Basil AI: On-device AI note taker for Apple devices that transcribes and summarizes meetings entirely offline, with no cloud upload. Notewise: Handwriting and PDF note-taking app for Apple devices with AI audio transcription for lectures and meetings. We compare them on cost, capture approach, and day-to-day fit so you can choose faster.
How Hosiqo compares and tests toolsFinal recommendation
Shortlist Basil AI when transcribing confidential client meetings where data must stay on-device matters most, and Notewise when annotating course pdfs and slides with synced audio 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.
Handwriting and PDF note-taking app for Apple devices with AI audio transcription for lectures and meetings.
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
Notewise is a note-taking app for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Vision Pro that combines handwritten notes and PDF annotation with AI features for students and other learners. It offers low-latency handwriting with palm rejection, multiple pen and highlighter styles, shape and table tools, and image insertion, alongside PDF markup and annotation. Its AI capabilities include audio transcription that turns lectures, meetings, and memos into text, with the transcription synced to the moment in your handwritten notes so you can tap a note and hear what was being said. Notewise also provides handwriting OCR across more than 20 languages, letting users search across handwriting, typed notes, audio transcripts, and PDFs in one place. Additional AI tools include a chat interface to query your notes, context-aware question answering on highlighted content, and auto-generated audio summaries of notes. Real-time collaboration in shared notebooks and cloud sync across devices round out the feature set. Notewise is well suited to students who take handwritten lecture notes on an iPad and want recorded audio transcribed and tied back to what they wrote, with export to PDF and other formats. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
Basil AI is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); Notewise is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Basil AI | Notewise |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | 100% on-device transcription with no cloud upload | AI audio transcription of lectures and meetings synced to handwritten notes |
| Standout feature | Speaker diarization to separate participants automatically | Low-latency handwriting with palm rejection plus PDF annotation |
| Team usage | AI-generated summaries, minutes, and key takeaways | Handwriting OCR across more than 20 languages with unified search |
| Integrations | Support for recording live meetings and uploading audio/video files | AI chat to query notes and context-aware Q&A on highlighted content |
| Languages & capture | Multi-language support and offline (airplane-mode) operation | Auto-generated audio summaries of notes |
| Best-fit workflow | Export to text, PDF, CSV, and JSON, plus Apple Notes/iCloud/Files | Real-time collaboration in shared notebooks and cross-device cloud sync |
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.
Notewise
Choose Notewise if you need handwriting lecture notes on an ipad while recording and transcribing class audio — strengths include ties lecture audio transcription directly to the moment in handwritten notes.
Basil AI
Notewise
It depends on your workflow. Basil AI is strong for transcribing confidential client meetings where data must stay on-device, while Notewise is strong for handwriting lecture notes on an ipad while recording and transcribing class audio. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Basil AI is a free tier with paid upgrades and Notewise is a free tier with paid upgrades. Check each vendor's pricing page for the latest plans and free-tier limits.
Yes. Many teams run more than one meeting assistant when the workflows are complementary.
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