BB RecordervsHyprnote / Char
Local-first, without DIY.
Char (formerly Hyprnote) got the local-first posture right. BB Recorder matches the privacy story and adds dictation, screen recording, a more polished experience, and an optional SOC 2 / HIPAA-compliant cloud when your team needs it.
100% local option · BYO keys + models · meeting recorder, dictation, and screen recording in one app.
Free forever
Local-first AI meeting notes you can fork and self-host.
Free · open source
Where we differ
Same local-first DNA
No bots. No cloud required. Captures system audio directly. Your recordings stay on your Mac unless you explicitly choose otherwise.
Three products, not one
Char is meeting notes. BB Recorder is meeting notes + dictation + screen recording — sharing hotkeys, library, folders, and AI engine.
A compliant team path when you need it
Char is local-only. BB Recorder pairs with BuildBetter's SOC 2 Type II / HIPAA-ready cloud for teams that need shared libraries, centralized search, and admin controls.
Ready-to-use, not roll-your-own
Char's extensibility is great for developers. BB Recorder ships ready-to-use: meeting-aware auto-start, Notion export, summary templates, snippets, and polished UI from day one.
Same BYO model story
Drop a Whisper .bin, a GGUF file, or point at your Ollama / LM Studio server — same flexibility Char offers.
Feature-by-feature
Privacy & Data
Meeting workflow
Scope
AI engine
Team & compliance
Pricing
Upload to BuildBetter on demand
Every local recording — meeting, dictation snippet, or screen capture — can be uploaded to BuildBetter's SOC 2 / HIPAA-ready cloud for a shared team library, search across all recordings, and org-wide access controls. Opt-in per recording. Never automatic.
Compare to other tools
BB Recorder vs Granola
BB Recorder matches Granola feature-for-feature on meeting notes — enhanced summaries, templates, AI chat — and runs 100% locally when you want it to. Plus dictation and screen recording in the same app.
Read comparisonBB Recorder vs Loom
Loom made screen recording a team primitive — but every video lives on their cloud. BB Recorder records locally, saves to your Mac, and lets you optionally share through BuildBetter's team infrastructure.
Read comparisonBB Recorder vs Wispr Flow
Wispr Flow is a fantastic cloud dictation product. BB Recorder is its local-first counterpart — same speed, custom cleanup prompts, pick any model, and you get meeting recording and screen recording in the same app.
Read comparison