Alter vs Fello AI

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

Fello AI

• Apple users who want one native app for many AI models
• People who want model access without managing API keys
• Turning notes and PDFs into Word, Excel or PowerPoint files

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.

Fello AI

• It is available on Mac, iPhone and iPad only; the vendor says there is no Windows or Android version.
• Free users get 5 questions per hour with premium models before the app switches to its Free AI model.
• The vendor's FAQ lists lower prices ($3.99 weekly, $9.99 monthly, $79.99 yearly) than the US App Store listing. The price charged is the one shown in the app.
• Billing runs through Apple, and existing ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini subscriptions cannot be connected or used inside the app.

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.

Fello AI

20+ models in one app

Switch between GPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek, Kimi, Perplexity and other models from one menu, with no separate subscriptions. Reasoning mode is available across the major models.

Adaptive Search and Deep Research

The app decides when a question needs live web data and answers with sources. Online Search and Deep Research can also be picked by hand from the skills menu.

Skills that produce files

Describe what you need and the app builds a PowerPoint deck, Word document, Excel sheet or PDF in the conversation. A Podcast skill turns a document or topic into a two-host audio episode.

Files and images

Upload up to 16 files per conversation at up to 16 MB each, including PDFs of up to 500 pages and Office documents. Image models generate pictures and edit existing ones from a prompt.

Floating chat bar and dictation

On the Mac, Option-Space opens a chat bar over any app. Voice dictation records up to five minutes at a time and transcribes in more than 100 languages.

Projects, pins and bookmarks

Projects hold shared background, instructions and files for related chats. Conversations can be pinned, replies bookmarked, and everything searched in full text.

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.

Fello AI

• Free$0

  Up to 5 questions per hour with premium models, then a Free AI model until the hour resets. Advanced features need a paid plan.

• AI Chatbot Weekly Plan$4.99

  per week

  Unlimited questions with every premium model and Skills on Mac, iPhone and iPad under one Apple ID.

• AI Chatbot Monthly Plan$11.99

  per month

  The same unlimited access to all premium models and Skills, billed monthly through Apple.

• AI Chatbot Quarterly Plan$24.99

  per quarter

  The same unlimited access to all premium models and Skills, billed every three months through Apple.

• AI Chatbot Yearly Plan$89.99

  per year

  The same unlimited access to all premium models and Skills, billed once a year through Apple.

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.

Fello AI

• Annual discount

  About 37% less with the yearly plan

  On the US App Store the yearly plan is $89.99, compared with $143.88 for twelve months on the $11.99 monthly plan.