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Productivity · head to head

Circleback vs Yap

Circleback logo

Circleback

Productivity

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

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit CirclebackFull review
Yap logo

Yap

Productivity

Fast dictation. Private by design.

From
$6.9/month
Free plan
No
Visit YapFull review

The short version

  • Circleback has a free plan, then $20.83/mo; Yap starts at $6.9/mo.
  • Only Circleback lists speaker-labelled transcripts; only Yap lists dictation at the cursor.
  • Where Yap falls short: intel Macs are not supported; the Mac app needs Apple Silicon (M1 or later), and the iPhone app needs an iPhone 12 Pro, 13 Pro, 14 or newer.
  • Prices and features on this page were last checked on 13 November 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Circleback and Yap actually diverge.

Attributes where Circleback and Yap differ
AttributeCirclebackYap
Starting priceFree$6.9/month
Pricing modelFreemiumSubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWebmacOS, Windows, iOS, Android

Identical on both: 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 Yap

  • Dictation at the cursor
  • On-device recognition
  • Automatic language detection
  • Text cleanup
  • Hands-free recording
  • Local history
  • Voice input for coding tools
  • Phone keyboards

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 Yap
  • Consultancies that need an accurate record of what a client asked for and when they asked for it.not Yap
  • Distributed teams where people who missed a call need the substance rather than an hour of recording to sit through.not Yap
  • Managers and founders running many short calls where the action items are the only output that matters.not Yap

Yap

  • Dictating emails, messages and documents in any app on Mac or Windowsnot Circleback
  • Speaking long prompts into ChatGPT, Claude or a coding agentnot Circleback
  • Voice input for developers who cannot send code or screen contents to a cloud servicenot Circleback
  • Reducing keyboard use for people with RSI or wrist painnot Circleback
  • Drafting by voice where audio must not leave the device, such as legal or therapy notesnot 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

Yap

  • Intel Macs are not supported; the Mac app needs Apple Silicon (M1 or later), and the iPhone app needs an iPhone 12 Pro, 13 Pro, 14 or newer
  • Recognition is local but the app is not fully offline: it needs internet for first launch, activation and periodic access checks, and offline access lasts at most 24 hours
  • The Windows installer downloaded from the website is not code-signed, so Windows shows a SmartScreen warning; the Microsoft Store version is signed
  • 25 languages are supported, and the vendor notes accuracy varies by language, voice and recording conditions
  • The free period is only 3 days, after which continuing requires a card for the 10-day trial; there is no free tier

Pricing, plan by plan

Circleback

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

Yap

$6.9/month
  • Monthly$6.9/mo
    • Unlimited on-device dictation
    • 25 languages, detected as you speak
    • Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android
  • Yearly$69/yr
    • Same app and features as monthly
    • Saves $13.80 a year against monthly billing
    • 10-day trial with a card

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 Yap if

  • You need dictation at the cursor.
  • You work on macOS, Windows, iOS, Android.
  • You also want on-device recognition.
Yap review

Questions people ask

Is Circleback or Yap better?
Neither clearly leads. Circleback starts at Free and Yap at $6.9/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Circleback or Yap?
Circleback has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Circleback and $6.9/month for Yap.
Does Circleback or Yap run on more platforms?
Circleback runs on Web. Yap runs on macOS, Windows, iOS, Android.
Can I use Circleback for free?
Yes. Circleback has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Yap starts at $6.9/month.
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 Yap is typically brought in for.
What can Circleback do that Yap cannot?
Circleback covers Calendar-driven recording, Speaker-labelled transcripts, Action item extraction, Search across meetings. Yap covers Dictation at the cursor, On-device recognition, Automatic language detection, Text cleanup.

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.

Yap: How much does Yap cost?

A free account works for 3 days with no card. After that a 10-day trial with a card leads to $6.90 a month or $69 a year. Cancel before the trial ends and you are not charged.

Source
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.

Yap: Does Yap upload my voice?

No. Speech recognition runs on the device and audio is not uploaded to a transcription service. Completed text is kept in a local history you can copy or delete. An internet connection is needed to download the speech model on first use.

Source
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.

Yap: Which computers does Yap run on?

Apple Silicon Macs (M1 and later) and Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit. Intel Macs are not supported. There are also apps for iPhone (iOS 17 or later) and Android 10 or later, covered by the same subscription.

Source
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.

Yap: Which languages does Yap support?

25 languages. Each recording detects its own language from the audio, so there is no need to select languages in advance.

Source
Yap: Does Yap work offline?

Transcription runs locally, but internet access is required for first launch, activation and periodic access checks. Offline access lasts up to 24 hours.

Source
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