Plaud makes three recorders: Plaud Note ($159), Plaud Note Pro ($189), and Plaud NotePin ($159). Every device comes with a free plan of 300 transcription minutes a month, and paid plans start at $8.33 a month billed yearly.
If you only need the numbers, skip to Plaud vs Comu or jump to the cost over three years. This Plaud review covers all three devices, the plans, and what the free plan leaves out.
Plaud review at a glance
Plaud Note costs $159, Plaud Note Pro costs $189 and Plaud NotePin costs $159, and each comes with a free plan of 300 transcription minutes a month.
| Plaud Note | Plaud Note Pro | Plaud NotePin | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $159 | $189 | $159 |
| Weight | 1.06 oz | 1.06 oz | 0.59 oz |
| Continuous recording | Up to 30 hours | 30 hours (Enhance) or 50 hours (Endurance) | Up to 20 hours |
| Standby | 60 days | 60 days | 40 days |
| Local storage | Up to 64 GB | 64 GB | 64 GB |
| Microphones | 2 MEMS and 1 VPU | 4 MEMS and 1 VPU | 2 MEMS |
| Pickup range | Up to 9.8 ft | Up to 16.4 ft | Up to 9.8 ft |
| How you wear it | Magnetic case or ring on the phone | Magnetic case or ring on the phone | Necklace, wristband, clip, or pin |
| Battery | 400 mAh | 500 mAh | 270 mAh |
| Connection | BLE 5.2 and Wi-Fi | BLE 5.4 and Wi-Fi | BLE and Wi-Fi |
| Free transcription | 300 minutes a month | 300 minutes a month | 300 minutes a month |
Specs checked on Nov 3, 2026.
Which Plaud should you buy?
Buy Plaud Note for the lowest price, Plaud Note Pro for the 50-hour Endurance mode and a display, and Plaud NotePin for hands-free wearing.
| If you | Look at | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Want the lowest price for a recorder that attaches to your phone | Plaud Note | $159, up to 30 hours, 64 GB |
| Record all day, or long trips | Plaud Note Pro | 50 hours in Endurance mode |
| Want a display and more microphones | Plaud Note Pro | A 0.95-inch display and four MEMS microphones |
| Want hands-free recording while you walk or work | Plaud NotePin | Worn as a necklace, wristband, clip, or pin |
| Mostly take phone calls | Plaud Note or Note Pro | Note has a phone-call mode, and Note Pro detects phone calls on its own |
Plaud Note review: price, battery and storage
Plaud Note is 0.12 inches thin and 1.06 oz, with up to 30 hours of continuous recording, 60 days of standby, and up to 64 GB of local storage. It has two recording modes, one for phone calls and one for in-person conversations, and you switch between them. It attaches to the back of a phone with a magnetic case or ring.
Plaud Note has two MEMS microphones and one VPU, a 400 mAh battery, and a recording range of 9.8 feet. It charges in about two hours. For recording across a large room, Note Pro adds four microphones and 16.4 feet of pickup range.
Plaud Note Pro review: more microphones, longer battery, a display
Note Pro keeps the same size and weight as the Note, 0.12 inches and 1.06 oz. It has four MEMS microphones instead of the Note's two, a 500 mAh battery, pickup of up to 16.4 feet, and a 0.95-inch InstantView display. Note Pro records for 30 hours in Enhance mode or 50 hours in Endurance mode, with 64 GB of storage and 60 days of standby. It won the iF and Red Dot design awards.
For calls, Note Pro detects in-person conversations and phone calls on its own, and Plaud Desktop covers online meetings. At $189 it costs $30 more than the Note. The extra $30 buys the 50-hour Endurance mode, the display, two more microphones, and 16.4 feet of pickup range.
Plaud NotePin review: the wearable
NotePin is the lightest of the three at 0.59 oz. NotePin records for 20 hours continuously, with 40 days of standby and 64 GB of storage. It ships with a magnetic pin, a clip, a charging dock, and a USB-C cable, and you can wear it as a necklace, wristband, clip, or pin.
Its battery is smaller than the Note and Note Pro, at 270 mAh. It has two MEMS microphones and a recording range of 9.8 feet. If you want a recorder you do not have to hold or attach to a phone, NotePin is the wearable choice.
What Plaud's free plan includes
Every Plaud device comes with the Starter plan: free, 300 transcription minutes a month. That is five hours of audio. Starter includes AI transcription in 112+ languages with speaker labels, summary templates, custom templates, and Plaud Desktop. The AI work modes in Ask Plaud run on credits that you buy separately.
