Basil AI: On-device AI note taker for Apple devices that transcribes and summarizes meetings entirely offline, with no cloud upload. VoicePen: Apple-native AI app that records and transcribes meetings, lectures, and voice memos, then turns them into summaries and rewritten notes. Below, they line up on price, capture method, and how each fits a real meeting stack.
How Hosiqo compares and tests toolsFinal recommendation
Shortlist Basil AI when transcribing confidential client meetings where data must stay on-device matters most, and VoicePen when transcribing lectures and turning them into study notes 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.
Apple-native AI app that records and transcribes meetings, lectures, and voice memos, then turns them into summaries and rewritten notes.
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
VoicePen is a voice-first AI note taker built natively for the Apple ecosystem, running across iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac. The app records and transcribes spoken audio into text, handling everything from short memos to long lectures, meetings, podcasts, and imported recordings. Once a recording is transcribed, VoicePen uses AI to generate easy-to-read summaries, structured notes, and study materials, and it offers a large set of rewrite options to reformat transcripts into bullet points, professional formats, or more casual styles. It can pull in audio and video from sources such as files, Voice Memos, Zoom recordings, podcasts, and YouTube, and it separates and labels different speakers within a transcript. A chat feature lets users ask questions about the transcribed content to surface key takeaways and action steps. VoicePen supports many languages, includes offline recording, and syncs data through iCloud, positioning itself as a personal second-brain capture tool for individuals who think and work by talking rather than typing. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
Basil AI is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); VoicePen is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Basil AI | VoicePen |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | 100% on-device transcription with no cloud upload | Records and transcribes meetings, lectures, memos, and imported audio/video |
| Standout feature | Speaker diarization to separate participants automatically | AI-generated summaries plus 25+ rewrite and reformatting options |
| Team usage | AI-generated summaries, minutes, and key takeaways | Speaker separation and labeling within transcripts |
| Integrations | Support for recording live meetings and uploading audio/video files | Chat-with-your-notes Q&A to extract takeaways and action steps |
| Languages & capture | Multi-language support and offline (airplane-mode) operation | Imports from Voice Memos, Zoom recordings, podcasts, YouTube, and files |
| Best-fit workflow | Export to text, PDF, CSV, and JSON, plus Apple Notes/iCloud/Files | Multilingual transcription with offline recording and iCloud 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.
VoicePen
Choose VoicePen if you need capturing and summarizing in-person meetings and 1:1 conversations — strengths include native across iphone, ipad, apple watch, and mac with icloud sync.
Basil AI
VoicePen
It depends on your workflow. Basil AI is strong for transcribing confidential client meetings where data must stay on-device, while VoicePen is strong for capturing and summarizing in-person meetings and 1:1 conversations. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Basil AI is a free tier with paid upgrades and VoicePen 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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