What is the Plaud Note Pro?
The Plaud Note Pro is an AI voice recorder made by Plaud, the size of a credit card and 2.99 millimeters thin, that attaches to the back of your phone with a magnetic case. It records in-person conversations and phone calls, and the Plaud app turns them into a transcript and a summary.
The Note Pro weighs 30 grams, stores 64 GB and has a small AMOLED display that shows whether it is recording. According to Plaud, the box holds a magnetic case, a magnetic ring for phones without MagSafe, and a charging cable. Notebookcheck noted there is no wall adapter. Recordings land in the Plaud app for iPhone and Android, on Plaud Web and in Plaud Desktop. Since October 2026 the app is called ‘Plaud: AI Work Companion’ in the App Store.
Plaud sells three other recorders. The regular Plaud Note has the same shape and costs $159 in the US store. The NotePin and NotePin S are worn on your clothes; in Plaud’s own comparison, both only have the mode for in-person conversations. There are also the Plaud One earbuds at $249.99, but on 25-10-2026 you could not order them: the pre-order had ended and there is a waitlist. Recorders from other brands, with prices and plans, are in AI voice recorder.
Plaud Note vs Note Pro: what is the difference?
The Plaud Note Pro has four microphones instead of two, a range of up to five meters instead of three and a small display, and it switches between call mode and in-person mode by itself. In Plaud’s US store the Note Pro costs $189 and the Note $159; the plans are the same for both.
| Plaud Note | Plaud Note Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Price, US store | $159 | $189 |
| Price, Canadian store | CA$219.90 | CA$259.99 |
| Microphones | Two, plus a sensor for calls | Four, plus a sensor for calls |
| In-person range | Up to three meters | Up to five meters |
| Display | No | Yes, a small AMOLED display |
| Call mode | You switch between calls and in-person yourself | Switches between calls and in-person automatically |
| Battery | Up to 30 hours of recording, 60 days standby | Up to 30 hours, up to 50 in endurance mode, 60 days standby |
| Storage, weight, thickness | 64 GB, 30 grams, 2.99 mm | 64 GB, 30 grams, 2.99 mm |
The specs come from Plaud’s own comparison and product pages, checked on 25-10-2026. The extra microphones mostly help in a meeting room with several people. For calls the difference is small: both use the same kind of vibration sensor. The Note Pro only saves you from picking the mode yourself.
How much does a Plaud Note Pro cost over a year?
A Plaud Note Pro costs $189 in Plaud’s US store. With the free Starter plan of 300 minutes a month that is all you pay; with Pro ($99.99 a year) the first year comes to $288.99, and with Unlimited ($239.99 a year) to $428.99. Prices were checked on 25-10-2026.
| Plaud plan | Billed monthly (US) | Billed yearly (US) | Billed yearly (Canada) | Transcription per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | Free | Free | Free | 300 minutes |
| Pro | $17.99 | $99.99 | CA$139.99 | 1,200 minutes |
| Unlimited | $29.99 | $239.99 | CA$299.99 | Unlimited, up to 24 hours a day |
| Team, per user | $28 until 30-11-2026, then $35 | $20 a month, then $25 a month | See the Canadian store | Unlimited, up to 24 hours a day |
| Recorder and plan | First year (US) | Second year (US) | First year (Canada) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plaud Note with Starter | $159 | $0 | CA$219.90 |
| Plaud Note with Pro, yearly | $258.99 | $99.99 | CA$359.89 |
| Plaud Note with Unlimited, yearly | $398.99 | $239.99 | CA$519.89 |
| Plaud Note Pro with Starter | $189 | $0 | CA$259.99 |
| Plaud Note Pro with Pro, yearly | $288.99 | $99.99 | CA$399.98 |
| Plaud Note Pro with Unlimited, yearly | $428.99 | $239.99 | CA$559.98 |
| Ajora, for comparison | €180 yearly, €228 billed monthly | €180 or €228 | Same as the US |
Unused Plaud minutes do not roll over to the next month. If you run short, you buy a one-off pack of 600, 3,000 or 6,000 minutes. No Plaud plan includes call minutes, because a recorder does not make calls; those go through your own carrier. Ajora includes 600 call minutes a month in the plan, and there is no device to buy.
