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. Simon Says: AI transcription, captioning, and translation built for professional video and audio workflows. 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 Daisy when recording and transcribing meetings privately on a mac without cloud upload matters most, and Simon Says when translating subtitles for international distribution 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.
AI transcription, captioning, and translation built for professional video and audio workflows.
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
Simon Says is an AI transcription, captioning, and translation platform built for professional audio and video production workflows. Users upload audio or video and Simon Says transcribes the speech into text, with speaker identification to separate dialogue, and can generate subtitles and captions using built-in visual editing tools. The platform supports transcription and translation across roughly a hundred languages, making it useful for international distribution and localization. A defining characteristic is its focus on production environments: Simon Says integrates with industry-standard editing software such as Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, and Avid, so transcripts and captions can move directly into editing timelines. This positions it as a transcription and captioning layer for video editors, producers, post-production teams, and content creators rather than a meeting note-taker. It is aimed at professionals who need accurate, editable transcripts and subtitles that fit into established editing pipelines, as well as researchers and creators who need reliable speech-to-text and multilingual captioning. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
Daisy is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); Simon Says is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Daisy | Simon Says |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | Local recording of mic and system audio from any source via ScreenCaptureKit | AI transcription with speaker identification |
| Standout feature | On-device transcription with WhisperKit and speaker diarization via Pyannote | Subtitle and caption generation with visual editing |
| Team usage | Structured AI notes with action items and follow-ups | Translation across many languages |
| Integrations | Multiple summarization backends: Apple Intelligence, Anthropic, OpenAI, and MCP | Integrations with Final Cut Pro, Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, and Avid |
| Languages & capture | Local MCP server so Claude Desktop, Cursor, and similar tools can read meetings | Support for professional audio and video formats |
| Best-fit workflow | Exports to Notion, Linear, Attio, Slack, or custom webhooks | AI transcription with speaker identification |
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.
Simon Says
Choose Simon Says if you need transcribing and captioning footage for video editing projects — strengths include integrates directly with professional video editing software.
Daisy
Simon Says
It depends on your workflow. Daisy is strong for recording and transcribing meetings privately on a mac without cloud upload, while Simon Says is strong for transcribing and captioning footage for video editing projects. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Daisy is a free tier with paid upgrades and Simon Says 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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