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Meeting notes and minutes

Record, transcribe and summarize meetings.

Record, transcribe and summarize meetings. The tools below run on your computer. Most of them are free, and the work stays on your machine.

TranscriptWriting

Works offline · Free options

Easiest way to start

whisper.cpp + Whisper large-v3 turbo

The small engine behind many transcription apps, including on Windows and Linux.

Will it run on my computer?

Check my computer
Local or cloud?4 shown

Most tools here are free.

HONEST COMPARISON

Local AI or cloud for meeting notes and minutes?

Reviewed Oct 2026

  • Privacy: Local winsA saved recording stays local
  • Cost: Local winsNo per-seat meeting plan
  • Quality: Cloud winsLive notes and speaker names are more complete
  • Ease: Cloud winsThe bot joins so you do not press record

Local AI

Whisper can transcribe a meeting you recorded. It will not join the call.

  • The recording stays on your computer
  • Free for long meetings
  • You can summarize after, offline

Where it falls short

  • No live bot and no automatic speaker names
  • Someone has to press record
See local tools for this task ↓

Cloud & apps

Meeting bots join the call, name the speakers and file the notes for the team.

  • OOtter.aiAppFreemiumPopular choice

    Joins Zoom, Meet or Teams and shares notes with the people on the call.

    Best for: Live meetingsTeams

    The meeting audio is stored in the cloud

    Visit Otter.ai (opens in new tab)Affiliate

    Affiliate link: we may earn a commission.

  • FFirefliesAppFreemium

    Records, summarizes and drops notes into the tools a team already uses.

    Best for: TeamsCRM notes

    Meetings are stored by Fireflies

    Visit Fireflies (opens in new tab)
  • GGranolaDesktop appFreemium

    Notes on your computer while you are in the meeting, without a bot in the call.

    Best for: No meeting bot

    Check their current storage; the app runs on your machine

    Visit Granola (opens in new tab)

Our take

Transcribe a recording you already have locally. Use a meeting bot when the team expects live notes.

Choose local if…

  • You have the recording
  • The meeting is confidential

Choose cloud if…

  • The team wants shared notes
  • You need speaker names

Some links are affiliate links: we may earn a commission at no cost to you. It never changes our verdicts. How we make money

How to do it in 3 steps

  1. Install whisper.cpp from its official guide: whisper.cpp on GitHub.
  2. Open the Whisper large-v3 turbo page and check the traffic light for a few kinds of computer.
  3. Follow that official guide. This site does not add its own install steps.

Questions

Does this upload my files?
No. The tools on this page are meant to run on your computer.
What does it cost?
Most options are free. A few apps are a one-time purchase, and a few models need a computer with more memory.
What if it will not fit?
Use Check my computer, or turn on the lighter memory filters. A red light on the model page means the file is too big.

Not into local AI? Try these instead

Ordinary apps for work & office. The links use a placeholder referral code and may pay us.

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