FoCase Rec: FoCase Rec is a magnetic hardware recorder plus companion app that captures phone calls and in-person audio, then transcribes and summarizes the recordings using AI. Minutes: Open-source, local-first conversation memory layer that records and transcribes meetings, diarizes speakers, and stores searchable notes as markdown for AI agents. Which one wins depends on your platform mix, budget, and how hands-off you want notes to be.
How Hosiqo compares and tests toolsFinal recommendation
Shortlist FoCase Rec when recording and documenting business or sales phone calls with searchable transcripts and summaries matters most, and Minutes when recording and transcribing calls locally for users who refuse cloud meeting tools matters most. Test each on your own meetings; the right choice tends to become obvious quickly.
FoCase Rec is a magnetic hardware recorder plus companion app that captures phone calls and in-person audio, then transcribes and summarizes the recordings using AI.
Open-source, local-first conversation memory layer that records and transcribes meetings, diarizes speakers, and stores searchable notes as markdown for AI agents.
FoCase Rec is a hybrid hardware-and-software product for recording, transcribing, and summarizing conversations. The slim magnetic device attaches to the back of an iPhone and uses vibration-conduction technology to capture both sides of a phone call with a single button press, working around iOS call-recording restrictions without Bluetooth pairing for capture. It also doubles as a standalone voice recorder for lectures, meetings, and interviews, with dual-microphone noise reduction. Recordings sync to the FoCase Rec app, where OpenAI Whisper powers voice-to-text transcription across more than 100 languages, and GPT-based AI generates summaries and mind maps that extract key points. The app supports playback, simple editing, password protection, file transfer, and one-tap sharing of audio, transcripts, and summaries. It is aimed at professionals, sales and support staff, students, and anyone who needs documented records of calls and meetings. The recorder is a one-time purchase, and the company advertises free lifetime call recording plus included AI transcription and summarization up to a monthly minute allowance, avoiding recurring subscription fees.
Best suited for
Minutes, built by Mat Silverstein, is an open-source, privacy-first conversation memory layer that captures meetings, calls, voice memos, and dictation and turns them into searchable, AI-accessible notes. It transcribes audio locally using whisper.cpp or Parakeet so audio never has to leave the machine, performs speaker diarization to separate voices, and extracts decisions and action items, writing everything to the user's own disk as plain markdown files with structured YAML frontmatter. Because the output lives in a local folder (for example ~/meetings/), the notes can sync across devices through iCloud, Dropbox, or Google Drive and can be read directly by AI tools. A central design goal is integration with AI assistants: Minutes runs an MCP server exposing a large set of tools so coding and chat agents such as Claude, Codex, Gemini CLI, and others can query past conversations, track relationships across meetings, and surface what was promised to whom. It ships as a macOS desktop app with a menu-bar recorder and AI assistant, plus a cross-platform command-line interface, and includes a dictation hotkey mode. The project is MIT licensed, installable via Homebrew, and actively maintained with frequent releases, making it a fully self-hostable option for people who want durable, private, searchable meeting memory rather than a cloud subscription. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
FoCase Rec is a free tier with paid upgrades (paid); Minutes is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | FoCase Rec | Minutes |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | Magnetic phone-back recorder that captures both sides of iPhone calls with a single button press | Local transcription with whisper.cpp or Parakeet, no cloud audio upload |
| Standout feature | Doubles as a standalone voice recorder for meetings, lectures, and interviews with dual-mic noise reduction | Speaker diarization to attribute who said what |
| Team usage | AI transcription via OpenAI Whisper supporting 100+ languages | Plain-markdown output with YAML frontmatter stored on your own disk |
| Integrations | AI summarization and mind-map generation using GPT to extract key points | MCP server exposing tools so AI agents can query meeting history |
| Languages & capture | Companion app for playback, simple editing, file transfer, and one-tap sharing of audio, transcripts, and summaries | Cross-meeting search, relationship tracking, and action-item extraction |
| Best-fit workflow | Password protection for stored recordings | macOS desktop app plus cross-platform CLI and dictation hotkey mode |
FoCase Rec
Choose FoCase Rec if you need recording and documenting business or sales phone calls with searchable transcripts and summaries — strengths include records phone calls on iphone without app-based workarounds or per-call fees, plus works for in-person audio.
Minutes
Choose Minutes if you need building a private, searchable memory of meetings and voice notes that ai agents can query — strengths include fully local-first and mit licensed, keeping conversation data private and portable.
FoCase Rec
Minutes
It depends on your workflow. FoCase Rec is strong for recording and documenting business or sales phone calls with searchable transcripts and summaries, while Minutes is strong for building a private, searchable memory of meetings and voice notes that ai agents can query. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
FoCase Rec is a free tier with paid upgrades and Minutes 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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