Cleft Notes: AI voice-note app that turns spoken thoughts and meeting audio into structured, organized notes. Natively: A free, open-source desktop AI meeting assistant offering real-time transcription, structured notes, and on-call answers with local processing and bring-your-own-key support. 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 Cleft Notes when capturing post-meeting recaps and action items by voice matters most, and Natively when running a fully local, offline meeting assistant via ollama for sensitive discussions matters most. Run both through a week of actual calls to see which suits your workflow.
AI voice-note app that turns spoken thoughts and meeting audio into structured, organized notes.
A free, open-source desktop AI meeting assistant offering real-time transcription, structured notes, and on-call answers with local processing and bring-your-own-key support.
Cleft Notes is an AI-powered voice-note app that captures spoken thoughts, meeting recaps, and other audio and converts them into structured, readable notes. Users record by speaking, and the app transcribes the audio and reshapes it into organized output, offering formats such as bulleted and headed notes, flowing paragraphs without bullets, or a cleaned-up verbatim transcript. It performs transcription on-device, which allows it to work offline and supports a privacy-focused approach, with encrypted cloud sync and local file storage that users control. Cleft integrates with a range of productivity tools, including Notion, Apple Notes, Obsidian, Todoist, and automation via Zapier, so notes can flow into existing workflows. The app is available across the Apple ecosystem, including iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and CarPlay, making it convenient to capture thoughts hands-free. While it is broadly a voice-to-notes tool, it is commonly used to capture meeting summaries and post-meeting recaps, and it is aimed at professionals and individuals who think out loud and want spoken input turned into well-formatted notes rather than raw recordings. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
Natively is an open-source AI meeting assistant maintained by the Natively-AI-assistant project and actively developed through 2025 and 2026. It runs as a desktop application on macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel) and Windows, capturing meeting audio directly on the device rather than joining calls as a visible participant. Built with a Rust-based audio pipeline, it provides low-latency real-time transcription and generates structured, searchable meeting notes that include action items, decisions, and key moments, alongside an on-demand AI assist triggered by a keyboard shortcut. It offers several meeting modes for different contexts and works alongside major platforms such as Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams. Natively is bring-your-own-key and supports providers including Google Gemini, OpenAI, Anthropic Claude, and Groq, plus a fully local option through Ollama so transcription and analysis can stay offline on the user's machine; meeting data is stored locally by default. As an indie, community-driven tool it positions itself as a free alternative to paid commercial assistants, though it relies on user-supplied API keys for cloud models and is still evolving. Verify current features and any policies on the official site. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
Cleft Notes is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); Natively is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Cleft Notes | Natively |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | On-device transcription that works offline | Real-time transcription with a low-latency Rust-based audio pipeline |
| Standout feature | Multiple output formats: organized, no-bullets, or verbatim | Structured, searchable meeting notes with action items and decisions |
| Team usage | Encrypted cloud sync with user-controlled local storage | On-demand AI assist via keyboard shortcut during calls |
| Integrations | Integrations with Notion, Apple Notes, Obsidian, Todoist, and Zapier | Bring-your-own-key support for Gemini, OpenAI, Claude, and Groq |
| Languages & capture | Available on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and CarPlay | Fully local/offline option through Ollama with local data storage by default |
| Best-fit workflow | Hands-free voice capture of thoughts and meeting recaps | Works alongside Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams without a visible bot |
Cleft Notes
Choose Cleft Notes if you need capturing post-meeting recaps and action items by voice — strengths include on-device transcription enables offline use and privacy.
Natively
Choose Natively if you need capturing real-time transcripts and structured notes from calls without a visible bot — strengths include free and open source with active development.
Cleft Notes
Natively
It depends on your workflow. Cleft Notes is strong for capturing post-meeting recaps and action items by voice, while Natively is strong for capturing real-time transcripts and structured notes from calls without a visible bot. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Cleft Notes is a free tier with paid upgrades and Natively 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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