Plaud
Hardware first: a recorder you wear or clip to a phone, with the AI plan sold alongside it.
Our verdict
The only real answer for conversations that happen in a room rather than on a screen, provided you accept buying hardware.
Plaud is the hardware answer. It sells recorders you wear or clip to a phone, and the AI plan is bought alongside them, which makes it the only product in this category built for conversations that happen in a room rather than on a screen. A clinician, a site engineer or a field salesperson is the buyer this was designed for.
Every device includes the free Starter plan and its 300 transcription minutes a month. Pro is $17.99 a month or $8.33 on annual billing for 1,200 minutes, and Unlimited is $29.99 monthly or $19.99 annual. Team runs $28 a user monthly or $20 on annual billing at the current launch offer. Plaud also publishes a device SDK, an API, an MCP server, a CLI and a real release-notes page, which is more of a developer surface than any other consumer tool here.
Two caveats. The desktop app requires a device, and devices start around $159, so the true first-year cost is hardware plus subscription. And a wearable recorder puts consent squarely on the buyer in a way that a visible bot in a video call does not.
What it does well
- Physical recorders: NotePin worn on the body, Note that clips to a phone, NotePro and Plaud One
- Bridges in-person conversations, phone calls and online meetings in one timeline
- Templates by profession, with sales, healthcare and education variants
- Mobile, web and desktop apps, with the desktop app requiring a device
- Device SDK, API, MCP and CLI for developers
Pros and cons
Pros
Pricing
| Tier | Monthly | Includes | Seats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | Free | 300 transcription minutes a month, included with every Plaud device | 1 |
| Pro our pick | $17.99 | 1,200 transcription minutes a month. $8.33 a month on annual billing | 1 |
| Unlimited | $29.99 | Unlimited transcription, up to 24 hours a day. $19.99 a month on annual billing | 1 |
| Team | $28 | Unlimited transcription for teams, $20 a user a month on annual billing at the launch offer | per user |
User reviews
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Side by side
| Tool | Our score | From | Free tier | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plaud this page | 7.8 | $17.99 | Yes | In-person conversations, site visits and consultations that never… | |
| 🥇HyNote Our pick | 6.5 | $11.99 | Yes | People who capture more than meetings: PDFs, YouTube,… | Visit |
| 🥈Granola | 7.9 | $14 | Yes | Back-to-back meeting days on a laptop, where you… | |
| 🥉Otter.ai | 7.2 | $16.99 | Yes | Teams that need an established vendor with SSO,… | |
| Gong | 6.2 | - | - | Sales organisations buying revenue analytics, with a budget… | |
| Coconote | 3.7 | - | Yes | Students turning lectures and readings into flashcards, quizzes… |
Tools marked Our pick are commercial partners: we earn a commission if you subscribe through our link, and we place them first. Scores are produced by our published rubric and are not affected by any commercial relationship.
Articles on Plaud
Questions
Does Plaud have a free plan?
Yes. 300 transcription minutes a month, included with every Plaud device Checked on 2026-08-30.
How much does Plaud cost?
Plaud starts at $17.99 a month for Pro, or $99.99 a year. 1,200 transcription minutes a month. $8.33 a month on annual billing Prices read from the vendor’s own pricing page on 2026-08-30.
What is Plaud best for?
In-person conversations, site visits and consultations that never touch a video call.
When is Plaud the wrong choice?
Anyone unwilling to buy hardware, or working where recording consent is unresolved.