Skip to content

Side-by-side comparison · Productivity & Notes

PLAUD vs Raycast

Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.

PLAUD

3.5

From $17.99/mo

Best overall

Raycast

4.1

From $10/mo

Comparing 2 tools. Add one more if you like.

At a glance

Easiest to use

Pick it if: People who spend their day in face-to-face meetings, site visits and phone calls rather than on video calls.

Best overallBest value

Pick it if: Anyone on a Mac or Windows PC who wants to do more from the keyboard and less with the mouse.

Overview

AttributePLAUDRaycast
In one lineA pocket-sized recorder that turns in-person conversations into transcripts and notes.A launcher that puts AI, clipboard history and shortcuts one keystroke away.
Pricing modelPaidFreemium
Starting price$17.99/mo$10/mo
Free plan No Yes
Works with Claude Code Yes No

Rating breakdown

Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.

AttributePLAUDRaycast
Overall rating3.54.1Winner
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
4.0
3.5
FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together.
4.0
4.5
Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them.
3.5
3.5
Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan.
2.5
4.0
Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over.
3.5
5.0

Feature comparison

A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.

AttributePLAUDRaycast
Access & platform
Free plan No Yes
Mobile app Yes Yes
Desktop app Yes Yes
Browser extension No Yes
API access Yes Yes
Teams & business
Team workspace Yes Yes
Enterprise plan or SSO– Yes
Connects to other apps Yes Yes
Open source or self-hosted No No
AI abilities
Works with your files No Yes
Understands images Yes Yes
Makes images No Yes
Makes video No No
Writes code No Yes
Runs agents or automations Yes Yes
Learns your brand or style No No
Works in many languages Yes Yes
Capabilities score8/ 1714/ 17

Pricing

Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.

AttributePLAUDRaycast
Plans

Starter

Free with a device ($159 to $189)

Light users who record a few meetings a week.

FreeOur pick

Free

Everyone. The launcher, clipboard history and all extensions.

ProOur pick

$17.99/mo, or $99.99/yr

Anyone recording most working days.

Pro

$10/mo, or $8/mo billed yearly

People who want AI one keystroke away.

Unlimited

$29.99/mo, or $239.99/yr

People who record all day, every day.

Plus

$20/mo, or $16/mo billed yearly

Daily AI users who want the top models.

Max

$50/mo, or $40/mo billed yearly

Heavy AI users who want it all inside Raycast.

Teams Pro

$15/user/mo, or $12/user/mo billed yearly

Teams sharing snippets, links and commands.

Enterprise

Custom

IT-managed rollouts.

Which plan to pickBuy the device and live on the free 300 minutes for a month to see how much you really record. If you run out, Pro on yearly billing at about $100 is the better deal; Unlimited only pays off if you record several hours a day. Avoid monthly billing, which costs more than double.Use Free until you catch yourself wishing the AI was there. Then Pro. Plus and Max only make sense if Raycast becomes your main way of talking to AI, and most people already pay for Claude or ChatGPT separately.

Key features

AttributePLAUDRaycast
Standout features
  • Pocket and wearable devices
  • Long battery
  • Summary templates
  • Plaud Desktop
  • Ask Plaud and Plaud Agent
  • MCP and SDK
  • Launcher
  • Clipboard history and snippets
  • Extensions
  • Raycast AI
  • AI extensions
  • Dictation and cloud sync

Pros and cons

AttributePLAUDRaycast
Pros
  • Works away from the laptop, with a physical button and long battery
  • Bot-free desktop recording for video calls
  • Good summary templates for different industries
  • Official MCP server for Claude and ChatGPT
  • Strong security claims, including SOC 2, HIPAA and GDPR
  • The free plan is excellent and most people never need more
  • Instant and rock solid; it never seems to lag
  • Huge extension library covering most business apps
  • AI from any app with one shortcut
  • Now on Windows as well as Mac
Cons
  • Removed automatic speaker recognition in October 2026, so you label other speakers in every recording
  • Hardware plus a subscription adds up, and some Agent tasks now use credits
  • Speaker separation often splits one person into several
  • Syncing and app glitches, especially on the NotePin S
  • Built-in integrations are still listed as coming soon
  • Power-user tool; the benefit depends on learning shortcuts
  • AI credits run out fast on Pro if you use it heavily
  • Paying for Raycast AI on top of Claude or ChatGPT feels like double paying
  • Windows version is newer and has fewer extensions

Who each one is for

AttributePLAUDRaycast
Best for
  • In-person meetings and site visits
  • Recording phone calls
  • Lectures and long sessions
  • Hands-free notes on the go
  • Voice journaling and ideas
  • Launching apps and files
  • Clipboard history
  • Quick AI questions from anywhere
  • Window management
  • Snippets and text expansion
You'll find it used by
  • Tradies and builders
  • Real estate agents
  • Lawyers
  • Doctors
  • Managers
  • Developers
  • Designers
  • Power users
  • Founders

Questions people ask

Which is better, PLAUD or Raycast?

Raycast scores highest overall in our ratings (PLAUD 3.5/5 and Raycast 4.1/5). PLAUD is best for in-person meetings and site visits and recording phone calls. Raycast is best for launching apps and files and clipboard history.

Which is cheaper, PLAUD or Raycast?

PLAUD: There's no free plan. Paid plans start at $17.99/mo. Raycast: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $10/mo.

Which is easier to use, PLAUD or Raycast?

PLAUD rates highest for ease of use in our scores. People who spend their day in face-to-face meetings, site visits and phone calls rather than on video calls.

How we compare

Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability.

Swap in another tool

More tools from Productivity & Notes in the library.