Transcripted vs Zoom AI Companion

Why local processing matters

Zoom AI Companion is a solid product for teams that already use Zoom. But its core architecture — cloud processing — creates a trust dependency. Every meeting you record, every conversation you have, goes through Zoom's servers. That includes sensitive discussions: compensation reviews, client strategy, product roadmaps, hiring decisions.

With Transcripted, audio is processed on your Mac using Apple's Neural Engine. The files Transcripted creates live in ~/Documents/Transcripted/. They never touch a server. You can read them, move them, delete them, sync them wherever you want — and no one else can.

That's not a feature. It's an architectural guarantee.

The Zoom license requirement

Zoom AI Companion requires a Zoom Pro or Business license to access AI features. That's an additional cost on top of your Zoom subscription. Transcripted is free forever — no Zoom account required, no license needed, no subscription.

The reason it can be free: it runs on hardware you already own. The M-series Neural Engine handles the transcription pipeline faster than a cloud API and costs nothing per request.

Where Zoom AI is better

To be honest: Zoom AI Companion integrates directly into Zoom's interface. If you're already using Zoom for all your meetings, the integration is seamless. Transcripted requires you to record separately.

Zoom AI also has a polished, consumer-facing UI and a more established product. If you're not technical and want everything in one place without thinking about files, Zoom AI works.

But if you care about privacy, if you're using AI agents that need context about your meetings, if you use Obsidian, or if you don't want to pay for a Zoom license just for transcription — Transcripted is the answer.