Meetingnotes and Simon Says are both AI meeting assistants for recording, transcription, and summaries, compared here on pricing, features, and workflow fit. Meetingnotes: Free, open-source macOS app that records, transcribes, and summarizes meetings locally using your own OpenAI API key. Simon Says: AI transcription, captioning, and translation built for professional video and audio workflows. They overlap on ai-meeting-assistants, so the right pick depends on team size, budget, and which meeting workflows you automate.
For ai-meeting-assistants workflows, shortlist Meetingnotes when privacy-focused engineers recording and summarizing local meetings matters most, and Simon Says when transcribing and captioning footage for video editing projects matters most. Both record across Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams; trial each on real meetings before committing.
Free, open-source macOS app that records, transcribes, and summarizes meetings locally using your own OpenAI API key.
AI summaries that combine transcripts with manual notesCustomizable system prompts for personalized note-takingLocal storage of notes and transcripts for privacy
Meetingnotes 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.
Records both microphone and system audio for meeting capture
AI transcription with speaker identification
Standout feature
Real-time transcription using the OpenAI API
Subtitle and caption generation with visual editing
Team usage
AI summaries that combine transcripts with manual notes
Translation across many languages
Integrations
Customizable system prompts for personalized note-taking
Integrations with Final Cut Pro, Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, and Avid
Languages & capture
Local storage of notes and transcripts for privacy
Support for professional audio and video formats
Best-fit workflow
Search, copy, and delete management for stored notes
AI transcription with speaker identification
Best for
Meetingnotes
Choose Meetingnotes if you need privacy-focused engineers recording and summarizing local meetings — strengths include completely free and open-source with no subscription.
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.
Pros & cons
Meetingnotes
+ Completely free and open-source with no subscription
+ Local-first storage keeps meeting data on the user's device
- macOS only, with no Windows or mobile version
Simon Says
+ Integrates directly with professional video editing software
+ Strong multilingual transcription and translation coverage
- Built for video production rather than meeting note-taking
FAQ
Is Meetingnotes or Simon Says better for AI meeting notes?
It depends on your workflow. Meetingnotes is strong for privacy-focused engineers recording and summarizing local meetings, while Simon Says is strong for transcribing and captioning footage for video editing projects. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
How do Meetingnotes and Simon Says compare on price?
Meetingnotes 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.
Can I use both Meetingnotes and Simon Says?
Yes. Many teams run more than one meeting assistant when the workflows are complementary and the budget is justified.