Scriben vs Plaud Note
A recorder, or a work system.
Plaud records longer on one charge. Scriben writes, captures offline, builds memory across meetings and gives agents context to move work forward—without metered AI minutes.
- The device
- $159
- $129
- Three years, on Plaud’s Pro plan
- $807Device, plus $17.99 a month
- $129The pen. Free software plan included
- What the AI is metered in
- Minutes300 free a month; 1,200 on Pro
- NothingNo tier, no minute count
- Records for longer on a charge
- 30 hrsThis one is theirs
- 18 hrsPlus 64GB, roughly 400 hours stored
Start here
What Plaud does better.
Plaud Note records for 30 hours on one charge. Scriben records for 18. If the thing that decides it for you is a single very long day, a deposition that runs into the evening and a flight afterwards, that gap is real and you should weigh it rather than take our word for the rest.
Beyond recording
The intelligence around the pen.
Scriben turns conversations into durable context, prepares the next move and connects the result to the tools where work actually happens.
At work
The differences that matter.
Plaud wins on battery life. Scriben is built to carry context into the next action.
- 30-hour continuous recording
- ✓
- 18 hr
- AI without monthly minute limits
- —
- ✓
- Writes on paper
- —
- ✓
- Records offline to 64GB
- ✓
- ✓
- Memory available over MCP
- —
- ✓
- Actions across 9,000+ apps
- —
- ✓
Over time
What the metering adds up to.
Plaud’s free Starter plan includes 300 transcription minutes a month, which is five hours. The bars price Pro, the plan you move to when five hours a month is not enough.
After one year
After two years
After three years
Plaud figures checked on 13 September 2026 from the Plaud Note product page and the Plaud AI plan pricing page: device $159, Pro $17.99 a month for 1,200 minutes, Unlimited $29.99 a month. On Unlimited the three-year total is higher than shown. Prices and plans change; check theirs before you decide. The Scriben bar is the Free plan, which is $0 a month, so the $129 is the pen and nothing recurs. Pro is optional at $12.99 a month for higher usage and advanced models; on Pro the three-year total would be $597, still below Plaud Pro's $807.
Questions
The ones people actually ask.
Is Plaud better than Scriben?
How much does Plaud cost per year?
What happens when I run out of minutes?
Do either of them need my phone to record?
Which should I buy?
Also worth comparing
The other three.
Anyone choosing between two of these is usually choosing between four. Every page uses the same rules and dates its sources.
Honestly
Which one to buy.
Buy Plaud if the single longest recording you make is what decides it, and a metered plan does not bother you. Buy Scriben if you would rather never think about minutes again, if you want the thing in your hand to be a pen, and if you want to ask your own notes a question from the tools you already work in.
§Recording and consent requirements vary by jurisdiction and setting. Record openly, ask first, and follow the rules that apply where you are. See our recording and consent guidance.