# Alter

> Voice-driven Mac AI assistant that reads on-screen context

Alter is a macOS assistant that combines what is on your screen and in the active app with typed or spoken requests, then inserts the result where you are working. It also handles dictation, meeting recordings with summaries, and automations across Apple apps and connected services. The app is free with your own API keys or local models, and paid plans add faster local voice models or managed access to more than 50 cloud models.

- **Category:** AI Assistants
- **Made by:** Alter
- **Website:** https://alterhq.com
- **Runs on:** macOS
- **Facts last checked:** Oct 6, 2026

## Pricing

Alter has a free plan. Paid plans start at $29 per year (Local+), or $3.50 billed monthly.

- **Pricing model:** Free plan
- **Free plan:** All core features with your own API keys or local models, no credit card required. Remote tools, model routers and managed access to 50+ cloud models need Pro.
- **Free trial:** 7 days of unlimited access to 50+ AI models after download, no credit card required.

| Plan | Price | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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. |

Read from https://alterhq.com/pricing on Oct 6, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Alter before buying.

## Ways to pay less

- **Save 30% with yearly billing** (Annual discount): 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. Source: https://alterhq.com/pricing
- **Lifetime license for $720** (Lifetime license): A one-time payment gives permanent access at the same level as the subscription plan, including future platform upgrades, for a single user. Source: https://alterhq.com/pricing
- **Student and academic discount** (Education): Students and academics can request special pricing by emailing Alter from a university address. The amount is not published. Source: https://alterhq.com/pricing
- **Non-profit discount on request** (Nonprofit): Non-profit organizations can request special pricing by emailing Alter with documentation. The amount is not published. Source: https://alterhq.com/pricing

## Key features

- **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.

## Good for

- 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

## Worth knowing

- 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.

## Works with

Gmail, Slack, Notion, Linear, HubSpot, Apple Calendar, Apple Mail, Ollama

**Tags:** Chat assistant, Dictation, Meeting notes, Works offline, Local-first, One-time purchase, AI features

## Alternatives

- [BoltAI](https://toolgpa.com/tools/boltai): Native Mac AI client that runs on your own API keys. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/alter-vs-boltai)
- [Elephas](https://toolgpa.com/tools/elephas): Private AI knowledge assistant for Mac with local indexing. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/alter-vs-elephas)
- [Fello AI](https://toolgpa.com/tools/fello-ai): Native Apple app with 20+ AI models under one subscription. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/alter-vs-fello-ai)
- [ChatGPT](https://toolgpa.com/tools/chatgpt): OpenAI's general-purpose AI assistant for chat, images and voice. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/alter-vs-chatgpt)

## Sources

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 6, 2026:

- https://alterhq.com/pricing
- https://alterhq.com/
- https://alterhq.com/meetings
- https://alterhq.com/terms-and-conditions

Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/alter
Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).