If you are choosing between Plaud and Pocket, Plaud vs Pocket vs Ajora shows what both cost over a year.
Do you need a subscription for Plaud?
No. Every Plaud comes with the free Starter plan, which gives 300 transcription minutes a month, about five hours. You only need a paid Plaud plan if you record more. Since October 2026, though, automated tasks by Plaud Agent cost Plaud Credits, separate from your minutes.
According to the comparison on the pricing page, Starter gets the same features as Pro and Unlimited; the difference is the number of minutes. Only Team adds things meant for an organization, such as a shared workspace and a data processing agreement. You can cancel at any time, and your plan runs until the end of the billing period.
According to Plaud’s pricing page, your recordings and transcripts are kept when you cancel a paid plan, and your account drops back to the free Starter plan. What happens to your recordings once you leave cannot be checked from the outside. Ask before you put a year of conversations on any device, whatever the brand.
What changed at Plaud in October 2026?
In October 2026 Plaud released version 4.0 of its app. Plaud replaced AutoFlow with Routines, and automated tasks by Plaud Agent now cost Plaud Credits. Plaud no longer identifies other speakers automatically, only your own voice. Transcription and the standard summary still come out of your regular minutes.
AutoFlow becomes Routines, and Routines cost Credits
AutoFlow had Plaud transcribe and summarize a recording on its own. In its announcement of 20-10-2026, Plaud says Routines take over and can automate any Plaud Agent task. Running Routines, generating documents, using connected apps and re-summarizing a recording all cost Plaud Credits; asking questions about your recordings does not. Existing users get a one-time grant of Credits valid for three months, and the preview period runs until 31-12-2026. After that you buy top-up packs in the app. Plaud’s pages do not say what those cost.
Speakers are no longer identified automatically
According to the support page, updated on 20-10-2026, Plaud still separates speakers as Speaker 1, Speaker 2 and so on, but only recognizes your own voice automatically, once you set up a voice profile. You name other speakers yourself in each recording, and those names do not carry over to the next one. In the US App Store a user complained on 13-10-2026 that automatic speaker labeling was taken away without notice.
A different app
Version 4.0.2 has been in the App Store since 22-10-2026, under the new name ‘Plaud: AI Work Companion’, and Plaud is rolling the update out in phases. One US user found the new app more complex and less intuitive on 22-10-2026. On Reddit, many threads since mid-October discuss the changes, including a widely read one on the speaker labels (12-10-2026) and one on AutoFlow and Credits (21-10-2026).
The Plaud One announces a recording
The new Plaud One earbuds record phone calls, and according to Plaud’s support they play a spoken announcement so the other side knows the call is being recorded. The Note and the Note Pro play no announcement; there, telling the other person is up to you.
According to Plaud, recording and transcription work as before. The Note Pro itself has not changed; the changes are in the app and the plans around it.
Plaud Note Pro review: what do users say?
Users mostly rate Plaud well: on 25-10-2026 a 4.9 from 23,930 ratings in the US App Store and a 4.7 from 2,861 reviews on Trustpilot. Users praise the summaries and how easy it is in meetings. The complaints are mostly about paying for a plan on top of the device and about calls with earbuds. Since October 2026, features being removed come up too.
We have not used a Plaud ourselves. What follows comes from published reviews, the App Store, Trustpilot, Reddit and Plaud’s support pages, each with its date. We make Ajora, an app that automatically records your phone calls and turns them into a summary with action items. Read this as an overview by a competitor, and check the sources at the bottom. In the Canadian App Store, Plaud has a 4.8 from 1,269 ratings.
What reviewers like
PCWorld gave the Note Pro 4.5 out of 5 on 25-06-2026, praising the long battery life and the transcription and summaries. Notebookcheck also tested a phone call on 19-03-2026: the two speakers were separated better than in its in-person tests, and the recording quality was good throughout. In app store reviews, people often mention how much note-taking time it saves them.
