The one to pick if you transcribe often. Nearly the full model, much less waiting.
Runs in:
Fits on:
· needs ~1.6 GB · Free to download · License: MIT
Meeting notes and minutes
Record, transcribe and summarize meetings.
The tools below run on your computer. Most of them are free, and the local work stays on your machine.
Works offline · Free options
Your computer
Describe your computer
Pick the closest line. Office PC and Mini PC are estimates. Linux and a home server stay in the list. We guess the specs, then hide models that would not fit. The guess stays cautious.
4 results
Most tools here are free.
Audio & Music whisper.cpp
The small engine behind many transcription apps, including on Windows and Linux.
Installer only · Some setup · Free
Work & Office A step behind Gemma 3 12B, and a clear step ahead of a 3B toy model.
Writes the minutes from the transcript
Runs in:Fits on:· needs ~5.2 GB · Free to download · License: Apache 2.0
HONEST COMPARISON
Local or cloud: 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
Cloud & apps
Meeting bots join the call, name the speakers and file the notes for the team.
- FFirefliesAppFreemium
Records, summarizes and drops notes into the tools a team already uses.
Best for: TeamsCRM notes
Meetings are stored by Fireflies
- 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
- OOtter.aiAppFreemium
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
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
How to do it in 3 steps
- Open the model page and pick any app under Runs in, for example MacWhisper or whisper.cpp. Each app page links to that maker's own guide.
- Open the Whisper large-v3 turbo page and check the traffic light for a few kinds of computer.
- Follow that official guide. This site does not add its own install steps.
Questions
- Does this upload my files?
- The local tools on this page don't upload your files. The cloud options in the comparison do.
- 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. These are normal links to the maker's site.
Microsoft 365
Documents, spreadsheets, and mail for everyday office work.
Microsoft 365LibreOffice
A free office suite for documents, sheets, and slides.
LibreOfficeStandard Notes
A private notes app with plain text and a paid extended version.
Standard Notes