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A Fireflies alternative with no bot and no cloud
Fireflies sends a notetaker bot into your call and processes everything in its cloud. Trace records on your Mac and keeps it all there.
Fireflies works by sending its notetaker bot into your Zoom, Meet or Teams call. Everyone sees it join, the audio routes through Fireflies’ servers, and the transcript lives in their cloud where your team can search it. For teams that want a shared meeting archive, that model makes sense.
Trace works the other way round. Nothing joins your call. It records the audio your Mac is already playing through a system-audio tap, plus your mic on its own track, and transcribes both on-device with Whisper by default. The people you are talking to see no new participant, and the audio never leaves your machine.
There is no account and no subscription either. Trace is a one-time purchase, and every session is a folder of plain files on your disk. After the one-time model download it works with the network off.
How they compare
| Feature | Trace | Fireflies |
|---|---|---|
| Bot in the call | Never adds one. | Its notetaker joins as a participant. |
| Where audio goes | Stays on your Mac. | Processed and stored in its cloud. |
| Transcription | On-device (Whisper by default, faster Parakeet options). | In the cloud. |
| Accounts | None. | Account required; transcripts live in your workspace. |
| Pricing | One-time purchase (from £29). | Subscription with a free tier. |
| Platform | macOS only (14.4+, Apple silicon). | Web-based, works across platforms. |
| Team features | Single-user by design. | Shared transcripts, search, CRM integrations. |
| Output | mic.wav, system.wav, transcript.json, transcript.md and meta.json you own. | Transcripts kept in the Fireflies cloud. |
FAQ
Will people see Trace join the meeting like the Fireflies bot?
No. Trace records the system audio coming out of your Mac, so nothing joins the call and no new participant appears. Follow the consent laws that apply to you before recording.
Does Trace need a Zoom, Meet or Teams integration?
No. Trace takes the call from your Mac’s own audio, so there is nothing to connect and no per-platform setup. If you can hear the meeting, Trace can record it.
Is Trace free like the Fireflies starter plan?
No. Trace is a one-time purchase from £29 rather than a monthly subscription, and buying direct from us includes a 7-day free trial.
Can my team search transcripts like in Fireflies?
Trace has its own search across everything you have recorded, and with AI features on it matches on meaning as well as on words, so a topic in your own words finds the meeting even if nobody used those words. Transcripts are also plain markdown and JSON files on your Mac, so you can sync or index them elsewhere. What Trace does not have is a shared cloud workspace, so if your team needs one, a cloud tool fits better.
Get Trace
Record your meetings without a bot in the room. One-time purchase, no subscription.
Compare
- Otter alternative: Record on your Mac with no bot in the call, transcribed on-device.
- Offline transcription for Mac: Everything stays on your machine, and it works with the network off.
- Granola alternative: The same record-the-meeting simplicity, without the cloud notebook.
- No-bot transcription: Capture system audio with no extra participant in Zoom, Meet or Teams.
- MacWhisper alternative: Both stay on your Mac. Trace is shaped around meetings first.
- Record Zoom meetings: A hotkey instead of recording permissions, transcribed on-device.
- Transcribe Teams meetings: No admin policies, no notification banner, transcribed on your Mac.
- Transcribe Google Meet: Works on any Meet call, any plan, straight from the browser tab.
Related guides
- Where your audio goes: What most cloud notetakers do with your meeting audio, and the on-device alternative.
- Record a meeting on a Mac: Capture your mic and the other people on the call as two tracks, no bot required.
- All guides: the full library of how-tos and explainers.