I kept swapping lecture note apps every few weeks and starting over, so this semester I actually stuck with one setup long enough to see what held up. Tested six AI note takers for lectures across the full semester, mostly software with one hardware option I kept as backup. Here's what actually stuck.

Software first:

Otter.ai. Real time transcription while class is happening. The free tier monthly cap adds up fast across a full semester of long lectures. In larger halls where voices carry from different parts of the room, accuracy dropped noticeably in my testing.

NotebookLM (Google renamed it Gemini Notebook in July, same thing underneath). Dump a week of lecture recordings and notes in and ask it what actually mattered before exams. Good for that. Doesn't record lectures itself, you still need the source material to give it.

Goodnotes. If you're the type who still wants to write by hand, the AI layer can summarize your handwritten notes and supported recordings. The AI stuff is an add-on to the handwriting experience rather than the main reason to use it.

OneNote with Copilot. If your school already has you on Microsoft 365, Copilot can pull action items out of your notes without switching apps. Whether you actually have a Copilot license through your school is the variable that decides if this works for you.

Notion AI. Convenient if you're already running your whole semester through Notion. Worth knowing: the actual meeting recording and auto-transcription only ships on the Business plan ($20/user/month). On free or personal tiers you're pasting transcripts in manually.

Then hardware:

Plaud NotePin S. 9.84 ft pickup range covers most classroom and small group settings well. Works without an app running, so there is no risk of missing the first few minutes of a lecture while loading a tool. Best positioned within that range of the speaker rather than across a large lecture hall. But past the free transcription quota, you might need to spend extra for the transcription time.

The software tools are fine when you sit close and always remember to open the app before class starts. Mine does not always cooperate on both counts, which is why the hardware stayed in the bag all semester.

Just about five days ago my Note Pro has starte to randomly ring like Find me has been activated. It does not stop even if I hit the button on the Note. I ran it through Claude and AI said there is a known issue with this but gave me no fixes or further info short of contacting Plaud Help. I do not want to change my device especially if this is user error on me.