Alternatives
Cluely built the live AI overlay into a category people now search for. Whisply is the original on-device version of that idea, with a real free tier and nothing leaving your Mac.
Whisply is a Mac-only real-time AI overlay that runs on your device with a free tier, no bots in your calls, and no transcripts uploaded to a cloud you do not control.
Whisply uses macOS system-level content protection on every overlay window, so the panel stays out of Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Loom, QuickTime, and most proctor capture frames without any extra setting toggled on.
Cluely is a real product with real momentum. The pitch is sharp, the demos travel well on social, and the team made the live AI overlay into something people now type into a search bar. Credit where it is due.
The reason this page exists is that the searches keep coming. People want the overlay shape of the product without the monthly bill on day one. They want to try the idea on their own machine, in their own meetings, before they decide it is worth a card on file. A free tier is the difference between hearing about the category and actually using it.
Whisply is not trying to be a cheaper Cluely. We are the on-device version of this idea, built first for Mac, with a free tier from day one and a privacy model that starts on your machine and stays there. Different category, overlapping search.
The overlay sits in your menu bar. Cmd+Return brings it up. It can see your screen if you grant Screen Recording, hear the meeting through your microphone if you grant the mic, and on Pro Undetected it can act on your Mac through Accessibility. On the free tier you get the same overlay and the same hotkey, with daily message limits instead of a paywall.
The thing that makes it feel different in practice is what is missing. There is no second participant in your call. No one in the room sees a logo, a notetaker name, or a recording badge. You are not asking five other people to consent to a third party so that one person can have help. That tradeoff is the whole reason we built it.
Models are included. There is no API key to paste, no usage dashboard from a third party to monitor, no surprise bill at the end of the month because a meeting ran long. The free tier exists to let you find out whether the overlay fits your work before any of that matters.
Most of the tools people compare to Cluely are not live overlays at all. Otter, Fireflies, Fathom, Read.ai, Granola, and Tactiq are excellent at what they do, which is mostly recording meetings, transcribing them, and giving you a tidy summary after the fact. Their free tiers usually cap monthly minutes or limit how far back you can look.
A free tier on a notetaker means you get a few hours of recorded meetings per month. A free tier on a live overlay like Whisply means you get a daily quota of real-time messages while a conversation is still happening. They solve different problems. If you want a transcript of last Tuesday, pick a notetaker. If you want help in the second you are about to answer the hard question, pick the overlay.
Cluely is in the overlay camp. Whisply is in the overlay camp. The five other tools on the list below are honest, well-built products in the recap camp. We list them anyway because if your real need turns out to be searchable meeting history, you should know who does that well.
You install the app, grant Screen Recording and Microphone, and the overlay is live. The hotkey works. The meeting-assist features work. You can ask it questions about what is on your screen and what was just said. The free tier caps how many messages you can send per day, which is the lever we use instead of locking out features.
If you hit the limit on a day that matters, Pro is 19.99 a month month-to-month or 11.99 a month on the annual plan. Pro Undetected adds Computer Use and the proctor-resistant overlay mode, and runs 149.99 a month month-to-month or 44.99 a month on the annual plan. You can stay free indefinitely if your usage fits inside the daily cap, and most people who only use it for one or two calls a week do exactly that.
There is no free trial of Pro hidden inside the free tier. The free tier is the free tier. If you want Computer Use or proctor support, you upgrade for that month and you can stop the next month. No annual lock-in to find out whether it works on your Mac.
The overlay uses macOS system-level content protection on every window, which is why it stays out of Zoom screen shares, Google Meet shares, Microsoft Teams shares, Loom captures, and QuickTime recordings without you toggling anything. If you screen share on a free call to show a deck, the Whisply panel is not in the shared video. That behavior is the same on the free tier as on Pro.
Permissions are the macOS standard ones. Screen Recording lets it see your screen. Microphone lets it hear the call. Accessibility, only on Pro Undetected, lets Computer Use click and type for you. You revoke any of them in System Settings and the corresponding feature stops working, no account flag, no support ticket.
We do not run a notetaker bot. We do not dial into your meeting on your behalf. The other people on the call see the participants they always saw. The audio Whisply hears is the audio your Mac is already playing, captured by your microphone, processed in the way the free tier or your plan describes.
Quit Cluely from the menu bar, drag the app from /Applications to the Trash, and remove any login item under System Settings, General, Login Items. If you granted Screen Recording, Microphone, or Accessibility to Cluely, revoke them in System Settings, Privacy and Security, so the old permissions do not linger.
Grab the Mac build from the Whisply download page, drag it to /Applications, and open it. You will be prompted for Screen Recording and Microphone on first launch. Grant both. Accessibility is only needed if you later upgrade to Pro Undetected for Computer Use.
The default summon is Cmd+Return, which you can rebind in Settings. Open a low-stakes meeting on your calendar, hit the hotkey, and ask the overlay a question about what was just said. Confirm the panel does not appear when you share your screen, which is the default behavior.
Stay on the free tier if your usage fits inside the daily message cap. Upgrade to Pro at 19.99 a month or 11.99 a month annual if you hit the cap on busy days. Choose Pro Undetected at 149.99 a month or 44.99 a month annual only if you need Computer Use or the proctor-resistant overlay mode.
Whisply has a real free tier, not a trial. You install the app, grant the standard macOS permissions, and the overlay works with the same hotkey and the same on-device behavior as the paid plans. The free tier limits how many messages you can send per day. There is no countdown to a paywall and no credit card required to use it. If your usage fits inside the daily cap, you can stay on the free tier indefinitely.
Cluely popularized the live AI overlay and built it into a category people now search for. Whisply is the on-device, Mac-native take on the same shape: the overlay lives in your menu bar, listens through your Mac, and stays out of screen shares by default. The clearest practical differences are the permanent free tier, the Mac-only focus, and the fact that nothing joins your call as a separate participant. Different category, overlapping search.
No. Whisply is Mac only and requires macOS 13 Ventura or later. It runs on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs. The reason for the limit is that the overlay relies on macOS system-level content protection, Screen Recording, Microphone, and Accessibility APIs to behave the way it does. A Windows or Linux build would not be the same product, so we have not shipped one.
No. Whisply does not dial into your call. It does not appear in the participant list. There is no logo on the recording, no notetaker name, no signal to anyone else in the meeting that you are getting help. The audio Whisply hears is the audio your Mac is already playing, captured through your microphone the same way your voice is captured for the other side of the call.
The free tier processes audio and screen context through Whisply's included models so the overlay can answer in real time. Transcripts are not shipped out as recordings for other people to download, and there is no notetaker cloud where your meetings sit forever. If you revoke Screen Recording or Microphone in System Settings, the corresponding feature stops working immediately, with no account flag or support ticket needed.
By default, no. Whisply uses macOS system-level content protection on every overlay window, so the panel stays out of Zoom screen shares, Google Meet shares, Microsoft Teams shares, Loom captures, and QuickTime recordings. The person you are sharing with sees the app underneath the overlay, not the overlay itself. This behavior is the same on the free tier as on the paid plans.
Two cases. First, if you hit the daily message cap on busy days and want it lifted, Pro is 19.99 a month month-to-month or 11.99 a month on the annual plan. Second, if you need Computer Use to have the overlay click and type for you, or you need the proctor-resistant overlay mode for supported proctor apps, that is Pro Undetected at 149.99 a month or 44.99 a month annual. Most people who use the overlay for a couple of calls a week stay on free.
Mac only. macOS 13 or later. No bot in your calls.
