How many times have you hung up from an important phone call or ended a meeting without remembering a few key details? Yes, you take notes, but they're not always coherent or precise. And they take away your focus from the actual meeting.
AI gadgets like the Plaud Note promise to automate note-taking — a simple, but vital issue in your daily life.
Plaud.ai makes super-thin, Magsafe-compatible voice recorders. The company's main product is the Plaud Note. The elevator pitch would be — you snap it to your phone (or don't, because it can work independently), hit a button, and its AI features do the rest.
Plaud's devices record your phone call or meeting. Then, they can transcribe, summarize, and even build mind maps from it.
In this Plaud.ai review, we'll see what actual users say about the products — and conclude if the company's note takers deliver on its lofty promises.
TL;DR
- Plaud Note is a hardware-based AI gadget ($159+) that uses a unique VPU sensor to accurately record phone calls and in-person interviews.
- It offers highly accurate transcription and AI-generated key takeaways, mind maps, and summaries.
- The main drawbacks are the high hardware cost, the need for a subscription (Pro Plan) for full features, and numerous user reports of a buggy Plaud App with poor connectivity.
- Bluedot is a software-only alternative (Chrome extension & mobile app) designed specifically for online meetings on Google Meet, Zoom, and Teams.
- Bluedot's key advantages are real-time, bot-free transcription, no hardware friction, and deep workflow integrations with CRMs (like HubSpot) and tools like Notion and Slack.
- The Verdict: For discreet, in-person conversation, Plaud Note is an effective solution. For online professionals and sales teams, Bluedot is the superior choice due to its seamless workflow automation.
Plaud AI Devices Explained — Note vs. NotePin vs. Note Pro
"Plaud" isn't one device. Rather, it's a family of three distinct products, built for a similar use case.
All of them connect to the same Plaud App, but each piece of hardware has pros and cons — mostly in terms of different quality of life features, and the ability to record different types of conversations.
You can choose between:
- Plaud Note
- Plaud NotePin
- Plaud Note Pro
Here's a quick overview of their specs:
Let's take a closer look at what you get with each Plaud device.
Plaud Note — The Standard For Phone Recordings
This is the original Plaud device. Its form factor is a super-thin, credit-card-sized rectangle that's Magsafe compatible, designed to snap right onto the back of your iPhone or a Magsafe case.
It's got a small physical switch on the side, which lets you flick between its two modes:
- Standard recording mode — uses two MEM microphones to record meeting notes or voice memos
- Phone call mode — activates a special Vibration Conduction Sensor (VPU), which captures audio vibrations directly from your phone's speaker and records both sides of the call.
Bear in mind that you must switch modes to record calls, and have the Plaud Note magnetically attached to your phone. Otherwise, it won't pick up the audio vibrations, and you won't get a clear recording or transcription.
Many Plaud Note users mistakenly think that the device can record their calls via Bluetooth. This is untrue, as the Bluetooth connection is only used to transfer data from the Plaud Note to your Plaud App. The recording is entirely hardware-based.
Plaud NotePin — The Wearable for Voice Notes
The Plaud NotePin is a small, lightweight device meant to be clipped to a shirt, pinned on a jacket, or worn on a lanyard. Also, it's the only Plaud product that includes Apple's "Find My" support — makes sense for a small, wearable item.
As you might have assumed, this form factor is mainly for capturing in-person conversations. The Plaud Notepin does not have a switch and cannot record phone calls natively.
It's purely an "on-site" recorder for capturing meeting notes, lectures, or quick voice memos. Technically, you can also use it to record phone calls by putting your call on speaker and placing the NotePin near the phone, where it can hear the conversation. However, you'll likely get a muffled recording and an imperfect transcript.
Plaud Note Pro — The Upgraded Plaud Note Device
As its name suggests, the Plaud Note Pro is similar to the original Plaud Note — but with more powerful hardware and some quality-of-life upgrades.
First, you don't need to manually switch between modes. The Note Pro has a Smart Dual Mode that automatically detects if you're on a phone call or in an in-person conversation.
Second, it has a beefed-up microphone system: four MEMS mics plus the VPU, as opposed to the original's two MEMS. Supposedly, this makes the Note Pro better at handling environmental noise and capturing clear audio from further away.
Finally, it's the only model with a small AMOLED display that shows recording status and battery life. This makes the Note Pro less finicky than the original Note, because you don't have to wonder if the device is actually on and recording.
How Does the Plaud App Work In Practice?
Plaud's hardware is decent, but still nothing more than a high-quality, single-purpose voice recorder.
The transcription, summaries, and all other AI features happen on the Plaud App — the brains of the entire operation.
In practice, your workflow with a Plaud device would look like this:
- You download the app (for iPhone or Android), create an account, and pair your Plaud device via Bluetooth. This connection is not for recording, only for transferring data.
- You record your phone call or meeting using the physical device. The audio file is stored locally on the Note.
- After you're done, you open the Plaud App.
- The app syncs with the device, pulling the audio file to your phone.
- Once the file is in the app, you can start the transcription. This is not real-time; it processes after the recording is complete.
- After a few minutes, the app delivers your transcript, along with the AI-powered summaries, key points, mind maps, and action points.
It's a great experience when it works properly. Unfortunately, that's not always the case.
Some users have reported issues with different Plaud devices, especially the NotePin.
Plaud AI — What Real Users Are Saying
First, the good news — the Plaud AI itself works well. This isn't surprising, as it's based on the latest AI tech from OpenAI and Google.
