HumlaThe no-bot, local Read.ai alternative
Read.ai's bot joins your calls and everything runs in its cloud. Humla joins nothing and can keep every meeting on your Mac.
Free · Open source · macOS 13+ (Apple Silicon)
Which should you pick?
- Switch to Humla if you want a free, local, open-source alternative that keeps meetings on your Mac.
- Stick with Read.ai if you want meeting analytics and engagement insights, plus a notetaker for calls you don't attend.
Why people leave Read.ai.
Why people look for a Read.ai alternative — the reasons that come up most.
- A bot joins the call. Read.ai shows up as a visible notetaker participant.
- Everything runs in its cloud. Meetings are processed and stored on Read.ai's servers — there's no on-device mode.
- The free tier is capped at 5 meetings a month with a 1-hour limit.
- Paid plans run $20–40/user/month.
What Humla does instead.
Humla is the silent, local alternative that never joins the call.
- No bot in the call. Humla records your Mac directly, so clients never see a recorder join.
- On-device, not cloud. Run transcription and summaries entirely on your Mac — nothing is uploaded.
- Nothing to train on. No backend and no telemetry — Humla only talks to the providers you choose.
- Free and open source. Read.ai runs $20–40/user/month past a 5-meeting free tier; Humla is free forever and MIT-licensed, with optional sync at $5/user/month — or self-host it free.
- Own your data. Notes live in local SQLite on your disk, with kept audio you can re-listen to.
- Speaks your language. Around 99 languages via Whisper — on-device or with your own key — plus a dedicated Norwegian model and per-language routing.
See a meeting become a note.
New note, record, summary — that's the whole workflow. The cleanup afterwards is none, on a five-minute meeting or an hour-long one.
When Read.ai is still the better pick.
Humla isn't for everyone. Stick with Read.ai if:
- You want meeting analytics and engagement insights, plus a notetaker for calls you don't attend.
- You need deep CRM/workflow integrations and native mobile apps — Humla is Mac-only.
- You need enterprise compliance like HIPAA or SAML/SCIM on higher tiers.
FAQ
Is there a Read.ai alternative that doesn't use a bot?+
Yes. Humla records through macOS itself, so nothing joins the call and the other side sees no recorder.
Can I keep my meetings off the cloud?+
Yes — Humla can run fully on-device, so audio and transcripts never leave your Mac. Cloud engines are optional with your own key.
Is Humla free like Read.ai's free tier?+
Humla is free forever with no meeting cap, unlike Read.ai's 5-meetings-a-month free tier. Optional team sync is $5/user/month, or self-host it free.