Daisy
Local-first, open-source Mac meeting recorder & dictation with on-device AI.
Daisy is the best choice for anyone who wants total privacy in meeting recordings. The on-device transcription is fast and accurate, the MCP integration with Claude Desktop is a killer feature for power users, and the crash recovery in v1.0.7.29 makes it reliable enough for daily use. Just remember it's Mac-only and still in beta.
- Privacy-conscious professionals who don't want meeting data in the cloud
- Journalists interviewing confidential sources via remote calls
- Developers who want AI-accessible local transcripts via MCP
- Knowledge workers using Obsidian or markdown workflows
- Windows or Linux users (Mac-only, Apple Silicon M1+)
- Users who need cloud sync across devices
- Enterprise teams needing role-based access control
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In short
Daisy — Local-first, open-source Mac meeting recorder & dictation with on-device AI. Best for Privacy-conscious professionals who don't want meeting data in the cloud, Journalists interviewing confidential sources via remote calls, Developers who want AI-accessible local transcripts via MCP. Free to use.
What's new in Daisy
Checked todayAcross the latest 6 updates: 3 feature updates and 3 changelog entries.
Daisy 1.0.7.30 build 74
Updated on-device speech engine FluidAudio 0.15.4, Parakeet transcription v3 model for 25 languages, and newer pyannote Community-1 model for speaker diarization.
Daisy 1.0.7.28 build 72
Long Summary and Follow-up sections now size to content and scroll inside card, preventing cut-off at bottom.
Daisy 1.0.7.29 build 73
Fixed crash during window layout introduced in 1.0.7.28. Summary and Follow-up now scroll properly without crash.
Daisy 1.0.7.27 build 71
Automatic update checks on hourly schedule; Follow-up scrolling fix; 'Hide for today' widget option; Home view width-capped; Permissions screen tidied; Send log includes more diagnostics.
Daisy 1.0.7.25 build 69
Widget 'Hide for 24 hours' now functional and persists across restarts. Dictation page uses native tabs.
Daisy 1.0.7.26 build 70
Daisy recovers recordings interrupted by crash or power loss. On next launch, rebuilds transcript from saved audio. Recordings pause/resume on sleep/wake. Warns if audio not recorded.
Viability Score
How likely is Daisy to still be operational in 12 months? Based on 4 signals — momentum (how recently it shipped), wrapper dependency, revenue model, and web presence.
Last calculated: July 2026
How we score →Key Features
- Local-first meeting recording (no cloud)
- On-device transcription via Neural Engine (WhisperKit or Parakeet v3)
- Speaker diarization (Pyannote Community-1 model)
- MCP server for querying transcripts from Claude Desktop, Cursor
- Push-to-talk dictation into any app
- Floating status widget with color-coded petals
- Markdown transcript storage to any folder (e.g. Obsidian vault)
- Crash/reboot recovery of in-progress recordings
- Vocabulary dictionary for custom names/jargon
- Voice Memos import (macOS 14+)
- Automatic update checks
- Privacy-first: nothing leaves machine unless user configures exports
- 25 languages supported via Parakeet v3
- One-click speaker rename with voice learning
- Supports Silero VAD pre-pass for silence filtering
About Daisy
Daisy is a local-first, open-source meeting recorder and dictation app for macOS. It captures audio from any app (Zoom, Meet, Telegram, etc.) directly on your Mac, transcribes it using on-device WhisperKit or Parakeet v3 on the Neural Engine, and saves transcripts as Markdown files to your chosen folder. A floating widget shows status at a glance with color-coded petals. Daisy also offers push-to-talk dictation in any app. Key features include on-device speaker diarization using Pyannote (updated to Community-1 model as of June 2026), an MCP server for querying transcripts from Claude Desktop, Cursor, and other MCP clients, and automated crash/reboot recovery that rebuilds transcripts from saved audio. The Parakeet engine uses a v3 model supporting 25 languages with improved speaker separation. Privacy is central: nothing leaves your machine unless you configure exports. Transcripts are stored as Markdown in your chosen folder (e.g., an Obsidian vault), and you retain full control. Daisy is free during beta with a lifetime purchase planned after launch — no subscription. Compared to cloud-based meeting recorders like Otter.ai or Fireflies.ai, Daisy offers superior data ownership and offline capability, but lacks cross-device sync, web interface, and team collaboration features.
Behind the Verdict
Daisy solves a real problem: keeping meeting transcripts off the cloud. If you're privacy-conscious, this is the tool for you. The on-device transcription using WhisperKit or Parakeet v3 is surprisingly good, especially with the Silero VAD pre-pass that filters silences. The speaker diarization, while not perfect (the team is honest about ~10–15% error offline), works better than most cloud tools for two-channel recordings. The MCP server is a differentiator — being able to query transcripts directly from Claude Desktop or Cursor without uploading anything is powerful. But be aware of limitations: it's Mac-only (Apple Silicon M1+ and macOS 14+), there's no cloud sync, and no web interface. If you need to access transcripts from multiple devices or collaborate with a team, look elsewhere. Compared to Otter.ai or Fireflies.ai, Daisy is simpler and more private, but lacks collaboration features. The beta is free, and the planned lifetime purchase after launch is refreshing in a subscription-heavy space. We'd recommend it to anyone who wants to keep their data local and doesn't need enterprise features.
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Use Cases
- Record and transcribe remote meetings without a bot or cloud upload.
- Use push-to-talk dictation to type anywhere on your Mac with local AI.
- Expose meeting transcripts as a live data source to Claude Desktop or Cursor via MCP.
- Import existing Voice Memos and transcribe them offline.
- Keep meeting notes in Markdown format synced to Obsidian or iCloud Drive.
Models Under the Hood
Limitations
- Requires macOS 14+ and Apple Silicon (M1+).
- On-device models download automatically on first use, which may be large.
- No cloud storage or collaboration features.
12-month cost
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Vendor list price only. Add-on usage, seat overages, and contract minimums are surfaced under Hidden costs & gotchas.
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