Don't trust us. Read the code.
Lalela promises that your audio, transcripts and voiceprints never have to leave your device. A promise like that should be checkable. So the on-device part of Lalela is open source: Lalela Community, a local-only edition of the Mac app, published under the Apache-2.0 licence. It's the same desktop code as the official app, with the cloud features switched off — and it sends no usage data at all.
Why open source: verify, don't trust
Every notetaker says it respects your privacy. With Lalela Community you, your IT team or a security reviewer can check the parts that matter most.
Audio stays on the device
Read how the app captures your mic and system audio, hands it to Whisper on your own hardware, and discards it after transcription.
Voiceprints never leave
Speaker recognition is opt-in and biometric. The code shows voiceprints are computed and stored only in the local database.
Notes are plain files
See how meetings are written as Markdown folders and indexed for local full-text search. No hidden format, no lock-in.
AI goes where you send it
A local model keeps everything on the machine. With your own OpenRouter key, the app talks to OpenRouter directly — you can see exactly what it sends.
No usage data, no analytics
Lalela Community sends no usage data, no analytics and no crash reports, and never checks for updates. Every network request is one you start: downloading a model from Hugging Face, or calling OpenRouter with your own key.
The same code as the official app
It is the same desktop codebase as the official Mac app, built with the cloud features switched off. What you read is what records your meetings.
Community edition vs the official app
Lalela Community has everything that runs on your own computer. The official app adds the parts that need our servers, plus signed installers and updates — it's the right choice for most people.
| Official app | Lalela Community | |
|---|---|---|
| Recording without a bot (mic + system audio) | Yes | Yes |
| On-device Whisper transcription | Yes | Yes |
| On-device speaker separation & voiceprints | Yes | Yes |
| Local AI model for summaries and chat | Yes | Yes |
| Bring your own OpenRouter key | Yes | Yes |
| Markdown files, local search, MCP server | Yes | Yes |
| Sign-in and sync across devices | Yes | No |
| Team sharing and the web app | Yes | No |
| Free monthly AI allowance | Yes, when you sign in | No — use a local model or your own key |
| Cloud transcription option | Yes, off unless you choose it | No |
| Usage data / analytics | Optional anonymous product analytics — untick it any time (see Privacy) | None — no usage data, analytics or crash reports |
| Microsoft Teams / Outlook import | Yes, sign in with Microsoft | Only with your own Microsoft app registration |
| Platforms | Mac, Windows, iPhone & iPad, web | Mac only (macOS 14.2+, Apple silicon) |
| How you install it | Signed Mac download, Microsoft Store, App Store (iPhone & iPad) | Build it yourself from source |
| Updates | Built in | None automatic — pull the latest code and rebuild |
| Source code | Closed | Open, Apache-2.0 |
Only the desktop Community edition is open source. The web app, the iPhone and iPad app, and Lalela's cloud services (sign-in, sync, the free AI allowance, cloud transcription) are not. What the official app collects is listed on our privacy page; what the Community edition connects to is documented in TELEMETRY.md.
The licence, in plain words
The code is Apache-2.0. You can read it, run it, change it and share it, including for work, as long as you keep the licence and copyright notices. It comes with no warranty. Full text: LICENSE.
The name is not part of it
"Lalela" and the Lalela logo are trademarks of Auxo Digital and aren't licensed with the code. If you share a modified version, give it your own name and icon so nobody mistakes it for ours. Full policy: TRADEMARKS.md.
Build it yourself
Lalela Community has no signed download and no automatic updates — you build it from source on a Mac with Apple silicon running macOS 14.2 or later, and pull and rebuild to update. There is no Windows, iPhone or iPad build. The steps and the tools you need are in the README, where we keep them current.
Contribute
Bug reports, fixes and improvements are welcome — open an issue or a pull request on GitHub. Each commit needs a Developer Certificate of Origin sign-off (git commit -s). Details in CONTRIBUTING.md. Found a security issue? Report it privately through GitHub's vulnerability reporting on the repository, as SECURITY.md explains — not in a public issue.
Check the code. Then take notes.
Read the source on GitHub, or get the official app — signed, auto-updating, and free to start.