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. Strella: AI-moderated customer research platform that runs in-depth interviews and synthesizes findings in real time, with an option for human-led calls. 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 Strella when b2b and b2c qualitative studies with built-in recruitment matters most. Try them side by side on real calls before deciding — needs vary by team.
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-moderated customer research platform that runs in-depth interviews and synthesizes findings in real time, with an option for human-led calls.
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
Strella is an AI-powered customer research platform designed to run in-depth interviews and generate actionable insights in hours rather than weeks. Teams create a study in minutes using AI-generated, unbiased discussion guides that any team member can refine and launch, and they can either lead interviews themselves or hand moderation to Strella's AI moderator for faster results. During AI-moderated sessions, the platform conducts the conversation and adapts questions in real time based on each participant's responses, asking thoughtful follow-up questions to explore topics more deeply. Strella handles study logistics including recruitment, incentives, and scheduling, and offers a choice between interviewing customers a team already knows or recruiting from a panel of millions of global participants with targeting across professional, demographic, and behavioral segments; it supports research in dozens of languages for both B2B and B2C studies. On the analysis side, the platform synthesizes findings in real time, identifies themes across participants and segments, and lets researchers chat with their research to generate video highlight reels and pull insights at multiple levels, from an individual participant up to broader strategic patterns. The company is venture-backed and reports use by recognized consumer brands. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
Daisy is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); Strella is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Daisy | Strella |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | Local recording of mic and system audio from any source via ScreenCaptureKit | AI moderator conducting adaptive, in-depth interviews in real time |
| Standout feature | On-device transcription with WhisperKit and speaker diarization via Pyannote | Optional human-led moderation alongside AI-moderated sessions |
| Team usage | Structured AI notes with action items and follow-ups | AI-generated unbiased discussion guides editable by the team |
| Integrations | Multiple summarization backends: Apple Intelligence, Anthropic, OpenAI, and MCP | Recruitment, incentives, and scheduling handled in-platform |
| Languages & capture | Local MCP server so Claude Desktop, Cursor, and similar tools can read meetings | Real-time synthesis with cross-participant and segment-level themes |
| Best-fit workflow | Exports to Notion, Linear, Attio, Slack, or custom webhooks | Chat-with-research and video highlight reel generation |
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.
Strella
Choose Strella if you need rapid customer discovery and concept validation interviews — strengths include flexibility to run interviews via ai or have a human moderate.
Daisy
Strella
It depends on your workflow. Daisy is strong for recording and transcribing meetings privately on a mac without cloud upload, while Strella is strong for rapid customer discovery and concept validation interviews. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Daisy is a free tier with paid upgrades and Strella is a free tier with paid upgrades. Check each vendor's pricing page for the latest plans and free-tier limits.
Often yes: teams combine tools when one handles capture and another handles analysis.
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