tl;dv vs Shmeetings
Comparing a privacy-first offline meeting assistant with a cloud-based video recording platform
What is tl;dv?
tl;dv is a cloud-based meeting recorder that records both video and audio of all of your Zoom or Google Meeting calls. A bot enters your meetings to capture the entirety of what was said, then tl;dv creates a transcript of the content and allows you to generate a video clip that you can share with others. The name tl;dv is an acronym for "too long; didn't view."
tl;dv is primarily focused on creating a way to make your meetings searchable and sharable. During a meeting, you can mark certain moments as important, create a highlight reel of those moments, and send the specific moment to team members that were unable to attend the meeting. tl;dv also has integrations with various third-party applications such as Slack, Notion, and CRM systems.
Like most cloud-based services, tl;dv has a bot that appears visibly during your meetings and sends your recordings to their server for processing.
The Core Difference
tl;dv and Shmeetings have two very different approaches to meeting recording.
tl;dv records the full video of your meetings. A bot enters the meeting and captures the entire video, which is then uploaded to tl;dv's cloud servers for processing. The primary focus of tl;dv is to provide you with video clips that you can share with your team members. All of your meeting recordings will be stored on tl;dv's servers.
Shmeetings, on the other hand, transcribes only the audio of your meetings and processes it locally on your device. There is no bot that appears in your meeting and no data will leave your device. The primary focus of Shmeetings is to provide you with a transcription of your meeting and to summarize it for your own use.
If you require video recordings of your meetings with the ability to share video clips with your team members, tl;dv provides that function. However, if you require a method of transcriptioning your meetings without having a bot appear in the meeting and without uploading your video recordings to external servers, Shmeetings is the private alternative.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Shmeetings | tl;dv |
|---|---|---|
| Data Privacy | 100% Local Processing Never leaves your computer | Cloud-based Data sent to tl;dv servers |
| Bot Joins Call | No Invisible to participants | Yes tl;dv bot joins as participant |
| Account Required | No Just install and use | Yes Email signup required |
| Video Recording | Audio Only Focused on transcription | Full Video Records video and slides |
| Custom Prompts | Unlimited Any prompt, any length | Templates Only Pre-defined summaries |
| Works Offline | Yes No internet needed | No Requires internet |
| In-Person Meetings | Full Support Records from any audio source | No Video calls only |
| Pricing | $39 once Lifetime license | Free / $25-40/month Limited free tier |
Privacy and Your Meeting Data
tl;dv stores your meeting videos on their cloud servers. In addition to recording the audio of your meetings, tl;dv also records the full video of everyone in the meeting. This enables functions such as the creation of video clips and the creation of searchable visual content. However, by storing your meeting video on tl;dv's servers, your meetings become part of their infrastructure.
If you are conducting team meetings where every member is aware that they are being recorded to the cloud, this is a perfectly acceptable solution. However, if you are discussing topics with colleagues where you do not wish for your video to be stored on external servers, it is a different situation altogether.
Shmeetings transcribes only the audio of your meetings and processes it locally on your Mac. There is no bot that appears in your meeting and no video is captured. Additionally, no data will leave your Mac. Your transcripts will remain on your Mac.
If you need video clips and team sharing, tl;dv will accomplish that. However, if you simply need private transcription without the expense of cloud computing, Shmeetings is the more straightforward choice.
Who Should Use Each Tool
Choose Shmeetings If You:
- Can't have bots joining your meetings
- Handle sensitive or confidential conversations
- Just need transcripts, not video recordings
- Want custom prompts with sensitive context
- Need to transcribe in-person meetings
- Prefer a 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
Pricing: One-Time vs Subscription
tl;dv offers a free tier with limited capabilities for recording. tl;dv also offers several paid tiers, starting at $25/month for their Pro plan and reaching a maximum price of $40/month for their Business plan with additional features. tl;dv charges based on the number of users on each team.
Shmeetings is priced at $39 and is a one-time fee. There are no ongoing monthly fees, no pricing tiers, and no storage limits. After two months of using tl;dv Pro, you will have paid more than Shmeetings costs for the rest of eternity.
| Plan | 1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shmeetings | $39 | $39 | $39 |
| tl;dv Pro | $300 | $900 | $1,500 |
| tl;dv Business | $480 | $1,440 | $2,400 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Shmeetings record video like tl;dv?
No. Shmeetings records only the audio of your meetings and focuses on transcription. If you need video recordings of your meetings that you can share with your team members, a cloud-based service like tl;dv or a similar service would be a better fit for that purpose.
Can I use tl;dv without the bot appearing?
No. tl;dv requires their bot to join your meeting to record. It's how the service works. Shmeetings captures system audio or microphone input directly from your Mac, so there is no need for a bot to join your meetings.
Can Shmeetings transcribe Zoom calls like tl;dv does?
Yes. Shmeetings captures system audio, so it works with Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, or any other meeting app. The difference is that Shmeetings processes the audio locally on your Mac instead of sending it to cloud servers.
Can I use Shmeetings for in-person meetings?
Yes. Shmeetings can record from your microphone for in-person meetings or phone calls. tl;dv only works with video conferencing platforms like Zoom and Google Meet.
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