Cluely alternatives in 2026

Cluely gives live AI answers during calls, and hiding it from screen share costs $149.99/month. These tools cover the same ground in different ways: some help while the call is happening, others write notes once it is over.

Pricing checked October 2026

At a glance

ToolLive answersBot-freePaid from
ObserverYes: transcript, screen, and web lookupYes, runs on your desktop$25/month ($20 with FIRST100), undetectability included
Otter.aiPartly: live transcript and meeting chatPartly: desktop app records without a bot$16.99/user/month ($8.33 billed annually)
GranolaPartly: chat about the meeting so farYes, device audio capture$14/user/month (Business)
Parakeet AIYes, automatic per questionYes, no meeting botCredits or subscription
LittlebirdNot its focus: chat and Hover across appsYes, no meeting bot$17/month Plus (billed annually)
FathomNo, summaries after the callPartly: bot-free beta on Mac$20/month Premium ($16 billed annually)
Fireflies.aiPartly: Live Assist suggestionsPartly: Chrome extension option$18/seat/month Pro ($10 billed annually)
Read AIPartly: live dashboard and metricsNo, joins as a participant$19.75/month Pro ($15 billed annually)

What Cluely does and costs

A desktop AI meeting assistant for Mac and Windows that listens to the call, reads the screen, and gives real-time answers and notes.

Starter is free with limited responses. Pro is $19.99/month. Pro + Undetectability, which hides it from screen share, is $149.99/month.

Tool by tool

Observer

Live answers and notes for sales calls, recruiting, and everyday meetings

A desktop AI companion for meetings on Mac and Windows. Quick Actions like Reply, Screen Help, Recap, and Lookup answer from the live transcript and your screen while people are still talking. Playbooks change the actions and notes for each kind of call, and notes can go to Notion. Undetectability is included in Pro and Max.

Live answers:
Yes: transcript, screen, and web lookup
Bot-free:
Yes, runs on your desktop
Platforms:
Mac, Windows
Free option:
One-time 30-minute trial, no card
Paid from:
$25/month ($20 with FIRST100), undetectability included

Otter.ai

Transcripts and summaries for recurring team meetings

A notetaker with live transcription, summaries, action items, and AI chat across meetings. Its meeting agent joins calls as a participant, and the desktop app can record without one.

Live answers:
Partly: live transcript and meeting chat
Bot-free:
Partly: desktop app records without a bot
Platforms:
Web, Mac, Windows, iOS, Android
Free option:
300 transcription minutes/month
Paid from:
$16.99/user/month ($8.33 billed annually)

Granola

Clean notes from your own device without a bot

An AI notepad that captures device audio and turns your rough notes into a full write-up. Granola Chat can recap the meeting while it is running; the focus is notes rather than answers you use in the moment.

Live answers:
Partly: chat about the meeting so far
Bot-free:
Yes, device audio capture
Platforms:
Mac, Windows, iOS, Android
Free option:
Basic plan, 30 days of history
Paid from:
$14/user/month (Business)

Parakeet AI

Automatic answers to each question as it is asked

A real-time call assistant that detects questions and generates an answer for each one automatically, with resume context. Pricing mixes credits, subscriptions, and lifetime options.

Live answers:
Yes, automatic per question
Bot-free:
Yes, no meeting bot
Platforms:
Mac, Windows
Free option:
10-minute trial
Paid from:
Credits or subscription

Littlebird

An always-on assistant that remembers your workday

An AI assistant that reads your active window as you work, writes meeting notes without a bot, and connects to tools like Notion, Linear, and Gmail. It is built for memory across the day rather than answers in the moment of a call.

Live answers:
Not its focus: chat and Hover across apps
Bot-free:
Yes, no meeting bot
Platforms:
Mac, Windows, iOS, Android
Free option:
Basic plan with limited meeting notes
Paid from:
$17/month Plus (billed annually)

Fathom

Free recording and summaries, especially for sales teams

A meeting recorder with a generous free plan, AI summaries, and CRM sync on team plans. It joins as a bot by default; a bot-free mode is in beta on Mac.

Live answers:
No, summaries after the call
Bot-free:
Partly: bot-free beta on Mac
Platforms:
Zoom, Meet, Teams
Free option:
Unlimited recordings
Paid from:
$20/month Premium ($16 billed annually)

Fireflies.ai

Team conversation search and analytics

A notetaker that joins calls as Fred, transcribes, and makes meetings searchable across a team. A Chrome extension can record without the bot.

Live answers:
Partly: Live Assist suggestions
Bot-free:
Partly: Chrome extension option
Platforms:
Web, desktop, mobile
Free option:
Free plan with limited credits
Paid from:
$18/seat/month Pro ($10 billed annually)

Read AI

Meeting summaries plus engagement metrics

A meeting assistant that joins Zoom, Teams, and Meet, shows a live dashboard with transcription and engagement metrics, and writes summaries afterward.

Live answers:
Partly: live dashboard and metrics
Bot-free:
No, joins as a participant
Platforms:
Zoom, Teams, Meet
Free option:
5 meetings/month
Paid from:
$19.75/month Pro ($15 billed annually)

Try it in a real call

Every Observer account starts with a 30-minute free trial. No credit card required.

FAQ

It depends on what you used Cluely for. For live answers during calls, Observer is the closest match and includes undetectability from $25/month. For notes without a bot, Granola is the cleanest option. For a team-wide meeting archive, Otter or Fireflies fit better.

Yes. Observer is hidden from screen shares and recordings on Pro, which is $25/month ($20 with FIRST100). Cluely lists that capability on its Pro + Undetectability tier at $149.99/month.

Observer, Granola, Parakeet AI, and Littlebird run on your own device. Otter's desktop app and Fireflies' Chrome extension can record without a bot, and Fathom has a bot-free beta on Mac. Read AI joins as a participant.

Observer and Parakeet AI are built to answer while the call is happening. Granola can recap the meeting so far, and Otter, Fireflies, and Read AI show live transcripts or suggestions. Fathom focuses on summaries after the call.

Observer, Otter, Granola, Parakeet AI, and Littlebird all have apps for both. Observer supports macOS 11 or later and Windows 10 or later.

Observer is our product, so it is listed first. Details for other tools come from their public pricing and product pages, linked in each entry. Pricing and features can change, so check each vendor before you buy.