The Wave AI Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Wave AI in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Wave AI
The Insider’s Guide
AI note taker and recorder for meetings, calls and lectures
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among AI meeting note takers, read from Wave AI’s own pages.
Made by Mohrer Associates LLC · checked Oct 10, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Wave AI’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Wave AI’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 10, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
3.4
GPA, above 47 of the 48 other AI meeting note takers we grade
Wave AI records, transcribes and summarizes meetings, phone calls, lectures and in-person conversations across phones, watches, computers and the browser. Online meetings are captured either by a bot that joins Zoom, Google Meet or Teams calls or by a desktop app that records system audio without one. Summaries follow built-in or custom templates, and an assistant searches and answers questions across the whole recording history.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Wave AI, taken from its own pages and our grades.
If you need more than one short meeting a month for free, look elsewhere.
- 1
Best for recording in-person chats and phone calls
Wave AI records and summarizes conversations from your phone, watch or laptop, including both sides of a phone call.
- 2
Paid plans start at $6.67 a month
As its pricing page puts it: $6.67 per month, billed annually ($80 per year); $15 billed monthly.
- 3
There is a free plan
30 minutes of audio per calendar month across recordings, imports, phone calls and bot meetings, with AI transcription and summaries. Unused minutes do not roll over.
- 4
It runs on 6 platforms
Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android, with a browser extension too.
- 5
Recording on every device
Record from a phone, an Apple Watch or Wear OS watch, the desktop app, a browser or the Chrome extension. Phone recording continues in the background and with the screen locked.
- 6
Meeting bot or bot-free capture
A bot can join Zoom, Google Meet and Teams calls from a connected calendar or a pasted link. The desktop app instead records the microphone and system audio with no bot in the call.
- 7
Phone call recording
Calls dialed from Wave's keypad, or bridged in while already in progress, are recorded on both sides, transcribed and summarized, with your own number shown as caller ID.
- 8
A 3.4 GPA, above 47 of 48
That is against the other AI meeting note takers we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
To replace Wave AI 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.
Wave AI at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan, from $6.67 per month, billed annually ($80 per year); $15 billed monthly
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- Free trial of Pro offered on the pricing page; its length is not stated
- Runs on
- Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, Browser extension
- Made by
- Mohrer Associates LLC, since 2024
- Category
- AI Meeting Notes
- Our grade
- 3.4 GPA, very good
- Store rating
- 4.9 on the App Store, 12,112 ratings
The report card
Best for recording in-person chats and phone calls
Wave AI records and summarizes conversations from your phone, watch or laptop, including both sides of a phone call. The free plan is 30 minutes a month across everything, Pro is $80 a year on the web but $100 through the app stores or $15 paid monthly, and recent reviews report exports losing formatting and recordings that don't process. If you need more than one short meeting a month for free, look elsewhere.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | B | Pro is $80 a year on the web, or $6.67 a month, for unlimited recording, transcripts and summaries on every device. That's a little under where meeting notetakers usually start, and the same year costs $100 bought through the app stores. |
| Free plan and trial | C | 30 minutes a month, and recordings, imports, phone calls and bot meetings all come out of the one pool. That's a single short meeting, so it's a cap you'll hit on day one. Earlier recordings stay, and unused minutes don't roll over. |
| Features | A | Recording from a phone, a watch, a browser or a desktop app, with a bot or without one, speaker names in 76 languages, your own summary templates and a chat across every recording. It also records phone calls, both sides, from your own number. |
| Ease of use | A | 4.9 from about 12,100 App Store ratings. You press one red button and talk, and it keeps recording with the screen locked. |
| Platforms and integrations | A | iPhone, Android, Mac, Windows, Linux (in beta), the web, a Chrome extension, Apple Watch and Wear OS. It sends notes to Notion, Google Docs and OneNote, and there's an API, Zapier and a connector for Claude and ChatGPT. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Wave AI is for
- Fits if most of your meetings happen in person, with a phone on the table or a watch on your wrist
- Works for writing up phone calls, since it records both sides from your own number
Who it is not for
- Skip it if you want to pay nothing: 30 minutes a month is one short meeting, and imports, calls and bot meetings use it too
- Pricey if you pay monthly or in the app: $15 a month, or $100 a year through Apple or Google against $80 on the web
- Tight if there are fewer than five of you and you want one bill: Teams needs 5 seats, and $7.50 only applies from 20
- Watch out: browser recording is mic-only and stops at 3 hours, and offline recordings wait for a connection to transcribe
- Watch out: recent reviews report lost export formatting, recordings that don't process and no playback speed control
Good to know
Good for
- Recording in-person conversations and meetings from a phone or watch
- Phone calls that need both sides transcribed and summarized
- Households sharing one App Store subscription through Family Sharing
Worth knowing
- The Free plan is a pool of 30 minutes a month, and imported files, phone calls and bot-recorded meetings all count toward it.
