Hi - as some with 3 Macs and iPhones, I’m keen on this. Some questions:
1) what’s happening with the captured screen recording and audio? Obviously, I’m concerned about privacy and more.
2) are meetings captured even if I use headphones? How well does it integrate with Teams?
3) what else can it do? Once it learns my patterns - e.g I’m switching windows, using Claude and ChatGPT, and other...
Founder Team
Sam_Alter
Apr 21, 2026
A: Hey
1) Transcription is happening on your device, even speaker diarization, so it's fully private. Regarding screenshots and data extracted from apps, if you use the Sumo router, the data is sent to our server and the AI provider. Chats are not saved and not used for training. You can see our privacy policy here with details about the providers policies: https://alterhq.com/privacy-policy
Hi! I'm having a difficult time understanding your BYOK (bring your own keys) implementation and restrictions.
If I purchase tier one and enter my own keys (OpenAI and/or Anthropic), do I now have the full app running (with ALL its features), without being constrained by the plan's request limits?
If I use my own keys, and avoid using Alter's models and 'requests' entirely, do I still have speaker identification in meeting recordings and access to the 2000+ tools?
Thanks!
Founder Team
Sam_Alter
Apr 21, 2026
A: Yes, it's unlimited if you use your own keys. There are no limits at all. You can use it with the 2000+ tools.
Speaker identification and transcription doesn't count towards your requests, it's happening locally on your device and it's unlimited (both in duration and numbers).
For Anthropic models, we don't have direct support; we only support OpenAI compliant endpoints. If you want to use...
Q: How a therapist can use this platform? There is a way to have patient information and transcript here organized.
Founder Team
Sam_Alter
Apr 21, 2026
A: If you already have a structure and local folders where you organize your informations, you could create a Workspace and add those folders in it so Alter can understand and manage it.
Also transcripts can automatically be sent to a target folder. Our users are often doing that with Obsidian.
The community and the team is here to help if you share more about what you're trying to achieve.
If there are videos or audio recordings, I can obtain a transcript of these. However, if the communication involves voice or video calls, it will not be advantageous for me, as I utilize sign language and am unable to hear. Is there any other functionality of this application I may utilize apart from video or audio calls?
Founder Team
Sam_Alter
Apr 21, 2026
A: We have a Live Caption feature that could be useful. It's available when you record a meeting but you can start a meeting as you please.
Then Alter has all the other features that you can expect from an AI assistant and more: chat with apps, working with your files and folders, creating your own agents/actions, etc.
I’m very interested in buying but I have a few questions before I commit, i was also looking for a Pro subscription with Clausde for Cowork and Code, but i stumbled on your software via Appsumo
Functionality vs Claude Cowork: Can Alter perform the same kind of desktop / workflow automation as Claude Cowork (e.g., creating files, managing folders, making websites,interacting...
Founder Team
Sam_Alter
Apr 21, 2026
A: There is some parts where we are stronger than Claude Cowork and other parts where Claude will be better.
Our advantages: 1. Very integrated with your macOS. You can chat/retrieve context from any apps, you have integrations with your local apps out-of-the-box, Apple Scripts, Shortcuts and even computer use. 2. Meeting and dictation is unlimited. It's not provided by Claude 3. You can use...
Q: Going beyond the obvious…
Hi - as some with 3 Macs and iPhones, I’m keen on this. Some questions:
1) what’s happening with the captured screen recording and audio? Obviously, I’m concerned about privacy and more.
2) are meetings captured even if I use headphones? How well does it integrate with Teams?
3) what else can it do? Once it learns my patterns - e.g I’m switching windows, using Claude and ChatGPT, and other...
Sam_Alter
Apr 21, 2026A: Hey
1) Transcription is happening on your device, even speaker diarization, so it's fully private. Regarding screenshots and data extracted from apps, if you use the Sumo router, the data is sent to our server and the AI provider. Chats are not saved and not used for training. You can see our privacy policy here with details about the providers policies: https://alterhq.com/privacy-policy
The...
Share Alter
Q: API Key use = unlimited?
Hi! I'm having a difficult time understanding your BYOK (bring your own keys) implementation and restrictions.
If I purchase tier one and enter my own keys (OpenAI and/or Anthropic), do I now have the full app running (with ALL its features), without being constrained by the plan's request limits?
If I use my own keys, and avoid using Alter's models and 'requests' entirely, do I still have speaker identification in meeting recordings and access to the 2000+ tools?
Thanks!
Sam_Alter
Apr 21, 2026A: Yes, it's unlimited if you use your own keys. There are no limits at all. You can use it with the 2000+ tools.
Speaker identification and transcription doesn't count towards your requests, it's happening locally on your device and it's unlimited (both in duration and numbers).
For Anthropic models, we don't have direct support; we only support OpenAI compliant endpoints. If you want to use...
Share Alter
Verified purchaser
Thanks for the speedy clarification! Excited to jump in! :)
Q: How a therapist can use this platform? There is a way to have patient information and transcript here organized.
Sam_Alter
Apr 21, 2026A: If you already have a structure and local folders where you organize your informations, you could create a Workspace and add those folders in it so Alter can understand and manage it.
Also transcripts can automatically be sent to a target folder. Our users are often doing that with Obsidian.
The community and the team is here to help if you share more about what you're trying to achieve.
Share Alter
Q: Is this app suitable for Deaf?
If there are videos or audio recordings, I can obtain a transcript of these. However, if the communication involves voice or video calls, it will not be advantageous for me, as I utilize sign language and am unable to hear. Is there any other functionality of this application I may utilize apart from video or audio calls?
Sam_Alter
Apr 21, 2026A: We have a Live Caption feature that could be useful. It's available when you record a meeting but you can start a meeting as you please.
Then Alter has all the other features that you can expect from an AI assistant and more: chat with apps, working with your files and folders, creating your own agents/actions, etc.
Do you have specific things in mind?
Share Alter
Q: Alter vs Claude (Cowork and Code)
Hi AlterHQ team,
I’m very interested in buying but I have a few questions before I commit, i was also looking for a Pro subscription with Clausde for Cowork and Code, but i stumbled on your software via Appsumo
Functionality vs Claude Cowork:
Can Alter perform the same kind of desktop / workflow automation as Claude Cowork (e.g., creating files, managing folders, making websites,interacting...
Sam_Alter
Apr 21, 2026A: There is some parts where we are stronger than Claude Cowork and other parts where Claude will be better.
Our advantages:
1. Very integrated with your macOS. You can chat/retrieve context from any apps, you have integrations with your local apps out-of-the-box, Apple Scripts, Shortcuts and even computer use.
2. Meeting and dictation is unlimited. It's not provided by Claude
3. You can use...
Share Alter