A Read AI alternative for Mac that keeps your calls on your Mac
Nothing joins the call. The notes are ready when it ends, saved on your Mac, with the follow-ups one click from your to-do list.
Last checked
Pick Read AI if you want
an assistant that joins Zoom, Teams and Meet for you, search across meetings, email and messages, apps for Windows, iOS and Android, and a free plan.
Pick SwitchDesk if
you want each call saved on your Mac as files, its follow-ups filed in your to-do list, and dictation and screen videos in the same Mac app.
TL;DR
Read AI’s assistant joins Zoom, Teams and Meet; its desktop app also records with no bot. SwitchDesk never sends a bot.
Read AI covers email and messages too. SwitchDesk covers calls, dictation, screen videos and your to-do list.
Read AI’s free plan has 5 meeting transcripts a month. SwitchDesk has a 14-day trial.
Try it: press Stop on the pill.
A call between Joe Raman and Sam Rivera with no third participant, and SwitchDesk’s recording pill at the bottom of the screen. Press Stop on the pill to end the recording and see the suggested to-dos.
A video call window with Joe Raman and Sam Rivera. No meeting bot in the participant list.
Lumora kickoff
JRJoe Raman
SRSam Rivera
SwitchDesk’s meeting recording pill: Recording · Lumora kickoff, 12:01, with Open, Stop and Cancel buttons.
Recording · Lumora kickoff12:01
SwitchDesk’s pill: “Generating to-do items…” after the call ends.
Generating to-do items…
SwitchDesk’s end-of-call popup for “Lumora kickoff”: 4 suggested to-dos — Send Lumora the revised proposal, Set up the pilot workspace, Share the pilot pricing with Lumora, Book a pilot check-in with Joe — each with an Add button, plus Not now and Add all.
Voice dictation into any app, screen recording with a share link, and a to-do list your voice and calls fill.
Summaries for email and messaging.
Before · During · After
Record on your Mac, press Stop, add the follow-ups.
Nothing joins the Lumora kickoff: SwitchDesk records your mic and the call’s audio as two tracks. Press Stop and it suggests the to-dos it heard, ready to file under Fernhill.
During: transcribed live. Names come from Google Meet’s captions; on other call apps, lines read “You” and “Them”.
After: notes, decisions and action items, with suggested to-dos you add in one click.
SwitchDesk doesn’t announce itself in the call, so tell people you’re recording. Laws vary by place.
Three steps on Sam’s Mac. Before the Lumora kickoff, the countdown pill offers Open Meeting and Record. During the call, the recording pill shows the time with Stop. After Stop, the action-items popup suggests four to-dos; Add all files them under Fernhill in the to-do list.
A video call window with Joe Raman and Sam Rivera. No meeting bot in the participant list.
Lumora kickoff
JRJoe Raman
SRSam Rivera
SwitchDesk’s meeting countdown: Lumora kickoff starts in 4:32.
Lumora kickoff·4:32
Lumora kickoff
SwitchDesk’s meeting recording pill: Recording · Lumora kickoff, 12:01, with Open, Stop and Cancel buttons.
Recording · Lumora kickoff12:01
SwitchDesk’s pill: “Generating to-do items…” after the call ends.
Generating to-do items…
SwitchDesk’s end-of-call popup for “Lumora kickoff”: 4 suggested to-dos — Send Lumora the revised proposal, Set up the pilot workspace, Share the pilot pricing with Lumora, Book a pilot check-in with Joe — each with an Add button, plus Not now and Add all.
