Private AI Note Taker vs Ollie Timer
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Private AI Note Taker
This app provides private, on-device AI for meeting notes and transcriptions without cloud reliance. It securely records live meetings or processes uploaded audio/video files, offering AI-generated summaries and searchable notes. Your conversations remain offline and private, never shared or used for model training.
- On-device secure and private note-taking
- Offline meeting recording and transcription
- Automatic AI-generated summaries
- Searchable transcripts and export options
- Hands-free recording with Siri Shortcuts
- Support for over 60 languages
- Choice of transcription models (Apple/WhisperKit)
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Basil is a private AI note taker for meetings. Recording, transcription and summaries all run on your device. Nothing is uploaded, and there is no server holding your conversations. WHY ON-DEVICE MATTERS Most AI note takers send your audio to a cloud service to be transcribed and summarized. Basil doesn't. Transcription runs on the Neural Engine, and summaries are generated locally by Apple Intelligence. There is no account to create, no subprocessor list, and no server to subpoena. RECORD ANY MEETING • In Person — capture the room with your microphone. • Computer (Mac) — capture both sides of a Zoom, Teams or Meet call without putting a bot in the meeting. Nothing joins your call, and nothing leaves your Mac. • Import existing audio or video files. Basil extracts the audio locally. TRANSCRIPTS AND SUMMARIES • A fast live transcript while you record, then a refined, higher-accuracy pass right after the session. • Transcripts include speakers names and are fully exportable. • Summaries, action items, decisions and follow-ups, generated on device. • 60+ languages. • Full-text search across everything you have recorded. BASIL FOR LAW A legal edition for attorneys and firms: • Privilege attestation — an on-device provenance record documenting that a recording was captured and processed locally. • Consent log — a timestamped attestation, built to the strictest all-party-consent standard so one workflow works in every state. • Matters and clients — organize by matter rather than by date. • Privileged & Confidential labeling on recordings, transcripts and exports. These are record-keeping tools for legal professionals. They are not legal services or legal advice, and no software can guarantee a privilege outcome. Basil's contribution is architectural: your client conversations never leave your device. ACROSS YOUR DEVICES A universal app for iPhone, iPad and Mac. Your library syncs through your own iCloud account — your iCloud, not our servers. EXPORT Send notes to Apple Notes, Calendar, Reminders and Files. SUBSCRIPTIONS Basil Pro unlocks unlimited recording. Basil for Law adds the legal feature set above. Free trials are available on both. Current pricing and trial length are shown on the subscription screen in the app. - [Privacy Policy](https://basilai.app/privacy) - [Terms of Use](https://basilai.app/terms)
Ollie Timer
This app uses a cute otter companion to help you focus on tasks like studying, working, reading, or coding. Complete focus sessions to earn rewards, care for your otter, and build consistent habits.
- Focus timers (15, 25, 50 min)
- Task categories (work, study, read, code)
- Pause and resume sessions
- Track completed sessions and minutes
- Weekly stats and focus patterns
- Daily streak building
- Collectible shells
- Care for virtual otter companion
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A quiet focus timer with no ads and no subscriptions. Buy it once, use it forever, and focus with Ollie even when you’re offline. Settle in and gently focus on what you need to do with Ollie, your adorable otter companion. Ollie is a cozy focus timer that makes solo work feel a little warmer and easier to keep up with. Choose what you’re working on — studying, work, reading, or coding — and start a focus session with Ollie by your side. Each time you finish a session, you’ll collect shells, take care of Ollie’s room, and keep a record of the time you spent together. Key Features • No ads • No subscriptions • Buy once, use forever • Works offline • 15, 25, and 50-minute focus timers • Categories for studying, work, reading, and coding • Pause and resume your focus timer • Track your focus time and session history • Weekly focus stats and focus pattern insights • Streaks that show your consistency • Collect shells and special rare shells as focus rewards • Pet Ollie, give him snacks, and play together • Dress up Ollie with hats and accessories You don’t have to focus perfectly. Just showing up today is enough. Ollie will be here, saving your spot.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Private AI Note Taker at Free against Ollie Timer's $12.99. Private AI Note Taker also leads on ratings volume (24 vs 2). Ollie Timer's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On rating, review sentiment, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Private AI Note Taker is free to download; Ollie Timer costs $12.99 up front. Private AI Note Taker sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Ollie Timer asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Private AI Note Taker against 5.0 for Ollie Timer. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Private AI Note Taker has 24 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 92% of Private AI Note Taker's written reviews are positive against 100% of Ollie Timer's.
Private AI Note Taker ships an update every 6 days, Ollie Timer every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Private AI Note Taker | Ollie Timer |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $12.99 |
| Rating | 5.0 (24 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 92.3% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 24 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 days | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 22 MB | 8 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Michael Stajer | hyeukJin kim |
Customer experience
Private AI Note Taker
Ollie Timer
In-app purchases
Private AI Note Taker
- Basil AI Pro Weekly$4.997 Days
- Basil AI Pro Monthly3 Days trial$9.991 Month
- Basil for Law Monthly3 Days trial$19.991 Month
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- Basil AI Pro Yearly (Save 17%)7 Days trial$99.991 Year
- Basil for Law Yearly7 Days trial$199.991 Year
- Basil AI Pro Lifetime$199.00
Ollie Timer
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Private AI Note Taker free?
Is Ollie Timer free?
Which has better reviews, Private AI Note Taker or Ollie Timer?
Do Private AI Note Taker or Ollie Timer have ads?
Which is updated more often, Private AI Note Taker or Ollie Timer?
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