DoodleNote review
A free, open-source meeting assistant for private, on-device transcription.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
DoodleNote is a local-first meeting assistant for individuals and teams that want meeting capture without a bot joining the call. Its desktop apps capture microphone and system audio, transcribe conversations on-device, and turn transcripts and rough notes into meeting records. AI features include summaries, decisions, action items, editable speaker labels, timestamps, and follow-up questions across meetings. It is a particularly good fit for privacy-oriented solo users and small teams that prefer local processing, open-source software, or self-hosting.
The Free plan includes unlimited meetings and recording, no-bot capture, on-device transcription, local-model or own-API-key AI notes, calendar prompts for Microsoft 365 and Google Calendar, templates, folders, and full-text search. The Sync plan costs $10 per user per month, billed monthly, and adds two-way meeting sync across devices, a web library, read-only share links, team workspaces, and synced images in notes. DoodleNote runs on macOS and Windows, with cloud, desktop, and self-hosted deployment options. Its ecosystem includes Microsoft 365 Calendar, Google Calendar, OpenAI, Anthropic, Groq, OpenRouter, Ollama, and MCP.
The main trade-off is between a capable local application and a smaller collaboration ecosystem. Sync adds useful access and sharing features, but the free experience is centered on local desktop use, while Windows is beta and iPhone and iPad apps are in development. Support is community-based. DoodleNote suits users who prioritize on-device transcription, flexible AI-provider choices, and self-hosting over broad integrations. Teams that need a mature mobile experience or a wider integration footprint should consider a more ecosystem-focused alternative.
DoodleNote pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Unlimited meetings and recording on the Free plan
- On-device transcription with no-bot audio capture
- Open source with self-hosting and local AI options
- Where it doesn't
- Sync features require the $10 per-user monthly plan
- Integration coverage centers on calendars and AI providers
- Windows is beta, while iPhone and iPad apps are in development
DoodleNote fact sheet, pricing and score →
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