# SmartEX vs Plaud

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Plaud at 73% against SmartEX's 0%. Plaud also leads on update cadence (weekly vs monthly) and chart position (#23 vs unranked). SmartEX's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 18) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 14.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Plaud sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per month. SmartEX asks for nothing beyond the download.

SmartEX ships an update monthly, Plaud weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | SmartEX | Plaud |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[4.9 (23K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/plaud-ai-note-taker/id6450364080/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **23K** |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | **72.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | **#23** |
| Size | 42 MB | 220 MB |
| Requires iOS | **9.0** | 14.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Doxinet](https://appshunter.io/developer/631338306) | [PLAUD LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1826931562) |

## What reviewers say

### SmartEX

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smartex/id1209424279)

This app digitizes business expense management by allowing users to capture receipts and invoices with their smartphone camera. It supports both online and offline use, streamlines expense association with projects, and integrates with accounting systems for faster reimbursements.

**Highlights:** Digitize receipts and invoices, Online and offline functionality, Associate expenses with projects, Automated expense categorization, Integrates with accounting systems, Policy enforcement and alerts

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Plaud

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/plaud-ai-note-taker/id6450364080)

**Currently charting:** #23 Top Grossing · Productivity, #115 Top Free · Productivity (US App Store)

This app acts as an AI work companion, transforming spoken words into actionable notes and summaries. It supports various input methods, including audio, text, and images, and offers advanced AI processing for transcription, summarization, and insight generation. Seamlessly integrate captured information into your workflow across multiple platforms.

**Highlights:** Multimodal AI note capture, AI transcription in 112 languages, Customizable AI summaries, Ask Plaud for insights, Automated workflow integration, Cross-platform sync and storage

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (16)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pro Plan(Monthly) | $14.99 | per month |
| Pro Plan(Monthly) | $17.99 | per month |
| Unlimited Plan(Monthly) | $23.99 | per month |
| Unlimited Plan(Monthly) | $29.99 | per month |
| Unlimited Plan(Monthly) | $29.99 | per month |
| Pro Plan(Annually) | $99.99 | per year |
| Pro Plan(Annually) | $99.99 | per year |
| Pro Plan(Annually) | $99.99 | per year |
| Unlimited Plan(Annually) | $239.99 | per year |
| Unlimited Plan(Annually) | $239.99 | per year |
| Annual Unlimited | $239.99 | per year |
| Unlimited Plan(Annually) | $239.99 | per year |
| 120 Minutes Package | $2.99 | one-time |
| 600 Minutes Package | $12.99 | one-time |
| 3000 Minutes Package | $59.99 | one-time |
| 6000 Minutes Package | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Accurate transcription and summarization
- 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly app
- 🔒 Secure and reliable device
- 💡 Innovative features like voice differentiation
- 🚀 Seamless integration with phone

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App crashes and freezes
- 🔧 Buggy and unreliable software
- 💰 Expensive subscription model
- 🔧 Inconsistent UI and language issues
- 🔋 Battery life concerns

**Reported bugs**

- Transcription errors, especially for non-English languages
- Exporting issues with audio and text files
- Inconsistent performance and app crashes
- Connectivity problems between device and app

**Requested features**

- Dark mode option
- Ability to pause and resume recordings
- Improved summary quality and customization
- Better organization and folder structure for notes
- Integration with other productivity tools


## Frequently asked questions

### Is SmartEX free?

SmartEX is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Plaud free?

Plaud is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do SmartEX or Plaud have ads?

Neither SmartEX nor Plaud shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, SmartEX or Plaud?

SmartEX ships an update monthly, and Plaud weekly. Most recently, SmartEX was updated on October 3, 2026 and Plaud on October 16, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*