- Prices depend on where you buy: Pro is $80 a year on the web but $100 through the App Store or Google Play, and the vendor says prices vary by country.
- Teams needs at least 5 seats, and the $7.50 rate applies only from 20 seats; smaller teams pay $8 to $8.33 per user a month.
- Browser recording is microphone-only and capped at 3 hours a session, and offline recordings are transcribed only once the device is back online.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$6.67
A month to start. There is a free plan too
Wave AI has a free plan. Paid plans start at $6.67 per month, billed annually ($80 per year); $15 billed monthly.
That's a single short meeting, so it's a cap you'll hit on day one.
Free
$0
30 minutes of recording a month with AI transcription and summaries, on iOS, Android and the web. Earlier recordings stay in the library.
Pro
$6.67
per month, billed annually ($80); $15 billed monthly
Unlimited recording, transcription, summaries and action items on every device, with exports to PDF, OneNote and email. $100 a year if bought in the app stores.
Teams
$7.50
per user / month, billed annually ($90), at 20+ seats
5-seat minimum: $8.33 per user a month for 5 to 9 seats and $8 for 10 to 19. Everything in Pro, plus centralized billing and an admin dashboard.
The free plan
30 minutes of audio per calendar month across recordings, imports, phone calls and bot meetings, with AI transcription and summaries. Unused minutes do not roll over.
Trying it first
Free trial of Pro offered on the pricing page; its length is not stated
Read from wave.co on Oct 10, 2026.
Ways to pay less
Annual discount
$80 a year instead of $15 a month
On the web, Pro costs $80 billed annually, which the pricing page shows as $6.67 a month, against $15 a month on monthly billing.
Stated on wave.coOther savings
20% less on the web than in app stores
The pricing page lists annual Pro at $80 on the web and $100 through the App Store or Google Play, and labels the web price 20% less.
Stated on wave.coOther savings
Family Sharing on App Store subscriptions
A Wave Pro subscription bought through the App Store extends to everyone in an Apple Family Sharing group at no extra cost, each with a private account.
Stated on help.wave.co
How its prices have moved
- Oct 10, 2026Pro: $11.67 per month, billed annually → $6.67 per month, billed annually ($80 per year)The archived copy of Wave's pricing page of 17 May 2026 shows Pro at $11.67 a month billed annually; the live page shows $80 a year, which it gives as $6.67 a month, on the web. The cut came before our first reading of the page.
What the app costs elsewhere
Each country’s App Store price for “Professional”, against $8.99 in the United States, in dollars at the day’s rate. The four cheapest and the four dearest of 11.
| Country | Price there | In dollars | Against the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Africa | R64.99 | $3.93 | 56% less |
| Philippines | ₱ 249.00 | $3.96 | 56% less |
| Brazil | R$ 24,90 | $4.98 | 45% less |
| India | ₹ 499 | $5.16 | 43% less |
| Mexico | $199.00 | $10.93 | 22% more |
| Germany | 9,99 € | $11.19 | 25% more |
| United Kingdom | £8.99 | $11.89 | 32% more |
| Indonesia | Rp 965ribu | $53.97 | 500% more |
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
7
Places it runs: Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android and Browser extension
AI note taker and recorder for meetings, calls and lectures. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: public API, AI features, meeting notes, transcription, chat assistant, templates.
