Alter vs Elephas

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

Elephas

• Consultants, lawyers and accountants working with client files under NDA
• Building a searchable knowledge base from your own documents and notes
• Mac users who want AI writing help inside every app

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.

Elephas

• The full app is for Mac only (macOS 13 or later), with a companion app for iPhone and iPad. Windows is on a waitlist.
• The built-in AI runs on monthly credits: 20 on Free, 100 on Standard, 500 on Professional and 1,000 on Pro+. Your own API keys remove the limit.
• Super Brain, integrations and iPhone and iPad access start at Professional, and the full redaction inspector is in Pro+.
• The Mac App Store version lacks Super Command and the text-writing features because of sandbox restrictions.

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.

Elephas

Super Brain

Workspaces built from your PDFs, Word and Excel files, notes and transcripts, one per client or project. Files are indexed locally on the Mac and answers cite the source documents.

Sensitive data redaction

Detects and redacts 28 types of sensitive data, such as names, emails, account numbers and passport numbers, on the device before content reaches a cloud model.

Offline mode

Runs AI entirely on the Mac with local models so nothing leaves the device. Built-in cloud AI with zero data retention and your own API keys are the alternatives.

Super Command

One keyboard shortcut brings Elephas into any Mac app to summarize, rewrite, translate or fix the grammar of selected text, or to run custom commands called Snippets.

Built-in AI or your own keys

The built-in engine runs on OpenAI and Anthropic models. You can also add API keys from more than 15 providers, including OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, Groq and DeepSeek, for unlimited usage.

iPhone and iPad access

Professional and Pro+ subscribers can open the Super Brains built on the Mac from an iPhone or iPad signed in to the same Apple account.

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.

Elephas

• Free$0

  20 credits a month for the built-in Elephas AI engine.

• Standard$15.83

  per month on the yearly plan; $19 billed monthly

  100 credits a month: AI chat and writing across the Mac, basic document and note workflows, and automatic protection of sensitive data.

• Professional$32.50

  per month on the yearly plan; $39 billed monthly

  500 credits a month, plus Super Brain, integrations with Apple Notes, Notion and Obsidian, iPhone and iPad access and a basic view of redactions.

• Pro+$40.83

  per month on the yearly plan; $49 billed monthly

  1,000 credits a month, plus the full redaction inspector, advanced redaction settings, optional offline AI workflows and an onboarding call.

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.

Elephas

• Annual discount

  Save about 17% with yearly billing

  On the yearly plan Standard drops from $19 to $15.83 a month, Professional from $39 to $32.50 and Pro+ from $49 to $40.83.