The short answer
For a new buyer, Plaud is the practical choice. Its recorders are currently sold, support phone and in-person capture depending on the model, and connect to active transcription and summarization plans.
For an existing Limitless owner, the Pendant can still be useful while Meta maintains service through 2026. Export important data and avoid building a new long-term workflow around a discontinued product.
Neither is designed primarily as a communication coach. Work Coach is the better fit for scheduled desktop meetings when the desired result is feedback and practice rather than a searchable life-memory archive.
What Plaud does
Plaud sells several small recorders. Plaud Note and Note Pro attach to a phone and can record phone calls as well as in-person audio. NotePin and NotePin S are wearable products for conversations and voice notes but do not record phone calls.
The Plaud app transcribes in 112 languages and offers summaries, templates, mind maps, Ask Plaud, and multi-file search. The hardware stores audio before it is synchronized for cloud processing.
What Limitless does
Limitless combined a wearable Pendant with a searchable AI memory service. The device could hold about 35 hours of speech, synchronize with mobile apps, transcribe 103 languages, and support search, Ask, export, and an API.
Meta acquired Limitless in December 2025. Limitless stopped selling new Pendants, ended new desktop and web recording, and said existing Pendant owners would receive service through 2026. Availability is now the decisive difference.
At a glance
| Feature | Plaud | Limitless | Work Coach |
|---|---|---|---|
| New hardware sales | Yes | No | No hardware required |
| Hardware price | $159 to $189 depending on model | Not available new from Limitless | No hardware cost |
| Best capture | Phone calls, in-person meetings, voice notes | All-day wearable memory for existing owners | Scheduled Mac or Windows meetings |
| Phone-call recording | Plaud Note and Note Pro | Pendant captures nearby audio, not phone-line audio | Desktop call audio |
| Languages | 112 | 103 | Focused supported languages |
| Free allowance | 300 transcription minutes/month with bound device | Unlimited made free for existing owners | Two-week trial |
| Long-term outlook | Active product and subscription line | Discontinued after Meta acquisition | Active software service |
| Communication coaching | Templates and AI queries | Search and AI memory | Core product purpose |
Details checked in July 2026 against product pages, help centers, pricing pages, and published policies. Confirm current limits before purchasing.
Capture and platform support
Plaud requires choosing the right physical model. The card-shaped Note products are the better fit for phone calls and table recording. The wearable NotePin products make in-person capture easier but cannot use Plaud's phone-call mode. Users still need to announce recording where law or policy requires it.
The Limitless Pendant was built for frictionless ambient capture. Existing devices can synchronize recordings, but new customers cannot buy one from Limitless. Desktop and web recording features were shut down, which removes the software-only fallback.
Notes, search, and workflows
Plaud turns recordings into summaries, structured templates, mind maps, and answers. Its large template library and multi-file tools make it useful for interviews, lectures, medical visits, field notes, and personal organization.
Limitless emphasized chronological memory: search what happened, ask questions across conversations, and recover details later. That archive may still be valuable to current owners, but the acquisition and service timeline make export and migration part of responsible use.
Free plans and pricing
Plaud Note and NotePin start at $159, NotePin S at $179, and Note Pro at $189. A bound device includes 300 transcription minutes each month. Pro is $99.99 per year or $17.99 monthly for 1,200 minutes; Unlimited is $239.99 per year or $29.99 monthly. See Plaud membership pricing.
Limitless no longer sells Pendants. After the acquisition, it made Unlimited free for existing owners and committed to support through 2026. See the official Limitless notice. Secondhand hardware carries substantial service and account risk.
Privacy and AI training
Plaud lists SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001 and 27701, GDPR, HIPAA, and EN 18031 controls. Audio stored on the device is synchronized to Plaud's service for transcription and AI processing, so buyers should review cloud retention and deletion settings.
Limitless' current privacy policy permits information to be used for training, developing, and improving AI, machine learning, and language models, and describes sharing with corporate affiliates. That policy changed the risk profile for a product designed around ambient personal memory. Existing users should read the current policy before continuing.
A different option: coaching for the person in the meeting
Both products in this comparison are built to preserve and distribute what happened. That still leaves a personal question unanswered: how well did you handle the conversation?
Work Coach records locally on Mac or Windows with no bot, then coaches only the account owner. It applies role-aware rubrics, links feedback to timestamped evidence, counts filler words with playback, reviews voice delivery, and turns real moments into voice practice. The results never appear in a manager dashboard or shared meeting report. It costs $50 a month after a two-week free trial.
Your next meeting can be the first lesson
Work Coach records locally, keeps the feedback private, and shows you the moments worth practicing.
Start Free Trial2-week trial, no credit card needed. Your data is never shared with your employer.
Which one should you pick?
Pick Plaud if you...
- Are buying a recorder today
- Need phone-call or portable in-person recording
- Want 112 languages and structured templates
- Accept a device plus transcription subscription
Pick Limitless if you...
- Already own a Limitless Pendant
- Can tolerate an uncertain service future
- Have exported important conversations
- Understand the current Meta-era privacy policy
Pick Work Coach if you...
- Record scheduled desktop meetings
- Want improvement rather than ambient memory
- Prefer private, evidence-backed coaching
- Do not want wearable hardware
Frequently asked questions
Can I still buy a Limitless Pendant?
No. Limitless stopped selling new Pendants after Meta acquired the company in December 2025.
Will an existing Limitless Pendant keep working?
Limitless said it would support existing owners through 2026 and made Unlimited free. That is a limited commitment, so export important data and monitor official notices.
Which Plaud device records phone calls?
Plaud Note and Plaud Note Pro support Plaud's phone-call recording mode. NotePin and NotePin S are intended for in-person audio and do not record phone calls.
Is buying a used Limitless Pendant a good alternative to Plaud?
Usually no. Hardware availability, account setup, service continuity, and the announced support window make a used Pendant a risky purchase.
Does Plaud require a subscription?
The hardware includes a Starter allowance of 300 transcription minutes per month. Pro and Unlimited plans increase the monthly allowance and AI features.
Your next meeting can be the first lesson
Work Coach records locally, keeps the feedback private, and shows you the moments worth practicing.
Start Free Trial2-week trial, no credit card needed. Your data is never shared with your employer.
More comparisons
See the full set in the AI meeting recorder comparison hub.