Openwhispr
Cross-platform voice dictation and meeting transcription with local or BYOK models; cloud processing may use your provider quota.
Setup: desktop + local model or provider
Free alternatives to Fathom
Compare meeting recorders, transcription tools, and local note-taking workflows. Check whether an option handles live meetings or existing audio, and whether it needs local compute or a model provider.
Available alternatives
Buzz
Desktop audio/video transcription app using Whisper; local models avoid API fees but need compute and model downloads.
Setup: desktop + local model
Meet2Notes
Local-first meeting recorder with transcription, speaker diarization, and structured AI notes. Active alpha: requires local compute or a configured model; obtain consent before recording.
Setup: self-host
Anarlog
Open-source, local-first meeting notepad that captures device audio without a bot and can transcribe locally or through a chosen provider. Summaries may require a configured model.
Setup: self-host
Muesli
Self-hosted meeting notes with transcription and LLM summarization through plugins such as Whisper and Ollama. Runs on infrastructure you control and needs local resources or configured providers.
Setup: self-host
Heed
Local meeting recorder with live and post-call transcription, diarization, speaker memory, and AI notes. Open-source, but local hardware/model requirements differ from hosted note-taking services.
Setup: self-host