The best alternative to Plaud depends on where you record. If your meetings are by video call or in your own office, you don't need a device: the computer already records, and a local transcription app turns the audio into text without uploading it to any cloud. If you record phone calls or meetings outside the office, a recorder like Plaud still has the edge.
What Plaud is and what it includes
Plaud is a brand of AI voice recorders that you pay for once and complement with a transcription subscription. The device records; the Plaud app transcribes, separates the speakers and generates summaries from templates.
These are the four models it sells in its Spanish store, with the details from its official website as of 17 October 2026:
| Model | Price | What Plaud highlights |
|---|---|---|
| Plaud Note Pro | €189 | Card format, 4 microphones, screen, switches automatically between call mode and in-person mode, up to 50 hours of recording in battery saver mode |
| Plaud NotePin S | €179 | Pendant or wristband format, the most portable |
| Plaud Note | €169.90 | Card format, 2 microphones, 30 hours of recording, mode switched by hand |
| Plaud NotePin | €169.90 | Pendant format |
The device comes with 300 minutes of transcription a month without a subscription, in 112 languages. For more minutes there are paid plans: Pro goes up to 1,200 minutes a month and Unlimited removes the cap (with a limit of 24 hours per user per day). According to Plaud, recordings, transcripts and summaries are synced to its cloud, and AI processing starts when the recording gets there.
When you don't need a recorder
You don't need a recorder when the meeting already goes through your computer. That is the case for most meetings in a law firm today: video calls with clients, with the procurador (the court representative in Spanish proceedings) or with the other side, and meetings in the firm's meeting room with the laptop on the table.
In those cases, the recorder adds one more device to charge, pair and empty, and a second cloud the conversation passes through. The computer already has a microphone and already hears the sound of the video call. What is missing is a program that records both and transcribes well in Spanish.
The numbers also change with volume. 300 minutes a month is 5 hours of recording. A firm with three one-hour meetings a week records about 13 hours a month, so with Plaud it would move to a paid plan from the first month.
The alternative: record and transcribe on your computer
The alternative to Plaud for law firm meetings is an app that records on the computer and transcribes right there. There are three families of tools, and they differ above all in where the recording ends up:
- Word's transcription. The Transcribe feature in Word for Microsoft 365 records or uploads audio and turns it into text, with a monthly allowance of minutes and the audio stored in Microsoft's cloud. We explain it step by step in how to transcribe audio in Word.
- Cloud transcription services. Otter, Happy Scribe or TurboScribe receive the file, transcribe it on their servers and send back the text. We compare them by where the recording ends up in transcribing audio to text in a law firm.
- Apps that transcribe locally. The file doesn't leave the computer: the speech model runs on your computer. It is the option that comes closest to keeping the recording in a drawer.
ablalo's Hearings tab is of this third type. On Windows and on Mac (macOS 14.2 or later) it records the meeting (the microphone and the computer's sound, so it also picks up whoever speaks from the video call) and transcribes Spanish video and audio in MP4, MOV, WebM, MKV, M4A, MP3, WAV, OGG, Opus, FLAC and AAC on your own computer, without uploading the file. It separates the speakers and lets you name them, saves notes at the exact second and exports to Word the transcript with timestamps or just the notes.
Plaud or the computer: the comparison
Data from Plaud's official website checked on 17 October 2026 and, for ablalo, from its product page. ablalo's price is on the pricing page.
| Plaud | Record and transcribe on your computer (ablalo) | |
|---|---|---|
| What you buy | A device from €169.90 to €189 and, if you go over the allowance, a subscription | A subscription to a desktop app; 14-day trial, no card |
| Where it records | Wherever you take the device, including phone calls | On the computer (on Windows, microphone and computer sound) |
| Where it is transcribed | In Plaud's cloud, after syncing the recording | On your computer; the file is not uploaded |
| Speakers | Speaker labels | Separates the speakers and lets you name them |
| Result | Transcript and summaries from templates, mind maps | Transcript synced with the video, notes with their exact second and export to Word with timestamps |
Where Plaud wins
Plaud wins when the meeting doesn't go through a computer. These advantages are real and come from its own website:
- Phone calls. The Note Pro switches automatically between call mode and in-person mode. If a good part of your work with clients is on your mobile phone, a computer doesn't solve that.
- Meetings outside the office. At a notary's office, at a client's premises or on a visit, the recorder goes in your pocket and the laptop doesn't always come along.
- Battery life. From 30 to 50 hours of recording depending on the model and mode, without depending on the laptop battery.
- Summaries. Its app generates summaries with more than 10,000 templates, something a tool designed for verbatim transcription doesn't promise.
- Languages. 112 transcription languages, with automatic detection, useful in meetings with foreign clients.
If that is your case, the question is not whether to use Plaud, but what happens to the recording when it reaches its cloud. That comes next.
What to ask before recording a client with either of them
Before recording a client with any tool, it is worth knowing where the audio is processed and who keeps it. In a law firm meeting people talk about facts, names and strategy, and the recording is the most complete document of all.
- Where it is transcribed: on the device, on your computer or in the manufacturer's cloud.
- Where the recording is stored afterwards, and how it is deleted.
- Whether it is used to train models, and whether that can be turned off.
- Who acts as data processor and whether they sign a data processing agreement.
Ask any provider for the answers in writing. We go into them in client confidentiality and GDPR when using AI in a law firm, and the terms (local transcription, diarisation, data processor) are defined in the dictation and transcription glossary.
How to record a meeting well on your computer
Transcription quality depends above all on the audio that goes in. Three adjustments avoid most errors:
- A microphone close to whoever speaks in the room. The laptop one picks up the room's echo; a desktop one half a metre away improves the result a lot. We compare the formats in which microphone to choose.
- Taking turns to speak. When two people talk at once, any speaker separation system makes more mistakes.
- A test beforehand. Record a minute, transcribe it and check that both sides can be heard, the room and the video call.
If the meeting is in a room, with several people around the table, we explain it in detail in taking notes in in-person meetings.
In short
Plaud is an AI voice recorder costing €169.90 to €189 that includes 300 minutes of transcription a month in its cloud and stands out for phone calls and meetings outside the office. If your meetings are by video call or in the office, the alternative is to record on your computer and transcribe right there: without buying a device and without the recording leaving the computer.
Sources: Plaud, Plaud Note Pro, prices of the four models and comparison with Plaud Note (Spanish store) and Plaud Intelligence: plans and transcription minutes. Checked on 17 October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an alternative to Plaud without buying a device?
Yes. If your meetings are by video call or in your office, a desktop app can record them on your computer and transcribe them right there. ablalo's Hearings tab does it without uploading the file.
How many minutes of transcription does Plaud include?
According to its website, as of 17 October 2026, each device includes 300 minutes of transcription a month. The Pro plan goes up to 1,200 minutes and the Unlimited plan removes the cap, with a limit of 24 hours per user per day.
Does Plaud transcribe on the device or in the cloud?
According to Plaud, recordings, transcripts and summaries are synced to its cloud, and AI processing starts when the recording gets there.
How much does Plaud cost?
In its Spanish store, as of 17 October 2026: Plaud Note Pro €189, NotePin S €179, Plaud Note €169.90 and NotePin €169.90. Plans with more minutes are paid for separately.
Can I use ablalo to transcribe audio recorded on another device?
Yes, if the recording is in Spanish and the file is in one of the formats it supports: MP4, MOV, WebM, MKV, M4A, MP3, WAV, OGG, Opus, FLAC or AAC. It is transcribed on your computer and exported to Word with timestamps.