Plaud makes neat little recorders. The NotePin clips to your shirt or hangs on a lanyard. But you buy the device first, $159 on Plaud's NotePin page, and then the words go to Plaud's cloud. The free plan stops at 300 transcription minutes a month. More minutes means a subscription.
Off Grid AI Desktop (OGAD) Pro uses the computer you already own. No gadget, no minute cap, and the transcript is written on your machine. You pay once.
Get Pro for $79.99 once · Download Off Grid AI
Off Grid AI and Plaud side by side
| Off Grid AI Pro | Plaud | |
|---|---|---|
| What you buy | Software for the computer you own | A recorder: NotePin or Plaud Note, $159 |
| Where transcription runs | On your computer | Plaud's AI service, with cloud storage |
| AI models | Local models you download | GPT-5, Gemini 3 Pro, Claude Sonnet and others |
| Minutes | No cap | Starter: 300 a month; Pro: 1,200 |
| In-person meetings | Laptop microphone, Record meeting | Wearable recorder |
| Price after the device | $79.99 once, or $7.99 a month | Pro $99.99 a year; Unlimited $239.99 a year |
Checked 30 October 2026 against Plaud's AI plan pricing, NotePin and Plaud Note pages, in the US store. Off Grid AI's price is a limited-time lifetime offer, down from $119.
What it costs over three years
| 1 year | 3 years | |
|---|---|---|
| NotePin + free Starter (300 min a month) | $159 | $159 |
| NotePin + Pro, yearly | $258.99 | $458.97 |
| NotePin + Unlimited, yearly | $398.99 | $878.97 |
| Off Grid AI Pro, lifetime | $79.99 | $79.99 |
Plaud's pricing page notes that minutes reset each month and don't roll over. Off Grid AI doesn't count them.
Your words in someone else's cloud
Plaud's pricing page lists "Cloud storage with access across Plaud App, Web, and Desktop". It also names the models it uses, including GPT-5, Gemini 3 Pro and Claude Sonnet. So a doctor's visit, a client pitch or a board talk recorded on a Plaud is handled by Plaud's service and the outside AI models it names.
With OGAD and local models selected, a Whisper model on your computer writes the transcript. A local text model writes the summary, the decisions and the follow-ups. Nothing is uploaded, and it works with Wi-Fi off.
Recording a room with OGAD
- Open Meetings and press Record meeting.
- Put the laptop where its microphone can hear everyone.
- Press Stop at the end. The transcript and summary appear on your computer.
The full steps are in how to record an in-person meeting on your Mac. For online calls, OGAD sees the Zoom, Teams or Google Meet call and records it without a bot. See how to take AI meeting notes without a bot.
Meetings are one part of Pro
- Memory. Meetings, screens, mail and documents in one local memory you can search and ask.
- Actions you approve. Replies and issues through Gmail, Linear, Jira and Notion, sent only with your yes.
- God, your chief of staff. A morning brief, meeting prep with last time's notes, and what people owe you.
- Dictation, Vault, Clipboard and Sync. All on one key, for up to 5 devices.
When Plaud is the better pick
A Plaud is small and always with you. It records a walk-and-talk, a site visit or a chat over coffee with no laptop open. OGAD needs a computer in the room.
If you meet mostly away from a desk, a wearable recorder is the easier tool. If your meetings happen on calls or around a table with your laptop, OGAD does the job with no device to buy and no minutes to count.
FAQ
How much does a Plaud recorder cost?
On 30 October 2026, Plaud lists the NotePin and the Plaud Note at $159 each in the US store. Each includes the free Starter plan with 300 transcription minutes a month.
Do I need a Plaud subscription?
Not to start. Plaud is free for up to 300 minutes a month. Pro is $17.99 a month or $99.99 a year for 1,200 minutes, and Unlimited is $29.99 a month or $239.99 a year.
Where does Plaud process my recordings?
Plaud's pricing page lists cloud storage across its app, web and desktop, and AI models including GPT-5, Gemini 3 Pro and Claude Sonnet. Off Grid AI transcribes and summarises on your own computer with local models.
Can Off Grid AI record an in-person meeting?
Yes. Press Record meeting in OGAD and your laptop's microphone records the room. The transcript and summary are written on the computer.
Is there a minute limit in Off Grid AI?
No. Transcription runs on your own computer, so the only limit is your disk space.
Get Off Grid AI Pro and record on the computer you already have.
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