Trace
Trace captures your microphone and system audio, transcribes locally on your Mac, and hands you a markdown transcript with flagged moments inline.
Trace
What is Trace?
Trace vs Similar AI Tools
| Pricing Model | Free | Free | Free, Freemium, Free Trial | Free |
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How to use Trace?
- 1Press the global shortcut to open Trace overlay during any meeting.
- 2Use ⌘K to mark a key moment with a note.
- 3Press ⌘? to view a live recap of the last two minutes.
- 4After the meeting, access full transcript from the menu bar or Finder.
- 5Optionally connect your calendar for automatic meeting title capture.
Trace Key Features
- On-device transcription – no cloud or accounts required
- Keyboard shortcuts for recording, flagging, recap, and more
- Local storage of raw audio and markdown transcripts
- Speaker identification with unique identifiers
- Calendar integration for automatic meeting metadata
- Flag key moments inline with ⌘K
- Live recap of the last two minutes during recording
- Export transcripts as markdown to use with other tools
Trace Use Cases
- Transcribing meetings without cloud dependency
- Creating searchable meeting records
- Note-taking during calls with minimal disruption
- Privacy-sensitive environments requiring local processing
- Generating meeting summaries for later review
Trace Pricing & Free Credits
Trace currently operates on a Free model.
This tool is completely free to use
Trace Pros & Cons
Pros
- Completely private – no audio leaves your Mac
- Fast on-device transcription on Apple Silicon
- Keyboard-driven workflow keeps you in the flow
- No accounts or meeting bots required
Cons
- Only available on macOS 14+ with Apple Silicon
- No cloud sync or cross-device access
- Speaker identification may not be perfect in all scenarios
What is Trace best for?
- Professionals who value privacy in meetings
- Note-takers who want seamless offline transcription
- Remote workers using Zoom, Teams, Meet, etc.
- Anyone avoiding cloud-based meeting bots
Trace FAQ
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Best alternatives AI Tools to Trace
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