Open source
Lalela promises that your audio, transcripts and voiceprints stay on your device. You shouldn't have to take our word for it. So the on-device part of Lalela is open source: Lalela Community, a local-only edition of the Mac app, is published at github.com/OzRazak/lalela-community under the Apache-2.0 licence.
It's the same desktop code as the official app, with the cloud features switched off. Anyone can read the code that records, transcribes and stores your meetings, check where data goes, and build the app themselves.
No usage data, no analytics
Lalela Community sends no usage data, no analytics and no crash reports, and it never checks for updates. Every network request is one you start yourself: downloading a model from Hugging Face, or calling OpenRouter with your own key. The repository's TELEMETRY.md documents this.
What's in Lalela Community
Everything that runs on your own Mac:
- Recording your microphone and your Mac's audio, with no meeting bot.
- On-device transcription with Whisper.
- On-device speaker separation, including optional voiceprints that never leave your device.
- Summaries and chat with a local AI model, or with your own OpenRouter key.
- Meetings saved as Markdown files you own, with local full-text search.
- The local MCP server for AI tools such as Claude and Cursor.
What only the official app has
The official Lalela app is the one most people should use. It adds:
| Official app | Lalela Community | |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Mac, Windows, iPhone and iPad, and the web app | Mac only (macOS 14.2 or later, Apple silicon) |
| How you get it | Signed download for Mac, Microsoft Store for Windows, App Store for iPhone and iPad | Build it yourself from the source code |
| Updates | Built in | None automatic: pull the latest code and rebuild |
| Usage data and analytics | Optional anonymous usage data you can turn off (details) | None |
| 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 |
| Microsoft Teams and Outlook import | Yes | Only with your own Microsoft app registration |
| On-device recording, transcription and AI | Yes | Yes |
The web app at lalela-app.auxodigital.africa, the iPhone and iPad app, and Lalela's cloud services are not open source.
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. Full text: LICENSE.
- The name and logo are not included. "Lalela" and the Lalela logo are trademarks of Auxo Digital. If you share a changed version of the app, give it a different name and icon so nobody mistakes it for ours. Full policy: TRADEMARKS.md.
Build it yourself
You need a Mac with Apple silicon running macOS 14.2 or later. The steps live in the repository's README, which lists the tools you need. We keep them there so they're always current.
Contribute
Bug reports, fixes and improvements are welcome. Open an issue or a pull
request on GitHub. Each commit needs a sign-off line (the Developer
Certificate of Origin), which you add with git commit -s. See
CONTRIBUTING.md.
Found a security problem? Please don't open a public issue. Report it privately through GitHub's vulnerability reporting on the repository, as SECURITY.md explains.
Next steps
- Privacy and usage data — what the official app sends, and how to turn it off.
- Getting started — install the official app and record your first meeting.