Compare & Alternatives
Pluely vs Cluely
Both Pluely and Cluely put a discreet AI assistant on top of your live conversations. Cluely made the category famous; Pluely is the alternative built for people who want the same live help with more control — over when the AI responds, what it knows about you, which AI runs your requests, and where your data lives.
The 30-second verdict
Choose Pluely if you want:
- Configurable automatic responses — answer on questions, after every pause, or only on demand, with pace control and built-in cost guards (how it works).
- Answers grounded in your files — attach your résumé, spec, or pricing sheet to a prompt and every response uses it (prompts & knowledge).
- Your own AI if you want it — Pluely's managed models with zero setup, or your own provider key, or a local CLI like Claude Code, Gemini CLI, or Ollama (choosing your AI).
- All three desktop platforms — macOS, Windows, and Linux.
- Local-first data — conversations and meeting transcripts stored on your device (data security).
- Live cost visibility — remaining transcription time and AI requests shown in-app, always (plans & usage).
Cluely is best known for its polished "invisible assistant" experience and aggressive marketing; if those are your only criteria, either tool fits — but the control and privacy story above is where Pluely pulls ahead.
Feature-by-feature
| Capability | Pluely | Cluely |
|---|---|---|
| Always-on-top discreet overlay | ✅ non-activating, screen-share aware | ✅ |
| Live meeting transcription, speaker-labeled, no bot | ✅ | varies by plan |
| Automatic answers, user-configurable trigger + pace | ✅ questions / every pause / off | limited configurability |
| Résumé & document-grounded answers | ✅ files attached to prompts | varies |
| Web-search models for current information | ✅ pinned in the model picker | varies |
| Bring your own API keys | ✅ encrypted on device | — |
| Local CLI support (Claude Code, Gemini CLI, Ollama) | ✅ | — |
| Linux | ✅ | — |
| Local-first history & meetings | ✅ | account-based |
| Live usage meters in-app | ✅ | varies |
Cluely's public feature set changes; verify specifics with the vendor. Every Pluely claim links to its documentation.
What switching looks like
- Install Pluely on macOS, Windows, or Linux.
- Pick or write your prompt and attach your files (prompt presets).
- Open Listen mode, set Auto responses to "When a question is asked", and start your next call.
That's the whole migration — there's no data to port because the assistant works from your prompts and your live conversations.
Frequently asked questions
Is Pluely a good Cluely alternative?
Yes — it covers the same live-assistant use cases (interviews, meetings, sales calls) with more configurable automatic responses, résumé-grounded answers, BYO keys/CLIs, Linux support, and local-first storage.
Does Pluely join the call like a bot?
No. Nothing joins your meeting. Pluely captures audio locally on your machine and transcribes it live — see Listen mode.
Can other people see Pluely on a screen share?
The overlay is designed to stay discreet during screen sharing and never steals focus from the app you're presenting — see stealth & screen-share privacy.
Related
Last updated 2026-07-10 · pluely.com