AudioPen vs Talknotes
We give AudioPen a 3.2 GPA and Talknotes a 3.0, out of 4.0. AudioPen grades higher on value for money and the free plan. Talknotes grades higher on features. They get the same grade on ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
AudioPen
Voice notes rewritten into clear text in a chosen style
Talknotes
AI voice notes that turn recordings into formatted text
How we grade them
| 3.2GPAAudioPenVery good | 3.0GPATalknotesVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BPrime is $33 for 3 months, so $11 a month, or $99 for a year, which works out to $8.25. That's the dear end for this category, where plans typically start at $5.99. But it's a notes app and voice typing in one, and passes are charged once and never renew themselves. | C$197 a year, shown as $16 a month, or $19.97 paid monthly. That's more than twice the $5.99 a month typical for note apps, and dearer over a year than the voice-note apps we list beside it. Both plans include everything, but unlimited use comes with a fair usage policy. |
| Free plan and trial | BFree gives you the real thing with limits: recordings up to 3 minutes, each one transcribed and rewritten in your chosen style. Three minutes is short, though. Voice typing is limited to a set number of sessions, and audio uploads need Prime. | CNo free plan. There's a 7-day trial on both the monthly and the yearly plan, and the listing can't say whether it asks for a card. Make your mind up inside the week, because the terms say all sales are final. |
| Features | BTranscribe then rewrite, a library of styles plus your own, three levels of editing, and speaking one language while it writes another. Voice typing works inside other apps. But there are no speaker labels, and 15 minutes is the longest recording. | AOne button to record, more than 100 premade styles for the output, and custom styles that follow your own instructions. It takes uploaded audio and exports to PDF, text or Markdown. One oddity: the FAQ mentions credits for notes over 20 minutes on a Pro plan the pricing page doesn't list. |
| Ease of use | BWe have no App Store rating on record, so a B is as high as we go. The whole thing is one button: talk, stop, read. Picking a style and a rewrite level is the only setup. | BNo rating on record, so a B is our ceiling. It's one button, and recording carries on in the background while you have other things open. You do need an internet connection. |
| Platforms and integrations | AWeb, Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad, Android and a browser extension. Notes go onward through Zapier or webhooks, and on Prime an MCP lets ChatGPT or Claude search and read them. | AWeb, iPhone and Android, with Zapier and webhooks to pass finished notes on to other apps. There's no native desktop app. On a computer you install it from Chrome as a web app, and Safari and Firefox aren't supported for that. |
| Best for | rambling out loud and getting tidy text back | turning rambling voice notes into tidy text |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: AudioPen and Talknotes. How we grade
Where they differ
- AudioPen starts at $33 for 3 months of Prime, charged once ($11 a month). Talknotes starts at $197 per year (shown as $16 / month, billed annually).
- AudioPen has a free plan. Talknotes does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only AudioPen lists macOS and Windows apps.
- Only AudioPen lists a browser extension.
- AudioPen also covers dictation.
- Talknotes also covers meeting notes and templates.
At a glance
| AudioPen | Talknotes | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $33 for 3 months of Prime, charged once ($11 a month) | $197 per year (shown as $16 / month, billed annually) |
| Free plan | Recordings up to 3 minutes, each transcribed and rewritten in a chosen style, plus a limited number of voice typing sessions. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | 7-day free trial on both the monthly and the yearly plan. |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Nicheless, Inc. | Clutch Codeworks LLC |
| Price read from | audiopen.ai | talknotes.io |
| Checked | Oct 6, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
Who each one suits
AudioPen
- Writers and creators who draft by talking
- Capturing ideas on the move from a phone or watch
- People who find typing slow or painful, such as with RSI or dyslexia
Talknotes
- Drafting emails, posts and articles by talking
- Turning recorded meetings, interviews or lectures into summaries
- People who want one voice-notes account on web, iPhone and Android
Worth knowing
AudioPen
- Free recordings stop at 3 minutes, and free voice typing is limited to a set number of sessions.