It also records phone calls, both sides, from your own number.
- Recording on every device
- Record from a phone, an Apple Watch or Wear OS watch, the desktop app, a browser or the Chrome extension. Phone recording continues in the background and with the screen locked.
- Meeting bot or bot-free capture
- A bot can join Zoom, Google Meet and Teams calls from a connected calendar or a pasted link. The desktop app instead records the microphone and system audio with no bot in the call.
- Phone call recording
- Calls dialed from Wave's keypad, or bridged in while already in progress, are recorded on both sides, transcribed and summarized, with your own number shown as caller ID.
- Transcripts and custom summaries
- Transcripts carry speaker labels in 76 languages, and Voice ID remembers a named speaker for later recordings. Summaries use built-in templates or ones you save yourself.
- Wave Assistant
- The assistant searches and chats across the whole recording history, answering questions such as what was decided in a series of meetings from the relevant sessions.
- Sharing, exports and API
- Sessions export to Notion, Google Docs, OneNote, Evernote, PDF or DOCX, or go out as a public link. A developer API, an MCP server for Claude and ChatGPT, and Zapier are available.
Where it runs
- Web
- macOS
- Windows
- Linux
- iOS
- Android
- Browser extension
What it works with
- Zoom
- Google Meet
- Microsoft Teams
- Notion
- Google Docs
- OneNote
- Zapier
- Claude
Who makes Wave AI
Mohrer Associates LLC makes Wave, an AI note taker that records, transcribes and summarises meetings and calls on phones, watches, desktop and the web. It earns from paid personal subscriptions and a Wave Teams plan on top of a free tier.
- Based
- New York, NYwave.co
- Team
- "A small team in New York", its About page says, without giving a number.wave.co
- Founders and leaders
- Josh Mohrer, Founderwave.co
- Referral program
- Anyone with a Wave account gets a referral link and earns 30% of a referred paid subscriber's revenue for 12 months, including renewals in that window, with a 90-day cookie window and no cap. Payouts run through Dub Partners in 100+ countries.wave.co
- Partner program
- The invite-only Creator Program offers sponsored placements at guaranteed CPM rates, tiered bonuses for views, bonuses per converted subscriber, and a free Wave Pro account while the creator is active. It stacks with the referral program.wave.co
- Lately
- Wave Is Now Native in Claude and ChatGPT · Aug 30, 2026
- Wave Comes to Wear OS: Record From Your Watch · Jul 21, 2026
- Just Ask Claude About Your Wave Meetings · Jul 15, 2026
- Get Paid to Recommend the Tool You Already Love · May 1, 2026
Read on Oct 18, 2026 from the company’s own pages and from news reports. What is not stated there is left out.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
47/48
Other AI meeting note takers it is graded above
Wave AI's GPA of 3.4 is higher than 47 of the 48 other AI meeting note takers we grade, and level with 1.
It stands best on features (A, above 41 of 48) and worst on free plan and trial (C, above 5).
Its paid plans start at $6.67 a month, against a middle price of $10 for the category: 2 of the 47 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 4.0 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 49 AI meeting note takers we grade, cut by the letter each got. Wave AI’s own letter is outlined.
- BValue for moneyAbove 43 of 48
- CFree plan and trialAbove 5 of 48
- AFeaturesAbove 41 of 48
- AEase of useAbove 40 of 48
- APlatforms and integrationsAbove 30 of 48
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 48 AI meeting note takers. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Wave AI is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace Wave AI 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.
It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 3.4 is higher than 47 of the 48 other AI meeting note takers we grade. It costs $80.04 a year.
What you could make
- Templates: an app builder makes this well.
What you could not
- A bot that joins your calls and turns the talk into notes.
- An AI model, which you can rent by the request but not make.
- Speech turned into text you can trust.
- Apps for macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android that stay in step with each other.
- It plugs into other products, Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams among them, and has an API.
- Hooks into the device itself: an Apple Watch app and a Wear OS app.
