Synopsule
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What is Synopsule?
Synopsule is an on-device private AI meeting transcript app for Mac and iPhone that records and transcribes conversations locally using Whisper, labels every speaker automatically, and keeps the full audio on your device so you can replay any moment. The app captures system audio on Mac (both sides of Zoom, Meet, or Teams calls without a bot) and records through the microphone on iPhone for in-person conversations, interviews, lectures, and voice notes. Transcription happens entirely offline with no accounts, no uploads, and no bot joining your meetings.
Key features include on-device speaker diarization that recognizes returning voices across recordings using voiceprints, tap-to-play playback synced to the transcript with time-anchored notes and flags, full-text search with speaker filters, templated opt-in AI summaries (one-on-one, standup, sales call, interview, lecture, clinical SOAP, legal, user research), and exports to Word, Markdown, HTML, SRT, VTT, PDF (Mac), plus direct integration into Obsidian and Apple Notes. The Mac app includes a built-in MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for integrating transcripts with Claude Desktop, Codex, and ChatGPT.
Synopsule is for professionals who need privacy-first meeting documentation: engineers, product managers, sales teams, researchers, clinicians, lawyers, students, and anyone who wants accurate transcripts without shipping audio to cloud servers. It works on macOS 15+ and iOS 17+, optimized for Apple silicon, and supports multiple Whisper model sizes for switching between speed and accuracy.
The app emphasizes privacy by architecture: audio is captured to a temporary file, processed locally by Whisper, then the raw capture is deleted while a playback copy stays on device. AI summaries are opt-in only, and when used, only transcript text (never audio) may leave the device—either straight to your own API key (OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini), through Synopsule Pro, or fully on-device via Ollama (Mac) or Apple Intelligence (eligible devices).
Synopsule pricing
Pricing model: Freemium
Synopsule is a one-time $1.99 purchase on the App Store that covers both Mac and iPhone with the full app including on-device Whisper transcription, mic + system audio on Mac, live recording on iPhone, speaker labeling & rename, synced playback, global search, every export format, and no subscription. AI summaries are optional: bring your own OpenAI, Anthropic, or Gemini API key and pay only your provider for what you use; run a local model via Ollama on Mac for completely on-device summaries; or add Synopsule Pro for one-tap summaries with no setup at $4.99/month or $39.99/year (one subscription covers both devices). If you never summarize, nothing leaves your device at all.
Synopsule pros
- 100% on-device transcription with Whisper
- Audio never uploads to any server
- No account or sign-up required
- Works offline from first launch
- One $1.99 purchase covers Mac and iPhone
- No subscription model
- Every speaker automatically labeled with diarization
- Recognizes returning voices across recordings
- Full audio kept on device for replay
- Tap any transcript line to play that moment
- Time-anchored notes and flags during recording
- Full-text search with speaker: filters
- Templated AI summaries for 10 conversation types
- Exports to Word, Markdown, HTML, SRT, VTT, PDF
- Direct export to Obsidian and Apple Notes
- Built-in MCP server for Claude, Codex, ChatGPT on Mac
- Supports multiple Whisper model sizes
- Correct speaker mid-recording and fix survives
- Rename speaker once, propagates everywhere
- No bot joins your meetings on Mac
Synopsule cons
- iPhone cannot capture system audio for remote calls
- PDF export only available on Mac
- Ollama local summarization is Mac-only
- Apple Intelligence summarization requires iOS 26/macOS 26
- Specialized templates (Clinical SOAP, Legal) work best with cloud models
- No web version or Android support
- Requires macOS 15+ or iOS 17+ (older devices unsupported)
- Larger Whisper models (up to 1.5 GB) must be downloaded separately
- Synopsule Pro subscription at $4.99/mo or $39.99/yr for optional summaries
Frequently asked questions about Synopsule
Is it one purchase for Mac and iPhone?
Yes. Synopsule is a single universal app, so one $1.99 purchase on the App Store puts it on both your Mac and your iPhone. Add Synopsule Pro and that one subscription works on both devices too.
What's different on iPhone?
The iPhone app records through the microphone, so it's made for in-person conversations, interviews, lectures, and voice notes. The Mac app adds system-audio capture (both sides of a call, no bot) and PDF export. Everything else is the same on both: on-device Whisper, speaker labels, playback, search, and opt-in summaries.
Can Synopsule recognize the same person across different recordings?
Yes. Name a voice once and Synopsule builds an on-device voiceprint for that person, then automatically labels them when they turn up in a later recording. Correct a wrong guess and it learns from the correction. A neural voice model is bundled in the app so this works out of the box, offline, on both Mac and iPhone—and the voiceprints never leave your device. You can tune how strict the matching is, and merge or forget any voice.
Where exactly does the audio go?
Nowhere off your device. Audio is captured to a temporary file and processed by Whisper running locally. After the transcript finalizes, the temporary capture file is deleted and a playback-ready copy is kept on the device so you can replay alongside the transcript. Delete it any time. There is no upload, not to Synopsule, not to anyone.
Do I need an account?
No. Recording, transcription, playback, exports, and search all work without signing in. The only 'account' involved is your Apple ID, for the App Store purchase, plus the optional Synopsule Pro subscription if you choose it.
Does it really work offline?
Yes—from the very first launch. A Whisper model ships inside the app, so you can record and transcribe with no download and no connection at all. On a plane, in a basement, or with the cable pulled, Synopsule works the same way it does at your desk. Download a larger model later if you want more accuracy.
Does the iPhone capture the other side of a call?
No. Capturing system audio is a Mac capability, done through Apple's Core Audio process taps. On iPhone, Synopsule records what the microphone hears, so for remote calls, run it on your Mac.
Can Claude, Codex, or ChatGPT read my transcripts directly?
Yes—on Mac. Synopsule ships with a built-in MCP (Model Context Protocol) server. Two clicks in Settings → Connect to AI Apps and Claude Desktop, Codex (app, CLI, IDE), Claude Code, or ChatGPT can list your recordings, search them, and pull a full transcript or summary on demand. The MCP server is the Synopsule app itself, launched with --mcp, so there's nothing extra to download or update. It's local-only and read-only—transcripts stay on the Mac, and audio is never exposed. On iPhone, the same Markdown exports show up in Files for sharing into the ChatGPT or Claude iOS apps.
Can I get AI summaries without anything leaving my device?
Yes—two on-device paths. On a Mac, install Ollama, pull a model, and point Synopsule at it in AI setup; summaries are then generated entirely on your Mac, with no key or subscription. And on Macs and iPhones with Apple Intelligence (macOS 26 / iOS 26 on eligible hardware), Synopsule can summarize using Apple's on-device Foundation Models—again, nothing leaves the device. Either way, no transcript text and no audio is uploaded. (Ollama is Mac-only; if your iPhone isn't eligible for Apple Intelligence, use a BYO key or Synopsule Pro.)
What formats can I export to?
Word (.docx), Markdown, plain text, interactive HTML, and SRT and VTT subtitles on both devices, plus PDF on the Mac. Synopsule can also send a transcript straight into Obsidian or Apple Notes in one tap, so it lands in the notes app you already use. Speaker labels, timestamps, and the AI summary (if you made one) travel with the file, and you pick what to include.