However, many users have reported basic connectivity and recording issues — as well as unresponsive customer support.
While they seem to have been fixed by now, many users have also mentioned connectivity and recording problems with the NotePin.
Besides the app failing to sync with the device, other users also talk about occasional crashes or significant phone battery drain even when the app is running in the background.
And to top everything off, you may miss the refund window to return your Plaud device — through no fault of your own. Some users believe that the company intentionally makes it difficult to find the shipping information for returns.
Plaud AI Features & Key Points
This is why Plaud AI users tolerate dubious return policies and occasional buginess. Plaud Note's real power lies in the AI features you get once your audio recordings are transferred to the app.
Naturally, any AI note-taker is only as good as its transcription. If the transcript is incorrect, the summaries will be vague and useless, too.
Luckily, Plaud.ai uses OpenAI's Whisper technology for its transcription. According to a wide range of positive reviews, the result is excellent transcription accuracy.
Users report that the transcription is highly accurate even in less-than-ideal conditions. It can handle different languages and accents surprisingly well, with one user noting it accurately captured a conversation despite a heavy French accent.
It's not perfect, of course. Plaud Note can still struggle with:
- Heavy environmental noise — a loud café or street will still cause problems.
- Crosstalk — if multiple different speakers are talking over each other.
- Technical jargon — it may misspell specific company names or technical terms, though you can edit and write these in the app.
For most standard use cases, like a phone call, a Google Meet session, or in-person meeting notes, the accuracy is reliable. You can also listen to the original recording alongside the text to make corrections.
Summaries, Mind Maps, and Key Takeaways
Once you have a transcript of your conversation, interview, or voice memo, the Plaud App can review it and create:
- Summary — Concise retelling of the whole conversation.
- Key Takeaways — Bulleted list of the most important topics discussed.
- Mind Maps — Visual branching diagram that connects different ideas and topics.
- Action Points — Clean to-do list of any tasks, deadlines, or follow-ups that were mentioned.
With the Pro and Unlimited plans, you also get 3,000+ custom templates for specific scenarios, like board meetings and sales calls. And you can create new templates yourself, if you have a more specific use case.
The app also does a decent job of identifying different speakers, so you can easily follow the flow of conversation.
Finally, you can easily export all of these notes to share with your team or archive them in Google Docs.
Plaud AI Pricing and Subscription Plans Explained
With Plaud AI, you must pay for the devices and the app subscription.
The hardware will cost you a one-time fee of $159 (Note and NotePin) or $179 (Note Pro). But the device is just the key to the service, which requires an additional subscription — though you can also settle for the free plan with a 300-minute limit per month.
There are three plans you can choose from:
As you can see, the main difference between the plans is the monthly recording cap. With the 300 minutes you can record with the free plan, you won't get far as a sales rep, manager, or anyone else with a lot of daily calls.
However, this could be enough for a light user who just wants to record a few important phone calls or one or two meetings a week. You still get the transcription and basic summaries.
Is the Plaud App Subscription Worth It?
This is the most divisive topic among Plaud AI users. Many of them are frustrated by the idea of buying a $159 device just to pay for another subscription to use it.
Perhaps the biggest issue is that the app is your only gateway. You cannot plug the Plaud Note into a computer via its USB-C port to pull the raw sound files. You must sync to the app, and only then export your notes or the original recording. This can be a deal-breaker if the app is buggy or if you just want to manage your own files.
Naturally, all this is even more problematic in a world where device-based note takers aren't really the norm. Most users opt for solutions like Bluedot or Otter AI — in other words, software that works with your existing devices.
Ultimately, Plaud AI only makes sense if you attend a lot of in-person meetings and interviews. Using a Plaud device is more discreet than fumbling for your phone in the middle of an important conversation — and it makes people less uneasy.
If you work remotely or attend a lot of virtual calls on platforms like Zoom and Google Meet, you're better off with an AI note taker that doesn't ask you to pay $160 for a physical device.
Why Bluedot Might Be a Better Fit
For many professionals, the idea of buying, charging, and remembering another device is a non-starter.
AI note takers like Bluedot get you the same level of accuracy without additional hardware. You can use Bluedot as a web or mobile app, and capture conversations via a simple Chrome extension.
There is no $159 device to buy, no charging cable to lose, and no Magsafe case to worry about. This makes Bluedot a more attractive choice for remote workers, sales teams, and managers who are already centered at their desks.
When you use Plaud, you have to wait until after your phone call or meeting to sync the file with the Plaud App, and only then run the transcription.
Bluedot, in contrast, transcribes your Google Meet, Zoom, or Microsoft Teams meeting in real-time. You can see the transcription immediately after your conversation.
Unlike many other competitors, Bluedot also supports bot-free recording — which means no one has to know you're recording the call. This is a must-have feature for sales teams who aim to reduce friction and unease as much as possible to close a deal.
Bluedot Empowers Your Entire Workflow
While Plaud is great at creating notes and summaries, there isn't a whole lot you can do with them afterward — at least not automatically.
On the other hand, Bluedot can neatly fit into your existing workflow and integrate with tools like HubSpot, Salesforce, Notion, and Slack. It can automatically:
- Update your client's contact card in your CRM.
- Send the key takeaways and action points to a team Slack channel.
- File the entire meeting transcript in a Notion database.
Bluedot is the superior choice for the modern online professional, founder, or sales team.
You don't need another device. You need an invisible AI assistant that puts information exactly where it needs to go — without you having to do a thing.
