Transcription
Apple’s SpeechAnalyzer, built into macOS 26. For English you can also download Parakeet, an open speech model that runs on your Mac.
OFFLINE MEETING TRANSCRIPTION
Meeting transcription that stays on your Mac.
FocusBae transcribes your meetings on your Mac, with no upload, no account and no bot in the call. It separates speakers and picks out action items on-device, too. Free and open source.
WHAT RUNS ON YOUR MAC
Every step,
on-device.
Who said what
An on-device speaker model separates the voices in the recording. You name the speakers, and FocusBae remembers which one is you.
Action items
Apple Foundation Models read the transcript on your Mac and suggest action items, each with the exact quote. This needs Apple Intelligence turned on.
Search
Transcripts, notes and action items are indexed on your Mac, so search works offline too.
What you need
- A Mac with Apple Silicon (M1 or later) and macOS 26 or later.
- Apple Intelligence turned on, for suggested action items.
- A one-time model download if you want Parakeet for English.
Questions
Does it need the internet at all?
Only to download the app and, if you choose, the speech models. After that, recording, transcription, action items and search all work offline. Strict Local mode blocks every network request from the app, including update checks.
Where are my recordings and transcripts stored?
In a workspace folder on your Mac. They aren’t uploaded anywhere. FocusBae doesn’t add its own encryption, so turn on FileVault and keep a backup.
Which languages can it transcribe?
English works best. Hindi and mixed Hindi–English work with Apple’s speech engine but are still experimental.
How can I check that nothing leaves my Mac?
The app is open source under the MIT licence, so you can read the recording and transcription code on GitHub. You can also turn on Strict Local mode, which blocks the app’s network requests.
What about teams?
In FocusBae for teams, transcription stays on each Mac by default. A workspace admin can choose cloud transcription if the team needs more languages, and every recording shows where it was processed.
See what you get after the transcript: meeting notes and action items for Mac.