150+ language cloud transcription versus a machine that never sends your meeting anywhere.
Language coverage and team workspace versus processing location.
HappyScribe is the better choice when you need breadth and team-scale: AI transcription in 150+ languages, human proofreading with 99% accuracy from £1.50/min, a calendar-driven notetaker that auto-joins Zoom, Google Meet and Teams, a collaborative web workspace, MCP and Zapier access, and SOC 2 Type II with GDPR compliance. Clearminutes is the better choice when the constraint is where processing happens: everything — capture, transcription, summaries — runs on your machine, works fully offline, needs no account, and costs either nothing or a one-off price, with no bot ever joining the call and no uploads at any step. HappyScribe has no on-device pipeline and no offline path on desktop.
| Clearminuteslocal-first | HappyScribecloud-first | |
|---|---|---|
| Capture & privacy | ||
| Meeting bots | No | Yes (calendar auto-join Zoom, Meet, Teams) |
| Menu-bar capture mode | Full window (more features) | No |
| Audio stays on device | Yes | No (cloud processing) |
| On-device transcription | Yes (on-device) | No (cloud AI) |
| Local processing | Yes (on-device models) | No (cloud-only) |
| Privacy network monitor | Yes (live, in-app) | No |
| No account required | Yes (local mode) | No (account required) |
| Privacy | Audio never leaves device | EU-hosted, SOC 2 Type II, GDPR, TLS |
| Transcription | ||
| Live transcript while recording | Yes | Yes (live meeting notes) |
| AI & summaries | ||
| AI summaries | Yes (local or BYO keys) | Yes (cloud; AI Chat limited on Free/Basic) |
| Local LLM for summaries | Yes (Gemma, built-in) | No |
| Bring-your-own cloud AI keys | Yes (Claude, Groq, OpenRouter) | No |
| Chat with meetings | Yes | Yes (AI Chat, 3–10 files/mo on lower tiers) |
| Custom templates | Yes | No (custom summaries marked 'Soon') |
| Transcription | ||
| Speaker identification | Yes (Pro) | Yes (automatic speaker detection) |
| Speaker diarization | Yes | Yes (automatic speaker detection) |
| Workflow | ||
| Action items + decisions | Yes + TickTick sync (Pro) | Yes (AI meeting summaries) |
| Platform & performance | ||
| Cross-platform | macOS + Windows | Web + iOS/Android apps; desktop app 'Soon' |
| Audio & export | ||
| Audio file import | Yes (Pro) | Yes (metered AI minutes for uploads) |
| Export | PDF, Outline | TXT, SRT (Free); +PDF, DOCX (Basic+); 15+ formats (Pro+) |
| Works with | Any audio source | Zoom, Meet, Teams + uploaded files |
| Capture & privacy | ||
| Works offline | Yes (local models) | Mobile recording includes offline; transcription runs in cloud |
| Integrations | ||
| Integrations | TickTick, Outline, PDF | Zapier (5,000+ apps), YouTube, Vimeo, Drive, Box, Dropbox, API |
| CRM integrations | Not yet | No (HubSpot marked 'Soon') |
| Claude Desktop MCP connector | No | Yes (MCP server for AI assistants) |
| Custom vocabulary | No | Yes (Glossaries) |
| Workflow | ||
| Auto call detection | Yes (Pro) | Yes (calendar sync, auto-join) |
| Cross-meeting search | Yes | No (AI Chat analyses a limited number of files per month) |
| Team analytics | Not yet | Yes (usage analytics on Business) |
| Video recording | No | Yes (hardcoded subtitle exports) |
| Pricing | ||
| Free tier | Yes | Yes (45 min/recording, metered AI minutes) |
| Full features free | Generous free tier | No (free tier has watermarked exports and limited history) |
| Pricing model | Free + Pro £12/mo + Lifetime £249 | Free + £8.50–59/mo per seat annual + credits + human services |
| Transcription | ||
| Language support | 6+ languages | 150+ languages; translation 80+ |
Local transcription for unlimited meetings, no bot, no cloud. Pro only if you want speaker ID and cross-device sync.
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