A plan on top of the device
PCWorld lists expensive subscriptions as a con. A US App Store reviewer wrote on 14-10-2026 that the device is excellent for meetings but $20 a month is too much, and another on 10-10-2026 felt they had paid a lot for the device only to hit another paywall. Since October the Credits for Plaud Agent come on top of that.
Calls with earbuds and sound quality
According to PCWorld, the Note Pro does not work with headphones on phone calls and can be tricky with certain Android phones. Tom’s Guide found with the first Plaud Note on 28-01-2025 that quiet voices on a call did not make it into the transcript at the default sensor sensitivity, and recommends setting it to maximum. Plaud has its own support page for call recordings where you only hear yourself and not the other person.
Support, sync and exports
In the App Store, complaints from August and September 2026 are mostly about exporting and syncing. On 08-10-2026 a US reviewer found it hard to reach a human when the device would not connect, and on 22-08-2026 someone described needing twelve emails to cancel because support is an AI.
If you are weighing Plaud against Pocket, the complaints about Pocket are in Plaud vs Pocket vs Ajora. Our other review, with price, plans and what the card does on a call, is the Pocket AI review.
How does the Plaud Note record phone calls?
The Plaud Note and Note Pro record a phone call with a vibration sensor that picks up both sides of the conversation through the body of your phone. The recorder has to be attached firmly to the back of your phone, and you start every recording yourself: Plaud says the Plaud Note does not support automatic call recording.
iOS and Android do not hand call audio to any app, so a recorder has to capture the sound another way. Plaud’s sensor reads the vibration of your phone’s earpiece speaker. On the Note you switch to call mode yourself; the Note Pro picks the mode on its own. It works for WhatsApp calls too. When someone calls you, you answer and then press record, so whatever was said in between is missing from the recording.
For a good recording, Plaud lists a few requirements for the Note Pro. Set your call volume to at least 80 percent, take off a thick case, and keep the recorder firmly attached while you hold the phone to your ear. On speakerphone, Plaud says to take the Note Pro off the phone and set it down next to it; left attached, it picks up the call twice and the recording comes out too loud and distorted.
Recording laws vary by state and province, and some places require consent from everyone on the call, as Plaud itself points out. The Note and Note Pro give the other person no signal, so telling them is up to you. How it works in the Netherlands is in is it legal to record a phone call.
Does Plaud work with AirPods, a headset or CarPlay?
No. The Plaud Note and Note Pro do not record a phone call when you use AirPods, other headphones or a headset, wired or wireless, because the sensor picks up sound through your phone’s speaker. Plaud says nothing about CarPlay, but there too the call audio does not come out of your phone’s speaker.
Plaud says so plainly in two support articles: using headphones while recording a call is not supported, and the Note Pro cannot pick up voice when you wear earphones or headphones of any kind. If you are used to taking calls on earbuds or hands-free, you have to hold the phone to your ear for every call you want on record.
Plaud’s own answer is the Plaud One: earbuds that record the call with a microphone in each bud and play a spoken announcement when recording starts. Automatic recording can be switched on. On 25-10-2026 you could not order it; there is a waitlist.
Ajora works differently. Ajora records the call on the line rather than through a microphone, so it makes no difference whether the audio goes through AirPods, a headset or your car. That applies to calls you start from the Ajora app and to incoming calls you forward to your own Ajora number.
Where does Plaud store your recordings?
Plaud stores recordings for North and South American accounts on AWS in Oregon, and for EU accounts on AWS in Frankfurt, according to a support page updated on 21-10-2026. Plaud says it is GDPR compliant, and recordings stay until you delete them or close your account. In the comparison on Plaud’s pricing page, a data processing agreement is only listed for the Team plan.
If you switch cloud sync off, recordings stay on your phone and Plaud only uses the cloud for processing. Plaud holds ISO and SOC 2 certifications, lists HIPAA compliance, and says the AI services it uses keep nothing after they respond. The privacy policy names servers in the United States, Germany, Japan and Singapore, with the region tied to your account.
