Best Teams Meeting Transcription Apps for Mac (2025)

Microsoft Teams dominates business communication. Over 320 million people use it monthly. Yet many struggle to capture meeting content effectively. Manual note-taking means missed details. Built-in transcription requires expensive licenses. Third-party tools add complexity.

This guide compares the best Teams meeting transcription apps for Mac users in 2025. You'll learn which tools offer the best accuracy, privacy, and value for your specific needs.

Why Transcribe Teams Meetings?

Business meetings generate decisions, action items, and commitments. Without accurate records, important details slip through cracks. Transcription solves this.

Key Benefits

• Complete documentation: Capture every word, not just what you remember
• Searchable records: Find specific topics across months of meetings
• Accessibility: Support hearing-impaired colleagues and non-native speakers
• Accountability: Clear record of who committed to what
• Training: Review sales calls, interviews, and client conversations

Modern AI transcription achieves 95%+ accuracy for clear audio. Tools like LocalMeetNotes use OpenAI's Whisper large-v3 model, the same technology behind premium cloud services.

10 Best Teams Transcription Apps for Mac

1. LocalMeetNotes (Best Free Option)

LocalMeetNotes is a native Mac app built specifically for Teams meeting transcription. It automatically detects when you join a Teams call and starts recording both system audio and your microphone. Everything processes locally using Whisper large-v3 for transcription and Llama 3.2 for AI summaries.

The killer feature? It's completely free with no limits. No subscription, no usage caps, no cloud uploads. Your meeting audio never leaves your Mac.

Pricing: Free (open source)
Platforms: macOS only (as of Dec 2025)
Best for: Mac users who want unlimited free transcription with maximum privacy

2. Microsoft Copilot

Microsoft's own AI assistant integrates directly into Teams. It provides real-time transcription, meeting summaries, action items, and the ability to ask questions about meeting content mid-call. Copilot pulls context from transcripts, chat, and shared documents.

The catch? It costs $30/user/month on top of your existing Microsoft 365 subscription. For a 10-person team, that's $3,600/year just for AI meeting features.

Pricing: $30/user/month (annual commitment, as of Dec 2025)
Platforms: Windows, Mac, Web, Mobile
Best for: Enterprise teams already invested in Microsoft 365

3. Otter.ai

Otter is one of the most popular transcription services. It joins Teams meetings as a bot, records audio, and generates real-time transcripts with speaker identification. The free tier includes 300 minutes monthly.

The downside: Otter joins as a visible participant. Some clients find this intrusive. Audio uploads to Otter's cloud servers.

Pricing: Free (300 min/month); Pro $16.99/month; Business $30/month (as of Dec 2025)
Platforms: Windows, Mac, Web, iOS, Android
Best for: Teams needing real-time collaboration on transcripts

4. Fireflies.ai

Fireflies positions itself as a meeting intelligence platform. Beyond transcription, it identifies action items, questions, decisions, and key moments. Strong integrations with Salesforce, HubSpot, Asana, and 40+ other tools.

Like Otter, Fireflies joins meetings as a bot. It supports 100+ languages and offers unlimited transcription on the free tier (with limited AI features).

Pricing: Free (limited AI); Pro $10/month annually; Business $19/month annually (as of Dec 2025)
Platforms: Windows, Mac, Web
Best for: Sales and customer success teams needing CRM integrations

5. Fellow

Fellow focuses on meeting management beyond just transcription. It combines agendas, notes, action items, and AI recaps in one platform. The New York Times Wirecutter named it the best meeting transcription service in 2025.

Fellow offers botless recording for privacy-conscious teams and supports SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA, and GDPR compliance.

Pricing: Free (5 recordings); Solo $19/month; Enterprise $25/month (as of Dec 2025)
Platforms: Windows, Mac, Web
Best for: Teams wanting comprehensive meeting management with compliance features

6. Fathom

Fathom stands out as completely free for basic transcription and summaries. No monthly limits on recordings. It generates instant meeting recaps with timestamps and highlight clips.

The Teams integration requires manual bot invitation for each meeting. Zoom and Google Meet work more seamlessly.

Pricing: Free (unlimited basic); Premium $19/month; Team $29/month (as of Dec 2025)
Platforms: Windows, Mac, Web
Best for: Users wanting free unlimited transcription with simple summaries

7. Tactiq

Tactiq works as a Chrome extension, transcribing Teams meetings directly in your browser. No bot joins the meeting. It generates AI summaries, action items, and supports 60+ languages.

The limitation: it only works with Teams in the browser. Desktop app users need a different solution.

