Aside vs Cluely
Both help while you talk. Cluely answers questions on demand using your screen and the conversation. Aside works from goals and answers you prepare, and transcribes on your Mac.
Which should you choose?
Choose Cluely if…
- You want an AI answer to whatever comes up, using what’s on your screen.
- You want “What should I say?” and follow-up questions on a hotkey.
- You use Windows 11 or want an iPhone app.
- You want a lower monthly price: Pro is $19.99 a month.
- You want to ask AI about all your past meetings.
Choose Aside if…
- You want help built from your own goals and the answers you prepared.
- You want the call transcribed on your Mac, with the audio never uploaded.
- You want named speakers, not only you and everyone else.
- You want to keep the recording and your notes as files on your Mac.
Side by side
| Cluely | Aside | |
|---|---|---|
| How it records | No bot. Captures your microphone and your computer’s audio. | No bot. Records your microphone and the sound your Mac plays. |
| Where transcription happens | In the cloud, through audio transcription providers named in its privacy policy. | On your Mac, with an on-device speech model. Audio is never uploaded. |
| The audio afterwards | Not stated publicly. | Kept on your Mac, with playback of both sides. |
| Notes during the call | Takes notes for you, with a live transcript in its dashboard. | Press ⌃⌥N in any app to type a note. It lands in the transcript at the moment you started typing. |
| Live guidance during the call | Yes. On-demand answers that use a screenshot and the transcript, “What should I say?”, follow-up questions, and Live Insights that flag questions and objections. | Optional. Goals you set fill in as dots, one line suggests your next move, and answers you prepared appear when the topic comes up. Paid plan. |
| After-call write-up | A summary you can edit or share by link, and follow-up email drafts. | A summary, the goals you reached, next steps and a follow-up email to copy. Paid plan. |
| Speaker names | “Me” and “computer” only. No named speakers. | Suggested from clues in the call, like a name said aloud, with the reason shown. Voices you’ve confirmed before are named for you, and you can undo it. |
| Platforms | Mac (macOS 10.15 or later), Windows 11 and iPhone. | Mac only (Apple silicon, macOS 14.2 or later). |
| Languages | Audio in 6 languages and notes in 21, per its help center. | English plus 24 European languages. |
| Integrations | Not stated publicly. | None yet. |
| Search or ask across meetings | Ask AI about all past meetings. | Not yet. |
| AI training on your data | Its privacy policy says it doesn’t train on your data. | Nothing you record or write is used to train AI models. |
| Price | Pro is $19.99 a month. | $15 a month, or $12 a month billed yearly, for guidance and write-ups. |
| Free plan | Yes, with a daily limit on AI answers. | Yes. Recording, notes and transcripts. |
Cluely prices are from its pricing page on 8 Oct 2026.
What Cluely is
Cluely is a desktop overlay that listens to your calls, can see your screen, and gives AI answers and notes in real time. No bot joins the meeting. It runs on Mac, Windows 11 and iPhone.
Where Cluely is stronger
Cluely is built for answers on the spot. Press a hotkey and it uses your screen and the conversation to suggest what to say, draft follow-up questions or recap the call. Live Insights flag questions and objections as they come up. Pro is $19.99 a month, and there is a free plan.
Where Aside differs
Aside’s help starts before the call. You write the goals you want from it and the answers you want on hand, like pricing or security. During the call, Aside shows which goals you’ve covered, suggests one next move and brings up your own answer when the topic comes up. It doesn’t look at your screen.
Privacy and the record
Aside transcribes on your Mac and never uploads audio. Cluely transcribes in the cloud. Aside also names speakers and keeps your recording, transcript and notes on your Mac.
Questions
Do both work without a bot?
Yes. Both listen to your microphone and your computer’s audio. Tell people you’re recording either way.
Which one gives better answers during a call?
Cluely answers open questions on demand from your screen and the conversation. Aside shows the answers and goals you wrote before the call.
Does Aside work on Windows?
Not yet. Aside is a Mac app for Apple silicon Macs. Cluely runs on Windows 11.
Is Aside’s guidance always on?
No. Turn guidance off and Aside only records, takes notes and writes the transcript.
Last checked 8 Oct 2026. Products change, so check each company’s pages before you decide.
Sources
Facts about Cluely come from its own pages, read on 8 Oct 2026.