Source-backed analysis6
Review basis
Research-based review: the AppDuo Editorial Team compiled it from official pages, documentation, app stores, press and user feedback, without hands-on testing. Every claim links to a source with the date it was checked.
6 reference sourcesInformation updated Nov 12, 2026
How we review
Yogurt Review
Free, open-source AI meeting notes that run on your own computer
By AppDuo Editorial Team · Fact-checked
- macOS
- Windows
- Linux
On this page
Decide at a glance
Our verdict
A fit for people who want meeting notes without sending audio to the cloud or paying a subscription. The trade-offs: it was first released on 11 November 2026, it needs a capable machine, and there are almost no public reviews yet.
Best for: Privacy-minded users who do not want a bot joining calls
Skip it if: Teams needing shared notes, cloud sync and central admin
Pros
- Free and open source under the MIT license
- Local processing, no meeting bot; docs state there is no telemetry
- Runs on macOS, Windows and Linux
Cons
- Very new: the first releases appeared on 11 November 2026 and there are no independent reviews yet
- Local models can be very large (up to about 63 GB on high-memory machines); a Hacker News commenter worried the Electron app will eat memory
All pros and cons · Who is it for?
More pros
- Works offline once the model is downloaded; ZIP backup export and opt-in MCP access for other AI apps
More cons
- Calendar and speaker names are Mac-only for now; on Windows and Linux, setup stops if the machine cannot transcribe fast enough
- The Windows build is not yet signed with a Microsoft certificate, so Windows shows a "Windows protected your PC" warning
Best for
- Users of recent Apple-silicon Macs with plenty of memory
- Developers who value open source and local MCP integration
Skip it if
- Low-spec machines (under 8 GB of memory) or Intel Macs
Experience & key features
Yogurt is a free, open-source desktop app from Frigade, a San Francisco company backed by Y Combinator. It records on the computer itself, so no bot joins the call, then transcribes and summarizes on the device.
According to the author on Hacker News, transcription uses whisper.cpp (plus Apple's SpeechAnalyzer where supported), while summaries and Q&A use an open-weight language model through llama.cpp, chosen automatically for the hardware. You can type notes during the call; afterwards the app merges them with the transcript into a summary with next steps. The Mac version adds calendar and speaker names, and enabling MCP lets other AI apps read meetings without changing them.
On cost, Yogurt is free under the MIT license and the website publishes no paid tier. The real cost is machine resources: at least 8 GB of memory, and the best model can be about 14 GB on a 64 GB Mac and about 63 GB with 96 GB or more. Data lives in a local folder and can be exported as a ZIP backup.
Compared with cloud tools such as Granola, Otter.ai, Fireflies.ai or Fathom, Yogurt gives up collaboration and sync in exchange for local processing. The project's own Show HN title pitches it as an alternative to Granola. Since it has only just launched, it is worth watching later releases and waiting for independent reviews.
Screenshots
Plans & pricing
Prices last verified Nov 12, 2026
Free (MIT)
PersonalFree
The official website says the app is free and open source under the MIT license. It needs at least 8 GB of memory. Per the help page, the best model can be about 14 GB on a Mac with 64 GB of memory and about 63 GB with 96 GB or more.
- Free plan limits
- No paid tier is published; every feature described on the website is free.
- Free trial
- No free trial
Cancellation & refunds
Not applicable: the app is free and no paid plan is published.
Privacy
Per Yogurt's help page, the AI runs on the device: audio, transcripts, notes and questions are processed locally and not uploaded. The docs state "there is no telemetry" and list the only network connections: Hugging Face (model downloads), Apple (optional speech assets on Mac) and GitHub (update checks). MCP access is off by default; once enabled, a connected AI app may send what it reads to its own online model. These are the developer's statements, not independently verified by AppDuo; the code is open source on GitHub, so anyone can inspect it. Because no bot joins the call, the website advises telling the other participants when recording.
Yogurt alternatives
7.6/10Fireflies.ai
AI meeting notetaker with a free-forever plan
7.4/10Granola
Bot-free AI meeting notepad that blends your own notes with the transcript
Controversies & incidents
Issues documented by the press, regulators, courts or the vendor itself. Every item is sourced; unproven claims are labelled as allegations. Last researched: Nov 12, 2026
No significant controversies or incidents found in the sources we checked.
Frequently asked questions
Is Yogurt free?
Yes. The official website says the app is free and open source under the MIT license; no paid plan is published.
Is my meeting data uploaded?
Per the help page, audio, transcripts, notes and questions are processed locally and not uploaded; the app only connects to Hugging Face, Apple (optional, Mac) and GitHub. If MCP is enabled, a connected AI app may send what it reads to its own online model.
Which operating systems does Yogurt run on?
macOS 14.4 or newer (Apple silicon only), 64-bit Windows 10 version 2004 or newer, and 64-bit Ubuntu 22.04 or newer, with at least 8 GB of memory.
Does Yogurt support Vietnamese?
The official docs do not list supported languages. On Hacker News the author only replied that other languages are supported without naming them, so Vietnamese cannot be confirmed.
Review evidence & sources6
Scores
- Ease of use
- 6.5
- Features
- 6.5
- Value for money
- 8.0
- Performance
- 6.0
- Support
- 5.5
- Privacy & security
- 8.5
Why this score
The workflow is simple (record, auto-summary, Q&A) and needs no bot, but the first run downloads a large model. The docs do not list supported languages; on Hacker News the author only replied "Other languages yep". Documentation is English-only.
Why this score
Offers transcription, manual notes merged with the transcript, summaries with next steps, Q&A, calendar (Mac), MCP and backup. No team sharing or sync is described, and releases are still early.
Why this score
Entirely free and open source with no published paid tier. The real cost is hardware and disk space for the models.
Why this score
Models run locally, so results depend on the machine; it needs at least 8 GB of memory, and on Windows/Linux setup stops if transcription cannot keep up. A commenter worried the Electron app will eat memory. No independent performance tests yet.
Why this score
There is a help page in the GitHub repo and a GitHub issue tracker, and the author answered questions on Hacker News. No email or chat support is documented, and the product is very new.
Why this score
Per developer documentation: local processing, no telemetry, MCP off by default and open source anyone can inspect. Caveats: these claims are unaudited, and a Hacker News question on whether the local MCP server requires authentication went unanswered.
Sources
- Vendor-providedOfficial websiteNov 12, 2026
- Vendor-providedGitHub repository FrigadeHQ/yogurtNov 12, 2026
- Vendor-providedOfficial help docs (GitHub)Nov 12, 2026
- Vendor-providedGitHub releasesNov 12, 2026
- Community-reportedShow HN thread (168 points, 76 comments)Nov 12, 2026
- Vendor-providedFrigade websiteNov 12, 2026
Specs & compatibility
- Developer
- Frigade
- Headquarters
- United States
- Launched
- 2026
- Category
- ProductivityAI
Capabilities
- Works offline
- Open source
- AI features
- Integrations
Platforms
- macOS
- Windows
- Linux
Interface languages
- English
Integrations
- Calendar (macOS)
- MCP (local AI apps)
Support
- Help center
- Community forum
Change history
- Launch.First GitHub release (v0.3.1) and the Show HN post "Yogurt – Free, private, open-source alternative to Granola" appeared the same day.
- Feature.v0.3.2 shipped the "recorder morph" change and the orb send button.
- Feature.v0.3.6 added an option to auto-eject the DMG after installation and a setting for auto-update and version checking.
About the author
Reviews & comments
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