Pluely and toruno 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. toruno: Ricoh's Japanese meeting recording service combining transcription, audio recording, and screen capture for online and in-person meetings. 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 toruno when japanese teams needing searchable records of meetings and business negotiations 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)
Ricoh's Japanese meeting recording service combining transcription, audio recording, and screen capture for online and in-person meetings.
AI-generated summaries with customizable minutes templatesCombined transcription, audio recording, and screen capture of meetingsEnterprise security: two-factor authentication and IP restrictions
Pluely is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); toruno 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
Combined transcription, audio recording, and screen capture of meetings
Standout feature
Always-on-top overlay app for macOS, Windows, and Linux
Real-time transcription via Windows desktop app, plus iPhone and file-upload capture
Team usage
Bring-your-own-key support for many LLMs (OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, Grok, Mistral, Cohere, Ollama, custom)
AI-generated summaries with customizable minutes templates
Integrations
Multiple speech-to-text providers (Whisper, Deepgram, ElevenLabs, Groq, Azure, and others)
Japanese-first transcription with English and Chinese support on higher plans
Languages & capture
Lightweight (~10MB) and fast to launch
Enterprise security: two-factor authentication and IP restrictions
Best-fit workflow
Open source under GPL with optional local processing via Ollama
Per-user permission management over transcriptions
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.
toruno
Choose toruno if you need japanese teams needing searchable records of meetings and business negotiations — strengths include screen capture alongside transcript preserves visual context from meetings.
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
toruno
+ Screen capture alongside transcript preserves visual context from meetings
+ Backed by Ricoh with enterprise security and administration controls
- Real-time transcription is tied to the Windows desktop app
FAQ
Is Pluely or toruno 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 toruno is strong for japanese teams needing searchable records of meetings and business negotiations. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
How do Pluely and toruno compare on price?
Pluely is a free tier with paid upgrades and toruno 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 Pluely and toruno?
Yes. Many teams run more than one meeting assistant when the workflows are complementary and the budget is justified.