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Productivity · head to head

Circleback vs HEY

Circleback logo

Circleback

Productivity

AI meeting notes that join calls from your calendar and push action items into other tools

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
HEY logo

HEY

Productivity

Flat annual subscription email service from 37signals, with its own hey.com domain and a distinctive Screener

From
$99/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Circleback has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Circleback the free plan keeps 30 days of history, so it serves immediate follow-up and fails as a record, and the tier that made it look free has to be paid for the first time anyone needs a conversation from last quarter.; HEY there is no free tier and no monthly billing option, so trying it beyond the trial means committing to a full year upfront.
  • They diverge on capability: Circleback covers Calendar-driven recording, HEY covers The Screener.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Circleback and HEY actually diverge.

Attributes where Circleback and HEY differ
AttributeCirclebackHEY
Starting priceFree$99/year
Pricing modelfreemiumPer user per month
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWebMac, Windows, Web, iOS, Android

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Productivity).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Circleback

  • Calendar-driven recording
  • Speaker-labelled transcripts
  • Action item extraction
  • Search across meetings
  • In-person meetings
  • Integrations
  • Programmatic access
  • Unlimited meetings on free

Only in HEY

  • The Screener
  • Imbox, Feed and Paper Trail
  • Reply Later stack
  • Focus and Reply mode
  • Screen sharing style clips
  • No tracking pixels

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Circleback

  • Sales or recruiting calls where the follow-up has to land in the CRM or applicant system without anybody retyping it.not HEY
  • Consultancies that need an accurate record of what a client asked for and when they asked for it.not HEY
  • Distributed teams where people who missed a call need the substance rather than an hour of recording to sit through.not HEY
  • Managers and founders running many short calls where the action items are the only output that matters.not HEY

HEY

  • Someone who wants to replace Gmail or iCloud Mail entirely with an email service built around approving senders before they reach the inboxnot Circleback
  • A user overwhelmed by newsletters and receipts who wants them automatically separated from person to person conversationnot Circleback
  • A family that wants shared but individually addressed email under one annual plannot Circleback
  • A small company wanting HEY for Work on its own domain with the Screener model for the whole teamnot Circleback

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Circleback

  • The free plan keeps 30 days of history, so it serves immediate follow-up and fails as a record, and the tier that made it look free has to be paid for the first time anyone needs a conversation from last quarter.
  • Custom retention and admin roles are on the Business tier and single sign-on and HIPAA on Enterprise, which is the familiar pattern of an organisation discovering the real price only after individuals have adopted the tool and filled it with client conversations.
  • Pricing is per user and a note taker spreads to everyone who attends meetings rather than staying with one team, so the seat count tracks headcount, and free viewer accounts only arrive at the Business tier.
  • Transcription errors persist on accents, crosstalk and domain jargon, and because the output becomes the official record people stop checking it against what was actually said, so a mistranscribed commitment can outlive everyone's memory of the meeting.
  • Recording consent rules differ by jurisdiction and some require every participant's agreement, and the obligation rests with you rather than the vendor, so a bot joining calls automatically from a calendar can create a compliance problem nobody consciously chose.

HEY

  • There is no free tier and no monthly billing option, so trying it beyond the trial means committing to a full year upfront.
  • Adopting HEY means changing your actual email address, not just installing a new client, which is a bigger migration than switching apps on an existing address.
  • The Screener and categorisation model is a real departure from a standard inbox, and some users take time to adjust or find it gets in the way for high volume mail.
  • Short vanity addresses carry steep additional annual fees, up to 999 US dollars a year for a two character address.
  • It does not connect to or manage existing Gmail, Outlook or iCloud accounts, so it cannot be used as a general client the way Mimestream or Apple Mail can.

Pricing, plan by plan

Circleback

Free
  • Individual$20.83/month
    • AI notes
    • Auto-assigned action items
    • Transcription
  • Team$25/month
    • All Individual features
    • Shared meetings
    • Free viewer seats
  • Enterprise$null/month
    • All Team features
    • Invoice/PO billing
    • Priority support

HEY

$99/year
  • HEY for You$99/year
    • One hey.com email address
    • Screener, Imbox, Feed and Paper Trail
    • Billed annually only, no monthly option
  • HEY for Families$179/year
    • Covers up to five family members
    • Same features as HEY for You per member
  • HEY for Work$12/month
    • Per user, for organisations on a company domain
    • Admin controls for a team

Which should you pick?

Choose Circleback if

  • You need calendar-driven recording.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want speaker-labelled transcripts.
Circleback review

Choose HEY if

  • You need the screener.
  • You work on Mac, Windows, Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want imbox, feed and paper trail.
HEY review

Questions people ask

Is Circleback or HEY better?
Neither clearly leads. Circleback starts at Free and HEY at $99/year, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Circleback or HEY?
Circleback has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Circleback and $99/year for HEY.
Does Circleback or HEY run on more platforms?
Circleback runs on Web. HEY runs on Mac, Windows, Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use Circleback for free?
Yes. Circleback has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. HEY starts at $99/year.
What is Circleback best used for?
Circleback is most often used for sales or recruiting calls where the follow-up has to land in the crm or applicant system without anybody retyping it., consultancies that need an accurate record of what a client asked for and when they asked for it., distributed teams where people who missed a call need the substance rather than an hour of recording to sit through., managers and founders running many short calls where the action items are the only output that matters.. Of those, sales or recruiting calls where the follow-up has to land in the crm or applicant system without anybody retyping it. and consultancies that need an accurate record of what a client asked for and when they asked for it. are not what HEY is typically brought in for.
What can Circleback do that HEY cannot?
Circleback covers Calendar-driven recording, Speaker-labelled transcripts, Action item extraction, Search across meetings. HEY covers The Screener, Imbox, Feed and Paper Trail, Reply Later stack, Focus and Reply mode.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Circleback: What does the free plan include?

Unlimited meetings, notes and action items, speaker-labelled transcripts, in-person recording, and Slack and Linear integrations, with history limited to 30 days. Longer history and the wider integrations are the paid line.

HEY: Can I use HEY with my existing Gmail address?

No. HEY provides its own hey.com email address; it is not a client layered over an existing Gmail or other account.

Circleback: How accurate are the notes?

Good on clear audio and worse with heavy accents, crosstalk and specialist jargon. Because the notes become the record, spot-check anything consequential rather than assuming somebody else will.

HEY: Is there a free plan?

No. HEY offers a trial but bills annually only, with no free tier and no month to month option for individuals.

Circleback: Do we need everyone's consent to record?

It depends on jurisdiction, and some require all-party consent. The obligation sits with the meeting organiser, not with the vendor, so set a policy before enabling automatic joining.

HEY: What is the Screener?

A feature that holds mail from any new sender until the user explicitly approves them, before it appears in the inbox at all.

Circleback: Can we control how long recordings are kept?

Custom retention is a Business-tier feature. On the lower tiers you accept the defaults, which is worth knowing before client conversations start accumulating.

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