Meetingnotes and Spinach 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. Spinach: AI meeting assistant for agile teams that helps run standups, takes notes, and creates summaries and tickets. 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 Spinach when daily standups and sprint planning 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); Spinach 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 notes and summaries for recurring meetings
Standout feature
No meeting bot required to join calls
Standup, retro, and planning support
Team usage
Live transcription plus AI-generated summaries
Drafts tickets and updates for project tools
Integrations
Bring-your-own OpenAI API key cost model
Recording and transcription
Languages & capture
Local storage of meeting data
Integrations with project-management tools
Best-fit workflow
Open-source codebase on GitHub (LGPL-3.0)
AI notes and summaries for recurring meetings
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.
Spinach
Choose Spinach if you need daily standups and sprint planning — strengths include built specifically for agile ceremonies.
Pros & cons
Meetingnotes
+ Free and open source with a transparent codebase
+ Keeps meeting data local to the device
- macOS only
Spinach
+ Built specifically for agile ceremonies
+ Connects meeting outcomes to project tools
- Most valuable for agile/software workflows specifically
FAQ
Is Meetingnotes or Spinach better for AI meeting notes?
It depends on your workflow. Meetingnotes is strong for engineers wanting a free, transparent meeting notetaker, while Spinach is strong for daily standups and sprint planning. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
How do Meetingnotes and Spinach compare on price?
Meetingnotes is a free tier with paid upgrades and Spinach 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 Spinach?
Yes. Many teams run more than one meeting assistant when the workflows are complementary and the budget is justified.