- Prime is sold as fixed-term passes charged once ($33, $99 or $159), not as an auto-renewing subscription.
- It is not a meeting recorder: the vendor says it will not join a Zoom call or label who said what.
- Audio uploads need Prime and are capped at 100 files every 4 weeks, with a 100 MB limit per file.
Talknotes
- The pricing page lists no free plan: after a 7-day trial it costs $19.97 a month or $197 a year, and the terms say all sales are final.
- An internet connection is required, and unlimited usage is subject to a fair usage policy in the terms.
- The FAQ says notes longer than 20 minutes use credits on a Pro plan, which the pricing page does not list or explain.
- There is no native desktop app: on a computer it is installed from Chrome as a web app, and Safari and Firefox are not supported for that.
Key features
AudioPen
- Transcribe, then rewrite
- Each recording is transcribed and then rewritten into structured text, and the plain transcript is kept alongside the rewritten note.
- Writing styles and rewrite level
- A style library covers formats such as email, memo and bullet points, custom styles are built from a description or a writing sample, and the edit can be set to low, medium or high.
- Voice typing in other apps
- A hotkey on Mac and Windows, a keyboard on iPhone and iPad, and a floating bubble on Android place dictated text wherever the cursor is.
- Speak one language, write another
- The spoken language and the written language do not have to match, so a note dictated in Spanish can come back in English.
- Offline transcription option
- The iPhone, Android, Mac and Windows apps can transcribe on the device so audio never leaves it. The AI rewrite step still needs a connection.
- Zapier, webhooks and MCP
- Saved notes can be passed on through Zapier or webhooks, and the Prime-only MCP gives ChatGPT or Claude read-only access to search and read notes.
Talknotes
- One-button recording
- A single button starts a recording in the web app or the mobile apps, and recording carries on in the background while other things are open.
- Premade and custom styles
- More than 100 premade styles shape the output as a note, task list, journal entry, email, blog post, video script or social post, and custom styles follow your own instructions.
- Transcription in 50+ languages
- Recordings are transcribed in more than 50 languages, with an automatic language option, and both the note and its transcript can be edited afterward.
- Audio file uploads
- Existing audio files in several formats can be uploaded and turned into notes, which the vendor suggests for recorded phone or video calls.
- Export and share links
- Notes export as PDF, plain text or Markdown, go out by email or message, or can be made public and shared through a link.
- Zapier, webhooks and WhatsApp
- Zapier and webhooks pass finished notes to other apps, and a WhatsApp bot transcribes voice messages inside WhatsApp.
Plans
AudioPen
Free$0
Recordings up to 3 minutes, transcribed and rewritten in a chosen style, with a limited number of voice typing sessions.
Prime 3 months$33
one-time payment for 3 months
Unlimited recordings up to 15 minutes, unlimited voice typing and rewrites, unlimited note storage, audio file uploads and SuperSummaries.
Prime Yearly Pass$99
one-time payment for 1 year
The same Prime features for one year, charged once. The vendor works this out to $8.25 a month and labels it a 25% saving.
Prime 2 Year Pass$159
one-time payment for 2 years
The same Prime features for two years. The vendor works this out to $6.63 a month and labels it a 40% saving.
Talknotes
Yearly$197
per year (shown as $16 / month, billed annually)
All features: unlimited notes, 2-hour recording, file uploads, custom styles, export and the iOS and Android apps.
Monthly$19.97
per month, billed monthly
The same features as the yearly plan, billed month to month after the 7-day trial.
Ways to pay less
AudioPen
- Annual discount
Longer Prime passes cost less per month
Against the 3-month pass at $11 a month, the vendor labels the 1-year pass ($99) a 25% saving and the 2-year pass ($159) a 40% saving.
- Other savings
20% off multiple Prime licenses
Buying several one-year Prime licenses through the bulk purchase page, up to 100 per order, carries a 20% discount. Bulk purchases are not refundable.
Talknotes
- Annual discount
Save 18% with yearly billing
The yearly plan is $197, against $19.97 a month on the monthly plan. Talknotes labels this an 18% saving.
