Transcribing files, recordings and dictation | Recording and understanding meetings |
| Live captions during the call | Not described on the pages we read | Yes, about 2 to 4 seconds behind |
| Summaries, decisions, to-dos | Via AI services with your own keys, or local models through Ollama or LM Studio (Pro) | From a local language model, no API key; every line cites the second it was said |
| Ask questions | Not described on the pages we read | During the call and across meetings, with timestamps |
| Consent step and receipt | Not covered on the pages we read | Consent step before every recording; receipt saved; pill that can’t be hidden |
| Icelandic | Not confirmed (100 languages listed, no list found) | Yes, first-class, with mixed Icelandic and English |
| Export | SRT, VTT, TXT; Markdown, PDF, HTML, DOCX in Pro | Markdown |
| Platforms | Mac | Mac (macOS 14.2+, Apple silicon and Intel), when released; other platforms later |
| Price as listed | Free; Pro €64 once, with lifetime updates (as listed on 28 September 2026) | Not announced yet |
When MacWhisper is the better choice
- You need it today. MacWhisper is available now. Hearkeeper is on a waitlist.
- You transcribe files, not meetings. Interviews, podcasts, lectures you already recorded, videos and subtitles are MacWhisper’s home ground, with batch transcription and watched folders in Pro.
- You want dictation. MacWhisper includes system-wide dictation. Hearkeeper is not a dictation tool.
- You like to choose your own AI. MacWhisper lets you plug in many AI providers or local models.
- You prefer paying once. MacWhisper Pro is a one-time purchase. Hearkeeper’s pricing is not announced.
When Hearkeeper fits better
- Your recordings are mostly meetings or lectures, and you want notes, not only a transcript.
- You want consent built in. A consent step before each recording, a saved receipt, and a pill that stays visible, including in screen shares.
- You want to follow along live and ask questions while the call is still going.
- You want answers you can check. Every summary line and answer points to the second it was said.
- You meet in Icelandic, or switch between Icelandic and English in the same meeting.
- You want one searchable archive of every meeting, in one SQLite file on your disk, with notes that export to Markdown.
Using both
They don’t have to compete. You might keep a transcription tool for files and dictation and use a meeting app for meetings. Both transcribe on your Mac, so either way your audio stays with you.
Sources
All read on 28 September 2026.
- MacWhisper home page and pricing: macwhisper.com
- MacWhisper automatic meeting recording: docs.macwhisper.com, Automatic Meetings Recordings
Hearkeeper is coming to the Mac first. Join the waitlist to hear when it’s ready.