Frigade releases Yogurt, a free open-source AI meeting notes app
Frigade has published Yogurt, an app for AI meeting notes that it describes as private, free and open source. The project page opens with the line "Private AI meeting notes. Free and open source." The Show HN submission title frames it as a free, private, open-source alternative to Granola.
The central claim is that Yogurt records your calls without adding a bot to the meeting. Nobody else on the call sees an extra participant join.
Builds are offered for three desktop platforms. On the Mac it needs macOS 14.4 or later and Apple Silicon. On Windows it needs Windows 10 2004 or later (x64). On Linux it targets Ubuntu 22.04 or later, or something similar, as an x64 AppImage. The system requirements also list 8 GB of memory; the page does not say whether that is a minimum or a recommended amount.
The code is released under the MIT license, and the documentation includes instructions for building and running the app locally. The project has a site at yogurt.so with a help section. The page credits no individual authors and says only "Made by Frigade." The repository's topic tags include Electron, llama.cpp, Whisper, transcription, local AI, privacy and MCP, which hints at the technology involved. The page text itself does not explain how transcription or summarisation works, which models are used, or whether all processing stays on the user's machine.
Key facts
- Yogurt is a free, open-source (MIT license) AI meeting-notes app made by Frigade, offered for Mac, Windows and Linux.
- It records calls without adding a bot to the meeting, according to the project page.
- Requirements: macOS 14.4+ on Apple Silicon, Windows 10 2004+ (x64), Ubuntu 22.04+ or similar (x64 AppImage), and 8 GB of memory.
- The Show HN title positions it as a private, open-source alternative to Granola; the project page itself does not mention Granola.
- The repository lists topics such as Electron, llama.cpp and Whisper, but the page does not describe how transcription or summaries are produced.
Why it matters
Meeting-note tools often join a call as a visible bot. Yogurt's pitch is the opposite: it records without adding a bot, it is free, and the source is open under the MIT license. The Show HN title casts it as an open alternative to Granola, though the project page makes no such comparison itself. For people who want to inspect or build their own note-taker, an MIT-licensed codebase is the notable part.
Who it affects
People who take part in many calls and want automatic notes on a Mac, Windows PC or Linux machine, and who prefer software they can read, build and run themselves. Hardware limits apply: the Mac build supports Apple Silicon only, and the Windows and Linux builds are x64.
How to use it
Download the Mac (.dmg), Windows (.exe) or Linux (AppImage) build from the project's releases, or follow the documentation to build and run it locally. Check the requirements first: macOS 14.4+ on Apple Silicon, Windows 10 2004+ (x64), or Ubuntu 22.04+ or similar (x64 AppImage), plus 8 GB of memory. The app is listed as free; no other pricing is given.
How solid is it
The facts above come from the project's own page, which is a short product blurb. It states the platforms, the license and the no-bot claim, but gives no release date, version number or benchmarks, and no named individual authors. The maker is Frigade. The comparison to Granola comes from the submission title, not from the project.
Risks and caveats
The privacy claim is a headline promise, and the page does not say how transcription or summarisation works, which models are used, or whether processing is fully local. Anyone with sensitive meetings should read the code and docs before relying on it. Recording a call without a visible bot may also raise consent questions with the other participants; the page does not address this. The 8 GB figure is not labelled as a minimum or a recommendation. No business model is described beyond "Free".