Earnote
Claim this toolLecture and meeting notes that write themselves
Free plan availableFreemium Note-Taking
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Tracked since 2026
The Bottom Line
- Price
- Free plan available. Compare plans
Key facts
- Records audio on iPhone or Mac, transcribes live on device, and generates summary, flashcards, and a PDF study sheet.
- Privacy‑first: audio never leaves your device unless you explicitly choose a cloud AI; no telemetry or server.
- Free version is fully functional; Pro is a one‑time purchase that adds speaker detection, Q&A on notes, and translation.
Pros
- Privacy‑focused: everything runs locally on your device with no uploads or telemetry.
- Free tier gives full offline use; Pro is a one‑time purchase, not a subscription.
- Syncs via iCloud between iPhone and Mac without sending data to third parties.
Cons
- Limited to Apple devices (Mac, iPhone, iPad); no Windows or Android support.
- Requires Apple Silicon (M1 or newer) on Mac for on‑device AI; older iPhones need cloud AI or a Mac.
What is Earnote?
Earnote is a note‑taking app that records lectures and meetings on your Mac or iPhone and instantly transforms the audio into structured study sheets. While you listen, the app transcribes the speech live on your device, then generates a concise summary, topic list, flashcards, and a PDF, just like notes you would have taken yourself if you had been fast enough. It works completely offline on Mac and on newer iPhones using on‑device AI, or optionally with cloud services like Google or OpenRouter for older devices. Recordings, transcripts, and notes stay in your home folder and are never synced unless you choose to export them. The app also pauses for phone calls, integrates with your calendar for automatic naming, and exports to Notion, Obsidian, and other note‑taking tools. A Pro one‑time purchase adds speaker detection, the ability to ask questions about your notes, and translation.
Earnote runs on macOS 15 with Apple Silicon (M1 or newer) and on iOS/iPadOS 26 (iPhone 11 or newer). The free version provides full transcription, note generation, and offline use. Pro is a one‑time purchase with no subscription. Windows is not supported because Earnote builds on Apple’s speech recognition and AI frameworks.
Key Features
- Live transcription with microphone and system audio capture
- Automatic generation of summary, topics, flashcards, and PDF study sheet
- Offline transcription on Mac with local Whisper and on‑device AI
- Search inside recordings by searching transcripts and jumping to the matching timestamp
- Fix names and technical terms once, updates the dictionary for future recordings
- Areas with custom colors, AI instructions, and export destinations per subject or client
- Export to Notion, Obsidian, Logseq, Apple Notes, Bear, Craft, or Markdown folder
- Calendar integration to automatically name recordings after events
Pricing
Freemium
Earnote offers a generous free tier with optional paid upgrades for advanced features.
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Earnote FAQ
How does speaker detection work in Earnote Pro?
Earnote Pro adds speaker detection that identifies who is speaking during a recording, allowing you to see labels like “Professor Maier” or “Student” in the transcript and note summary. This is a one‑time purchase feature and runs entirely on device.
Can I use Earnote completely offline?
Yes, on Mac with Apple Silicon (M1 or newer) the app runs transcription locally using Whisper and generates notes with a downloaded language model, no internet required. On iPhone, offline transcription is available on iPhone 15 Pro and later using built‑in AI; on older iPhones you need a Mac, Google, or OpenRouter cloud key (which sends only text, not audio).
What cloud AI options does Earnote support?
If you choose not to use on‑device AI, you can bring your own API key from Google, OpenRouter, OpenAI, or Claude. Only the transcribed text is sent, audio never leaves your device. The app clearly indicates when text would leave your computer.
How do I export notes to other apps?
Earnote can send notes directly to Notion, Obsidian, Logseq, Apple Notes, Bear, Craft, or a plain Markdown folder. You can configure different export targets per subject or area so that lecture notes go to Obsidian and meeting notes go to Notion, for example.
Does Earnote work with third‑party meeting apps like Zoom or Teams?
Yes, Earnote detects when a call starts on Zoom, Teams, or Google Meet and asks if you want to take notes. It can also automatically stop recording when the call ends. System audio and microphone are captured together, so you get both sides of the conversation.
Can I record a lecture with my iPhone locked and screen off?
Yes. On iPhone, Earnote continues recording even when the screen is off and the phone is locked. It uses the lock screen live activity, control center, and action button widgets so you can start/stop without unlocking.
How does the fix‑names feature work?
If a name or technical term is transcribed incorrectly, you can correct it once (e.g., change “Professor Maier” to “Professor Meyer”). The correction applies across the current note, transcript, and PDF, and is saved to a dictionary so future recordings get it right from the start, even at the Whisper level.
What happens when I record in an area with custom instructions?
Earnote lets you set up “Areas” for each subject or client, each with its own color, AI instructions (e.g., “Focus on mathematical definitions”), and export destinations. When you start a recording while that area is active, the note is generated according to those instructions and automatically sent to the configured targets.
Source: earnote.dev