Backchannel

Free plan APILinuxMacSelf-hostedWebWindows

What Backchannel is

Backchannel is a self-hosted, open-source AI meeting assistant that captures local audio and creates live transcripts with speaker attribution and meeting insights, without joining calls as a bot. It works with Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and in-person meetings. Five live agents can surface questions, objections, opportunities, and action items during a call; briefing lenses and an arbiter prepare a post-call summary. Users can ask questions about the live transcript and session context while recording continues, then save answers with the call. Model options include Google Gemini, OpenAI, local ONNX Whisper and Parakeet, and compatible servers such as Ollama, LM Studio, vLLM, and LiteLLM. The maker says recordings and transcripts stay on the user's server. Desktop builds are available for Windows, macOS Apple Silicon, and Linux, and Docker Compose provides a self-hosting option. The software is free, with no hosted tier, seat pricing, or feature paywall, though hardware and configured Gemini or OpenAI API usage may cost extra. Its optional PII Shield is off by default and disables cloud live captions when enabled.

Who it suits

Backchannel suits remote account teams handling sales, discovery, or service-delivery calls who want transcripts and in-call insights without a meeting bot. It also fits users who prefer self-hosting and choosing among cloud or local model providers.

What it does well

Captures meetings without joining as a bot.
Attributes live transcript lines to speakers.
Offers five agents for in-call insights.
Recordings and transcripts stay on the user's server.
Free, with no seat pricing or feature paywall.

What to know first

No hosted tier is available.
Hardware and configured Gemini or OpenAI API usage may cost extra.
PII Shield requires local transcription and disables cloud live captions.
Desktop builds are limited to Windows x64, macOS Apple Silicon, and Linux x64.

Limits

There is no hosted tier; the free plan is self-hosted on your hardware. Optional Gemini or OpenAI API usage may cost extra. The PII Shield is off by default, requires local transcription, and disables cloud live captions while enabled.

Plans

Plan	Billed and limits	Price
Backchannel (MIT licensed, self-hosted)	No hosted tier, seat pricing, or feature paywall. · Self-hosted on your hardware · optional Gemini or OpenAI API usage may cost extra	Free

As backchannel.page lists them, read 10 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.

Getting started

Visit https://backchannel.page/ to access Backchannel on the web or choose a listed desktop build.
For desktop use, select Windows x64, macOS Apple Silicon, or Linux x64.
For the full self-hosted stack, use Docker Compose; CPU-only operation is the default.
Choose a supported model provider, such as a local model, Gemini, OpenAI, or a compatible server.
Capture microphone audio and optionally tab or system audio during an online or in-person meeting.

Verdict

Backchannel combines local meeting capture with live transcripts, questions, and post-call summaries, and offers self-hosting without a hosted subscription tier. Users should account for hardware or API costs and the PII Shield's limits on cloud captions.

Questions

Is Backchannel free?

Yes. The MIT-licensed, self-hosted plan is free, with no hosted tier, seat pricing, or feature paywall. Hardware and configured Gemini or OpenAI API usage may cost extra.

Is Backchannel open source?

Yes. The listed self-hosted plan is MIT licensed.

Which meeting platforms does it support?

It works with Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and in-person meetings by capturing audio locally.

Which devices and systems are listed?

Backchannel is available on the web and as desktop builds for Windows x64, macOS Apple Silicon, and Linux x64.

Which AI model providers can I use?

Options include Google Gemini, OpenAI, local ONNX Whisper and Parakeet, and user-provided OpenAI-compatible servers such as Ollama, LM Studio, vLLM, and LiteLLM.

What does the PII Shield change?

When enabled, it tokenizes personal and company data before storage and model prompts, with detection running on-device. It requires local transcription and disables cloud live captions; exports contain tokens unless personal data is explicitly included.

Facts from Backchannel's own pages

Audience: The product is described as built for high-stakes sales, discovery, and service-delivery calls, especially for remote account teams. · backchannel.page, 10 Oct 2026
Costs: The maker states there is no hosted tier, seat pricing, or feature paywall, while users may incur costs for their own hardware and configured Gemini or OpenAI API usage. · backchannel.page, 10 Oct 2026
Data handling: The maker says recordings and transcripts stay on the user's server, uploaded documents are read locally, and the shield's real values are held in an encrypted vault. · backchannel.page, 10 Oct 2026
Desktop platforms: Desktop builds are listed for Windows x64, macOS Apple Silicon, and Linux x64; the desktop app bundles the app, backend, and per-user database. · backchannel.page, 10 Oct 2026
Exports: Users can export transcripts, insights, and summaries as Excel workbook, HTML, or text; with the shield enabled, exports contain tokens unless personal data is explicitly included. · backchannel.page, 10 Oct 2026
Free plan: Yes · backchannel.page, 20 Sept 2026
Live agents: Five live agents surface questions, objections, opportunities, and action items during calls; two briefing lenses and an arbiter prepare a post-call summary. · backchannel.page, 10 Oct 2026
Live transcription: It captures microphone and optional tab or system audio, and attributes transcript lines to speakers. · backchannel.page, 10 Oct 2026
Meeting capture: desktop · backchannel.page, 20 Sept 2026
Meeting compatibility: It works with online meetings including Zoom, Google Meet, and Teams, as well as in-person meetings, by capturing audio locally without a meeting bot or platform-specific integration. · backchannel.page, 10 Oct 2026
Meeting platforms: Zoom,Google Meet,Microsoft Teams,in-person meetings · backchannel.page, 20 Sept 2026
Mid-call Ask: Users can ask questions against the live transcript and related session context while recording continues, and save the answers with the call. · backchannel.page, 10 Oct 2026
Model providers: The product supports Google Gemini, OpenAI, local ONNX Whisper and Parakeet, and user-provided OpenAI-compatible servers such as Ollama, LM Studio, vLLM, and LiteLLM. · backchannel.page, 10 Oct 2026
PII Shield: When enabled, the PII Shield tokenizes personal and company data before storage and model prompts; detection runs on-device and the database stores tokens. · backchannel.page, 10 Oct 2026
Purpose: Backchannel is a self-hosted, open-source AI meeting assistant that provides live speaker-attributed transcripts and real-time meeting insights without joining as a bot. · backchannel.page, 10 Oct 2026
Self-hosting: Docker Compose is the self-hosting option for the full stack, and CPU-only operation is the default; GPU diarization is optional. · backchannel.page, 10 Oct 2026
Shield limits: The PII Shield is off by default and requires local transcription because audio cannot be tokenized; cloud live captions are disabled while it is on. · backchannel.page, 10 Oct 2026
Summaries and action items: Yes · backchannel.page, 20 Sept 2026
Transcription: Yes · backchannel.page, 20 Sept 2026

Where Backchannel stands on Freedom251

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