- The depth: we grade its features A, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Wave AI’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.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Otter.ai, Fireflies.ai, Fathom, Granola and TwinMind
The 5 tools Wave AI is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 3.0GPA
Otter.ai
Free plan · from $8.33/mo
Live meeting transcription with summaries and AI chat.
- Only Wave AI lists a Linux app.
- Wave AI also covers templates.
- 3.2GPA
Fireflies.ai
Free plan · from $10/mo
Meeting notetaker that records, transcribes and summarizes calls.
- Only Wave AI lists a Linux app.
- Wave AI also covers templates.
- Fireflies.ai also covers dictation.
- 2.8GPA
Fathom
Free plan · from $15/mo
AI notetaker for Zoom, Google Meet and Teams with a free plan.
- Only Wave AI lists a web app.
- Only Wave AI lists Linux and Android apps.
- Only Wave AI lists a browser extension.
- 3.0GPA
Granola
Free plan · from $14/mo
AI notepad that transcribes meetings from device audio, no bot.
- Only Wave AI lists a web app.
- Only Wave AI lists a Linux app.
- Only Wave AI lists a browser extension.
- 2.8GPA
TwinMind
Free plan · from $11.99/mo
All-day transcription and memory app for meetings and conversations.
- Only Wave AI lists a Linux app.
- Wave AI also covers templates.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
14
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Wave AI free?
Wave AI has a free plan. 30 minutes of audio per calendar month across recordings, imports, phone calls and bot meetings, with AI transcription and summaries.
How much does Wave AI cost?
Wave AI lists 3 plans. Free: $0.
What platforms does Wave AI work on?
Wave AI is available on Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android. It also has a browser extension.
Does Wave AI offer any discounts?
Wave AI publicly lists the following: $80 a year instead of $15 a month; 20% less on the web than in app stores; Family Sharing on App Store subscriptions.
How is Wave AI rated?
Wave AI's iPhone and iPad app averages 4.9 out of 5 from 12,112 ratings on the App Store in the United States, as read on Oct 6, 2026.
Is Wave AI open source?
Wave AI is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 10, 2026.
Does Wave AI have an API?
Yes. Wave AI offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does Wave AI integrate with?
Wave AI's listing names Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Notion, Google Docs, OneNote, Zapier and Claude.
Does Wave AI have a free trial?
Yes. Free trial of Pro offered on the pricing page; its length is not stated.
Who makes Wave AI?
Wave AI is made by Mohrer Associates LLC. It dates from 2024.
What are the alternatives to Wave AI?
The closest alternatives to Wave AI in our directory are Otter.ai, Fireflies.ai, Fathom, Granola and TwinMind.
How does Wave AI compare with other AI meeting note takers?
Wave AI's GPA of 3.4 is higher than 47 of the 48 other AI meeting note takers we grade, and level with 1.
Is Wave AI good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Wave AI B for value for money. Its paid plans start at $6.67 a month, against a middle price of $10 for the category: 2 of the 47 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of Wave AI?
To replace Wave AI you would be making a bot that joins your calls and turns the talk into notes.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Wave AI’s own pages on Oct 10, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 10, 2026. Based on Wave's home, pricing, about, updates and Teams pages and five help centre articles as of 9 October 2026, its App Store reviews and the one Hacker News comment about it. Also tested with a demo account on 2026-02-18.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Mohrer Associates LLC. Prices change, so check wave.co before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
3,189
Tools graded, in 94 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
3,189
tools graded
94
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Wave AI, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/wave-ai
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Wave AI: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 10, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/wave-ai
Know someone choosing between AI meeting note takers?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/wave-ai/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded AI meeting note takers after Wave AI, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- AI Meeting Notes Insider's GuideEvery one of the 49 AI meeting note takers we grade, compared
- HyNote Insider's GuideAI note taker for meetings, audio, PDFs and videos3.4 GPA
- Fireflies.ai Insider's GuideMeeting notetaker that records, transcribes and summarizes calls3.2 GPA
- Circleback Insider's GuideAI meeting notes, action items and post-meeting automations3.0 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Wave AI’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Wave AI is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Mohrer Associates LLC. Prices and plans change: check wave.co before you buy.