Shmeetings vs tl;dv
A complete comparison of privacy-first vs cloud-based meeting recorders
The Key Difference
tl;dv is a cloud-based meeting recorder that requires a visible bot to join your meetings and processes recordings on external servers.
Shmeetings runs entirely on your personal computer, giving you an AI meeting assistant without compromising meeting privacy or notifying other participants.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Shmeetings | tl;dv |
|---|---|---|
| Data Privacy |
100% Local Processing
Never leaves your computer |
Cloud-based
Data sent to tl;dv servers |
| Meeting Visibility |
Invisible Recording
Records audio from your computer |
Visible Bot Joins
tl;dv bot appears in meeting |
| Company Approval |
Not Required
Run on personal computer |
Often Required
IT approval for cloud services |
| Custom Prompts |
Unlimited Customization
Any prompt, any length |
Limited Templates
Pre-defined summaries |
| Context Files |
.txt, .rtf, .csv, .md, .html, and other file types
Include sensitive documents |
Not Available
No custom context support |
| Video Recording |
Audio Only
Focused on transcription |
Full Video Recording
Records video and slides |
| Pricing |
$39
Lifetime license |
Free + $25-40/month
Limited free tier |
Choose Shmeetings If You:
- Can't have visible bots joining your meetings
- Need complete privacy for sensitive meetings
- Want unlimited customization with prompts
- Record in-person meetings and phone calls
- Don't need video recordings, just transcripts
- Prefer one-time purchase over subscriptions
Choose tl;dv If You:
- Need full video recordings with slides
- Want to create shareable video clips
- Need team collaboration features
- Don't mind visible recording notifications
- Have company approval for cloud tools
- Want CRM and Slack integrations
Cost Comparison Over Time
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
* tl;dv Free has limited features. Pro plans range from $25-40/month. Shmeetings is unlimited usage.
Ready to Try Shmeetings?
Get your invisible AI meeting assistant with complete privacy