Shadow Review

Our Verdict

Shadow makes sense when the hard part is turning live speech and screen context into the next useful thing without cleanup. Its edge is the mix of no-bot meeting capture, shortcut actions, and editable Skills in one Mac layer. The limit is obvious: if you are not on Mac, much of the value disappears.

Official site

A free plan is listed; verify current limits before upgrading. Starts at USD 8.00.

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check_circle Pros

• ✓Captures both speech and screen context instead of leaving you with transcript-only notes.
• ✓Editable Skills make it useful beyond fixed meeting summaries.
• ✓The local-first privacy model is stronger than most cloud-first recorders.

cancel Cons

• ✕The real product is still tied to Mac today.
• ✕It asks more from you than a one-button recorder because Skills matter.
• ✕The free tier feels broad until AI-heavy workflows become daily habits.

Should you use it?

turning meetings, spoken thoughts, and current screen context into a written next step

Skip it if: you need a cross-platform recorder today or you only want plain transcripts with no custom actions

Is it worth the price?

Freemium Starts at USD 8.00

The free tier is generous enough to test real meeting capture, recording, and screenshots. Once Shadow becomes a daily engine for AI notes and custom Skills, Plus at $8 a month is the real product.

The Free Tier

Free includes unlimited transcription, recording, screenshots, and a two-week Plus trial.

Paid Upgrade

$8/month

Plus unlocks unlimited Action Skills, AI meeting notes, Meeting Skills, and AI chat.

One thing to know before you start

Start with one repetitive output, such as follow-up emails or cleaned-up voice typing, and tune one Skill before adding more.

What people actually use it for

Turn meetings into follow-up work

Let the meeting feed a Skill that turns the call into action items or a follow-up draft before the context fades.

Draft text from speech plus screen context

Use a shortcut when the current window matters, so Shadow can turn rough speech into a reply, summary, or cleaner text.

What does Shadow actually do?

Shadow is strongest when transcript-only tools keep missing what actually happened on screen. Its core bet is that speech alone is not enough context, and raw transcription alone is not enough output.

The Skill model is what makes the product matter. Shadow does not stop at recording; it lets you decide what should happen next, whether that is meeting notes, a follow-up draft, or cleaner voice typing in the app already on screen.

What you can do with it

Capture meetings without adding a bot to the call.

Turn voice and screen context into notes, replies, or pasted text.

Build custom Skills for post-meeting and shortcut actions.

Export outputs through markdown or webhooks.

Keep transcription local by default until a Skill needs AI processing.

Technical details

privacy_flow

Stores content locally and sends data out when a feature needs external processing.

capture_model

Captures meetings without a bot and supports shortcut-triggered screen plus voice actions.

platform_scope

Mac app is live; Windows and other devices remain on a waitlist.

Top Alternatives to Shadow

If Shadow is close but still misses the job, try one of these instead.

Otter

Switch to Otter when the main job is searchable meeting notes and collaboration records, not screen-aware follow-up on Mac.

Compare all Best AI Audio Tools →

Key Questions

Is Shadow mostly a meeting bot?

No. Meetings are a major use case, but the product is broader. It can also run shortcut-based actions anywhere on your Mac using voice and screen context.

Can you test Shadow without paying?

Yes. The free tier already includes unlimited transcription, recording, screenshots, and a two-week Plus trial with no card required.

What is the biggest reason not to use it?

Platform fit. If you are not on Mac, or you only need plain transcripts instead of custom actions and screen-aware capture, a simpler recorder will make more sense.