Compass vs Voicenotes
Voicenotes remembers what you said. Compass files it around the company you are building.
Compass is an iPhone app for founders who think out loud, in early access now.
Updated . We make Compass. Here is where each tool fits.
The short answer
Voicenotes is a strong general voice notetaker. It records memos and meetings on nearly every platform, summarizes them and lets you ask questions across everything you recorded. Compass is narrower on purpose: an iPhone notebook for startup founders that files each note by founder topic, tracks the people and commitments in it and drafts X and LinkedIn posts from it.
Choose Compass if
- You want notes sorted around fundraising, hiring, product and the rest of your company
- You want patterns, people and commitments pulled from your own words each week
- You post about what you are building and want drafts from your notes
Choose Voicenotes if
- You need Android, Windows, the web or a watch app
- You record a lot of meetings and want notes without a bot in the call
- You want a free plan, or integrations like Notion, Todoist and Zapier
You can record meetings in Voicenotes and keep your own thinking in Compass.
Record the way you already do. Get a founder notebook back.
Join the early access list in seconds
14-day free trial, then $9.99/mo or $99.99/yr.
Price will increase to $19.99/mo after the first 100 founding members.
Compass vs Voicenotes at a glance
| Feature | Compass | Voicenotes |
|---|---|---|
| Price | 14-day free trial, then $9.99/mo or $99.99/yr, early access price. Price will increase to $19.99/mo after the first 100 founding members. | Basic is free (100 transcription minutes a week, 30-day history). Pro is $9 per user a month on the web; the iOS app lists a $14.99 monthly subscription. |
| Platforms | iPhone only (iOS 17 or later) | iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, web, Apple Watch, Wear OS and a Chrome extension |
| Built for | Startup founders | Anyone: meetings, journaling, reminders and ideas |
| Meetings | Conversation mode records a conversation on your iPhone and separates the speakers | Records online and in-person meetings, without adding a bot to the call |
| After you record | Filed into founder categories like fundraising, hiring and product, with an Enhanced read | Summary, action items and key points kept together with the recording and transcript |
| Asking your notes | Chat answers from what you have captured | Ask AI to recall details, dates and decisions across every recording |
| People and patterns | Memory keeps people, lessons and commitments. Insights and a weekly review flag patterns. | Search and Ask AI across everything you recorded |
| Turning notes into posts | Drafts X and LinkedIn posts from your notes and publishes when you tap | Creates content from your notes, such as follow-up emails, reports and to-do lists |
| Integrations | Export your notes and summaries as Markdown, JSON or PDF | Integrations on Pro, including Notion, Zapier, WhatsApp, Claude, ChatGPT and Voicenotes MCP. The iOS app also lists Todoist and Readwise. |
Why would a founder pick Compass over Voicenotes?
Notes organized around your company
Every note is filed into founder categories like fundraising, hiring, product and go-to-market, so the investor update and the hiring worry do not end up in one long list.
People and promises, pulled out for you
Memory keeps the people, lessons and commitments inside your notes. People you confirm in a recorded conversation link to that same memory.
A weekly read on your thinking
Insights flag the question you keep circling and the plan that contradicts an earlier note, and a weekly review pulls the week together.
Build in public from what you already said
Compass drafts X and LinkedIn posts from your notes in your voice. You edit, then publish to your own account with one tap.
Where Voicenotes is better
It runs everywhere
Voicenotes has apps for iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, the web, Apple Watch and Wear OS, plus a Chrome extension. Compass is an iPhone app.
Meetings without a bot
Voicenotes says it works with all meeting apps without adding a bot, handles in-person meetings too, and keeps the recording, transcript and key points in one place when the meeting ends. Compass records conversations in the room with you, not calls on your computer.
A free plan and a wide set of integrations
Its Basic plan includes 100 transcription minutes a week with 30 days of history. Pro adds integrations with Notion, Zapier, Claude, ChatGPT and WhatsApp. Compass has a free trial, then a paid plan and no free tier.
Voicenotes is one of the best voice apps around, and it does more than Compass in several places.
Both apps start the same way: you talk and it transcribes. They split on what happens next. Voicenotes is a notetaker for anyone and any meeting. Compass is a notebook for founders, shaped around the company you are building.
If most of your recordings are Zoom calls, Voicenotes will serve you better. If most of them are you, thinking out loud about your startup between calls, that is what Compass is built for.
Common questions
Is Compass a good Voicenotes alternative for founders?
If you mainly record your own thinking about your startup on an iPhone, yes. Compass files each note by founder topic, keeps the people and commitments in it and drafts posts from it. If you need Android, a desktop app or bot-free notes from online meetings, stay with Voicenotes.
Does Compass record meetings like Voicenotes?
Partly. Compass has a conversation mode that records a conversation on your iPhone, separates the speakers and files the result as a note. It does not capture Zoom, Google Meet or Teams calls on a computer. Voicenotes records online and in-person meetings without adding a bot.
Which one costs less?
Voicenotes, if its free Basic plan (100 transcription minutes a week, 30-day history) is enough, or if you pay $9 per user a month for Pro on the web. Its iOS app lists a $14.99 monthly subscription. Compass has no free plan. 14-day free trial, then $9.99/mo or $99.99/yr. Everyone on the early access list keeps $9.99/mo for as long as their subscription stays active. Price will increase to $19.99/mo after the first 100 founding members. Join the early access list now and subscribe when Compass is live.
Can I use Voicenotes and Compass together?
Yes. One split that works: Voicenotes for meetings on your laptop and Compass for the thoughts you speak into your phone between them. Compass exports to Markdown, JSON or PDF if you ever want your notes elsewhere.
Sources
We checked each claim about Voicenotes against these pages. Features and prices change, so check the latest before you decide.