Plaud does not support real-time transcription: it transcribes after the recording ends.
Plaud plans compared: what Starter, Pro, Unlimited and Team include
Plaud has four plans, and the device comes with Starter.
| Starter | Pro | Unlimited | Team | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly price | Free | $17.99 | $29.99 | $28 per user until Nov 30, 2026, then $35 |
| Billed yearly | Free | $8.33 a month ($99.99 a year) | $20.00 a month ($239.99 a year) | $20 per user a month for the first year, then $25 |
| Transcription minutes a month | 300 | 1,200 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Transcription languages | 112+ | 112+ | 112+ | 112+ |
| Summary templates | 10,000+ | 10,000+ | 10,000+ | 10,000+ |
| Custom templates | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Plaud Desktop | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Import audio | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Search, folders, merge recordings, audio trimming | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Share link, copy, multiple export formats | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Connectors: Google Calendar, Notion, Slack, Linear, Zapier, MCP | Yes (Preview) | Yes (Preview) | Yes (Preview) | Yes (Preview) |
| Salesforce integration | No | No | No | Yes (Preview) |
| Private cloud sync and unlimited cloud storage | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Team files (Knowledge Hub), shared team files | No | No | No | Yes |
| Dedicated workspace, centralized billing, seat and device management | No | No | No | Yes |
| Priority support | No | No | No | Yes |
| Workspace-level data residency, DPA | No | No | No | Yes |
Every plan includes the Plaud Intelligence feature set: the latest AI models such as GPT-5, Gemini 3 Pro and Claude Sonnet, Ask Plaud and AutoFlow. Pro and Unlimited add minutes. Team adds administration and shared files. Plaud sells extra transcription minutes in packs of 600, 3,000, and 6,000.
You can cancel any time, and the service stays active until the end of the billing period. Refunds go through Plaud's support team under its current refund policy, and Apple handles refunds for App Store purchases.
Who needs which Plaud plan
Starter covers under five hours a month, Pro covers regular meetings, and Unlimited covers all-day recording.
- Under five hours a month: the free Starter plan covers the 300 minutes. Ask Plaud work modes need credits.
- Regular meetings, up to 20 hours a month: Pro, with 1,200 minutes a month, costs $8.33 a month billed yearly.
- Recording all day: Unlimited costs $20.00 a month billed yearly.
- A team: a Team plan with shared files, centralized billing, and seat management.
Plaud's AI costs extra: Ask Plaud credits
Plaud's subscription covers minutes. The AI work modes in Ask Plaud run on a separate balance of credits, which you buy in packs. Credits arrive immediately after purchase and are valid for one year. Transcription minutes are a separate meter.
| Credit pack | Price | Price per credit |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 credits | $12.99 | $0.013 |
| 5,000 credits | $69.99 | $0.014 |
| 20,000 credits | $279.99 | $0.014 |
Credit prices checked on Nov 2, 2026. Sending a meeting recap to Slack used 7 credits, about $0.09 at the 1,000-credit price.
| Slack recaps a month | Credits a month (at 7 each) | Cost a month at $12.99 per 1,000 credits | Cost a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 70 | $0.91 | $10.91 |
| 30 | 210 | $2.73 | $32.73 |
| 100 | 700 | $9.09 | $109.12 |
Plaud for a small team
A team pays per person twice: once for each device and once for each subscription. For five people on Plaud Note with Pro billed yearly, the first year is five devices at $159 plus five Pro subscriptions at $99.99, which is $1,294.95. Five people on the free Starter plan pay $795 for the devices and $0 for the plans.
Plaud also has a Team plan with shared files, centralized billing, seat management, and priority support. Its launch offer is $28 per user a month until Nov 30, 2026, then $35. Credits for Ask Plaud work modes are bought on top.
Plaud AI review: the main things to weigh
The main things to weigh are the 300-minute free plan, the credits that Ask Plaud work modes use, and a subscription that repeats every year.
- The free plan covers five hours a month. That fits light use. Daily meetings need Pro or Unlimited.
- Ask Plaud work modes cost extra. Ask Plaud work modes use credits that you buy separately, on top of the plan.
- Three devices cover three needs. Note for value, Note Pro for battery and pickup, NotePin for hands-free.
