Alter vs BoltAI

Alter

• Mac users who want an assistant that sees the app they are working in
• People who prefer speaking requests and dictating text
• Recording meetings on the device without a bot in the call

BoltAI

• Mac users who want a native app instead of a browser tab
• People who prefer a one-time license to a monthly subscription
• Users with API keys for several providers or local models in Ollama

Alter

• It runs on macOS 14 or later only. iOS, Android and Windows are mentioned only as possible future platforms.
• The 2,000+ remote tools, model routers and managed access to cloud models are limited to Pro and Lifetime; the free plan needs your own API keys or local models.
• Unlimited use is subject to fair use: past a monthly budget, requests are routed to lower-cost models.
• All plans are single-user licenses with one device in active use at a time, and the terms grant the license for personal, non-commercial purposes.

BoltAI

• The price covers the app only: you need your own API keys, and each AI provider bills usage separately.
• It runs on macOS 13 or later. Windows is listed as coming soon, and the iPhone, iPad and Android apps are in beta with sign-up through a form.
• Updates, Cloud Sync and mobile access last one year per purchase. After that the app keeps working locally, but sync and mobile pause until you renew.
• Teams and companies are required to buy the Team license, which starts at 5 seats at $99 per seat.

Alter

Screen and app context

Alter reads what is on screen and in the active app, so a request can refer to the current window, file, email or web page, and the answer can be inserted straight into that app.

Voice commands and dictation

Speech-to-prompt and dictation work in more than 50 languages with automatic detection. Local+ and Pro use faster models that transcribe in real time.

Meeting recordings

Records online and in-person meetings without a bot joining the call, then produces summaries and reports you can chat with. Speaker identification needs Local+ or Pro.

Actions and automation

More than 80 built-in actions and your own custom ones run on the current context. Pro connects 2,000+ remote tools such as Gmail, Notion and Linear alongside Apple Calendar and Mail.

Your keys, local models or managed access

Use your own API keys, run models locally with Ollama or LM Studio, or let Pro route requests across 50+ cloud models, which are also exposed through an OpenAI-compatible endpoint.

Workspaces and files

Workspaces group and index files and folders for reference, and chats accept PDF, XLSX, DOCX and other files. YouTube transcripts are summarized without a browser extension.

BoltAI

Your own keys and local models

Connects with your API keys to OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, Mistral, Azure OpenAI, Amazon Bedrock and others, and to local models through Ollama and LM Studio. No AI credits are bundled.

Instant Chat and ShotSolve

A global shortcut opens a chat overlay on top of any app, and ShotSolve sends a screenshot to a vision model for an explanation, a fix or a summary.

Instant Dictation and AI Workflows

Push-to-talk dictation works in any text field with cloud or local models, and AI Workflows run one-click actions and in-place text transforms inside other apps.

Agents, projects and prompt library

Reusable agents carry their own instructions, knowledge and tools. Projects share context across chats, chats can be forked, and saved prompts are inserted with a shortcut.

MCP tools and code execution

Connects to local and remote MCP servers with individual tools switched on or off, and supports web search, code execution and Claude skills for Office documents and PDFs.

Local storage with optional Cloud Sync

Chats are kept in a local SQLite database and API keys can be encrypted with a passphrase. Optional Cloud Sync shares chats, agents and projects with other devices.

Alter

• Free$0

  Every core feature with your own API keys or local models. Dictation and meeting recording run on the slower standard Whisper model.

• Local+$29

  per year, or $3.50 billed monthly

  Adds real-time local speech-to-text models (Whisper Pro and Parakeet V3) for dictation and meeting recordings, with speaker identification. Up to 3 devices.

• Pro$240

  per year, or $29 billed monthly

  Unlimited requests to 50+ cloud models under fair use, model routers, the API gateway, unlimited meeting recordings and 2,000+ remote tools.

• Lifetime$720

  one-time payment

  The same access as the subscription plan with no recurring billing, plus future platform upgrades. Single user, one device in use at a time.

BoltAI

• Essential$79

  one-time, 1 device, one year of updates

  For students and hobbyists: every app feature on 1 Mac, with 512 MB of cloud storage for sync and no mobile device.

• Pro$99

  one-time, 2 desktop devices + 1 mobile, one year of updates

  For freelancers and professionals: every app feature, 1 GB of cloud storage and 1 mobile device. Shown as a bundle valued at $200.

• Pro+$199

  one-time, 3 desktop devices + 2 mobile, one year of updates

  For use across more devices: every app feature, 5 GB of cloud storage and 2 mobile devices at once.

• Team Perpetual$99

  per seat, one-time, 5-seat minimum

  One device per seat with 10 GB of shared team storage, the mobile app during its beta and priority support. Optional renewal is $79 per seat per year.

Alter

• Annual discount

  Save 30% with yearly billing

  Alter's pricing page lists a 30% saving on yearly billing: Pro is $240 a year against $29 a month, and Local+ is $29 a year against $3.50 a month.

• Lifetime license

  Lifetime license for $720

  A one-time payment gives permanent access at the same level as the subscription plan, including future platform upgrades, for a single user.

• Education

  Student and academic discount

  Students and academics can request special pricing by emailing Alter from a university address. The amount is not published.

• Nonprofit

  Non-profit discount on request

  Non-profit organizations can request special pricing by emailing Alter with documentation. The amount is not published.

BoltAI

• Lifetime license

  Perpetual license from $79

  Every license is a one-time purchase that keeps working after its year of updates ends: Essential is $79, Pro $99 and Pro+ $199, with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

• Education

  50% off for students and educators

  Emailing BoltAI from a university address gets a discount code for 50% off, which makes the Essential license $39.50. The 40% renewal discount still applies afterwards.

• Other savings

  40% off renewals for individual licenses

  Individual licenses can renew updates and sync for another year at 60% of the original list price, and the discount does not expire. Team licenses get no renewal discount.