Due to the fact that OpenAI’s Whisper and other AI-powered tools have enabled numerous applications to integrate transcription into their personal note-taking functionality, the field has expanded rapidly
Apps like AudioPen, Cleft Notes, and TalkNotes have proliferated across app stores and the Internet. Still, most have a limited feature set: They allow you to record and transcribe notes, with some offering summarization features. However, there’s a lot of ground to cover regarding features.
Voicenotes is the most recent app in this space. Voicenotes, created by Jijo Sunny, the founder of creator-tipping platform Buymeacoffee, and his wife Aleesha, hopes to stand out by incorporating an AI assistant that allows you to ask questions about your previous notes, as well as other features such as summaries and multiple formatting options.
In a video, the creators explained that after experiencing a miscarriage, they began working on a voice note application with Jijo’s brother and Buymeacoffee co-founder Joseph Sunny. When the couple was consulting with medical specialists, they recorded copious voice notes to record what the nurses and physicians said so they could recollect it later. That also sparked the concept of having a transcription tool on hand so they didn’t have to re-read notes to remember things.
Jijo and Aleesha sent the first version of the app to select testers in March, and the web app went live in April.
The application itself
The Voicenotes web app does not require you to log in; hit record and start talking, and the app will transcribe.
You can only record voice notes that are up to one minute long unless you pay for the tool. After recording, you can use AI to tag, edit, and regenerate titles. It also allows you to utilize AI to style the note as a blog post, tweet, to-do list, or email, and the software will generate a summary of the note with a list of the significant points.
There is also an “Ask my AI” option, which allows you to search your notes aloud using the AI assistant — for example, if you want to remember which brand of dishwashing liquid you added to your grocery list two months ago.
The company has now launched iOS and Android apps. This is a significant benefit, as Cleft Notes is only available on Mac and iOS (currently in development). While AudioPen is accessible as a web app from anywhere, it does not support background recording on iOS; if your smartphone screen is closed or you go to another app, recording will stop.
Voicenotes also employs artificial intelligence to nudge you with prompts to which you can respond and record notes.
Competition and Roadmap
Voicenotes add some essential features, but, as previously stated, they enter a rapidly competitive market. It also has to compete with competitors who offer superior features.
Cleft Notes, for example, supports on-device transcription (an essential feature because it keeps your notes private rather than sending them to a server for transcription), has improved Apple integration, and allows you to record notes up to 10 minutes long in the free tier. AudioPen provides many more formatting possibilities for your notes, which some may find handy.
Aside from competing with other AI-powered voice note applications, Voicenotes must compete with native apps such as Google Recorder on Pixel and Samsung’s Transcribe Assist. Both apps are only accessible on limited models but may become available on more models as technology progresses.
The most significant risk for all these apps would be Apple adding transcription to its voice memo apps, effectively rendering third-party apps obsolete on iOS devices. However, providing cross-platform compatibility, improved formatting options, and other functionality may be beneficial.
You can sample Voicenotes for free or pay $10 per month to gain access to more advanced models like GPT-4 Turbo and Claude Opus, as well as remove note length constraints. For a limited time, you may also pay $50 for a “believer” plan, which includes lifetime access to the app. According to the company, subscriptions have already brought in $100,000 in income.