Krisp vs Shmeetings
Comparing a dedicated meeting assistant with a noise cancellation tool
What is Krisp?
Krisp was initially designed as a tool that removes background noise from your microphone or your speakers when you are making phone calls or when you are on calls. Krisp functions as a virtual audio device that filters background noise (such as dogs barking, keyboards clicking, or café noise) in real-time. The noise cancellation technology used by Krisp is quite remarkable for those who find themselves working in environments that have background noise.
Recently, Krisp implemented AI features for meeting transcription — including creating transcripts, summaries, and action items. These AI features work by recording the audio from your call and then processing the audio on Krisp's cloud servers. While Krisp does now offer AI meeting features, the tool's primary focus remains on noise cancellation, with AI meeting features serving as a secondary offering.
The monthly cost of using Krisp is either $8 or $24 depending upon whether you are using the noise cancellation service only, or the complete AI meeting assistant features. All of the audio that is processed for transcription services is processed on Krisp's cloud servers.
The Core Difference
Krisp and Shmeetings solve different primary problems.
Krisp is fundamentally a noise cancellation tool with meeting features added on. Its strength is real-time audio enhancement—making you sound better on calls. The transcription and summaries are bonus features on top of that core functionality.
Shmeetings is built from the ground up for meeting transcription and AI-generated notes. It doesn't do noise cancellation, but it offers deeper customization for how your meetings are processed and summarized.
The privacy difference is significant too. Krisp's meeting features require cloud processing. Shmeetings runs entirely on your Mac—your audio never leaves your computer.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Shmeetings | Krisp |
|---|---|---|
| Data Privacy | 100% Local Processing Never leaves your computer | Cloud-based Audio processed on Krisp servers |
| Primary Focus | Meeting Transcription Built for meeting notes | Noise Cancellation Meeting features secondary |
| Noise Cancellation | Not Available Focus on transcription | Yes Real-time AI noise removal |
| Custom Prompts | Unlimited Any prompt, any format | Limited Templates Basic summary options |
| Works Offline | Yes No internet needed | Partial Noise cancellation only offline |
| Pricing | $39 once Lifetime license | $8-$24/month Recurring subscription |
Privacy and Your Meeting Data
While cloud processing may be acceptable for many users for everyday meetings, or for most general calls, there may be situations where you may prefer to have more control over the processing of your sensitive discussions — such as strategy planning meetings, personnel meetings, or confidential client calls.
Shmeetings processes all of your meeting audio locally on your Mac. The AI models run directly on your Mac — your audio resides on your hard drive — not in Krisp's cloud servers. Shmeetings sends no data off of your machine, either during processing on afterwards.
If you need to improve the quality of your audio during calls, and you don't object to Krisp processing your meeting audio in the cloud, you can use both tools together. Use Krisp to improve the quality of your audio, and Shmeetings to privately transcribe your meetings.
Who Should Use Each Tool
Choose Shmeetings If You:
- Need comprehensive meeting transcription
- Want complete privacy for meeting content
- Need unlimited customization with AI prompts
- Don't need noise cancellation features
- Prefer one-time purchase over subscriptions
- Want to work completely offline
Choose Krisp If You:
- Need noise cancellation as primary feature
- Work in noisy environments regularly
- Want basic meeting summaries as a bonus
- Are comfortable with cloud processing
- Need real-time audio enhancement
- Have company approval for cloud tools
Pricing: One-Time vs Subscription
Krisp provides a free tier that provides basic noise cancellation. Krisp's Pro plan ($8/month) provides unlimited noise cancellation. Krisp's AI plan ($24/month) provides meeting transcription and summaries. In order to obtain Krisp's full feature set, you will spend $288 per year.
Shmeetings costs $39 one time — no monthly fees, no usage limits, and no tiers to select from. In fact, after two months of using Krisp's AI plan, you would have spent more money than the lifetime cost of Shmeetings.
| Plan | 1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shmeetings | $39 | $39 | $39 |
| Krisp Pro | $96 | $288 | $480 |
| Krisp AI | $288 | $864 | $1,440 |
* Krisp pricing is per month. Shmeetings is a one-time purchase.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use Krisp and Shmeetings simultaneously?
Yes, you can use Krisp to remove background noise in real time, while you are on a call, and then Shmeetings to provide private transcription of those same calls. While Krisp enhances the quality of your audio, Shmeetings provides the ability to capture and process what was spoken, without transferring that audio to Krisp's cloud servers.
Does Shmeetings offer noise reduction?
No, Shmeetings' primary function is to provide users with transcription and AI generated meeting notes. If you work in a noisy environment and need audio enhancement, Krisp and similar products provide the best means to accomplish that.
Which tool has greater transcription accuracy?
Both Krisp and Shmeetings utilize high-quality transcription models. The greatest differences between the two are in terms of customization (Shmeetings allows for greater flexibility in terms of defining prompts), and privacy (Shmeetings processes locally — Krisp sends data to the cloud).
Does Krisp retain my meeting recordings?
Krisp's AI meeting features require that you send your audio to Krisp's cloud servers for processing, transcribing and summarizing.
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