What Apple gives you.
In the Notes app you can record audio straight into a note and get a transcript of it. On iPhones that support Apple Intelligence, Notes can also summarize that transcript. Voice Memos records too, and recent versions of iOS show a transcript there as well. Both are free, already on your phone, and quick to start.
For a note to yourself, a lecture, or a talk with one main speaker, that is often all you need.
Where it stops: the people.
A meeting is several people talking, and the useful questions afterwards are about them. "What did Sam say about the timeline?" "Who offered to send the numbers?" As of this writing, Apple's transcripts don't put a name on each line; you get the words of the whole room in one stream. And each recording stands on its own: nothing connects the voice in today's note to the same person in last month's.
What Bonfiyah adds.
Records your in-person meetings. Remembers who said what.
- A name on every line. Bonfiyah separates each voice in the transcript. Name a voice once and it carries through the recording.
- The same people, next time. On Pro, Bonfiyah recognizes those voices in your later meetings, from the sound of each voice rather than the words, so new transcripts arrive with names on them.
- A summary of every recording and search across all your meetings by what was said or by who said it (Pro).
- Across meetings (Pro AI): what people promised, when someone's account changes from one meeting to the next, and a brief before you meet someone again.
- Consent, per person. Bonfiyah keeps track of each person's consent, on every plan.
Side by side.
| Notes and Voice Memos | Bonfiyah | |
|---|---|---|
| Comes with your iPhone | Yes | Free download; the Free plan records 120 minutes a month |
| Transcript of the recording | Yes | Yes |
| Says who said each line | No | Yes, each voice separated and named |
| Recognizes the same people next time | No | Yes, by voice (Pro) |
| AI summary | In Notes, on devices with Apple Intelligence | Every recording (Pro) |
| Search by who said something | No | Yes (Pro) |
| Tracks each person's consent | No | Yes, on every plan |
An honest difference: where the transcript is made.
Voice Memos makes its transcript on your device. Bonfiyah transcribes in the cloud. What happens to your recording there: the transcript is deleted from the transcription provider as soon as it is made, the original audio is deleted from Bonfiyah's servers within seven days, and transcripts are never used to train AI. The details are in the privacy commitments and what "on-device" actually means.
Using both.
Keep Notes for your own thoughts and Bonfiyah for meetings. If you already have meetings in Voice Memos, export the audio files and import them into Bonfiyah; each becomes a conversation with a transcript and the speakers identified by voice. More on the built-in recorder in Bonfiyah vs Voice Memos.
New accounts get 14 days of Pro and Pro AI, no card needed. After that, the Free plan records 120 minutes a month on one device.
Questions.
Can Apple Notes tell who is speaking?
As of this writing, no. Notes and Voice Memos give you one transcript of the whole recording, without a name on each line. Bonfiyah separates each voice, lets you name it, and on Pro recognizes that person again in later recordings.
Should I use Apple Notes or Bonfiyah?
For notes to yourself, a lecture or anything with one main speaker, Apple's built-in recording is enough and costs nothing. For meetings with other people, especially people you'll meet again, Bonfiyah keeps track of who said what across all of them.
Can I move my Voice Memos recordings into Bonfiyah?
Yes. Export the audio files from Voice Memos and import them into Bonfiyah; each one is transcribed with the speakers identified by voice, and on Pro gets an AI summary.
