Cockatoo review (2026): is the free plan enough?
Upload-based AI transcription with speaker labels and translation
Black Friday: is there a Cockatoo sale?
Cockatoo report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 13, 2026
Best for upload-based AI transcription
Cockatoo transcribes uploaded audio and video files and live recordings, with speaker labels, translation and an editor. Pro is $30 a month if you pay monthly, the pages describe no bot that joins calls, and there is no integration list.
Who Cockatoo is for
- Fits if you have recordings to upload and want speaker-labelled transcripts
- Works for iPhone users who want voice notes sent to the same account
Who Cockatoo is not for
- Pricey if you pay monthly, as Pro is $30 against $22.50 on yearly billing, and Max is $100 a month
- Skip it if you want a bot to join your calls, as the pages read describe none
- Watch out: Team starts at three users, and Max is billed monthly only
- Skip it if you use Android or want a desktop app, as only web and iPhone are listed
Why Cockatoo gets a 2.2
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- CValue for moneyPro is $22.50 a month on yearly billing and $30 monthly, past the dearer quarter ($18) of meeting-note tools but below its dearest tenth.
- CFree plan and trialA free plan to try transcription, read and edit transcripts and preview translation, no card needed. It is a taste, not a plan to live on.
- CFeaturesUpload or record, two transcription models, translation, exports and a Canvas. The pages describe no bot to join calls.
- BEase of useNo store rating on record, but you upload a file or record and get a transcript back with nothing to set up.
- CPlatforms and integrationsWeb and iPhone only, with no integrations or desktop app listed.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Cockatoo's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
Make Cockatoo? Put this grade on your site
Paste this where you want the badge. It links here and follows the grade if it changes. About badges
<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/cockatoo#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/cockatoo.svg" alt="Cockatoo: 2.2 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Cockatoo stands among AI meeting note takers
Cockatoo's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 20 of the 89 other AI meeting note takers we grade, and level with 27.
It stands best on ease of use (B, above 56 of 89) and worst on features (C, above 1).
Its paid plans start at $22.50 a month, against a middle price of $12 for the category: 66 of the 76 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. 45 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 90 AI meeting note takers we grade, cut by the letter each got. Cockatoo’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 21 of 89, level with 57
- CFree plan and trialAbove 19 of 89, level with 59
- CFeaturesAbove 1 of 89, level with 45
- BEase of useAbove 56 of 89, level with 24
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 1 of 89, level with 14
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 77 AI meeting note takers. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep Cockatoo, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace Cockatoo you would be making a bot that joins your calls and turns the talk into notes. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 42 of the 89 other AI meeting note takers grade higher. It costs $270 a year.
What you could not
- A bot that joins your calls and turns the talk into notes.
- Dictation that types into any app on your computer.
- An AI model, which you can rent by the request but not make.
- Speech turned into text you can trust.
- A real app for iOS. Something home-made would be a web page.
What this rests on. Cockatoo’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Cockatoo?
Cockatoo turns audio and video files and live recordings into timestamped, speaker-labeled transcripts in more than 90 languages. Its Canvas workspace adds summaries and chat over a transcript, and transcripts can be translated and exported. It suits recorded meetings and interviews more than live in-call note taking.
Worth knowing
- It works from uploaded files and live recording; the pages read do not describe a bot that joins calls.
- Pro needs $30 a month on monthly billing; the $22.50 figure applies to annual billing.
- Team plans start at three users, and Max is billed monthly only.
Key features
- Upload or record
- Drag in MP3, MP4, M4A, MOV, WAV and other formats for a timestamped, speaker-labeled transcript, or record and dictate live on Pro.
- Two transcription models
- V4-Fast is unlimited on paid plans; V4-Pro supports 36 languages and has monthly limits that Max raises to 5x or 10x.
- Canvas
- Summaries, insights, chat and edits over a transcript. Canvas is available to try on the free plan and in full on Pro.
- Translation and exports
- Translate transcripts into 90 languages, and documents such as PDF, Word and PowerPoint. Export as PDF, DOCX, TXT or subtitles.
- Voice Notes for iOS
- A companion iPhone app, Cockatoo AI Voice Notes, handles voice capture and dictation on the go.
Cockatoo pricing
As of Nov 13, 2026, Cockatoo has a free plan, and paid plans start at $22.50 per month, billed annually ($30 billed monthly).
- Starts at
- $22.50 per month, billed annually ($30 billed monthly)
- Free plan
- Free: try audio and video transcription, read and edit transcripts, file translation previews and Canvas. No credit card required.
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | A small allowance to try transcription, translation previews and Canvas. |
| Pro | $22.50per month, billed annually ($30 billed monthly) | Unlimited V4-Fast transcription, monthly V4-Pro limits, diarization, 90-language translation, bulk export, Canvas and 2 TB storage. |
| Max | $100per month for 5x Pro usage, billed monthly | Everything in Pro with 5x the V4-Pro allowance; 10x costs $200 a month. Adds early access and priority at busy times. |
| Team | $12per user / month, billed annually ($15 billed monthly) | Starts at three users ($432 a year). Each member gets Pro features and 2 TB storage, with shared files and central billing. |
Read from cockatoo.com on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Cockatoo before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Annual discountAnnual billing lowers Pro and Team
Pro is $270 a year ($22.50 a month) against $30 monthly, and Team for three people is $432 a year against $45 a month.
Stated on cockatoo.com
How people rate the Cockatoo app
4.7
out of 5 for the iPhone and iPad app
- 5 stars85%
- 4 stars9%
- 3 stars3%
- 2 stars<1%
- 1 star2%
786 ratings on the App Store in the United States, read Nov 13, 2026. It rates the app, not everything the product does. See the listing
Cockatoo alternatives
- Cockatoo vs Otter.ai
Free plan · from $8.33/mo
- Cockatoo vs Notta
Free plan · from $8.17/mo
- Cockatoo vs Transkriptor
Free trial · from $8.33/mo
- Cockatoo vs Sonix
Free trial · from $25/mo
- Cockatoo vs Trint
Free trial · from $79/mo
Common questions
Does Cockatoo have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Cockatoo is listed for Web and iOS.
Does Cockatoo have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Cockatoo is listed for Web and iOS.
Is Cockatoo open source?
Cockatoo is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 13, 2026.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026. What people say is linked where it appears.