Omi vs Plaud (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Plaud grades higher than Omi: 2.8 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Plaud grades higher on value for money, the free plan and 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.
Omi
Wearable recorder and app that summarizes conversations
Plaud
AI voice recorder devices with an app for transcripts and summaries
Which one is for you
Pick Omi if
- Fits if you want to read or change the code of the thing that records you
- Works for walking-around days and in-person chats where no meeting bot can join
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free: 5 hours of cloud recording and 30 Ask Omi questions a month
- Pricey if you want speaker identification and a live transcript, which are Pro features at $29.99 a month
- Watch out: the device is sold separately, and its price showed in Malaysian ringgit when we read the page
- Skip it if you want a Windows app, as only iPhone, Android, Mac and web are listed
- Not for you if you record people without their consent, as local law can require it
Pick Plaud if
- Fits if you record in-person talks and calls on a recorder
- Works for people who want a bot-free way to capture online meetings on a computer
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you add the recorder: $189 for the Note Pro, on top of the plan
- Tight if you talk a lot: Starter is 300 minutes a month, Pro 1,200
- Watch out: many integrations are labelled preview, and Plaud One is shown as pre-order
- Watch out: the Team offer of $20 a user a month for the first year ends November 30, 2026, then $25
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAOmiFair | 2.8GPAPlaudGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | DPro is $29.99 a month, or $269.91 a year, which is in the dearest tenth of meeting-note tools, and the device costs extra. | B$8.33 a month on Pro, billed yearly, for 1,200 minutes, at the cheaper end of the category. Monthly it's $17.99, and the recorder is a separate buy, from $189 for Note Pro. |
| Free plan and trial | CUnlimited recording on the phone, but cloud recording stops at 5 hours a month and Ask Omi at 30 questions. | BStarter is free with 300 transcription minutes a month and 112+ languages. That covers light use. |
| Features | CRecaps, to-dos, offline recording, 25+ languages and ChatGPT and Claude access. Speaker identification, a live transcript and all-day recording are Pro only. | BRecorder devices, transcription, 10,000+ summary templates, bot-free desktop capture, search and folders. Connectors such as Notion, Slack and Salesforce are in preview. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. There is a device to pair and accounts to connect. | CNo store rating on record. You buy and pair a recorder, or use the apps, and choose templates. |
| Platforms and integrations | BiPhone, Android, Mac and web, with Google Calendar, Gmail, Telegram, ChatGPT and Claude. No Windows app is listed. | BWeb, Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android, with Zapier, Notion, Slack and MCP, though those connectors are marked preview. |
| Best for | a wearable recorder with an open-source app | pocket voice recorders with transcription plans |
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: Omi and Plaud. How we grade
Price against what you get
Omi starts at $29.99 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Plaud starts at $8.33 a month and scores 2.7.
Plaud scores higher and starts $21.66 a month lower. Of the other AI meeting note takers on the chart, 48 score higher than Omi for less, and 8 score higher than Plaud for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Omi is open source, according to its own site.
- Omi also covers chat assistant and tasks.
- Plaud also covers templates.
At a glance
| Omi | Plaud | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $29.99 per month; $269.91 per year | $8.33 per month on Pro, billed annually ($17.99 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | Unlimited recording on the phone, 5 hours of cloud recording a month, recaps and to-dos, and 30 Ask Omi questions a month. | Starter plan: 300 transcription minutes a month, 112+ languages, summary templates, Plaud Desktop and export and sharing. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Based Hardware Inc. | Plaud Inc. |
| Price read from | omi.me | plaud.ai |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Omi
- Cloud recording on the free plan stops at 5 hours a month; all-day recording needs Pro.
- Speaker identification and the live transcript are Pro features.
- The device is bought separately; the single-device price showed in Malaysian ringgit, and a 2-pack showed at $218.
- Recording other people can need their consent, depending on local law.
Plaud
- The devices are separate purchases; the Note Pro page lists $189, and the plans are for transcription minutes.
- Pro is capped at 1,200 minutes a month; Unlimited runs up to 24 hours a day.
- A Team launch offer of $20 per user a month for the first year, then $25, ends November 30, 2026.
- Many integrations are labeled preview, and Plaud One is shown as pre-order.
Key features
Omi
- Wearable recorder
- Two microphones in a 2.5 cm x 1.5 cm device that clips to a chain, a band or sits on a desk, with a stated 2 to 3 day battery.
- Recaps and to-dos
- Each conversation produces a summary and a task list that can go to a task app, in more than 25 languages.
- Offline recording
- The device keeps recording without a connection and syncs to the phone once it is back online.
- Ask Omi
- Questions across past conversations: 30 a month on Free and 1,000 a month on Pro.
- ChatGPT and Claude access
- Conversations can be connected to ChatGPT and Claude on any plan; Pro keeps every conversation open to them.
- Open source code
- The software and hardware are open source, and the code is public on GitHub. The site also says it can run locally.
Plaud
- Recorder devices
- Plaud Note, Note Pro, NotePin and NotePin S capture in-person talks and calls; the Note Pro page lists it at $189.
- Transcription in 112+ languages
- Recordings, imported audio and desktop captures are transcribed, with a monthly minute allowance on each plan.
- Summaries from templates
- Choose from 10,000+ summary templates or build custom ones; the vendor says summaries are traceable to the transcript.
- Bot-free desktop capture
- Plaud Desktop records online meetings without a meeting bot and can detect when a meeting starts.
- Searchable knowledge base
- Timeline view, nested folders, merged recordings and search by keyword, name or topic.
- Connectors in preview
- Google Calendar, Zapier, MCP, Notion, Slack, Linear and Salesforce connections are all marked as preview.
Plans
Omi
Free$0
Included with every Omi: 5 hours of cloud recording a month, recap and to-do list after each chat, 30 questions a month.
Pro$29.99
per month, or $269.91 per year
Whole-day recording, speaker identification, live transcript, 1,000 Ask Omi questions a month and Telegram texting.
Plaud
Starter$0
300 transcription minutes a month; all plans include 112+ languages and 10,000+ summary templates.
Pro$8.33
per month, billed annually ($17.99 billed monthly)
1,200 transcription minutes a month for one user.
Unlimited$20.00
per month, billed annually ($29.99 billed monthly)
Unlimited transcription minutes, up to 24 hours a day, for one user.
Team$25
per user / month, billed annually ($35 billed monthly)
Everything in Unlimited plus shared team files, centralized billing, seat and device management and priority support.
Ways to pay less
Omi
- Annual discount
Pro costs $269.91 a year
Omi's pricing section lists Pro at $29.99 a month or $269.91 a year, which works out to about $22.49 a month.
Plaud
- Annual discount
Save up to 54% with annual billing
Plaud's pricing page shows Pro at $8.33 a month annually against $17.99 monthly, and Unlimited at $20.00 against $29.99.
- Education
10% off for students, educators and healthcare
Plaud lists 10% off for students and grads, educators, healthcare workers, military and first responders.
- Other savings
Team launch offer: $20 per user for the first year
Annual Team seats are $20 per user a month for the first year, then $25. The page says the offer ends November 30, 2026.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Omi or Plaud?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Plaud is cheaper to start with: $8.33 a month, against $29.99 a month for Omi. Omi starts at $29.99 per month; $269.91 per year, and Plaud starts at $8.33 per month on Pro, billed annually ($17.99 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Omi or Plaud?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Omi and Plaud have a free plan.
Which platforms do Omi and Plaud run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Plaud lists a Windows app. Both list a web app and macOS, iOS and Android apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.