Digital meeting note takers like Read AI, Fireflies.ai, Fathom, and Granola help you record and transcribe online meetings. However, for in-person or more versatile options, many people prefer a physical recording device. These physical note takers use AI to transcribe audio and provide users with meeting summaries and action items.
Some of these devices are wearables (pins or pendants with dedicated microphones for recording), while others are the size of credit cards with dedicated mobile apps that can record and extract insights using AI. Some even offer real-time translation.
Here is a rough list of real AI note takers and transcription tools:
Proud Notes/Proud Notes Pro
This credit card-sized notepad has been on the market since 2023, with its latest AI-powered Pro version featuring a smaller screen, four microphones and recording audio within 3 to 5 meters. You can also switch between direct recording and call recording.
The Plaud Note costs $159 and the Note Pro costs $179. 300 minutes of transcription are provided free of charge each month.
Mobvoi TicNote
Mobvi’s rectangular notepad costs $159 and includes 600 minutes of free transcription. The company claims that the device supports over 120 languages and shows real-time transcription and translation. The device provides 25 hours of continuous recording via three microphones.
In terms of software features, TicNote offers automatic highlight extraction and the ability to create audio clips or abridged podcast versions of conversations.
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Communic Note Pro
Comulytic is a new entrant into the hardware AI notepad market. The company’s claim of differentiation is that its $159 Note Pro device requires no additional subscription for basic transcription. This means that you can log an unlimited number of hours just by purchasing the device.
The device can record up to 45 hours of continuous audio on a single charge and has a standby time of over 100 days.
The company has an Advanced plan for $15 per month or $119 per year that provides instant AI summaries, unlimited summary templates, action item lists, and chat with an AI assistant without restrictions.
Plaud NotePin/Plaud NotePin S
The Plaud NotePin and NotePin S are smaller, more portable versions of the company’s larger Note and Note Pro devices. NotePin has a variety of designs. You can wear it as a wristband, pendant, clip it to your bag, or wear it to your shirt using the magnetic attachment. In particular, the lanyard and wristband can only be used with NotePin S.
Both devices feature two microphones and can record audio continuously for about 20 hours on a single charge. NotePin S has physical buttons to start/stop recording and capture highlights.
Both are similar in price to their credit card counterparts. The NotePin is priced at $159, and the NotePin S is priced at $179.
Omi is hanging
At $89, the Omi pendant is a cheaper alternative to other note takers. That’s because the pendant has to be connected to your phone and has no built-in memory. The device has two microphones and can operate for 10 to 14 hours on a single charge.
Omi has its own apps, but the hardware and software are open source, so you can use other apps. Users have also built a variety of connectors and apps for their devices.
Viaim RecDot
Viaim’s earbuds can record during calls, and the earbud case has additional recording features. The buds cost $200, and Viaim claims they can transcribe audio in up to 78 languages in real time. The company’s app can also highlight key points in a transcription.
Anker sound core work
Anker’s Soundcore Work pin is a coin-sized AI notepad with a puck-shaped battery pack. The $159 device can record for eight hours without interruption, and up to 32 hours when the pin is attached to the case, the company says.
Anker claims that the device has a recording range of 5 meters. Users receive 300 minutes of text conversion per month for free.
