About External Software
We're an independent software company in Greenville, South Carolina. We make focused desktop apps that respect your time, your privacy and your wallet.
Where we started
External Software began by building custom software for healthcare and laboratories: integrations between clinical systems, specimen tracking, and real-time reporting. That work taught us what people need from software they rely on every day: it has to be reliable, it has to be clear, and it has to keep sensitive information safe.
What we make now
Today we build our own products. The first is Hark, a meeting recorder for Windows, Mac and Linux that transcribes on your computer and learns who is speaking. We also publish free browser tools, honest software reviews and practical guides.
How we build software
- Local first. Your recordings, transcripts and files live on your computer. Cloud features are optional and encrypted.
- Free where it costs us nothing. If it runs on your machine, it's free. We charge for AI and sync because they cost us money to run.
- No dark patterns. Clear prices, easy cancellation, and you can export everything.
- Plain English. Our policies, prices and limitations are written so anyone can understand them.
Our reviews and guides
We write about software we know well and the problems our users have. Reviews are research-based, we're never paid for them, and we say so when we review a product that competes with ours. Read how we review.
Get in touch
Questions, bug reports, corrections or a custom project? Contact us.
Frequently asked questions
Where is External Software based? +
Greenville, South Carolina, in the United States. External Software LLC is a small, independent software company.
Do you sell my data or use it to train AI? +
No. Our software keeps your data on your computer. When you use Hark's AI features, the transcript text is sent to Claude to write your notes and is not used to train AI. We don't sell data or show ads.
How do I contact you? +
Use the contact page. We read every message, including bug reports and corrections to our reviews.
Record, transcribe and remember every meeting
Hark records your calls on your own computer, transcribes them privately, and learns who is speaking. Free forever, with a 2-day preview of AI meeting notes.