Earkeep
The MeetGeek alternative that never waits to be started
Last updated: · Reviewed quarterly
MeetGeek is a cloud meeting platform for teams. Earkeep is one person, one device, always listening, transcribed locally, kept as plain files in a folder you picked.
14-day full trial, no account required.
- Always on, not per meeting
- Transcribed on your device, never uploaded
- €39 once, not $9.99 per seat per month
The short answer
MeetGeek is the more complete product: a bot that joins without you, speaker labels, mobile apps, a team archive, the best consent machinery in this market. But it is never always on, and its cloud record expires on your plan's schedule. Earkeep records the whole day on your device, into files nothing expires.
Why people look for a MeetGeek alternative
Five ways to record, none of them always on
A calendar bot, a desktop app, a Chrome recorder, phone apps, file upload: none runs by itself, so the unbooked conversation is in none of them. Earkeep is already running.
MeetGeek is ahead on disclosure: its bot posts a notice in the chat. Earkeep announces itself to nobody, and consent is yours to get.
Recorded on your device, processed on theirs
MeetGeek's desktop app records locally, then uploads; transcription is cloud at every tier, with EU or US residency, SOC 2 Type II and HIPAA, stronger paperwork than ours. Earkeep uploads nothing. Accuracy is MeetGeek's most documented complaint, but it labels speakers and Earkeep does not.
A record that outlives the subscription
MeetGeek's well-liked summaries expire: on free, audio after a month and transcripts after three; on Pro, six months and a year. Transcripts are permanent only from Business at $17. Earkeep writes one greppable .jsonl file per day, read by ten ACP agents and an MCP server. MeetGeek has MCP too, six tools to our two, over its cloud.
Side by side
| Capability | Earkeep | MeetGeek |
|---|---|---|
| Always-on capture | From launch, no start button | Every path is per meeting |
| Bot-free capture | No bot exists | Desktop, Chrome and phone apps, each waiting on you |
| Records a meeting you can't attend | Only what your device hears | The bot joins from your calendar |
| Audio processed on your device | In memory, never on disk | Cloud at every tier, desktop included |
| Decide what was a meeting afterwards | Spans drawn on the day | You start a recording first |
| AI summary when it ends | No, but an agent you connect writes them from the transcript | Unlimited, 30+ templates |
| Files notes into Notion, Slack or a CRM | No, but your agent files them where your team reads | 33 integrations, plus Zapier and Make |
| Labels who said what | No diarisation | On every tier, including free |
| Keeps a recording you can replay | Audio is never kept | Audio always, HD video on Business |
| Transcribes your language | 99 with Whisper, auto-detected | 100+, auto-detected |
| A record that never expires | Plain files in your own folder | 3 months free, a year on Pro, unlimited at $17 |
| Team-wide searchable archive | One person, one device | Shared spaces and auto-share, but only from Business |
| Asks participants for consent | Announces itself to nobody | Tracked approval, before recording |
| Free tier that doesn't expire | 14 days free, then €39 once | 3 hours a month, free forever |
| Mobile apps | Desktop only | iOS and Android |
| Your own agents can read it | Ten ACP agents plus MCP, on local files | Six MCP tools, but over its own cloud |
| Pricing | €39 one time, one device | Free; Pro $9.99/user/mo annually ($15.99 monthly); Business $17; Enterprise on request |
| Platform | macOS 13+, Windows 10+ | Web, macOS and Windows, iOS, Android, Chrome |
Built inNo, but an agent you connect canPartlyNot available
What each one costs by year five
Switching takes an afternoon
- Install it, then let a day run. Earkeep listens from launch. There is no import tool: your MeetGeek data stays in MeetGeek.
- Point it at the same calendar. Drag a span where a meeting was, or let each calendar event title its span. Mark anything off the record as never-record.
- Get your old transcripts out first. Below Business they expire, and downloads start at Pro, so export while the subscription is live. Then Earkeep is €39 once.
Which one fits you
Choose Earkeep if
You want the whole day kept, as your own file.
- Much of your week was never a calendar event
- The audio must not leave the device
- You want a record nothing expires: plain
.jsonl - You are one person, not a seat on a team plan
- Your own agents should read your meetings off your disk
Choose MeetGeek if
It does several things Earkeep has no answer to.
- Other people must be told: their bot announces itself and, on Business, waits for invitees to accept
- Your team needs one archive: shared spaces, comments, org-wide search
- A meeting must be recorded when you cannot be there
- You need who said what, or a phone app
- You want output routed for you: 33 integrations, CRM writes, analytics
MeetGeek sells seats to a team; Earkeep sells one licence to one person (see product managers and UX researchers).
Other tools people weigh this against
Otter.ai, Fireflies.ai, Fathom, tl;dv, Read AI and Granola, or all sixteen side by side.
Frequently asked questions
Is Earkeep a good MeetGeek alternative?
For one person's own record of everything, yes. For a bot, speaker labels, summaries, audio or a team archive, no.
Does MeetGeek record without a bot?
Yes: a desktop app, a Chrome recorder, phone apps and file upload. Each is per meeting and waits on a human, and the audio is still processed in MeetGeek's cloud.
How long does MeetGeek keep my transcripts?
Free keeps audio one month and transcripts three; Pro, six months and a year; on Business at $17, transcripts are unlimited and video expires at twelve months.
Does Earkeep tell people it is recording, the way MeetGeek does?
No, and MeetGeek is ahead here. Earkeep gives you a pause that releases the microphone, a never-record toggle and a purge; telling people is yours to do (see here).
Is MeetGeek's free tier enough to skip Earkeep entirely?
For some people, yes: 3 hours a month with summaries, speaker labels and API and MCP access, but no integrations or exports. Earkeep caps no hours and expires nothing, but its free run is 14 days.
Keep the whole day, on your own device
14-day full trial, no account required.