Simon Says and WhisperLiveKit are both AI meeting assistants for recording, transcription, and summaries, compared here on pricing, features, and workflow fit. Simon Says: AI transcription, captioning, and translation built for professional video and audio workflows. WhisperLiveKit: Open-source, self-hosted real-time speech-to-text and speaker diarization toolkit with a FastAPI server and web interface, suitable for meeting transcription. 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 Simon Says when transcribing and captioning footage for video editing projects matters most, and WhisperLiveKit when self-hosted real-time meeting transcription with speaker labels matters most. Both record across Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams; trial each on real meetings before committing.
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
Open-source, self-hosted real-time speech-to-text and speaker diarization toolkit with a FastAPI server and web interface, suitable for meeting transcription.
FastAPI backend with OpenAI-compatible REST API and Deepgram-compatible WebSocket protocolIncluded customizable HTML/JavaScript web interface and Docker images (GPU and CPU)Multiple ASR backends (Whisper variants, Voxtral, Qwen3-ASR) and 200+ language support with translation
Simon Says is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); WhisperLiveKit is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
Real-time streaming speech-to-text with low latency over WebSocket
Standout feature
Subtitle and caption generation with visual editing
Real-time speaker diarization to distinguish multiple speakers
Team usage
Translation across many languages
FastAPI backend with OpenAI-compatible REST API and Deepgram-compatible WebSocket protocol
Integrations
Integrations with Final Cut Pro, Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, and Avid
Multiple ASR backends (Whisper variants, Voxtral, Qwen3-ASR) and 200+ language support with translation
Languages & capture
Support for professional audio and video formats
Included customizable HTML/JavaScript web interface and Docker images (GPU and CPU)
Best-fit workflow
AI transcription with speaker identification
Voice activity detection and multi-user support on a single backend
Best for
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.
WhisperLiveKit
Choose WhisperLiveKit if you need self-hosted real-time meeting transcription with speaker labels — strengths include fully open source (apache 2.0) and self-hostable for private, on-premise transcription.
Pros & cons
Simon Says
+ Integrates directly with professional video editing software
+ Strong multilingual transcription and translation coverage
- Built for video production rather than meeting note-taking
WhisperLiveKit
+ Fully open source (Apache 2.0) and self-hostable for private, on-premise transcription
+ Real-time diarization and low-latency streaming designed for live scenarios like meetings
- Requires technical setup and, for best performance, GPU hardware
FAQ
Is Simon Says or WhisperLiveKit better for AI meeting notes?
It depends on your workflow. Simon Says is strong for transcribing and captioning footage for video editing projects, while WhisperLiveKit is strong for self-hosted real-time meeting transcription with speaker labels. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
How do Simon Says and WhisperLiveKit compare on price?
Simon Says is a free tier with paid upgrades and WhisperLiveKit 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 Simon Says and WhisperLiveKit?
Yes. Many teams run more than one meeting assistant when the workflows are complementary and the budget is justified.