At Ajora, the recording is deleted automatically after transcription, within 24 hours at the latest. Transcripts and summaries are stored encrypted in Germany. Calls run through Twilio in the United States and transcription through ElevenLabs (United States) or Reson8 (the Netherlands), under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework. The data processing agreement is on the site.
Can you connect Plaud to HubSpot or Claude?
Plaud had no native HubSpot integration on 25-10-2026; you send transcripts and summaries to HubSpot through Zapier. Plaud connects to Claude and ChatGPT through Plaud MCP, which is listed in Claude’s connector directory and, according to Plaud, free for active accounts.
All of Plaud’s integrations are still marked as preview on the pricing page: Google Calendar, Notion, Slack, Linear, Zapier and Plaud MCP, on every plan. A Salesforce integration is only in Team. Zapier fires when a transcript or a summary is ready. Having Plaud Agent send something to a connected app costs Credits. Plaud has no public API, but it does offer a command-line tool, Plaud CLI.
Ajora also has an MCP connection for Claude and ChatGPT, and an API with webhooks on every paid plan. Ajora has no ready-made HubSpot integration either: you connect HubSpot through webhooks, with Zapier or Make in between. Ajora does connect directly to Apollo, as described in connect Ajora to Apollo.
Who is Ajora a better fit for than a Plaud?
Ajora is a better fit than a Plaud if you are mostly on the phone, including when people call you or when you wear earbuds. Ajora, an app that automatically records your phone calls and turns them into a summary with action items, needs no device: you dial out through the Ajora app and forward incoming calls to your own Ajora number.
There is nothing to press during the call, and a few minutes after you hang up a summary with action items is waiting, with the transcript below it. The recording is deleted automatically after transcription, within 24 hours at the latest. Ajora costs €19 a month, or €15 a month on a yearly plan, with 600 call minutes included. There is no free plan.
Plaud is better for meetings around a table or in a conference room. The Note Pro has four microphones and a range of up to five meters, while Ajora uses your phone’s microphone for in-person conversations. If you want to listen back, Plaud fits better too: it exports the audio as MP3 or WAV, and Ajora gives you no audio file. And if you only record now and then, a recorder on the free plan is cheaper.
It does not have to be one or the other: if you spend a lot of time in meetings and on the phone, you can keep the recorder for the room and use an app for the line. More alternatives side by side, with prices, are in Plaud alternative.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Plaud Note Pro worth it?
For in-person meetings, most reviews say yes: PCWorld gave it 4.5 out of 5 on 25-06-2026. It costs $189, and on the free plan of 300 minutes a month that is all you pay. If you are mostly on the phone, the limits weigh more: no earbuds, and you start every recording yourself. See Plaud alternative.
Can the Plaud Note record phone calls with AirPods?
No. The Plaud Note and Note Pro pick up the call through your phone’s speaker, so with AirPods or other earbuds in, the call is not recorded. Plaud says so in its own support pages. The Plaud One earbuds can do it, but could not be ordered on 25-10-2026.
Does the Plaud Note Pro work with Android?
Yes. The Plaud app is available for iPhone and Android, and there is a magnetic ring in the box for phones without MagSafe. PCWorld calls the Note Pro tricky with certain Android phones on calls, but got good results with a Samsung Galaxy S26 on 25-06-2026.
Can you use Plaud without a subscription?
Yes. Every Plaud includes the free Starter plan with 300 transcription minutes a month, about five hours, with the same features as the paid plans. Unused minutes expire at the end of the month.
How much is a Plaud subscription per month?
In Plaud’s US store, Pro is $17.99 a month and Unlimited $29.99 a month, on 25-10-2026. Billed yearly that is $99.99 and $239.99, or about $8.33 and $20 a month. The plan is the same for every Plaud recorder.
What languages does Plaud transcribe?
