Sally and Shadow are both AI meeting assistants for recording, transcription, and summaries, compared here on pricing, features, and workflow fit. Sally: German AI meeting assistant that joins calls to record, transcribe, and summarize meetings while extracting tasks and decisions. Shadow: A bot-free, Mac-based AI meeting assistant that transcribes and summarizes calls locally without joining as a participant. 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 Sally when german-speaking teams needing accurate meeting minutes and action items matters most, and Shadow when capturing notes and summaries across multiple conferencing platforms without a bot joining matters most. Both record across Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams; trial each on real meetings before committing.
German AI meeting assistant that joins calls to record, transcribe, and summarize meetings while extracting tasks and decisions.
Automatic summaries with action item and decision extraction and assignmentGDPR-compliant, EU-based data handlingIntegrations with CRM and collaboration tools (HubSpot, Salesforce, Slack, Asana)
A bot-free, Mac-based AI meeting assistant that transcribes and summarizes calls locally without joining as a participant.
Bot-free capture that records system audio without joining the meeting as a participantCaptures on-screen content in addition to spoken audioCustomizable prompts/Skills to generate notes, summaries, and emails
Sally is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); Shadow is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
Joins Teams, Zoom, Google Meet, and Webex meetings to record and transcribe
Bot-free capture that records system audio without joining the meeting as a participant
Standout feature
Strong German-language transcription including dialect handling, plus many other languages
On-device (local) transcription on macOS
Team usage
Automatic summaries with action item and decision extraction and assignment
Speaker identification during transcription
Integrations
Meeting analytics such as speaker talk time
Captures on-screen content in addition to spoken audio
Languages & capture
Integrations with CRM and collaboration tools (HubSpot, Salesforce, Slack, Asana)
Customizable prompts/Skills to generate notes, summaries, and emails
Best-fit workflow
Offline/uploaded audio file transcription for in-person meetings
Webhook integration to connect outputs to other tools
Best for
Sally
Choose Sally if you need german-speaking teams needing accurate meeting minutes and action items — strengths include optimized for german language and dialects, useful for german-speaking organizations.
Shadow
Choose Shadow if you need capturing notes and summaries across multiple conferencing platforms without a bot joining — strengths include does not add a visible bot to meetings.
Pros & cons
Sally
+ Optimized for German language and dialects, useful for German-speaking organizations
+ EU-based vendor with GDPR focus and stated SOC 2 alignment
- Joining meetings via a participant invite means a bot presence is visible to attendees
Shadow
+ Does not add a visible bot to meetings
+ Local transcription keeps core audio processing on the device
- Available for macOS only
FAQ
Is Sally or Shadow better for AI meeting notes?
It depends on your workflow. Sally is strong for german-speaking teams needing accurate meeting minutes and action items, while Shadow is strong for capturing notes and summaries across multiple conferencing platforms without a bot joining. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
How do Sally and Shadow compare on price?
Sally is a free tier with paid upgrades and Shadow 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 Sally and Shadow?
Yes. Many teams run more than one meeting assistant when the workflows are complementary and the budget is justified.