Basil AI: On-device AI note taker for Apple devices that transcribes and summarizes meetings entirely offline, with no cloud upload. Zell: Berlin-based sales performance intelligence platform that analyzes real sales calls, surfaces skill gaps, and delivers AI coaching and roleplays, using GDPR-compliant on-device transcription. Which one wins depends on your platform mix, budget, and how hands-off you want notes to be.
How Hosiqo compares and tests toolsFinal recommendation
Shortlist Basil AI when transcribing confidential client meetings where data must stay on-device matters most, and Zell when automating sales-manager coaching with personalized plans and ai roleplays 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.
Berlin-based sales performance intelligence platform that analyzes real sales calls, surfaces skill gaps, and delivers AI coaching and roleplays, using GDPR-compliant on-device transcription.
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
Zell is a Berlin-based AI platform that captures and analyzes real sales calls to give sales teams performance visibility and automated coaching. It works across video calls, phone calls, and in-person meetings, automatically evaluating call behaviors such as talk patterns, objection handling, and discovery depth, and producing scorecards and instant AI call summaries once conversations end. A skill-gaps dashboard helps managers see who is improving and where coaching is needed, while an AI coaching component (named Dave) generates personalized feedback, coaching plans, and roleplay simulations based on each rep's actual performance, then tracks improvement over time. Zell positions itself as a layer that turns conversation insights into action and automates much of the sales manager's manual coaching workload. As a European company founded in 2024, Zell emphasizes GDPR-compliant, on-device transcription that does not require a meeting bot or store customer data. The company has validated its model with clients across the US, Germany, Italy, and Spain and is backed by European pre-seed investors. It is a newer, privacy-focused alternative to large US conversation intelligence platforms. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
Basil AI is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); Zell is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Basil AI | Zell |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | 100% on-device transcription with no cloud upload | Captures and analyzes video, phone, and in-person sales calls |
| Standout feature | Speaker diarization to separate participants automatically | GDPR-compliant on-device transcription without a meeting bot or stored customer data |
| Team usage | AI-generated summaries, minutes, and key takeaways | Automated scorecards on talk patterns, objection handling, and discovery depth |
| Integrations | Support for recording live meetings and uploading audio/video files | Instant AI call summaries after each conversation |
| Languages & capture | Multi-language support and offline (airplane-mode) operation | Skill-gap dashboard for managers across reps |
| Best-fit workflow | Export to text, PDF, CSV, and JSON, plus Apple Notes/iCloud/Files | AI coaching, personalized coaching plans, and roleplay simulations |
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.
Zell
Choose Zell if you need analyzing real sales calls to score rep behaviors and identify skill gaps — strengths include privacy-first design with on-device transcription suited to gdpr-conscious eu teams.
Basil AI
Zell
It depends on your workflow. Basil AI is strong for transcribing confidential client meetings where data must stay on-device, while Zell is strong for analyzing real sales calls to score rep behaviors and identify skill gaps. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Basil AI is a free tier with paid upgrades and Zell is a free tier with paid upgrades. Check each vendor's pricing page for the latest plans and free-tier limits.
You can — some teams pair them when each covers a different part of the meeting workflow.
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