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. Votars: Multilingual AI meeting recorder and transcriber supporting many languages with real-time translation and one-click export. 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 Votars when users in india and asia transcribing meetings in regional languages 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.
Multilingual AI meeting recorder and transcriber supporting many languages with real-time translation and one-click export.
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
Votars is a multilingual AI meeting recording and transcription platform that captures conversations from online meetings, in-person discussions, and uploaded audio or video files. It applies AI processing to produce real-time transcription, identify multiple speakers, and translate across a broad set of languages, with marketing materials citing support for a large number of languages including major Indian and Asian languages such as Hindi and Tamil. After a meeting, Votars generates summaries and can export results in one click to formats including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, as well as mind maps, which makes it convenient for users who need to reuse meeting content in documents and presentations. The platform is cross-device, with clients available for Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android, allowing capture from both desktop and mobile contexts. The vendor states privacy and security practices including SOC 2, SSL encryption, and GDPR alignment. Votars is positioned for international and multilingual teams, including users in markets such as India and broader Asia who need transcription and translation across many languages within a single tool rather than English-only meeting notes. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
Daisy is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); Votars is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | Daisy | Votars |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | Local recording of mic and system audio from any source via ScreenCaptureKit | Captures online meetings, in-person audio, and uploaded files |
| Standout feature | On-device transcription with WhisperKit and speaker diarization via Pyannote | Real-time transcription with multi-speaker identification |
| Team usage | Structured AI notes with action items and follow-ups | Multilingual support with real-time translation across many languages |
| Integrations | Multiple summarization backends: Apple Intelligence, Anthropic, OpenAI, and MCP | One-click export to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and mind maps |
| Languages & capture | Local MCP server so Claude Desktop, Cursor, and similar tools can read meetings | Cross-device clients for Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android |
| Best-fit workflow | Exports to Notion, Linear, Attio, Slack, or custom webhooks | AI-generated meeting summaries |
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.
Votars
Choose Votars if you need multilingual teams needing transcription and translation across many languages — strengths include broad multilingual coverage including major indian and asian languages.
Daisy
Votars
It depends on your workflow. Daisy is strong for recording and transcribing meetings privately on a mac without cloud upload, while Votars is strong for multilingual teams needing transcription and translation across many languages. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
Daisy is a free tier with paid upgrades and Votars 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.
More head-to-head comparisons involving Daisy and Votars.
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. Deepting: Real-time AI transcription and meeting summary app for meetings, interviews, and lectures across mobile and web. Which one wins depends on your platform mix, budget, and how hands-off you want notes to be.
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. Demodesk: AI sales meeting platform that records, transcribes, coaches reps, and automates note-taking, follow-ups, and CRM updates. Which one wins depends on your platform mix, budget, and how hands-off you want notes to be.
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. DepoDash: Cloud court-reporting platform delivering verbatim deposition transcription via AI, stenographers, or voice writers. The right pick comes down to team size, budget, and the workflows you want to automate.
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. Deposely: AI deposition platform for litigators covering prep, real-time insights, and transcript review and summaries. This comparison weighs them on pricing, features, and everyday workflow fit.
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. Descript: Video/podcast editor with transcription and meeting recording Below, they line up on price, capture method, and how each fits a real meeting stack.
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. Dialpad: AI-powered communications platform with a sales dialer that provides real-time transcription, live coaching cards, and post-call summaries. We compare them on cost, capture approach, and day-to-day fit so you can choose faster.
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. Dicte: Privacy-focused AI meeting assistant that records, transcribes, and summarizes meetings and voice notes on mobile and desktop. Here's where each one pulls ahead on pricing, features, and the meetings it suits best.
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. Dovetail: Customer insights platform that centralizes interviews and feedback, with AI transcription, analysis, search, and a research repository. The right pick comes down to team size, budget, and the workflows you want to automate.
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. Dscout: Experience research platform for moderated interviews, diary studies, and usability testing with AI transcription, themes, and analysis. The right pick comes down to team size, budget, and the workflows you want to automate.
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. Echometer: Psychology-based platform for agile retrospectives, recurring team health checks, and structured 1:1 meetings with AI-assisted suggestions. Below, they line up on price, capture method, and how each fits a real meeting stack.
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. Edisyn: Real-time AI meeting assistant from a Turkish-founded team that listens to calls and provides live notes, summaries, and suggested questions and answers. Below, they line up on price, capture method, and how each fits a real meeting stack.
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. Efficlose: An AI meeting platform offering a bot-free Chrome extension plus desktop and web apps that transcribe, summarize, and extract action items from calls. Which one wins depends on your platform mix, budget, and how hands-off you want notes to be.