The call starts
A card asks whether to record. Record, Not this one, or Snooze. You tell the people on the call.
Guide
Meeting notes without a bot in the call
You do not need a bot in the call to get the notes. An app on your own computer can record what your microphone hears and what your computer plays, transcribe it and write the notes, and nothing is added to the participant list. Recordist is one of these apps, and we make it. This guide says how it works, what the other people on the call see, and the one thing that stays yours to do: telling them.
Why there is a bot in the call at all
A notetaker that joins as a participant has to be in the call to record it. It arrives from a calendar invitation, takes a seat in the participant list under its own name, and is usually run from its maker's servers, which is where the recording goes to be transcribed. That is why it can turn up in meetings you do not host, and why a client sometimes asks who the extra participant is.
The other way is to record where you already are. Your computer plays the whole call through its speakers or your headset, and your microphone carries your side. An app on that computer can record both, and the call itself is untouched.
How the notes get written without one
Recordist records two things on your computer: your microphone, and the sound your computer plays, which is everyone else on the call. When Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, Webex, Slack, FaceTime or a call in your browser starts using the microphone, a small card asks "Record this meeting?" By default it asks before it records, and nothing is written to disk until you click Record.
The call is untouched. No participant is added, nothing is asked of the host, and nothing is sent to the meeting platform. It works the same on a call a client hosts as on one you host, and on a platform your company does not pay for.
When the call ends, the transcript is already there, written on your computer with Whisper. The notes follow a few minutes later: a summary, the decisions, the open questions and the action items, each linked to the line of the transcript it came from, and an item no line supports is removed before the notes are saved. On Pro, the follow-up email is drafted with the notes and checked against the transcript before it is saved. Read it, change a word, send it from your own mail.
The call ends
The transcript is ready. A few minutes later the notes are written, each decision tied to the line it came from.
The follow-up
On Pro, the email you owe is drafted with the notes, from you to the others on the call, for you to read, change and send.
What the others see, and what you say
Nothing appears in the participant list, so telling the people on the call is yours to do, as it would be with any recorder. The record card gives you the words: Copy notice copies a short notice for the others, and a second click while the call records marks the notice as given, with the time and the words, kept under the transcript.
Some calls should not be recorded. That is what the Not this one button is for. If someone says no, you stop, and you take notes by hand.
Recording law differs by place. How to ask to record a call gives you the words for your kind of call and the rule where you and they are, and Recording law by place has the general information. Your lawyer has the answer for your own situation.
Where the call goes
Nowhere. The audio is written to a folder on your computer and is never uploaded. With the built-in engine, the transcript and the notes are written there too, and there is no account and no Recordist server that could hold a meeting.
If you choose a cloud AI provider for notes, the transcript of that meeting goes from your computer to that provider under your own account. That is your choice, off by default, and the Privacy Ledger in the app lists each request, with where it went and how much. The Trust Center has the full list of what leaves the computer and what never does.
If you also want to keep notetaker bots out of the meetings you host, Zoom, Teams and Meet each have settings for it, and Keep notetaker bots out lists them with the menu paths.
Free and Pro
Free for Mac, Windows and Linux. No account and no email needed. Windows and Linux are a preview. The Mac app is signed with our Developer ID and notarised by Apple.
Recording, transcription and search are free, with no time limit, and Free writes notes for 3 calls a month. Every install includes 7 days of Pro, with no card, starting with your first recorded call of 10 minutes or more. Pro writes up every call and drafts the follow-up email with the notes. Pro is US$9 a month or US$90 a year for anyone who subscribes by 30 November 2026, and that price stays for as long as the subscription stays active; from 1 December 2026 new subscribers pay US$15 a month or US$144 a year.Pro is CA$9 a month or CA$90 a year for anyone who subscribes by 30 November 2026, and that price stays for as long as the subscription stays active; from 1 December 2026 new subscribers pay CA$15 a month or CA$144 a year.Pro is €9 a month or €90 a year for anyone who subscribes by 30 November 2026, and that price stays for as long as the subscription stays active; from 1 December 2026 new subscribers pay €14 a month or €139 a year.Pro is £8 a month or £79 a year for anyone who subscribes by 30 November 2026, and that price stays for as long as the subscription stays active; from 1 December 2026 new subscribers pay £12 a month or £119 a year.
Questions
Does Recordist join my calls as a bot?
No. Nothing joins the call. Recordist is an app on your own computer that records your microphone and the sound your computer plays, so there is no Recordist in the participant list and nothing is sent to the meeting platform. Your client hears about the recording from you, in your own words.
Do the other people on the call see anything?
No, so you tell them, as you would with any recorder. Recordist does not tell them or ask them. The record card reminds you that getting consent is yours to do, and Copy notice gives you the words. How to ask to record a call has the words for your kind of call and the rule where you and they are.
Does it work on a call I do not host?
Yes. Recordist records what your computer plays, so the host, the platform and the plan they pay for make no difference. The same card asks you, and you tell the others.
Which meeting apps does it notice?
Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, Webex, Slack, FaceTime and Discord are recognised by name, and any other app that opens the microphone brings up the card too. A Chrome extension names calls in the browser. Which meeting apps are detected has the list.
Is recording a call without a bot legal?
The rule depends on where you and the other people are: some places need everyone on the call to agree, some need only one person. The safe habit is to ask at the start, on the recording. Recording law by place has general information, and your lawyer has the answer for your situation.
Where do the audio and the transcript go?
They stay on your computer. The audio is never uploaded. With the built-in engine, the transcript and the notes are written there too. If you choose a cloud AI provider for notes, the transcript of that meeting goes from your computer to that provider under your own account; that is your choice, off by default, and the Privacy Ledger in the app lists each request.
Related: A notetaker that keeps the audio, Private meeting notes for consultants, and the AI notes built into Zoom, Teams and Meet, compared.
Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, Webex, Slack, FaceTime and Discord are trademarks of their owners, named here only to identify their products. Recordist is not affiliated with any of them. This page is general information and not legal advice. If something here is out of date, write to support@recordist.app and we will correct it.