Happy Scribe and Pluely are both AI meeting assistants for recording, transcription, and summaries, compared here on pricing, features, and workflow fit. Happy Scribe: Transcription/subtitling and GDPR-friendly meeting notes, 150+ languages Pluely: A lightweight open-source desktop AI meeting assistant that captures system audio for live transcription and on-call answers without joining as a visible bot. They overlap on ai-meeting-assistants, so the right pick depends on team size, budget, and which meeting workflows you automate.
For ai-meeting-assistants workflows, shortlist Happy Scribe when transcribing recordings and interviews matters most, and Pluely when getting live transcription and ai assistance during meetings without a visible bot in the call matters most. Both record across Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams; trial each on real meetings before committing.
A lightweight open-source desktop AI meeting assistant that captures system audio for live transcription and on-call answers without joining as a visible bot.
Always-on-top overlay app for macOS, Windows, and Linux
Bot-free capture of system audio and microphone for live transcription
Bring-your-own-key support for many LLMs (OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, Grok, Mistral, Cohere, Ollama, custom)
Happy Scribe is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); Pluely is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
Bot-free capture of system audio and microphone for live transcription
Standout feature
Subtitles and captions
Always-on-top overlay app for macOS, Windows, and Linux
Team usage
Wide multi-language support
Bring-your-own-key support for many LLMs (OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, Grok, Mistral, Cohere, Ollama, custom)
Integrations
In-browser transcript editor
Multiple speech-to-text providers (Whisper, Deepgram, ElevenLabs, Groq, Azure, and others)
Languages & capture
Multi-format export
Lightweight (~10MB) and fast to launch
Best-fit workflow
Automatic and human transcription
Open source under GPL with optional local processing via Ollama
Best for
Happy Scribe
Choose Happy Scribe if you need transcribing recordings and interviews — strengths include strong language and subtitle support.
Pluely
Choose Pluely if you need getting live transcription and ai assistance during meetings without a visible bot in the call — strengths include free and open source with fully inspectable code.
Pros & cons
Happy Scribe
+ Strong language and subtitle support
+ Choice of automatic or human accuracy
- Not a live meeting bot
Pluely
+ Free and open source with fully inspectable code
+ Bot-free and can run locally for privacy when paired with local models
- Requires bringing your own API keys, adding setup effort and external usage costs
FAQ
Is Happy Scribe or Pluely better for AI meeting notes?
It depends on your workflow. Happy Scribe is strong for transcribing recordings and interviews, while Pluely is strong for getting live transcription and ai assistance during meetings without a visible bot in the call. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
How do Happy Scribe and Pluely compare on price?
Happy Scribe is a free tier with paid upgrades and Pluely is a free tier with paid upgrades. Check each vendor's pricing page for the latest plans and free-tier limits.
Can I use both Happy Scribe and Pluely?
Yes. Many teams run more than one meeting assistant when the workflows are complementary and the budget is justified.