Knowt and Shadow are both AI meeting assistants for recording, transcription, and summaries, compared here on pricing, features, and workflow fit. Knowt: AI study platform that turns recorded or uploaded lectures into notes, flashcards, and practice quizzes for students. Shadow: A bot-free, Mac-based AI meeting assistant that transcribes and summarizes calls locally without joining as a participant. 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 Knowt when recording university lectures and turning them into structured study notes matters most, and Shadow when capturing notes and summaries across multiple conferencing platforms without a bot joining matters most. Both record across Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams; trial each on real meetings before committing.
AI study platform that turns recorded or uploaded lectures into notes, flashcards, and practice quizzes for students.
AI-generated notes with adjustable formatting (outline or paragraph) and detail levelAutomatic flashcard generation from lecture and document contentKai AI chat for explaining concepts and answering questions
A bot-free, Mac-based AI meeting assistant that transcribes and summarizes calls locally without joining as a participant.
Bot-free capture that records system audio without joining the meeting as a participantCaptures on-screen content in addition to spoken audioCustomizable prompts/Skills to generate notes, summaries, and emails
Knowt is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); Shadow is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
Live lecture recording in app and on the web, plus upload of audio, video, PDFs, and slides
Bot-free capture that records system audio without joining the meeting as a participant
Standout feature
AI-generated notes with adjustable formatting (outline or paragraph) and detail level
On-device (local) transcription on macOS
Team usage
Automatic flashcard generation from lecture and document content
Speaker identification during transcription
Integrations
Practice quiz and test creation from any note, PDF, or video
Captures on-screen content in addition to spoken audio
Languages & capture
Kai AI chat for explaining concepts and answering questions
Customizable prompts/Skills to generate notes, summaries, and emails
Best-fit workflow
Large community library of shared study sets and teacher tools for assignments
Webhook integration to connect outputs to other tools
Best for
Knowt
Choose Knowt if you need recording university lectures and turning them into structured study notes — strengths include combines capture, summarization, and active-recall study tools in one student-focused app.
Shadow
Choose Shadow if you need capturing notes and summaries across multiple conferencing platforms without a bot joining — strengths include does not add a visible bot to meetings.
Pros & cons
Knowt
+ Combines capture, summarization, and active-recall study tools in one student-focused app
+ Available across web, iOS, and Android
- Geared toward studying rather than professional or multi-speaker meeting workflows
Shadow
+ Does not add a visible bot to meetings
+ Local transcription keeps core audio processing on the device
- Available for macOS only
FAQ
Is Knowt or Shadow better for AI meeting notes?
It depends on your workflow. Knowt is strong for recording university lectures and turning them into structured study notes, while Shadow is strong for capturing notes and summaries across multiple conferencing platforms without a bot joining. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
How do Knowt and Shadow compare on price?
Knowt is a free tier with paid upgrades and Shadow 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 Knowt and Shadow?
Yes. Many teams run more than one meeting assistant when the workflows are complementary and the budget is justified.