A Notta Alternative for iPhone and Mac That Keeps Audio on Your Device

Quick answer: If you want a Notta alternative where transcription runs on your own iPhone and Mac and you don't need an account, Lyonesse is one. If you need a web app, a team workspace, or integrations like Zoom and Slack, stay on Notta. Everything said about Notta below comes from notta.ai pages we read on 10 October 2026.

The short version

• Stay on Notta if you work in a browser or on Windows or Android, share with a team, or need 58 languages.
• Look at Lyonesse if you want recording, transcripts, summaries and questions handled on your device, with a one-time purchase option.
• Notta also has a local option. Its homepage lists bot-free recording on Mac and Windows and says "Transcribe locally, nothing leaves your device". Lyonesse has no cloud mode of its own.

What Notta does well

Notta's homepage describes an AI meeting notetaker with a web app, iOS and Android apps, Mac and Windows desktop apps and a Chrome extension. It supports 58 languages, can join calls with a bot or record without one, and offers live transcription and live translation. Integrations listed include Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Slack, Notion, Salesforce, HubSpot and Zapier (notta.ai, checked 10 October 2026).

Lyonesse has none of the integrations, no web app and no Windows or Android version. If your week runs on those, nothing here will change that.

Where the audio goes

Notta's security page says it hosts its software on Amazon Web Services and encrypts data with TLS 1.2 in transit and AES-256 at rest. It lists SOC 2 Type II certification (notta.ai/en/security, checked 10 October 2026). Its privacy policy says it uses "your video and audio recordings, usage information, and platform information in order to provide you with the Services", and that it may share information with service providers including cloud storage. The policy as we read it does not say where recordings are stored, how long they are kept, or whether recordings are used to train AI models (notta.ai privacy policy, checked 10 October 2026). It says nothing either way, so we're not claiming anything about it.

That is the normal shape of a cloud service, and Notta's security page covers the usual controls. The gap Lyonesse fills is narrower: if you'd rather the transcription step never leave your own hardware, you don't have to check a setting or read a policy to know where it happens.

Notta cells: notta.ai and notta.ai/en/pricing, checked 10 October 2026. Lyonesse prices checked 7 October 2026. One exception on our side: for a few languages Apple's own speech service is the only option, and it can send audio to Apple's servers if you opt in. Summaries, questions and speaker labels run on your device in all cases, and Lyonesse has no servers of its own that store your recordings. The privacy policy has the detail.

What Lyonesse does

You press record, and the words appear as people speak. Afterwards you can ask a question about what was said, read a summary in seconds, and search for any moment later. The same library is on iPhone and Mac. For a meeting in a room, our guide to recording an in-person meeting on iPhone covers it, and for a call on a Mac see transcribing an online meeting on a Mac.

What you give up

• A web app. Lyonesse only runs on Apple devices.
• Team workspaces and sharing. Lyonesse is a personal workspace.
• Integrations with Zoom, Slack, Notion, Salesforce and the rest.
• A bot that joins the call for you.
• Windows and Android apps.
• Notta's 58 languages.
• A very new OS. Lyonesse needs iOS 26 or macOS 26.

Moving over

Keep your Notta account until you've tried Lyonesse on one real meeting. Notta's pricing page lists transcript export on the Pro plan, so download what you need first. Lyonesse can transcribe audio files you already have, but there is no one-click import. For the wider field, see private transcription apps, and if you're also weighing other cloud tools, our Otter.ai, Fireflies and Rev comparisons work the same way.

Frequently asked questions

Does Lyonesse work offline?

Recording works offline. Transcription runs on your device for the languages Apple and Lyonesse process locally, such as English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Chinese. The first time you use a language, the app may need to download a model. A few other languages need Apple's speech service, which can send audio to Apple's servers if you opt in, so check the privacy page before relying on offline for those.

Which languages does Lyonesse support compared with Notta?

Notta's homepage says it supports 58 languages (notta.ai, checked 10 October 2026). Lyonesse supports fewer, and the on-device ones are the nine listed above. If you transcribe in a less common language, Notta may cover it where Lyonesse does not.

Can I record a call with Lyonesse?

Yes, without a bot. On a Mac it captures the audio your computer plays, and on iPhone it records the room through the microphone. Tell people they are being recorded where the law or good manners ask for it.

Can I move my Notta transcripts into Lyonesse?

Not with an importer. Lyonesse can transcribe audio files and import documents, but we haven't built or tested a Notta importer. Notta's pricing page lists transcript export on its Pro plan, so check that your plan allows it before you cancel, and keep the originals.

What does Lyonesse cost?

$7.99 a month, $29.99 a year, or $59.99 once for lifetime access (checked 7 October 2026). Notta lists a Free plan with 120 minutes a month, Pro at $97.99 a year and Business at $199.99 a year, billed annually (notta.ai/en/pricing, checked 10 October 2026).

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