CFAI: CFAI is a Windows desktop AI note taker that transcribes meetings and calls locally on-device with Faster Whisper, so audio never leaves the user's computer. Outset: AI-moderated research platform that runs multimodal interviews at scale and auto-synthesizes themes, quotes, and highlight reels. Below, they line up on price, capture method, and how each fits a real meeting stack.
How Hosiqo compares and tests toolsFinal recommendation
Shortlist CFAI when capturing private meeting notes and summaries without a recording bot joining the call matters most, and Outset when continuous customer discovery with rapid automated synthesis matters most. Test each on your own meetings; the right choice tends to become obvious quickly.
CFAI is a Windows desktop AI note taker that transcribes meetings and calls locally on-device with Faster Whisper, so audio never leaves the user's computer.
AI-moderated research platform that runs multimodal interviews at scale and auto-synthesizes themes, quotes, and highlight reels.
CFAI (Cognitive Flow AI) is a Windows desktop application that acts as a privacy-focused AI meeting and call note taker. Instead of sending a bot into the call, it captures both microphone and system audio at the operating-system level, so no "recording started" notification appears and the tool works across Zoom, Teams, Google Meet, Discord, and any other call. Transcription runs locally on the device using Faster Whisper, with support for many languages, and CFAI states that the audio never leaves the user's computer. From the live transcript it produces speaker-labeled notes, AI summaries, and action items, and it can build a real-time "Cognitive Map" that visualizes the conversation's topics. Summaries can be generated by Claude in the cloud, or users can keep everything offline by connecting a local LLM through Ollama, LM Studio, or Jan.ai. It is aimed at professionals, educators, recruiters, and others who want meeting notes without bots or cloud audio uploads. CFAI is distributed via the Microsoft Store with a free trial and credit-based subscription tiers.
Best suited for
Outset is an all-in-one AI-moderated research platform that combines conversational AI with behavioral and emotional analysis to run qualitative interviews at scale. Its AI moderator conducts natural, adaptive conversations via video, voice, or text, dynamically probing based on audio and visual cues to uncover detail beyond surface-level answers, and supports interviews in effectively any language across a broad set of countries. Researchers set up interview guides quickly with help from automated logic, including advanced probing rules and intelligent question skipping, and the platform can field hundreds of interviews simultaneously. Built-in recruitment provides access to a very large pool of potential participants across many geographies, or teams can bring their own audience. After interviews complete, Outset automatically synthesizes results into relevant summaries, themes, powerful quotes, and customizable highlight reels without manual tagging, and generates shareable outputs including custom AI-generated reports, highlight reels, and slide decks for stakeholders. Most teams complete interviews within hours and receive AI-synthesized summaries minutes later. The company is venture-backed and reports adoption by large enterprises using the platform to accelerate or replace traditional market research methods. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
CFAI is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); Outset is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | CFAI | Outset |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | Local on-device transcription using Faster Whisper, so audio never leaves the computer | AI moderator conducting multimodal video, voice, and text interviews |
| Standout feature | Bot-free capture of microphone and system audio at the OS level (no 'recording started' notice) | Dynamic probing driven by audio and visual cues |
| Team usage | Speaker diarization with automatic speaker labels in transcripts | Automated interview-guide setup with probing rules and smart skipping |
| Integrations | AI summaries and action items, generated by Claude or a local LLM | Hundreds of simultaneous interviews with built-in recruitment |
| Languages & capture | Real-time 'Cognitive Map' that visualizes conversation topics and flow | Automatic synthesis into summaries, themes, quotes, and highlight reels |
| Best-fit workflow | Works across any call platform including Zoom, Teams, Google Meet, and Discord | Stakeholder outputs including custom reports and slide decks |
CFAI
Choose CFAI if you need capturing private meeting notes and summaries without a recording bot joining the call — strengths include local faster whisper transcription keeps meeting audio on-device for strong privacy.
Outset
Choose Outset if you need running large-scale qualitative interviews for market research — strengths include runs large volumes of interviews in parallel with fast synthesis.
CFAI
Outset
It depends on your workflow. CFAI is strong for capturing private meeting notes and summaries without a recording bot joining the call, while Outset is strong for running large-scale qualitative interviews for market research. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
CFAI is a free tier with paid upgrades and Outset 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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