- Costs repeat. Over three years, Pro billed yearly costs $299.97, more than the $159 Plaud Note.
- Range differs by device. The Note and NotePin reach 9.8 feet. The Note Pro reaches 16.4 feet.
What Plaud costs over three years
The device is a one-time price, and the subscription repeats. The table uses Plaud Note ($159) as the device and regular plan prices.
| Plan | Year 1 | Year 2 (total) | Year 3 (total) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plaud Note on Starter (free) | $159 | $159 | $159 |
| Plaud Note with Pro, billed yearly | $258.99 | $358.98 | $458.97 |
| Plaud Note with Pro, billed monthly | $374.88 | $590.76 | $806.64 |
| Plaud Note with Unlimited, billed yearly | $398.99 | $638.98 | $878.97 |
The yearly rows use $99.99 a year for Pro and $239.99 a year for Unlimited, and the monthly row uses $17.99 a month for Pro. On Starter you pay only for the device and get 300 minutes a month. Add $30 if you choose Plaud Note Pro as the device.
How to read Plaud reviews
Searches for "plaud note reviews", "plaud note pro reviews" and "plaud ai review" lead to retailer star ratings, YouTube videos, news-site tests and affiliate blogs. Match the review to the device you are considering. Plaud Note, Note Pro and NotePin differ in battery, microphones and shape, so a review of one tells you little about another. The full price breakdown is in Plaud pricing, and other recorders and apps are compared in Plaud alternatives.
When you read other Plaud reviews, check these points.
- How long did the reviewer use it? A review written after a week says less than one after months.
- Which plan did they use? A review of the Unlimited plan does not describe the free plan.
- Do they say what the free plan leaves out? The 300-minute cap and the credits that Ask Plaud work modes use are the two limits to look for.
- Do they give recording conditions? Accuracy in a quiet room says little about a noisy one.
- Is there an affiliate link? If a page links straight to a buy button, read it as a recommendation.
Plaud vs Comu AI Voice Recorder: usage cost compared
Comu Note Pro is €139.99 and Comu Action Pro is €179.99. Comu prices are euro prices from the EU store (Nov 6, 2026); competitor prices are US dollar prices from each company's own site. The free plan that comes with a Comu device includes unlimited transcription, unlimited real-time transcription, speaker identification, summaries, templates, and action items. Comu is GDPR, HIPAA and SOC 2 compliant. The tables below price each device together with the plan that sets how much recording time you can transcribe, and compare each Comu device with the Plaud device in the same class.
The Comu rows use only that free plan. Plaud Starter, the free plan on every Plaud device, stops at 300 transcription minutes a month, so each table adds Plaud's Pro plan, with 1,200 minutes a month, or its Unlimited plan to the device.
Comu Note Pro vs Plaud Note
| Comu Note Pro | Plaud Note | |
|---|---|---|
| Device price | €139.99 | $159 |
| Transcription on the free plan | Unlimited | 300 minutes a month |
| Real-time transcription | Unlimited | Not supported |
| Longest continuous recording | Up to 45 hours | Up to 30 hours |
| Export | TXT, Markdown, Word, PDF for text; MP3 and WAV for audio | Multiple formats |
| Total cost for one person | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comu Note Pro, free plan, unlimited transcription | €139.99 | €139.99 | €139.99 |
| Plaud Note, Starter plan, 300 minutes a month | $159.00 | $159.00 | $159.00 |
| Plaud Note + Pro billed yearly, 1,200 minutes a month | $258.99 | $358.98 | $458.97 |
| Plaud Note + Unlimited billed yearly, unlimited minutes | $398.99 | $638.98 | $878.97 |
Comu Note Pro gives unlimited transcription at €139.99. To get more than 300 minutes a month on Plaud Note, you add a plan: over three years, a Plaud Note with Pro billed yearly costs $458.97, and with Unlimited billed yearly it costs $878.97.
Comu Action Pro vs Plaud Note Pro
| Comu Action Pro | Plaud Note Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Device price | €179.99 | $189 |
| Transcription on the free plan | Unlimited | 300 minutes a month |
| Real-time transcription | Unlimited | Not supported |
| Longest continuous recording | Up to 70 hours | Up to 50 hours in Endurance mode |
| Export | TXT, Markdown, Word, PDF for text; MP3 and WAV for audio | Multiple formats |
| Total cost for one person | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comu Action Pro, free plan, unlimited transcription | €179.99 | €179.99 | €179.99 |
| Plaud Note Pro, Starter plan, 300 minutes a month | $189.00 | $189.00 | $189.00 |
| Plaud Note Pro + Pro billed yearly, 1,200 minutes a month | $288.99 | $388.98 | $488.97 |
| Plaud Note Pro + Unlimited billed yearly, unlimited minutes | $428.99 | $668.98 | $908.97 |
Comu Action Pro costs €179.99 and records for 20 hours longer than Plaud Note Pro. Over three years, Plaud Note Pro with Pro billed yearly costs $488.97, and with Unlimited billed yearly it costs $908.97.
