OpenOats and SmartDepo 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. SmartDepo: AI deposition summary platform for litigators that produces cited summaries with page-line citations. 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 SmartDepo when generating cited page-line summaries of deposition transcripts 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
OpenOats is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); SmartDepo 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
AI deposition summaries with page-line citations
Standout feature
Live retrieval of relevant talking points from your own notes during meetings
Multiple summary formats: page/line summaries, key admissions, abstracts, and memos
Team usage
Window hidden from screen sharing by default for privacy on calls
Topic detection that organizes content like attorney case materials
Integrations
Auto-saved transcripts and session logs to local files
Full-transcript analysis without omissions
Languages & capture
Works fully local via Ollama or with cloud models (OpenRouter, Voyage AI)
Human review of AI-generated summaries by legal professionals
Best-fit workflow
MIT-licensed, self-hostable Swift application
Fast turnaround, with summaries produced in minutes
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.
SmartDepo
Choose SmartDepo if you need generating cited page-line summaries of deposition transcripts — strengths include citation-focused output suitable for court filings.
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
SmartDepo
+ Citation-focused output suitable for court filings
+ Multiple summary formats tailored to different litigation tasks
- Narrowly focused on deposition summaries rather than live transcription or general meetings
FAQ
Is OpenOats or SmartDepo 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 SmartDepo is strong for generating cited page-line summaries of deposition transcripts. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
How do OpenOats and SmartDepo compare on price?
OpenOats is a free tier with paid upgrades and SmartDepo 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 SmartDepo?
Yes. Many teams run more than one meeting assistant when the workflows are complementary and the budget is justified.