Basil AI: On-device AI note taker for Apple devices that transcribes and summarizes meetings entirely offline, with no cloud upload. OpenTranscribe: Self-hosted, containerized web app for transcribing and analyzing audio/video with WhisperX, speaker diarization, search, and collaboration. The right pick comes down to team size, budget, and the workflows you want to automate.
How Hosiqo compares and tests toolsFinal recommendation
Shortlist Basil AI when transcribing confidential client meetings where data must stay on-device matters most, and OpenTranscribe when collaborative review of transcripts with time-stamped annotations matters most. Try them side by side on real calls before deciding — needs vary by team.
On-device AI note taker for Apple devices that transcribes and summarizes meetings entirely offline, with no cloud upload.
Self-hosted, containerized web app for transcribing and analyzing audio/video with WhisperX, speaker diarization, search, and collaboration.
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
OpenTranscribe is a self-hosted, containerized web application for transcribing and analyzing audio and video files using current AI models. It is built with a FastAPI backend, a Svelte/TypeScript progressive web app frontend, and a Docker-based stack that includes PostgreSQL, Redis/Celery task queues, MinIO object storage, and OpenSearch for full-text indexing. Transcription is handled by WhisperX with the large-v3-turbo model and Faster-Whisper, supporting more than 100 languages, while automatic speaker diarization uses PyAnnote v4 with overlap detection. The project is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and is actively maintained, with v0.4.1 released in April 2026. Beyond transcription, OpenTranscribe provides AI-powered summarization (including BLUF-format and custom JSON schemas), topic extraction, and content analysis through multiple LLM providers such as OpenAI, Claude, vLLM, Ollama, and OpenRouter. Collaboration features include time-stamped comments and annotations, and the platform can automatically import media from local folders, S3, and SMB shares. It also supports a set of cloud ASR providers as alternatives to local transcription, giving teams flexibility between fully local processing and managed services while keeping the application running on their own infrastructure. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
Basil AI is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); OpenTranscribe is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Basil AI | OpenTranscribe |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | 100% on-device transcription with no cloud upload | WhisperX transcription with large-v3-turbo and 100+ language support |
| Standout feature | Speaker diarization to separate participants automatically | Automatic speaker diarization via PyAnnote v4 with overlap detection |
| Team usage | AI-generated summaries, minutes, and key takeaways | Full-text search and filtering powered by OpenSearch |
| Integrations | Support for recording live meetings and uploading audio/video files | AI summarization, topic extraction, and content analysis via multiple LLM providers |
| Languages & capture | Multi-language support and offline (airplane-mode) operation | Time-stamped comments for collaboration and annotation |
| Best-fit workflow | Export to text, PDF, CSV, and JSON, plus Apple Notes/iCloud/Files | Auto-import from local folders, S3, and SMB shares |
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.
OpenTranscribe
Choose OpenTranscribe if you need teams self-hosting a searchable archive of transcribed meeting and media recordings — strengths include fully self-hosted web app with a complete transcription-and-analysis stack.
Basil AI
OpenTranscribe
It depends on your workflow. Basil AI is strong for transcribing confidential client meetings where data must stay on-device, while OpenTranscribe is strong for teams self-hosting a searchable archive of transcribed meeting and media recordings. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Basil AI is a free tier with paid upgrades and OpenTranscribe 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.
More head-to-head comparisons involving Basil AI and OpenTranscribe.
Basil AI: On-device AI note taker for Apple devices that transcribes and summarizes meetings entirely offline, with no cloud upload. BeAware Conference Captioning: AI real-time captioning and translation app for live in-person and hybrid events, with on-screen overlays and multilingual attendee access. Below, they line up on price, capture method, and how each fits a real meeting stack.
Basil AI: On-device AI note taker for Apple devices that transcribes and summarizes meetings entirely offline, with no cloud upload. Bee: Wearable AI device that captures spoken conversations and turns them into transcripts, summaries, and reminders. This comparison weighs them on pricing, features, and everyday workflow fit.
Basil AI: On-device AI note taker for Apple devices that transcribes and summarizes meetings entirely offline, with no cloud upload. Beey: Web app for automatic transcription, subtitle creation, translation, and live transcription. The right pick comes down to team size, budget, and the workflows you want to automate.
Basil AI: On-device AI note taker for Apple devices that transcribes and summarizes meetings entirely offline, with no cloud upload. Berrycast: A screen recorder and AI meeting notes tool with a Chrome extension and desktop app that records, transcribes, and summarizes calls. The right pick comes down to team size, budget, and the workflows you want to automate.
Basil AI: On-device AI note taker for Apple devices that transcribes and summarizes meetings entirely offline, with no cloud upload. Bliro: Bot-free AI meeting assistant that transcribes online and in-person conversations from device audio without recording audio or video. Here's where each one pulls ahead on pricing, features, and the meetings it suits best.
Basil AI: On-device AI note taker for Apple devices that transcribes and summarizes meetings entirely offline, with no cloud upload. Bluedot: Bot-free note taker for Meet, Zoom, Teams plus mobile recording The right pick comes down to team size, budget, and the workflows you want to automate.
Basil AI: On-device AI note taker for Apple devices that transcribes and summarizes meetings entirely offline, with no cloud upload. BoardBreeze: AI software that converts board meeting recordings into compliant, formatted minutes capturing motions, votes, and action items. The right pick comes down to team size, budget, and the workflows you want to automate.
Basil AI: On-device AI note taker for Apple devices that transcribes and summarizes meetings entirely offline, with no cloud upload. Boardable: Board meeting platform for nonprofits with AI-generated minutes, an in-meeting assistant, and AI insights that turn discussion into action items. Here's where each one pulls ahead on pricing, features, and the meetings it suits best.
Basil AI: On-device AI note taker for Apple devices that transcribes and summarizes meetings entirely offline, with no cloud upload. Bold: Bot-free AI notetaker by Bold App Studios that records meetings on-device, transcribes with speaker detection, and writes summaries with action items. Which one wins depends on your platform mix, budget, and how hands-off you want notes to be.
Basil AI: On-device AI note taker for Apple devices that transcribes and summarizes meetings entirely offline, with no cloud upload. Boostlingo: Language access platform whose AI Pro engine delivers live AI captioning, translation, and transcription for meetings, webinars, and events. We compare them on cost, capture approach, and day-to-day fit so you can choose faster.
Basil AI: On-device AI note taker for Apple devices that transcribes and summarizes meetings entirely offline, with no cloud upload. BriefMe: Italian mobile app that records conversations, transcribes them automatically, and generates AI summaries with key points, decisions, and action items. This comparison weighs them on pricing, features, and everyday workflow fit.
Basil AI: On-device AI note taker for Apple devices that transcribes and summarizes meetings entirely offline, with no cloud upload. Briefly: AI meeting summaries with CRM and Slack delivery The right pick comes down to team size, budget, and the workflows you want to automate.