Action itemsLumora kickoff
Send Lumora the revised proposalFernhill45 min
Set up the pilot workspaceFernhill35 min
Share the pilot pricing with LumoraFernhill20 min
Book a pilot check-in with JoeFernhill10 min
scroll for more
All added
Today's Todo
1.Reply to Daniel about the Q4 hiring planReply to Daniel about the Q4 hiring planFernhill
2.Prep pricing slides for ThursdayPrep pricing slides for ThursdayFernhill
1 category hidden
Fernhill
Send Joe the pilot timeline by ThursdaySend Joe the pilot timeline by ThursdayFernhill
Send Lumora the revised proposalSend Lumora the revised proposalFernhill
Set up the pilot workspaceSet up the pilot workspaceFernhill
Share the pilot pricing with LumoraShare the pilot pricing with LumoraFernhill
Book a pilot check-in with JoeBook a pilot check-in with JoeFernhill
Today's Todo
1.Reply to Daniel about the Q4 hiring planReply to Daniel about the Q4 hiring planFernhill
2.Prep pricing slides for ThursdayPrep pricing slides for ThursdayFernhill
1 category hidden
Fernhill
Send Joe the pilot timeline by ThursdaySend Joe the pilot timeline by ThursdayFernhill
UrgentBlocked
Send Lumora the revised proposalSend Lumora the revised proposalFernhill
Set up the pilot workspaceSet up the pilot workspaceFernhill
Share the pilot pricing with LumoraShare the pilot pricing with LumoraFernhill
Book a pilot check-in with JoeBook a pilot check-in with JoeFernhill
SwitchDesk to-do window, Beige theme: Today's Todo: Reply to Daniel about the Q4 hiring plan (in progress); Prep pricing slides for Thursday. Fernhill: Send Joe the pilot timeline by Thursday; Send Lumora the revised proposal; Set up the pilot workspace; Share the pilot pricing with Lumora; Book a pilot check-in with Joe.
After: all four suggested to-dos added under Fernhill.
Try it: press Record on the pill, then Stop, then Add all.
Rows landing in the list: animation added for this page.
Honest trade-offs
Where Read AI is better
If these matter most, Read AI is the better pick. Facts from Read AI’s own pages, read on Oct 20, 2026.
Beyond meetings. Summaries and search across email and messages, not only calls.1
More platforms. Windows, iOS and Android apps, and a Chrome extension for Gmail.12
Integrations. Slack, Salesforce, HubSpot, Notion, Asana and Jira, with Zapier and webhooks on Pro.1
A free plan. 5 meeting transcripts and reports a month.1
Price and switching
What it costs, and how to move over
Prices as listed
Read AI and SwitchDesk prices, as listed on Oct 20, 2026
Plan
Price
Billing basis
Read AI Free
$0
5 meeting transcripts a month; meetings up to 1 hour
Read AI Pro
$15/mo
per user, billed yearly, or $19.75 monthly
Read AI Enterprise
$22.50/mo
per user, billed yearly, or $29.75 monthly
SwitchDesk Essential
$12/mo
billed yearly, or $15 billed monthly
SwitchDesk Pro
$18/mo
billed yearly, or $23 billed monthly
Source: read.ai/pricing, read . Prices change; check the page before you buy.
Switching from Read AI
01
Keep what you need in Read AI.
There’s no importer. Your Read AI history stays where it is; SwitchDesk starts with your next call.
02
Turn on the countdown.
Switch on “Countdown before meetings” and a pill offers Record before each call. Settings → Meetings
03
Optional: record when you open the call.
“Auto-record when opening a meeting” starts recording when you click Open Meeting.
04
Set “How much to suggest”.
Choose “Everything”, “Concrete tasks only” or “High-confidence only” for the to-dos after each call.
Shown in the Midnight Blue theme
Dictation, screen videos and your to-do list, in the same app.
One subscription. Dictate into any app, send a walkthrough as a link, and keep the follow-ups from your calls in one list.
SwitchDesk’s dictation pill: “Todo Added”.
Todo AddedAdd to...
Voice Dictation
Hold Globe, talk, let go. Clean text lands wherever your cursor is, and “add a todo …” files a to-do.
No. SwitchDesk records your mic and your Mac’s call audio as two tracks, so nothing appears in the participant list. It doesn’t announce itself, so tell people you’re recording. Laws vary by place.
Can I import my Read AI meetings?
No. There’s no importer. Keep what you need in Read AI; SwitchDesk starts with your next call.
Which call apps does it work with?
Any call whose audio plays through your Mac, in a browser or an app like Zoom or Microsoft Teams. It’s tested most with Google Meet in Chrome, where it also names who said what. Elsewhere, lines read “Me” and “Them”.
Where are my recordings stored?
On your Mac, in a folder for each meeting: the audio, the transcript and the notes in Markdown. During the call, audio streams to our transcription provider; after it, the transcript goes to an AI model for the notes.
Does it work in other languages, or on Windows?
Not today. Meeting notes and dictation are English only, and SwitchDesk is a Mac app for macOS 14.6 or later.
Is there a free plan?
No. There’s a 14-day free trial of Pro, with 10 hours of meeting notes. After that, Essential is $12/mo billed yearly, or $15 monthly.