Looking for a tl;dv alternative? Retext records notes without a bot, transcribes and summarizes them on your Mac, and turns the useful parts into snippets.
Retext is a tl;dv alternative if you want no bot in your meetings, transcripts and summaries made on your Mac, and notes that become snippets. If you need calendar auto-join, speaker labels or CRM sync, tl;dv does more.
tl;dv records your calls with video or bot-free audio, names speakers, follows your calendar and sends notes to Slack, Notion and your CRM. Retext Notes records only your Mac's microphone, but it transcribes and summarizes on the device and keeps no audio by default. tl;dv suits teams who want a record of every call; Retext suits private notes you turn into snippets.
No meeting bot, ever: nobody else on the call sees a recorder join
Transcription and summaries run on your Mac, not a server
Save as Snippet: a note's summary or action items become a ;trigger
Audio is deleted once the transcript is ready, unless you keep it
Snippets, dictation and autocomplete in the same app
| Feature | Retext | tl;dv |
|---|---|---|
| Transcripts & Summaries | ||
| Bot-Free Recording | ||
| Both Sides of a Call | ||
| Calendar & Auto-Start | Not available | |
| Speaker Labels | Not available | |
| CRM & App Integrations | ||
| Privacy & Local Storage | ||
| Snippet Expansion | Not available | |
| Cross-Platform |
| Product | Pricing Model | Price | Free Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retext | Freemium | Recording, on-device transcription and summaries come with every plan. See the pricing page. | Notes on your Mac, plus 5 snippets |
| tl;dv | Freemium | Pro €29/seat/month or €18 billed annually; Business €39/seat/month or €29 billed annually (listed in euros) | Unlimited recordings and transcriptions, AI notes for 10 meetings a month |
Migration difficulty: medium
tl;dv keeps recordings, transcripts and notes in your library and can push them to Notion, Slack and CRMs. We couldn't find a documented file export. Retext doesn't import notes, so leave your tl;dv library as the archive and start fresh. Save the follow-ups you reuse as snippets.
Retext records notes without a bot, transcribes and summarizes them on your Mac, and turns the useful parts into snippets. tl;dv records your calls with video or bot-free audio, names speakers, follows your calendar and sends notes to Slack, Notion and your CRM. Retext Notes records only your Mac's microphone, but it transcribes and summarizes on the device and keeps no audio by default. tl;dv suits teams who want a record of every call; Retext suits private notes you turn into snippets.
AI notes are capped at 10 meetings a month on the free plan; Speaker names are less reliable in bot-free mode.
Yes. tl;dv's free option: unlimited recordings and transcriptions, AI notes for 10 meetings a month. Paid: Pro €29/seat/month or €18 billed annually; Business €39/seat/month or €29 billed annually (listed in euros).
Yes. Retext's free plan includes notes on your Mac, plus 5 snippets. Recording, on-device transcription and summaries come with every plan. See the pricing page.
tl;dv is the better choice for teams that want recorded video of their calls, sales teams that send notes to a CRM and european teams that want EU data hosting.
tl;dv keeps recordings, transcripts and notes in your library and can push them to Notion, Slack and CRMs. We couldn't find a documented file export. Retext doesn't import notes, so leave your tl;dv library as the archive and start fresh. Save the follow-ups you reuse as snippets.
Download Retext, turn on Notes in Settings, and click Record Note. Your transcript and summary are written on your Mac.
Sources
tl;dv, checked October 28, 2026: tl;dv pricing · tl;dv home · tl;dv desktop app
Prices and features change. Check each vendor's site before you buy.