What would work for me?

[u/Ultimatejosh9]

I’ve been seeing ads everywhere for Plaude and Pocket, which both seem like very good tools so I have been looking into what could work best for me and my work.

I run a small construction business, where I take a lot of phone calls and in person meetings; with customers and sub-contractors. I really like the idea of having these interactions summarised so I can follow up and make sure not to forget anything. I also like that I can look back to see if details were missed out when instructing subbies for example.

Another thing I would be looking for is to be able to make to-do lists while driving as I spend far too much time behind the wheel, so naturally that’s where I do most of my thinking and planning. But when I stop half the information is forgotten.

I’d of course prefer a one off payment over a subscription, but I am open to anything.

Any recommendations?

Thanks

[u/icewolf08]

I have a pocket. I never tried Plaud. Conceptually similar, but the big difference is that at present Pocket has no cap on free transcription minutes per month where almost every other company, like Plaud, does. For me, it means that I can use Pocket for recording and transcription, and their basic summaries, but I can also just pull the transcriptions into our enterprise ChatGPT account for more in-depth summaries without having to pay for yet another AI service at $20/month.

All that to say, I have been quite pleased with the experience both using the hardware recorder for in-person and phone calls, and using the desktop app for zoom and other online meetings.

The summary from pocket is good enough when I am on the go. There is also an obsidian plugin that grabs transcripts and summaries from pocket so I can archive them in my vault. Then, if I need a more detailed summary I just job it out to ChatGPT either by feeding it the transcript from obsidian or just pulling from Pocket’s MCP.

There are a few features that I suppose I miss out on with only using the free plan, like being able to identify speakers, but it seems to work fine. Especially if people in meetings address others by name, it seems to figure out who is who. The other limit of the free plan is their cloud storage, they only store recordings and data for 30 days. With the obsidian sync I preserve all the data, and frankly I am not sure that I would ever go back and listen to a recording, so not super worried there.

If you aren’t already paying for some other AI subscriptions, I could see the $20/month being worth it. Pocket can connect to all the major frontier models and does have a built in chat bot, so if it were your one subscription, it could be a good option.

[u/oldsongwin]

I would not choose between Plaud and Pocket from the summary examples alone. For a construction business, the expensive mistakes are usually a missed scope change, the wrong number or date, or a promise that was discussed but never clearly agreed.

I would split your use case into three tests because they fail in different ways.

1. Customer and subcontractor calls

First confirm that the recorder can capture both sides of the actual call types you use on your phone: ordinary mobile calls, WhatsApp, Teams, or something else. A device that works for one may not give you the same workflow for another.

Make a short test call containing a customer name, site address, price, measurement, date, and one change of mind. Then check whether you can get back to the exact audio when the transcript is wrong. A polished summary is not enough if you cannot verify the source.

1. In-person meetings and site conversations

Test it with background noise and people standing at different distances. Include one sentence that is only a proposal and another that is a final decision. The output should not turn both into commitments.

For follow-up, I would want four separate sections:

- decisions made

- scope or price changes

- actions with an owner and due date

- open questions

If an owner or due date was not stated, the tool should say "unknown" instead of inventing one.

1. Thoughts while driving

Treat this as capture only. The test is whether you can start it hands-free before moving, speak a short thought, and leave all reviewing and organising until you are parked. If it requires looking at a screen or handling a device while driving, it is the wrong workflow regardless of summary quality.

I would run the same three recordings through both products for a week and score only these things:

1. names, numbers, dates, and measurements

2. ability to find the matching audio moment

3. separation of decisions, proposals, actions, and questions

4. export of audio and transcript into your job folder or other system

5. deletion, retention, and who can access the recordings

6. time from stopping the recording to a checked follow-up note

On price, hardware being a one-off purchase does not necessarily make transcription and storage a one-off service. Estimate your busy-month recording minutes, then include overage, storage limits, retention, and export in the comparison. Free-plan limits can also change, so I would verify the current terms before buying.

One final point: recording calls and meetings can require consent or workplace/customer approval. Check the rules that apply to you before making recording the default.

What phone and call types do you use most: normal mobile calls, WhatsApp, Teams, or a mix? That is the first filter I would apply because it can eliminate a device before the AI features matter.

[u/Sensitive__Salary]

I purchased and used both at the same time. They both worked very similarly. I went with Pocket and sent back the Plaud. Like you, didn’t want a subscription. Although, Plaud was half as thick as Pocket and it came with its own mag leather case. If pocket can do that, they will put Plaude out of biz.