Earkeep
The Notta alternative that never waits to be started
Last updated: · Reviewed quarterly
Notta is a speech-to-text and translation utility with six ways to capture audio, every one something you start. Earkeep listens all day, transcribes on your device, and you mark the meeting once it is over.
14-day full trial, no account required.
- Nothing to press, nothing to upload
- On device by architecture, not by mode
- €39 once, not $97.99 a year
The short answer
For 58 transcription languages, translation, live bilingual calls, existing recordings, or a phone, Notta is the better tool by far. If what costs you is the conversation you did not think to record, Earkeep is capture that never stops, transcribed only on your machine, €39 once.
Why people look for a Notta alternative
Six ways to capture, all of them a decision
Notta's unit is a recording you started: a meeting bot, the desktop, browser or phone app, an upload, or the $149 Notta Memo. None is a continuous day, so the conversation nobody expected to matter is gone.
Local by architecture, not by setting
Earkeep transcribes with Whisper or Parakeet on your hardware; audio is never written to disk, because there is no other mode.
Notta is hosted on AWS. Its Privacy Mode (Desktop 1.1.0 and later) keeps data local, but only for five languages plus auto-detection, on one of six capture paths.
A record you own, in files your agents can read
Notta's output lives in an account. Earkeep writes one plain .jsonl file per day into your folder, read by ten in-app agents and a read-only MCP server. Notta has no first-party MCP server or documented API ("Notta MCP" is Zapier's wrapper).
Side by side
| Capability | Earkeep | Notta |
|---|---|---|
| Always-on capture | No start/stop | Every capture is an act |
| Retroactive spans on a timeline | Define the meeting afterward | No timeline; a recording is the unit |
| Transcribed on your device | The only way it works | Privacy Mode: desktop, five languages, one of six paths |
| Audio never written to disk | Transcribed in memory, discarded | Stored recordings are the product |
| Keeps a recording you can replay | No audio is ever kept | Playable audio beside the transcript |
| Transcription languages | 99+ with Whisper, 25 with Parakeet | 58 languages |
| Translation | Not a feature at all | 42 targets, 23 bilingual live pairs |
| Transcribing files you already have | Only what your device hears, live | Audio, video and YouTube URLs |
| Labels who said what | Not yet | Automatic speaker labels |
| AI summary when it ends | No, but an agent you connect writes them from the transcript | Summaries and action items, metered |
| Plain files on your own disk | One .jsonl a day, grep works | Hosted workspace with export buttons |
| Your own agents can read it | Ten ACP agents plus a read-only MCP server | No first-party MCP or documented API |
| Mobile app | Desktop only | iOS and Android |
| Windows | Windows 10+ desktop app | Windows x64 desktop app |
| Free tier that doesn't expire | 14 days free, then €39 once | Free plan, 120 minutes a month |
| One-time purchase | €39, one device | Subscription, account required |
| Pricing | €39 one time, one device | Free tier, then $97.99/year Pro |
| Platform | macOS 13+, Windows 10+ | Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Chrome, $149 recorder |
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 Notta data stays in Notta.
- Mark yesterday, or connect a calendar. Drag a span where a meeting was, or let Google, Apple, Outlook or any ICS calendar title the spans.
- Keep Notta if you still need it. Translation, bilingual calls and uploads stay Notta's. If you paid mainly for capture: Notta Pro is $97.99 a year, and its web trial runs three days, then bills the annual price. Earkeep's 14-day trial takes no card, then €39 once.
Which one fits you
Choose Earkeep if
You want the day kept without starting it, and the record to be yours.
- The meetings you most miss are the ones you did not plan to record
- The audio must never leave your machine, or be stored at all
- You want to decide afterwards what counted as a meeting
- A minute meter is the wrong shape for a working week
- Your own agents should read your meetings off your disk
Choose Notta if
Notta is bigger than Earkeep on these axes.
- You need 58 transcription languages (reviewers rate its Japanese highest)
- You need translation: 42 targets after the fact, 36 source and 61 target languages in real time, 23 bilingual live pairs
- You have existing recordings or YouTube URLs to transcribe
- You need iOS, Android or a browser; Earkeep is desktop only
- You want replayable audio, speaker labels, or the $149 Notta Memo
If your week is full of unscheduled 1:1s and huddles, see Earkeep for product managers.
Other tools people weigh this against
MacWhisper for local file transcription, Otter.ai for the same breadth in English, Krisp for bot-free desktop capture, Granola for notes, Plaud for a pocket recorder, or all sixteen side by side.
Frequently asked questions
Is Earkeep a good Notta alternative?
If you want a working day already recorded, yes. It does not replace Notta's translation, file upload, speaker labels, or phone apps.
Is Notta's Privacy Mode the same as Earkeep transcribing on my device?
Not quite. Privacy Mode is a desktop mode you switch on, for five languages plus auto-detection. For Earkeep, on-device is the only way it works.
Can Notta's free plan record a real meeting?
No. It allows 120 minutes a month with a three-minute ceiling per conversation. Earkeep's 14-day trial is the whole product, unmetered.
Does Earkeep transcribe recordings I already have, or translate them?
Neither. It transcribes only what your device hears while it runs, and does not translate. For existing files, or a Japanese meeting rendered into English, Notta is the right answer.
Does Notta have an MCP server my agents can read?
Not a first-party one; the "Notta MCP" in search results is Zapier's wrapper. Earkeep's read-only MCP server lets Claude Desktop or Cursor search and read your own meetings.
Try Earkeep
14-day full trial, no account required.