Basil AI: On-device AI note taker for Apple devices that transcribes and summarizes meetings entirely offline, with no cloud upload. Castmagic: AI content platform that transcribes podcasts, videos, and recorded meetings with speaker diarization and turns them into show notes, summaries, and other assets. This comparison weighs them on pricing, features, and everyday workflow fit.
How Hosiqo compares and tests toolsFinal recommendation
Shortlist Basil AI when transcribing confidential client meetings where data must stay on-device matters most, and Castmagic when turning recorded interviews and meetings into written content and highlights matters most. Trial each on a few real meetings before you commit — the better fit usually shows fast.
On-device AI note taker for Apple devices that transcribes and summarizes meetings entirely offline, with no cloud upload.
AI content platform that transcribes podcasts, videos, and recorded meetings with speaker diarization and turns them into show notes, summaries, and other assets.
Basil AI (Basil Private AI Note Taker) is a privacy-first AI transcription and note-taking application that processes all audio locally on Apple devices using Apple's on-device speech and machine-learning frameworks. Because recordings, transcripts, and summaries never leave the device and no cloud servers are involved, Basil is positioned for privacy-conscious professionals handling sensitive conversations, including lawyers conducting client meetings and other client-services practitioners where confidentiality matters. The app records live meetings and can also process uploaded audio and DRM-free video files, then generates transcripts with speaker diarization plus AI summaries and key takeaways. It supports a large set of languages and can work offline, including in airplane mode. Outputs can be exported to formats such as text, PDF, CSV, and JSON, and integrated with Apple's ecosystem (Apple Notes, iCloud Drive, Files). Basil is distributed on the Apple App Store by TONSOR LLC and is available as a universal app across iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Vision, with recent iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and visionOS versions required. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
Castmagic is an AI-powered content platform that transforms recorded audio and video into transcripts and a range of derived content. After a file is uploaded or imported, Castmagic transcribes it with speaker diarization and then automatically generates summaries, show notes, timestamps, titles, social media posts, newsletters, and other assets from the same recording. The platform integrates with sources including YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Google Drive, and Zoom, so recorded meetings and interviews can flow directly into a workspace for processing alongside podcast episodes. Castmagic includes semantic search across a media library, brand-voice customization, reusable templates, and commenting and approval workflows aimed at teams and agencies that manage content for multiple brands. While its marketing centers on podcasters and creators, the transcription, speaker labeling, and summary features make it applicable to meeting and interview recordings as well. It is intended for content teams, marketing agencies, podcasters, coaches, and sales organizations that want to convert recorded conversations into transcripts and repurposed written content rather than only a raw transcript. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
Basil AI is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); Castmagic is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Basil AI | Castmagic |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | 100% on-device transcription with no cloud upload | Transcription of audio and video with speaker diarization |
| Standout feature | Speaker diarization to separate participants automatically | Automatic generation of summaries, show notes, titles, and timestamps |
| Team usage | AI-generated summaries, minutes, and key takeaways | Repurposing of recordings into social posts, newsletters, and blog content |
| Integrations | Support for recording live meetings and uploading audio/video files | Direct import from sources including YouTube, Google Drive, and Zoom |
| Languages & capture | Multi-language support and offline (airplane-mode) operation | Semantic search across a media library of past recordings |
| Best-fit workflow | Export to text, PDF, CSV, and JSON, plus Apple Notes/iCloud/Files | Multi-brand workspaces with templates and approval workflows for teams |
Basil AI
Choose Basil AI if you need transcribing confidential client meetings where data must stay on-device — strengths include strong privacy posture since data never leaves the device.
Castmagic
Choose Castmagic if you need transcribing podcast episodes and generating show notes and summaries — strengths include goes beyond transcription to produce ready-to-use written content from recordings.
Basil AI
Castmagic
It depends on your workflow. Basil AI is strong for transcribing confidential client meetings where data must stay on-device, while Castmagic is strong for transcribing podcast episodes and generating show notes and summaries. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Basil AI is a free tier with paid upgrades and Castmagic is a free tier with paid upgrades. Check each vendor's pricing page for the latest plans and free-tier limits.
Often yes: teams combine tools when one handles capture and another handles analysis.
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