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 AI notetaker that records mic and system audio locally, transcribes, and summarizes meetings 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 engineers wanting a free, transparent meeting notetaker 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.
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.
Captures both microphone and system audio on macOS
AI transcription with speaker identification
Standout feature
No meeting bot required to join calls
Subtitle and caption generation with visual editing
Team usage
Live transcription plus AI-generated summaries
Translation across many languages
Integrations
Bring-your-own OpenAI API key cost model
Integrations with Final Cut Pro, Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, and Avid
Languages & capture
Local storage of meeting data
Support for professional audio and video formats
Best-fit workflow
Open-source codebase on GitHub (LGPL-3.0)
AI transcription with speaker identification
Best for
Meetingnotes
Choose Meetingnotes if you need engineers wanting a free, transparent meeting notetaker — strengths include free and open source with a transparent codebase.
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
+ Free and open source with a transparent codebase
+ Keeps meeting data local to the device
- macOS only
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 engineers wanting a free, transparent meeting notetaker, 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.