OpenWhispr and Simon Says are both AI meeting assistants for recording, transcription, and summaries, compared here on pricing, features, and workflow fit. OpenWhispr: Open-source, privacy-first voice-to-text desktop app for Mac, Windows, and Linux that also transcribes meetings into AI-organized notes. Simon Says: AI transcription, captioning, and translation built for professional video and audio workflows. They overlap on ai-meeting-assistants, ai-transcription, so the right pick depends on team size, budget, and which meeting workflows you automate.
For ai-meeting-assistants, ai-transcription workflows, shortlist OpenWhispr when privately transcribing computer-audio meetings without a bot joining the call 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, privacy-first voice-to-text desktop app for Mac, Windows, and Linux that also transcribes meetings into AI-organized notes.
AI Notepad that turns rough meeting notes plus transcript into structured minutesBring-your-own-key cloud model option for flexibilityCross-platform desktop app for macOS, Windows, and Linux
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
OpenWhispr 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.
Open-source and auditable, with code published on GitHub
AI transcription with speaker identification
Standout feature
Cross-platform desktop app for macOS, Windows, and Linux
Subtitle and caption generation with visual editing
Team usage
Local transcription via bundled Whisper and NVIDIA Parakeet models
Translation across many languages
Integrations
Bring-your-own-key cloud model option for flexibility
Integrations with Final Cut Pro, Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, and Avid
Languages & capture
AI Notepad that turns rough meeting notes plus transcript into structured minutes
Support for professional audio and video formats
Best-fit workflow
Full-text search and AI Chat across captured meetings
AI transcription with speaker identification
Best for
OpenWhispr
Choose OpenWhispr if you need privately transcribing computer-audio meetings without a bot joining the call — strengths include fully open source, so users can inspect and self-host the code.
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
OpenWhispr
+ Fully open source, so users can inspect and self-host the code
+ Local model support enables private, offline transcription
- Primarily a dictation tool, so meeting features are secondary rather than the main focus
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 OpenWhispr or Simon Says better for AI meeting notes?
It depends on your workflow. OpenWhispr is strong for privately transcribing computer-audio meetings without a bot joining the call, while Simon Says is strong for transcribing and captioning footage for video editing projects. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
How do OpenWhispr and Simon Says compare on price?
OpenWhispr 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 OpenWhispr and Simon Says?
Yes. Many teams run more than one meeting assistant when the workflows are complementary and the budget is justified.