Meeting Transcriber
A Mac menu-bar recorder that notices the call, separates speakers and writes a Markdown protocol; ninety-seven stars, fourteen hundred commits.
Technical Profile & Specs
verified 2026-08-11
- Cost
- $0 / forever (Open Source)
- License
- MIT
- Hosting Model
- Local (on your machine)
- Platforms
- desktopone-click install
- Installation
- Third-party Homebrew cask on macOS; source build is also supported
- Operational Setup
- Requires macOS 14.2+, a third-party Homebrew tap trust step, microphone/accessibility permissions, first-run model downloads, and a Claude CLI login or local/API LLM if you want generated notes
- Where Your Data Lives
- Local dual-track audio and optional JSON metadata in the configured output folder; raw transcripts as TXT and structured protocols as Markdown under ~/Library/Application Support/MeetingTranscriber/protocols by default, with voice embeddings and settings kept locally
- The Catch / Trade-off
- It outputs a strong local protocol, but is Mac-only and file-oriented rather than Granola's live collaborative notepad with a polished cloud history.
Replaces 5 paid apps
up to $61/mo ($732/yr) in subscriptions
Meeting Transcriber FAQ
Common questions
Is Meeting Transcriber free and open source?+
Meeting Transcriber is an open-source tool licensed under MIT that runs on local. A Mac menu-bar recorder that notices the call, separates speakers and writes a Markdown protocol; ninety-seven stars, fourteen hundred commits.
What paid software does Meeting Transcriber replace?+
Meeting Transcriber serves as a free replacement for 5 paid SaaS applications: Granola, Jamie, Sembly AI, Supernormal, Tactiq, saving up to $61/month ($732/year) in subscription bills.
How do you install and set up Meeting Transcriber?+
Installation: Third-party Homebrew cask on macOS; source build is also supported. Setup notes: Requires macOS 14.2+, a third-party Homebrew tap trust step, microphone/accessibility permissions, first-run model downloads, and a Claude CLI login or local/API LLM if you want generated notes
What is the catch or trade-off with Meeting Transcriber?+
It outputs a strong local protocol, but is Mac-only and file-oriented rather than Granola's live collaborative notepad with a polished cloud history.