Scriben vs Notta

Notta is cheaper. For about two years.

Notta is a capable transcription app with a real free tier and a low annual price, and for the first two years it costs less than a Scriben pen. This page shows where the lines cross, and what you are buying on either side of that point.

Shop Scriben See the comparison

A professional conversation captured with Scriben in the room

What it actually is: SoftwareWeb, desktop and mobile apps; A penIts own hardware, syncs to iOS
Three years, one person: $294Pro, at $97.99 a year; $129Pen purchase. Free software plan included
What has to be running: A deviceSigned in, with the app or the call open; NothingNo phone, no app, no network
Writes on paper: NoIt is software; YesA real 0.6mm ballpoint

Start here

What Notta does better.

Notta is the cheapest serious option here. Pro is $97.99 for a year with 1,800 transcription minutes a month, five-hour recordings, transcript translation and custom vocabulary. If your budget is annual and small, and your recording happens on a phone you are already holding, Notta is a sensible buy and costs less than us in year one.

Beyond the recording

Capture is only the first step.

Scriben combines purpose-built hardware, durable memory and agents that can move approved work through the tools you already use.

Scriben writing while it captures — **Capture**A real pen in the room.

Scriben private memory workspace — **Memory**Context carries forward.

Scriben agent results — **Agents**Approved work gets done.

Scriben integrations — **9,000+ apps**Deep connections and broad reach.

Where each one works

The same week, on both.

Not a feature list. The actual situations a working week is made of, and what happens in each.

Transcribing an uploaded audio file: ✓; ✓
Recording past 120 minutes a month: Pro; ✓
A conversation longer than three minutes: Pro; ✓
Capturing with nothing switched on at all: —; ✓
A meeting across a table, phone away: —; ✓
Somewhere with no signal: —; ✓
Writing on paper while it captures: —; ✓

Notta transcribes web meetings and uploaded files across web, desktop and mobile, with speaker identification on every tier. Checked on 15 September 2026 on notta.ai.

Over time

Per seat, per month, for three years.

Notta’s free tier gives 120 minutes a month and caps a conversation at three minutes. The bars price Pro. Notta is the cheaper choice in year one — the pen overtakes it during year two.

After one year

Notta

$98

Scriben

$129

After two years

Notta

$196

Scriben

$129

After three years

Notta

$294

Scriben

$129

Notta figures checked on 15 September 2026 on notta.ai/en/pricing: Free at $0 with 120 transcription minutes a month, a three-minute cap per conversation, 50 file uploads and 10 AI summaries a month; Pro $97.99 a year with 1,800 minutes a month, five hours per recording, 100 uploads and 100 summaries; Business $199.99 a year. Prices change — check theirs before you decide. The Scriben bar is the Free plan at $0 a month after the $129 pen. Our Pro plan is $12.99 a month, and on Pro our three-year total would be $597 against Notta’s $294 — Notta stays cheaper throughout, and if you want Scriben Pro this page would tell you to buy Notta.

Questions

The ones people actually ask.

Is Notta cheaper than Scriben?

For the first two years, yes. Notta Pro is $97.99 a year against $129 once for the pen, so Notta is ahead in year one and the two are close during year two. After that the pen has no further cost and Notta keeps renewing. Figures from notta.ai/en/pricing, checked 15 September 2026.

What does Notta’s free plan actually allow?

120 transcription minutes a month, a three-minute cap on any single conversation, 50 file uploads and 10 AI summaries a month. The three-minute cap is the one that surprises people: it is short enough that most real meetings will not fit.

Does Scriben need my phone to record?

No. The pen records to its own 64GB for up to 18 hours with no phone, no app in the foreground and no network. You sync afterwards, when you choose to.

Do either of them have minute limits?

Notta does, on every tier. Scriben has none — there are no minutes to run out of, only 64GB of storage, which is roughly 400 hours.

Which should I buy?

Notta if you want the lowest price this year and you are happy recording on a phone. Scriben if you want capture that needs nothing switched on, and you would rather pay once.

Also worth comparing

The other three.

Anyone choosing between two of these is usually choosing between several. Every page uses the same rules and dates its sources.

Scriben vs ZoomMateBuilt into Zoom, and bounded by Zoom. Scriben vs OtterMetered minutes, billed per seat, every month. Scriben vs FirefliesA notetaker that joins the call and everyone sees.

Honestly

Which one to buy.

Notta if you want the lowest price this year and you are happy recording on a phone. Scriben if you want capture that needs nothing switched on, and you would rather pay once.