Pluely and Sembly AI are both AI meeting assistants for recording, transcription, and summaries, compared here on pricing, features, and workflow fit. 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. Sembly AI: AI meeting assistant that transcribes in 40+ languages, generates notes and action items, and automates workflows across Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, and Webex. 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 Pluely when getting live transcription and ai assistance during meetings without a visible bot in the call matters most, and Sembly AI when team ai notes with task automation 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 LinuxBot-free capture of system audio and microphone for live transcriptionBring-your-own-key support for many LLMs (OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, Grok, Mistral, Cohere, Ollama, custom)
AI meeting assistant that transcribes in 40+ languages, generates notes and action items, and automates workflows across Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, and Webex.
40+ language transcriptionAutomated action itemsSemblian AI chat
Pluely is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); Sembly AI is from $10/mo (paid). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
Bot-free capture of system audio and microphone for live transcription
40+ language transcription
Standout feature
Always-on-top overlay app for macOS, Windows, and Linux
Automated action items
Team usage
Bring-your-own-key support for many LLMs (OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, Grok, Mistral, Cohere, Ollama, custom)
Semblian AI chat
Integrations
Multiple speech-to-text providers (Whisper, Deepgram, ElevenLabs, Groq, Azure, and others)
Workflow automations
Languages & capture
Lightweight (~10MB) and fast to launch
40+ language transcription
Best-fit workflow
Open source under GPL with optional local processing via Ollama
Automated action items
Best for
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.
Sembly AI
Choose Sembly AI if you need team ai notes with task automation — strengths include transcription and ai notes in 40+ languages.
Pros & cons
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
Sembly AI
+ Transcription and AI notes in 40+ languages
+ Automated task and action-item detection
- No permanent free plan — only a time-limited Basic trial (since March 2026)
FAQ
Is Pluely or Sembly AI better for AI meeting notes?
It depends on your workflow. Pluely is strong for getting live transcription and ai assistance during meetings without a visible bot in the call, while Sembly AI is strong for team ai notes with task automation. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
How do Pluely and Sembly AI compare on price?
Pluely is a free tier with paid upgrades and Sembly AI is from $10/mo. Check each vendor's pricing page for the latest plans and free-tier limits.
Can I use both Pluely and Sembly AI?
Yes. Many teams run more than one meeting assistant when the workflows are complementary and the budget is justified.