Pricing: Free (10 meetings/month); Pro $12/month; Team $20/month (as of Dec 2025)
Platforms: Chrome extension (browser-based Teams only)
Best for: Users who access Teams through Chrome

8. Notta

Notta excels at multilingual transcription, supporting 58 languages with real-time translation. It achieves 98.86% accuracy according to internal testing. Works with Teams, Zoom, Google Meet, and Webex.

The free tier includes 120 minutes monthly. Paid plans unlock unlimited transcription.

Pricing: Free (120 min/month); Pro $8.17/month annually; Business $16.67/month annually (as of Dec 2025)
Platforms: Windows, Mac, Web, iOS, Android
Best for: International teams needing multilingual transcription

9. Jamie

Jamie differentiates itself with no-bot transcription. It works locally on your device without joining meetings as a participant. Strong GDPR compliance with data stored in Frankfurt, Germany.

The AI assistant uses GPT and Claude to answer questions about past meetings and draft follow-up emails.

Pricing: Free (10 meetings/month); Standard €24/month; Pro €47/month (as of Dec 2025)
Platforms: Windows, Mac
Best for: European teams prioritizing GDPR compliance

10. Sembly AI

Sembly focuses on project teams, automatically identifying tasks, owners, risks, and decisions from meeting discussions. It integrates with calendars, CRMs, and project management tools.

Strong compliance credentials including SOC 2 Type II and HIPAA audit completion.

Pricing: Free (60-min limit); Professional $10/month; Team $20/month (as of Dec 2025)
Platforms: Web, iOS, Android
Best for: Project teams needing automatic task extraction

Pricing Comparison Table

Here's how these tools compare on cost (prices verified as of December 2025):

Local vs Cloud: Key Differences

The biggest decision isn't which cloud tool to pick. It's whether to use cloud at all. Local AI processing offers advantages that matter for business meetings.

Why Local Processing Wins for Privacy

• Data stays on your device: No audio uploads to external servers
• No AI training on your data: Cloud services may use recordings to improve models
• GDPR/HIPAA compliance simplified: Fewer data transfer concerns
• Complete control: You decide what happens to your recordings

When Cloud Makes Sense

• Team collaboration: Shared access to transcripts across organizations
• CRM integration: Automatic sync with Salesforce, HubSpot
• Cross-platform needs: Windows, Mac, mobile access
• Weak hardware: Older machines may struggle with local AI

For confidential meetings with sensitive business information, local tools like LocalMeetNotes provide stronger privacy guarantees.

How to Choose the Right Tool

Decision Framework

If you prioritize privacy: Start with LocalMeetNotes. Your audio never leaves your Mac. It's free with no limits.

If you need team collaboration: Consider Otter.ai or Fireflies. They're designed for shared access and integrations.

If you're already paying for Microsoft 365: Evaluate whether Copilot's $30/month is worth it versus free alternatives.

If you need multilingual support: Notta and Fireflies handle 58-100+ languages well.

If you hate meeting bots: LocalMeetNotes, Jamie, and Tactiq work without visible participants joining.

Getting Started Checklist

1. Identify your primary need: privacy, collaboration, or integrations
2. Check your hardware (Apple Silicon Macs run local AI well)
3. Test with a real meeting before committing
4. Review audio quality requirements (all tools need clear input)
5. Consider compliance needs for your industry

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Microsoft Teams have built-in transcription?

Yes, Teams includes transcription for paid Microsoft 365 plans. Basic transcription comes with Business Basic ($4/user/month as of Dec 2025). Advanced AI features like Copilot summaries and mid-meeting questions cost $30/user/month extra.

What is the best free Teams transcription app for Mac?

LocalMeetNotes is completely free with no limits. It automatically detects Teams meetings and transcribes them locally on your Mac. No cloud uploads, no monthly caps, no subscription fees.

Do transcription bots disrupt Teams meetings?

Cloud tools like Fireflies and Otter join meetings as visible bot participants. This can disrupt conversation flow and raise privacy concerns with external clients. Local tools like LocalMeetNotes work invisibly without joining as a participant.

Is it legal to transcribe Microsoft Teams meetings?

Recording laws vary by location. 13 U.S. states require all-party consent for recording (verified Dec 2025). Always inform participants when recording or transcribing. In most professional contexts, documentation is expected and accepted.

How accurate is AI transcription for Teams meetings?

Modern tools using OpenAI's Whisper model achieve 95-99% accuracy for clear audio. Accuracy drops with background noise, accents, or multiple overlapping speakers. LocalMeetNotes uses Whisper large-v3, the same model behind premium cloud services.