Scriben vs Pocket
Same price. A different system.
Both devices cost $129 and include a free software plan. Scriben adds a real writing instrument, connected memory, agents and actions across more than 9,000 apps.
- The device
- $129
- $129
- What it costs you over three years
- $726Device, plus Pocket Pro renewed
- $129The pen. Free software plan included
- Transcription and summaries
- FreeCore transcription and summaries
- FreeCore transcription and summaries
- Writes on paper
- NoA recorder that clips to a phone
- YesA real 0.6mm ballpoint
Start here
What Pocket does better.
Pocket turns a conversation into a mind map, not just a summary. If you think in branches rather than paragraphs, that is a real output we do not produce. It also offers a contact microphone aimed at capturing phone calls, which we do not match. Weigh both before you read the rest of this page.
What the comparison misses
The work after the recording.
Scriben does not stop at a transcript. It remembers context across conversations, prepares the next move and works with the tools your day already runs on.
Over time
The same $129, three years later.
Both products start at $129 with free software. This optional-plan view uses Pocket Pro’s published $199 annual price; Scriben’s Free plan remains $0.
After one year
After two years
After three years
Pocket figures checked on 14 September 2026 from Pocket’s published pricing: $129 for the device and $199 per year for Pocket Pro. Prices change; check theirs before deciding, and tell us if anything here has gone out of date. 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; on Pro the three-year total would be $597, below Pocket Pro's $726.
Included
What the same money buys.
Both free plans cover core capture and AI. The meaningful differences are the physical product, memory, agents and the advanced features each company puts in Pro.
- Automatic transcription
- ✓
- ✓
- Summaries and action items
- ✓
- ✓
- Automatic speaker names
- Pocket Pro
- Scriben Pro
- Advanced exports
- Pocket Pro
- ✓
- Forever cloud history
- Pocket Pro
- ✓
- Mind maps
- ✓
- —
- Writes in real ink while it captures
- —
- ✓
- Approval-gated agent actions across your work tools
- —
- ✓
Pocket plan details taken from Pocket’s published pricing on 14 September 2026.
Questions
The ones people actually ask.
Is Pocket cheaper than Scriben?
Does Scriben do mind maps?
Do I need my phone with me?
Can I get my recordings out?
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 Pocket if the mind map is the output you actually want, or if capturing phone calls is the job. Buy Scriben if you want the thing in your hand to be a real pen, with persistent memory and agents behind it.
§Recording and consent requirements vary by jurisdiction and setting. Record openly, ask first, and follow the rules that apply where you are. Our guide to recording lawfully sets out how.