Where the extra cost comes from
- Minutes. Plaud's free plan stops at 300 minutes a month. Pro raises it to 1,200 and costs $8.33 to $17.99 a month. Unlimited costs $20.00 to $29.99 a month. Comu's free plan has no minute cap.
- Recording length. Comu Action Pro records for up to 70 hours and Comu Note Pro for up to 45 hours. Plaud Note Pro records for up to 50 hours in Endurance mode, and Plaud Note for up to 30 hours.
For a feature-by-feature check against the Note Pro, read our Comu Action Pro vs. Plaud Note Pro comparison. For a different recorder, read Plaud vs Pocket. Or see Comu Note Pro and Comu Action Pro.
Common questions about Plaud
Is Plaud worth it?
Plaud is worth it for light use: the $159 to $189 device comes with a free plan of five hours of transcription a month. More minutes need Pro (1,200 minutes) or Unlimited, which add about $100 to $240 a year, and Ask Plaud work modes also use credits that you buy on top. Over three years, a Plaud Note with Pro billed yearly costs $458.97.
Does Plaud require a subscription?
No. Every Plaud device includes the free Starter plan with 300 transcription minutes a month. Pro and Unlimited add more minutes. Ask Plaud work modes also use credits that are sold separately.
What are the common complaints about Plaud?
The main cost points are the 300-minute free cap and Ask Plaud work modes running on credits that cost extra. Heavy users pay $8.33 to $20.00 a month billed yearly for the plan, plus credits, on top of the device.
What is the difference between Plaud Note and Plaud Note Pro?
Note Pro has four MEMS microphones instead of two, pickup of up to 16.4 feet instead of 9.8, a 0.95-inch display, and a 50-hour Endurance mode, and costs $189 against $159 for the Note. Both are 1.06 oz and 0.12 inches thin, and the Note records for up to 30 hours.
Is Plaud NotePin better than Plaud Note?
NotePin is better for hands-free recording, and the Note and Note Pro are better for phone calls. NotePin is worn as a necklace, wristband, clip, or pin and weighs 0.59 oz, with 20 hours of recording.
How much does Plaud cost per month?
Plaud costs nothing a month on the free Starter plan, $17.99 on Pro ($8.33 a month billed yearly), and $29.99 on Unlimited ($20.00 a month billed yearly). The device is a one-time price.
Does Plaud support real-time transcription?
No. Plaud transcribes a recording after it ends, on every plan. Comu's included plan transcribes in real time without a limit.
Does Plaud record phone calls?
Yes. Plaud Note switches between phone-call and in-person recording modes, and Note Pro detects both in-person conversations and phone calls. Whichever recorder you use, tell the other person you are recording. Laws on recording calls differ by country, and you are responsible for following them.
Is there a cheaper alternative to Plaud?
Comu is an alternative with unlimited transcription on its included plan. Comu Note Pro costs €139.99 and Comu Action Pro costs €179.99 in the EU store, and the plan that comes with a Comu device includes unlimited transcription, speaker identification, and summaries. Over three years, a Plaud Note with Pro billed yearly costs $458.97 and a Plaud Note with Unlimited billed yearly costs $878.97, in US dollars.
Related reading
- Comu Action Pro vs. Plaud Note Pro: Features and Costs
- Plaud vs Pocket: Which AI Voice Recorder Should You Buy in 2026?
- Plaud Alternative Without Subscription
- Plaud Pricing (2026): Note and Note Pro Prices, Plans and Real Costs
- Plaud Alternatives (2026): 6 Options Compared by Price and Use Case
Sources
Pages were checked between Nov 2 and Nov 6, 2026.
- Plaud, Plaud Note, Plaud Note Pro, Plaud NotePin, and plans and pricing
- Plaud, plan comparison and real-time transcription
- Comu, Comu Action Pro, Comu Note Pro, and app downloads
