Minutes and Simon Says are both AI meeting assistants for recording, transcription, and summaries, compared here on pricing, features, and workflow fit. Minutes: Open-source, local-first conversation memory layer that records and transcribes meetings, diarizes speakers, and stores searchable notes as markdown for AI agents. 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 Minutes when building a private, searchable memory of meetings and voice notes that ai agents can query 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.
Open-source, local-first conversation memory layer that records and transcribes meetings, diarizes speakers, and stores searchable notes as markdown for AI agents.
Cross-meeting search, relationship tracking, and action-item extractionLocal transcription with whisper.cpp or Parakeet, no cloud audio uploadmacOS desktop app plus cross-platform CLI and dictation hotkey mode
AI transcription, captioning, and translation built for professional video and audio workflows.
AI transcription with speaker identificationIntegrations with Final Cut Pro, Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, and AvidSubtitle and caption generation with visual editing
Minutes 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.
Local transcription with whisper.cpp or Parakeet, no cloud audio upload
AI transcription with speaker identification
Standout feature
Speaker diarization to attribute who said what
Subtitle and caption generation with visual editing
Team usage
Plain-markdown output with YAML frontmatter stored on your own disk
Translation across many languages
Integrations
MCP server exposing tools so AI agents can query meeting history
Integrations with Final Cut Pro, Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, and Avid
Languages & capture
Cross-meeting search, relationship tracking, and action-item extraction
Support for professional audio and video formats
Best-fit workflow
macOS desktop app plus cross-platform CLI and dictation hotkey mode
AI transcription with speaker identification
Best for
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.
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
Minutes
+ Fully local-first and MIT licensed, keeping conversation data private and portable
+ Markdown-on-disk format syncs through existing cloud-drive tools and avoids lock-in
- Desktop app is macOS-only; Windows and Linux are limited to the CLI
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 Minutes or Simon Says better for AI meeting notes?
It depends on your workflow. Minutes is strong for building a private, searchable memory of meetings and voice notes that ai agents can query, while Simon Says is strong for transcribing and captioning footage for video editing projects. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
How do Minutes and Simon Says compare on price?
Minutes 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 Minutes and Simon Says?
Yes. Many teams run more than one meeting assistant when the workflows are complementary and the budget is justified.