How a Mac app hears a call it never joined
Nod captures through ScreenCaptureKit, the macOS API Apple built for screen and system-audio recording. It reads your Mac's own output rather than anything inside the meeting, which is why Nod never needs a seat in the call to hear it.
Because capture happens at the operating-system level rather than inside one app, it doesn't care where the call is running: the Zoom desktop app, Google Meet in a browser tab, Teams, a Slack huddle, or a phone call on speaker.
- A native Swift app that lives in the menu bar, not a web app in a wrapper
- Works with any app that plays audio through your Mac
- Requires macOS 13 or later
- Notes in 14 languages
Nothing joins your meeting
Most AI note takers for Mac are web services that send a recorder bot into the call. It shows up in the participant list, it trips the host's recording banner, and it needs calendar and meeting access to get there. Nod needs none of that, because it never enters the meeting. It listens to your Mac instead.
That difference matters most in the calls you would least like to explain a bot in: a candidate interview, or a first conversation with a customer who hasn't signed anything yet. See meeting notes without a bot for the full comparison.
No stored audio, EU-hosted
Capture is local on your Mac; transcription isn't. Each audio segment is sent through a European proxy to a hosted transcription service and discarded the instant the text returns, under Zero Data Retention and with no model training. No audio is stored at either end. Only the transcript and summary are saved, encrypted at rest in the EU (AWS eu-west-1). See the security page.
What you get from every call
Each capture becomes a structured recap — topics, decisions, action items with owners and due dates, and open questions — plus a full transcript. Ask Nod then searches across every conversation you have captured, so the answer to "what did we decide about pricing?" comes from all of them, not just the one still open on your screen.
Per-platform setup: Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams. For the category overview, see what an AI note taker is; for pricing, the free trial runs 14 days with no card.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best AI note taker for Mac?
It depends on whether you want a bot in your calls. Bot-based tools (Otter, Fireflies, Fathom) join the meeting as a participant and store the recording; bot-free Mac apps like Nod capture your Mac's own audio instead, so nothing appears in the participant list. See best AI note taker for the comparison.Does Nod work on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs?
Nod runs on macOS 13 or later. Capture uses ScreenCaptureKit, which is a system framework available on both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs running a supported macOS version.Does an AI note taker for Mac need microphone access?
Nod captures system audio through ScreenCaptureKit, which macOS gates behind a screen-recording permission you grant once. It also records your own microphone so your side of the conversation is in the transcript.Does Nod record my Mac's screen?
No. ScreenCaptureKit is the API macOS provides for capturing system audio, and macOS files the permission for it under screen recording. Nod uses it for audio; no video or screenshot of your screen is captured or stored.Is there a free AI note taker for Mac?
Nod has a 14-day free trial with no credit card, and paid plans start at $9/month after that. See the free AI note taker page for what the trial includes.