Earkeep
Nine notetakers, and the alternative to each one
Last updated: · Reviewed quarterly
Most meeting tools ask you to do one of two things: let a bot join the call, or remember to press record. Earkeep asks for neither, and keeps the audio on your own machine while it's at it.
14-day full trial, no account required.
- Always on, no record button
- Audio never leaves your computer
- €39 once, not per user per month
Notetakers that join your call
A bot is invited to the call, records it from inside the platform, and the audio is transcribed on the vendor's servers. It can attend a meeting you can't, and everyone in the room can see it.
No bot, but still the cloud
Nothing joins the call: these listen through your device, the way Earkeep does. The audio still leaves it to be processed, and both are started per meeting.
Local, always-on, or a bit of both
Each of these gets one part of the idea right, on its own device or through its own hardware, and stops short of the rest.
What Earkeep does instead
Earkeep is a small desktop app that records mic and system audio the whole time it is running, transcribes it on your own device with Whisper or Parakeet, and lets you mark the stretch of the day that was the meeting once it is already over. Connect a calendar and it marks them for you.
Nothing is uploaded, because there is nowhere to upload it to. Audio is processed only in memory and never written to disk, and the transcripts land as plain files you can open, grep, back up and hand to any tool you like. There is no account to create and no per-seat bill.
Frequently asked questions
Which of these is the best alternative to a meeting bot?
It depends on what the bot was doing for you. If you want polished AI-written notes and don't mind cloud processing, Granola or Jamie are the closest bot-free tools. If you want a complete record that stays on your device and needs nothing from you during the meeting, that is what Earkeep is built for.
Does Earkeep work for in-person meetings?
Yes, as long as your laptop is open and running Earkeep: it records the microphone as well as system audio, so a conversation at a desk is captured the same way a video call is. That is the main thing the call-joining bots cannot do at all.
Can I try Earkeep before paying?
Yes. Earkeep has a 14-day free trial with full functionality, no email and no account required. After that it is €39 once, for one device, rather than a monthly bill.
Do these comparisons stay up to date?
Each page carries the date it was last reviewed and is checked quarterly. Competitor pricing and features move fast, so if you find something out of date, email [email protected] and it gets fixed.
Compare it on your own week
14-day full trial, no account required.