Available now · Apple Silicon · macOS 14.2+
Crux is free on your Mac.
Crux records your meetings, transcribes them on-device, and writes AI notes. Your audio is never uploaded. Recording and transcription happen entirely on your Mac.
Your audio never leaves your Mac.
Free. No account needed.
$0
Subscription
0 KB
Audio uploaded
14.2+
macOS min
M1+
Apple Silicon
- 001 LIVE TRANSCRIPTIONLive transcription during the call.
- 002 CLEAN FINAL TRANSCRIPTA clean final transcript after the call.
- 003 ~100 LANGUAGESWorks in around 100 languages. Choose the model that fits your needs.
- 004 PRIVATE BY DESIGNFully private. Everything stays on your Mac.
- 005 AI NOTES, YOUR PROVIDERAI notes with your own AI provider, or none at all.
How it works
001 Private
Fully on-device
Recording and transcription run on your Mac's own Apple Silicon chip. Nothing leaves it just to process your meeting.
002 Separated
Knows who's talking
Crux captures your mic and the room's audio as two separate tracks, so the transcript can label speakers as You, Other 1, Other 2.
003 Automatic
Starts itself, stops itself
Crux notices when you join a Teams or Zoom call and offers to record, with a short countdown toast. It stops on its own when the meeting ends.
004 Yours
Notes from your own AI
Turn on AI notes and Crux writes them through your own AI provider (or a local model), then exports a titled Word document when you're done.
005 Compare
How Crux compares
A general comparison with typical cloud-based meeting note-takers, not a claim about any specific product.
| Crux | Cloud meeting note-takers | |
|---|---|---|
| Where your audio goes | Stays on your Mac | Uploaded to the vendor's servers |
| Price model | Free | Monthly subscription (commonly around $18/month) |
| Works offline | Yes. Recording and transcription run locally.* | No. Audio has to reach their servers before it can be processed. |
| Your data lives | On your disk, under your control | On the vendor's cloud infrastructure |
* AI note generation sends transcript text (never audio) to whichever AI endpoint you configure. Point it at a local model and notes can run fully offline too.
006 FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Does my audio ever leave my Mac?
Recording and transcription happen entirely on your Mac. When you turn on AI notes, the transcript text (not audio) goes to whichever AI endpoint you configure, for example your own OpenAI-compatible API key, or a local model such as Ollama or LM Studio. Point Crux at a local model and notes can run fully offline too.
What permissions will Crux ask for, and why?
Crux asks for two permissions. Microphone, so it can record your voice, and System Audio Recording, so it can capture everyone else's audio from apps like Teams or Zoom. It doesn't request camera, contacts, or anything else.
Do Bluetooth headsets work?
Yes. Bluetooth headsets and speakers work fine for recording.
What Macs does Crux support?
Apple Silicon Macs (M1 or later) running macOS 14.2 or later. Intel Macs aren't supported.
What languages can Crux transcribe?
Spanish, French, German and 20 more European languages work out of the box. Install an optional engine (one click in Settings) and that grows to around 100 languages, including Arabic, Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese and Korean. Crux shows each engine's languages, size and speed before you download, and picks the right engine for your chosen language automatically.
Do I need an internet connection?
Not for recording or transcription. Both run entirely on your Mac. AI notes need to reach whichever endpoint you've configured, which needs internet unless that endpoint is a local model running on the same Mac.
Is Crux free?
Yes. Crux is free to use, with the full feature set. No trial, no license key, no subscription.
How do I download and install Crux?
Click Download to get the zip directly, then unzip it and drag Crux.app into your Applications folder. macOS verifies the notarized app automatically the first time you open it, so there's no security warning to work around. On first launch, Crux asks for Microphone and System Audio Recording permissions, since it needs both to capture your voice and the other side of the call. Crux is ready to use right away. No account needed.