Plaud lists more than 112 languages, including English variants for the US and Canada and Canadian French. It transcribes one language per recording; if a conversation mixes languages, you pick the main one.
Is there a Plaud without a device?
No, Plaud always works with its own hardware. If you want something without a device for phone calls, the alternatives are in Plaud alternative. Ajora is one of them: an app on the phone you already have.
You can try Ajora free for seven days, with 60 call minutes and no payment details needed. Create your account at debrief.ajora.io/register, download the app for iPhone or Android and sign in with the same details. Teams do not get a trial: see Ajora for sales teams.
Sources
- Plaud AI plan pricing: prices, minutes, features per plan and what happens when you cancelPlaud, US store, accessed 25-10-2026
- Plaud AI plan pricing, yearly prices in Canadian dollarsPlaud, Canadian store, accessed 25-10-2026
- Plaud device comparison: microphones, range, recording modes and batteryPlaud, accessed 25-10-2026
- Plaud Note Pro, product page with pricePlaud, US store, accessed 25-10-2026
- Plaud Note, product page with pricePlaud, US store, accessed 25-10-2026
- Plaud Note Pro, product page with pricePlaud, Canadian store, accessed 25-10-2026
- Plaud Note, product page with price and what is in the boxPlaud, Canadian store, accessed 25-10-2026
- Plaud One Explorer Edition, product page with pre-order status and waitlistPlaud, accessed 25-10-2026
- Meet the new Plaud Intelligence: Routines instead of AutoFlow, and CreditsPlaud, 20-10-2026
- Introducing Plaud Credits, with what uses Credits and how long the grant lastsPlaud, 28-09-2026, updated 21-10-2026
- Auto speaker labeling: only your own voice is recognized automaticallyPlaud Support, updated 20-10-2026, accessed 25-10-2026
- Does Plaud Note support automatic call recording?Plaud Support, accessed 25-10-2026
- Can I use headphones/earphones when I record a phone call with Plaud Note?Plaud Support, accessed 25-10-2026
- Low volume or poor sound quality on Plaud Note Pro, with placement, call volume, case and speakerphonePlaud Support, accessed 25-10-2026
- Can the Plaud Note record WhatsApp calls?Plaud Support, accessed 25-10-2026
- Can Plaud One record phone calls? With the voice announcement and the note on consent lawsPlaud Support, updated 12-10-2026, accessed 25-10-2026
- Automatic recording for calls and online meetings on Plaud OnePlaud Support, updated 22-10-2026, accessed 25-10-2026
- How many languages does Plaud support for transcription? With the full listPlaud Support, accessed 25-10-2026
- Plaud’s security and compliance: certifications, storage per region and retentionPlaud Support, updated 21-10-2026, accessed 25-10-2026
- Privacy policy, with the server regionsPlaud, accessed 08-10-2026
- Plaud MCP, connecting Claude and ChatGPTPlaud Support, updated 14-10-2026, accessed 25-10-2026
- How can I get API access to my Plaud data? On MCP, CLI and the lack of a public APIPlaud Support, accessed 25-10-2026
- Zapier integration, with the transcript and summary triggersPlaud Support, accessed 25-10-2026
- Plaud Note Pro review, with pros and consPCWorld, 25-06-2026
- Review of the Plaud Note Pro AI recorder, with a phone call testNotebookcheck, 19-03-2026
- Plaud Note review, with a test of call modeTom’s Guide, 28-01-2025
- Plaud on Trustpilot, score and reviewsTrustpilot, accessed 25-10-2026
- Plaud: AI Work Companion in the US App Store, rating and recent reviewsApple App Store, accessed 17-10-2026 and 25-10-2026
- Plaud: AI Work Companion in the Canadian App Store, ratingApple App Store, accessed 25-10-2026
- Thread on the removal of automatic speaker labelsReddit, r/PLAUDAI, 12-10-2026
- Thread on Plaud 4.0, AutoFlow going away and automation on CreditsReddit, r/PlaudNoteUsers, 21-10-2026
One of the three co-founders of Ajora. Jort focuses on user experience and growth.