Basil AI: On-device AI note taker for Apple devices that transcribes and summarizes meetings entirely offline, with no cloud upload. Screenpipe: Screenpipe is an open, local-first desktop app that records your screen and audio, transcribes calls on-device with Whisper, and auto-generates meeting summaries with action items. 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 Screenpipe when building a searchable, private record of meetings and screen activity to recall past discussions and decisions 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.
Screenpipe is an open, local-first desktop app that records your screen and audio, transcribes calls on-device with Whisper, and auto-generates meeting summaries with action items.
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
Screenpipe is a local-first, source-available desktop application that continuously captures your screen and audio to build a private, searchable AI memory of your computer activity. For meetings, it records microphone and system audio in the background and transcribes in real time using OpenAI's Whisper model running locally, so calls from any app that plays through your speakers, including Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and Slack huddles, are captured without a bot joining the call. It supports speaker diarization and many languages. When a meeting ends, a meeting-summary pipe can generate structured notes, including a short bullet summary, action items per person, and decisions plus next steps, and write them to destinations such as Obsidian, Notion, or Apple Notes. Because capture, text extraction, transcription, and search can run entirely offline, data stays in a local database on your device, with options to redact PII and exclude specific apps or windows. Screenpipe also runs as an MCP server, letting AI assistants query your history. It is aimed at engineers, researchers, and privacy-conscious professionals. It runs on macOS, Windows, and Linux.
Best suited for
Basil AI is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); Screenpipe is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Basil AI | Screenpipe |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | 100% on-device transcription with no cloud upload | On-device screen and audio recording that captures system audio from any app, including Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, and Slack huddles |
| Standout feature | Speaker diarization to separate participants automatically | Local real-time transcription using OpenAI's Whisper model, with speaker diarization and multi-language support |
| Team usage | AI-generated summaries, minutes, and key takeaways | Automatic meeting summaries with bullet recap, action items per person, and decisions plus next steps |
| Integrations | Support for recording live meetings and uploading audio/video files | Writes structured notes to destinations like Obsidian, Notion, and Apple Notes via configurable pipes |
| Languages & capture | Multi-language support and offline (airplane-mode) operation | Fully offline operation with local storage, on-device PII redaction, and app/window/URL exclusions |
| Best-fit workflow | Export to text, PDF, CSV, and JSON, plus Apple Notes/iCloud/Files | Runs as an MCP server so AI assistants and clients can query your screen and audio history |
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.
Screenpipe
Choose Screenpipe if you need automatically capturing and summarizing video calls across zoom, meet, and teams without a meeting bot — strengths include privacy-first: capture, transcription, and search can run entirely on-device with no cloud dependency.
Basil AI
Screenpipe
It depends on your workflow. Basil AI is strong for transcribing confidential client meetings where data must stay on-device, while Screenpipe is strong for automatically capturing and summarizing video calls across zoom, meet, and teams without a meeting bot. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Basil AI is a free tier with paid upgrades and Screenpipe is a free tier with paid upgrades. Check each vendor's pricing page for the latest plans and free-tier limits.
Sure. Running both makes sense when their strengths don't overlap and the budget allows.
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