Free Desktop App for Mac — Whisper + Parakeet
Transcribe Meetings on Mac. Privately.
Record any meeting, get Mac Whisper-powered transcription in real time, identify speakers — all offline. Your audio never leaves your device.
Features
Why teams switch to the desktop app
No Bots in Your Meetings
Record Zoom, Teams, and Google Meet without adding an awkward bot that everyone notices. Just press record — nobody knows.
100% Private
Your audio never touches a server. Transcribe on Mac entirely offline — no uploads, no cloud processing, no data sharing. Ever.
Real-Time Transcription
See words appear the moment they're spoken. Mac Whisper transcription runs live during meetings — no waiting for a file to process after the call.
Knows Who Said What
AI detects up to 10 speakers automatically. Each person gets a color-coded label — no manual setup needed.
AI Meeting Notes
Get summaries, action items, and key decisions in one click. Powered by local AI — nothing leaves your Mac.
Works Without Internet
Download AI models once, transcribe anywhere. On a plane, at a café, in a secure facility — no Wi-Fi needed.
99+
languages supported
10×
faster with Parakeet
100%
on-device processing
2
AI engines included
Better Together
Desktop + Web — choose how you work
Transcribe on Mac locally or in the cloud. Use both for the best Mac Whisper transcription experience.
| Desktop | Web | |
|---|---|---|
| Record meetings without bots (invisible) | ✓ | — |
| Record meetings with bot (joins the call) | — | ✓ |
| Offline transcription — no internet needed | ✓ | — |
| Live captions during the meeting | ✓ | — |
| 100% private — audio never leaves your Mac | ✓ | — |
| AI summaries without external API | ✓ | — |
| Identify who said what (speaker labels) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Upload audio and video files | ✓ | ✓ |
| Export to DOCX, PDF, SRT, VTT | — | ✓ |
| Calendar sync (Google, Outlook) | — | ✓ |
| Send to Notion & Slack | — | ✓ |
| Share transcript via link | — | ✓ |
| Access from any device or browser | — | ✓ |
| Translate transcripts to other languages | — | ✓ |
| Sync desktop recordings to the cloud | ✓ | ✓ |
Best for private recording
Desktop app
Record any meeting invisibly. Whisper + Parakeet AI transcribe on your Mac — no cloud, no bots, no one knows.
Best for team access
Web app
Open transcripts from any device. Share with colleagues, export to Notion, connect your calendar.
Best overall experience
Desktop + Web
Record locally on Mac, sync to the cloud. Private transcription with the power of integrations.
Compatibility
System Requirements
Setup
Up and running in 60 seconds
Download the DMG
Click Download — the file lands in your Downloads folder. No credit card, no subscription required.
Drag to Applications
Open the DMG and drag the TranscribeNext icon into your Applications folder. One drag, done.
Launch & Record
Open TranscribeNext from Applications. AI models download automatically on first launch. Hit Record — you're live.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Is my audio sent to the cloud?+
No. TranscribeNext lets you transcribe on Mac entirely offline. Your audio files, recordings, and transcripts never leave your device — no uploads, no external servers. Safe for confidential, HIPAA-sensitive, and legal meetings.
How does it record Zoom, Teams, and Meet without a bot?+
TranscribeNext captures system audio directly from your Mac — the same sound you hear through speakers or headphones. It never joins the call as a participant. No one sees a bot name, a notification, or a recording indicator.
What AI models power the transcription?+
Two industry-leading models: OpenAI Whisper (99+ languages, best multilingual accuracy) and NVIDIA Parakeet (up to 10x faster for English). Both run on-device using Apple Silicon acceleration. Think of it as a local MacWhisper alternative with multiple engine choices.
Can it identify different speakers?+
Yes. Built-in speaker diarization detects up to 10 speakers automatically and labels each segment in the transcript. Works for both virtual meetings and in-person recordings — no manual setup needed.
Is it really free?+
The free plan gives you 3 transcriptions per day with a 5-minute preview per recording. You get real-time captions and local AI transcription on your Mac. Pro removes all limits — unlimited transcriptions, full-length recordings, speaker identification, cloud sync, and AI meeting summaries.
Does it work offline?+
Fully. Download the AI models once (500 MB – 3 GB depending on your choice), then transcribe anywhere — on a plane, in a secure facility, or without Wi-Fi. No internet needed for recording, transcription, or speaker detection.
What Mac do I need?+
Any Apple Silicon Mac (M1 or later) with macOS 14 Sonoma+. A MacBook Air M1 with 8 GB RAM handles standard transcription well. For the largest Whisper models or very long recordings, 16 GB RAM is recommended.
Are the AI meeting summaries also local?+
Yes. Summaries, action items, and key decisions are generated by a local language model running on your Mac. Your meeting content is never sent to OpenAI, Google, or any external API — the same privacy guarantee as the transcription itself.
Your meetings deserve privacy
Join thousands of professionals who transcribe locally. Free to download, no account required.