Notta Memo vs Plaud Note vs Pocket
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All three are small recorders that sit on the back of your phone or in a pocket. They record in-person conversations and, by each maker's description, phone calls too. Each sends audio to its maker's app for transcripts and summaries. The real differences are the device price, how much transcription you get without a subscription, and what each maker says about health data.
Quick answer
- More free transcription: Pocket says its free plan includes unlimited transcription and core features, "free to use, forever." Plaud Note's free Starter plan is 300 minutes a month. Notta's pages list either 300 or 600 free minutes a month for Notta Memo owners; the two pages disagree.
- Lowest device price on the makers' stores: Pocket is $129 listed on its store. Notta Memo is $149 on its product page. Plaud Note is $159.
- You already use Notta for online meetings: Notta Memo, so in-person and call recordings land in the same app as your meeting transcripts.
- Health information: Pocket is the only one of the three whose pages mention a BAA, and only on its Enterprise plan.
Side by side (as of 2026-10-27)
| Notta Memo | Plaud Note | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Device price (per vendor) | $149 on Notta's product page (Notta's US shop sells it with a magnetic leather case for $152.39) | $159 | $129 listed on Pocket's store (checked 2026-10-27) |
| Free transcription (per vendor) | Product page: Starter plan, 300 minutes a month. Shop FAQ: 600 free minutes a month with purchase | Starter plan: 300 minutes a month | Unlimited transcription and core features, free forever |
| Paid plans (per vendor) | Notta Pro or extra minutes; see Notta pricing | Pro: 1,200 minutes a month; Unlimited plan: unlimited minutes (prices not on the page we read) | Pro: $19.99 a month, billed yearly ($239.88 a year), for advanced features |
| Phone calls (per vendor) | Call Recording mode picks up your phone's vibration from the back of the phone | Switch between phone-call and in-person modes | Records calls; Pocket says "with consent" |
| Battery (per vendor) | Product page and shop feature list: 30 hours of continuous recording. Shop FAQ: up to 5 hours. All say 28 days standby | Up to 30 hours of continuous recording, 60 days standby | 4-day battery |
| Size and storage (per vendor) | 3.5 mm thin, 28 g; shop lists 32 GB | 0.12 in thin, 1.06 oz; 64 GB | MagSafe mount; 64 GB |
| Health and security (per vendor) | Notta says it follows HIPAA guidelines; we didn't find BAA terms on Notta's pages, so ask Notta about a BAA before using it with patient information | Plaud's page lists HIPAA among its compliance claims (checked 2026-10-27). We didn't find BAA terms on Plaud's pages, so ask Plaud about a BAA before using it with patient information. | Enterprise plan lists HIPAA mode and BAA support |
Columns are in alphabetical order.
Prices are list prices before tax and shipping. Deals change often; check the vendor's site.
Notta's pages disagree with each other. On 2026-10-27, Notta's product page and its US shop listed different free minutes and battery life for the same Notta Memo, and the shop's own feature list and FAQ give different battery figures. We show both versions. Check with Notta before you buy.
Which one fits
- You record a lot and don't want a subscription: Pocket, on its own claim of unlimited free transcription. The catch: we didn't find Pocket's data retention terms for free users on the page we read, so check them.
- You record all-day events: Plaud Note lists 30 hours of continuous recording and 60 days standby. Notta Memo's product page and shop feature list also say 30 hours, but its shop FAQ says 5, so confirm with Notta.
- You already pay for Notta: Notta Memo, since it syncs into the Notta app.
- Clinics or therapy practices: get a BAA in writing before any of these hears patient information. Pocket lists one on Enterprise; for Notta and Plaud, ask.
Recording phone calls: tell people first
These devices can capture both sides of a phone call, and nothing on the call tells the other person. Telling isn't agreeing: ask at the start of the call and wait for a yes. Pocket's "with consent" on its feature list is a reminder, not a feature.
Recording laws: tell people first. Federal law and most states let you record a conversation you're part of. About 11 states, including California, Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Washington, generally require everyone's consent, and a few states mix the rules. Oregon, for example, requires that everyone in an in-person conversation be told it's being recorded, while phone calls need one person's consent (RCFP guide, ORS 165.540). If people are in different states, the stricter law may apply. Rules outside the US differ too, and many employers, schools and clinics have their own policies. A meeting bot showing up in the participant list is a notice, not consent. The same goes for a "this call may be recorded" greeting: it may not tell people that an AI service is transcribing or summarizing the call, so name the AI note taker when you ask. This is general information, not legal advice. If you're unsure, ask a lawyer where you live.
A simple way to ask. Start recording first, so your announcement is captured on the recording (Washington law requires that). Then say:
"Quick heads-up: I'd like to record this and use an AI note taker to transcribe it, so I don't miss anything. The recording and notes are stored with [tool name]. Is everyone OK with that?"
Wait for a clear yes from each person. If anyone says no, stop and delete what you captured. For meetings with outside guests, also put a line in the invite: "This meeting may be recorded and transcribed by an AI note taker. Let me know beforehand if you'd prefer it isn't."
What we did and didn't do
We read each maker's product and store pages on 2026-10-27. We haven't held or used any of these recorders, so we can't say how they sound or how accurate their transcripts are.
Sources (checked 2026-10-27)
- Notta Memo product page: https://www.notta.ai/en/hardware/memo
- Notta Memo US shop: https://shop.notta.ai/en-us/products/notta-memo
- Notta security: https://www.notta.ai/en/security
- Plaud Note product page: https://www.plaud.ai/products/plaud-note-ai-voice-recorder
- Plaud trust center: https://www.plaud.ai/pages/trust
- Pocket home and store: https://heypocket.com/
- RCFP recording guide: https://www.rcfp.org/introduction-to-reporters-recording-guide/
- Oregon ORS 165.540: https://oregon.public.law/statutes/ors_165.540
Changes
- 2026-10-27: page first written. Prices, plans and policies checked on the vendor pages in Sources.