Where they differ
Both produce transcripts, summaries and answers across past meetings. The differences are in how the call is captured, what is stored, and how far the search reaches.
| Nod | Read AI | |
|---|---|---|
| How it hears the call | Your Mac's audio. Nothing joins, ever. | An assistant joins the meetings you connect it to. A botless desktop app is the alternative. |
| What is kept | Transcript and summary. No audio or video file. | Captures audio and video; playback on its Enterprise plans. |
| Where data lives | Stored encrypted in the EU (AWS eu-west-1). | AWS us-east-1 by default; EU and Canada for enterprise. |
| Search reach | Every conversation you captured. | Meetings plus email, messages and more. |
| Platforms | macOS only. | Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android. |
| Free plan | None. 14-day trial, no card. | Yes: five meeting transcripts a month. |
| Price | $12–$24 a month, billed annually. | Pro $15 a user a month, billed annually. |
Where Read AI is the better answer
If your team is not all on Macs, Read covers every platform and Nod covers one. If you want one search across email, chat and meetings, Read does that and Nod does not try to.
Read also has a free plan, speaker coaching metrics, and a SOC 2 Type II report. Nod has none of the three.
Where Nod is the better answer
When nothing may appear in the participant list, with no setting to remember. When you would rather no recording of the call existed at all. And when the notes need to sit in the EU on an individual plan rather than an enterprise contract.
Nod also answers during the call: ask it something mid-conversation and it draws on what has been said so far and on your earlier meetings. The longer case is on the Read AI alternative page.
Frequently asked questions
Does Nod join the call like Read AI's assistant?
No. It captures your Mac's system audio, so there is no participant, no join announcement, and nothing for the host to admit. No bot doesn't mean no consent, though: recording law varies by country and state, so tell people you're taking notes. See recording consent laws.
Is Nod cheaper than Read AI?
They are close. Nod is $12 to $24 a month billed annually after a 14-day trial. Read AI lists Pro at $15 a user a month billed annually and has a free plan capped at five meetings a month, which Nod does not.
What happens to the audio in Nod?
It is held in memory long enough to transcribe, roughly five seconds, then discarded. Nod writes no audio file and keeps no recording. What the transcription provider may log is set out on the security page.