OpenOats and joinly are both AI meeting assistants for recording, transcription, and summaries, compared here on pricing, features, and workflow fit. OpenOats: Open-source macOS meeting note-taker that transcribes calls locally and surfaces relevant talking points from your own notes in real time. joinly: Open-source, self-hostable connector that lets AI agents join Google Meet, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams calls to transcribe, listen, and act in real time via MCP. 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 OpenOats when getting live, context-aware prompts from your own notes during sales or customer calls matters most, and joinly when building custom ai meeting agents that answer questions and run tasks during live calls matters most. Both record across Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams; trial each on real meetings before committing.
Open-source macOS meeting note-taker that transcribes calls locally and surfaces relevant talking points from your own notes in real time.
Auto-saved transcripts and session logs to local filesLive retrieval of relevant talking points from your own notes during meetingsMIT-licensed, self-hostable Swift application
Open-source, self-hostable connector that lets AI agents join Google Meet, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams calls to transcribe, listen, and act in real time via MCP.
Cross-platform support for Google Meet, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and browser-based callsDocker-based self-hosting with optional CUDA GPU imageMCP server that exposes meeting tools (join/leave, transcript, chat, audio control, snapshots) to AI agents
OpenOats is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); joinly is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
Real-time local transcription of both sides of a conversation on Apple Silicon
MCP server that exposes meeting tools (join/leave, transcript, chat, audio control, snapshots) to AI agents
Standout feature
Live retrieval of relevant talking points from your own notes during meetings
Real-time transcription with timestamps and speaker information, subscribable for live updates
Team usage
Window hidden from screen sharing by default for privacy on calls
Cross-platform support for Google Meet, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and browser-based calls
Integrations
Auto-saved transcripts and session logs to local files
Modular speech-to-text and text-to-speech backends (Whisper, Deepgram, Kokoro, ElevenLabs)
Languages & capture
Works fully local via Ollama or with cloud models (OpenRouter, Voyage AI)
Model-agnostic: works with OpenAI, Anthropic, and local LLMs via Ollama
Best-fit workflow
MIT-licensed, self-hostable Swift application
Docker-based self-hosting with optional CUDA GPU image
Best for
OpenOats
Choose OpenOats if you need getting live, context-aware prompts from your own notes during sales or customer calls — strengths include local on-device transcription keeps meeting audio private.
joinly
Choose joinly if you need building custom ai meeting agents that answer questions and run tasks during live calls — strengths include fully open source (mit) and self-hostable for complete data control.
Pros & cons
OpenOats
+ Local on-device transcription keeps meeting audio private
+ Real-time note surfacing acts as a meeting copilot, not just a passive recorder
- Restricted to Apple Silicon Macs on recent macOS versions
joinly
+ Fully open source (MIT) and self-hostable for complete data control
+ Agents can actively participate by voice and chat, not just passively transcribe
- Developer-oriented framework that requires setup and engineering effort rather than a ready-made app
FAQ
Is OpenOats or joinly better for AI meeting notes?
It depends on your workflow. OpenOats is strong for getting live, context-aware prompts from your own notes during sales or customer calls, while joinly is strong for building custom ai meeting agents that answer questions and run tasks during live calls. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
How do OpenOats and joinly compare on price?
OpenOats is a free tier with paid upgrades and joinly 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 OpenOats and joinly?
Yes. Many teams run more than one meeting assistant when the workflows are complementary and the budget is justified.