Daisy: Local-first, open-source macOS meeting recorder and AI notes app that transcribes on-device and exposes meetings to AI tools through a local MCP server. Mentalyc: Mentalyc is a HIPAA-compliant AI documentation tool that records or transcribes therapy sessions and generates clinical progress notes for mental health professionals. This comparison weighs them on pricing, features, and everyday workflow fit.
How Hosiqo compares and tests toolsFinal recommendation
Shortlist Daisy when recording and transcribing meetings privately on a mac without cloud upload matters most, and Mentalyc when documenting psychiatric and assessment notes such as mse and biopsychosocial assessments matters most. Trial each on a few real meetings before you commit — the better fit usually shows fast.
Local-first, open-source macOS meeting recorder and AI notes app that transcribes on-device and exposes meetings to AI tools through a local MCP server.
Mentalyc is a HIPAA-compliant AI documentation tool that records or transcribes therapy sessions and generates clinical progress notes for mental health professionals.
Daisy, from Addicted Studio, is a local-first meeting recorder and AI notes application for macOS that records meetings on the Mac, transcribes them on the device, and then exposes the captured conversations as a local MCP server for AI tools. It captures both microphone and system audio from any source, including Zoom, Google Meet, Telegram, and other apps, using ScreenCaptureKit, and performs on-device transcription with WhisperKit plus speaker identification via Pyannote diarization, so audio never leaves the Mac unless the user explicitly enables a cloud LLM provider. Beyond raw transcription, Daisy generates structured notes with action items and follow-ups and supports multiple summarization backends including Apple Intelligence, Anthropic, and OpenAI, as well as MCP. Because it runs a local MCP server, tools such as Claude Desktop and Cursor can read recorded meetings directly, and Daisy can export results to Notion, Linear, Attio, Slack, or arbitrary webhooks. It offers several capture modes covering meeting recording, voice dictation, and quick voice notes. Daisy is a native Mac application (not Electron) for Apple Silicon, is fully open source on GitHub under the Apache 2.0 license, and emphasizes privacy with no telemetry, tracking, or required account. The project maintains a product site at mydaisy.io with installation, FAQ, and support documentation. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
Mentalyc is an AI documentation platform built for therapists, counselors, psychiatrists, PMHNPs, social workers, and other behavioral health professionals. It captures sessions in several ways: recording telehealth or in-person sessions with client consent, uploading an audio file, dictating a recap, or typing a short summary. The session audio is transcribed, and according to the company audio is processed and deleted while transcripts are stripped of identifying details. From this input it auto-generates clinical notes in multiple formats, including SOAP, DAP, BIRP, GIRP, PIRP, PIE, intake notes, MSE, biopsychosocial assessments, and supervision/consultation notes. Beyond notes, it produces treatment plans with measurable goals and tracks client progress over time. Mentalyc is web-based and accessed through a browser after signup, and it can sync with EHR systems such as SimplePractice, TherapyNotes, and Jane App or run as a standalone tool. It states it is HIPAA and SOC 2 compliant and does not use customer data to train AI models.
Best suited for
Daisy is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); Mentalyc is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Daisy | Mentalyc |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | Local recording of mic and system audio from any source via ScreenCaptureKit | Transcribes recorded, uploaded, dictated, or typed sessions into structured notes |
| Standout feature | On-device transcription with WhisperKit and speaker diarization via Pyannote | Generates multiple note formats (SOAP, DAP, BIRP, GIRP, PIRP, PIE, MSE, intake, supervision) |
| Team usage | Structured AI notes with action items and follow-ups | Automated treatment plans with measurable goals |
| Integrations | Multiple summarization backends: Apple Intelligence, Anthropic, OpenAI, and MCP | Progress tracking across sessions without client questionnaires |
| Languages & capture | Local MCP server so Claude Desktop, Cursor, and similar tools can read meetings | EHR integrations with SimplePractice, TherapyNotes, and Jane App |
| Best-fit workflow | Exports to Notion, Linear, Attio, Slack, or custom webhooks | HIPAA and SOC 2 compliant with audio deleted after processing and de-identified transcripts |
Daisy
Choose Daisy if you need recording and transcribing meetings privately on a mac without cloud upload — strengths include fully local-first with audio kept on-device unless a cloud llm is explicitly enabled.
Mentalyc
Choose Mentalyc if you need generating progress notes from recorded or in-person therapy sessions — strengths include purpose-built for mental health documentation with many clinical note formats.
Daisy
Mentalyc
It depends on your workflow. Daisy is strong for recording and transcribing meetings privately on a mac without cloud upload, while Mentalyc is strong for generating progress notes from recorded or in-person therapy sessions. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Daisy is a free tier with paid upgrades and Mentalyc 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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