Overview

Cleft is a voice-note app for turning spoken ideas into transcripts, summaries, action points and organized notes. It is best suited to Apple users who want to capture thoughts by speaking and prefer local transcription. Its five-minute recording cap on the free plan is the main constraint for longer dictation.

The emphasis is on saving a thought before organizing it, an approach aimed in particular at people whose ideas arrive faster than they can type. Cleft pairs that capture-first workflow with three built-in note styles and offline recording.

Compare it with other picks in our AI Voice Note Apps and Voice Note Apps lists.

Key features

Transcription and note formats

Cleft transcribes speech on-device with Whisper, then can present the result as Structured notes, Structured Prose or a Clean Transcript. The formats give users a choice between organized takeaways, readable prose and a transcript-oriented result without requiring a custom setup. Plus adds saved custom output styles and up to 500 characters of custom AI instructions, useful for a recurring format but not a way to exceed the recording limit.

Tags, transcript search and export help users retrieve and move notes after capture. Cleft supports 99 languages, including switching languages mid-sentence, and says it can record offline. That combination suits multilingual or connection-limited capture, while the plan caps still matter for lengthy recordings.

Privacy and cloud formatting

Cleft says audio is not sent to its servers or third parties for transcription. Temporary audio is deleted after transcription unless Keep Audio is enabled. Optional cloud formatting sends transcript text rather than audio to OpenAI, with Groq as a backup; Cleft says provider agreements prohibit training on customer content.

The company says notes are encrypted at rest with AES-256-GCM and in transit with TLS 1.2 or higher, and cloud data is hosted in Ireland under a zero-access architecture. Its Trust Center says users own their notes, transcripts and audio, that content is neither sold nor used for AI training, and names GDPR, CCPA and the EU AI Act in its compliance statement. Those are meaningful privacy commitments for sensitive notes, though users who want no cloud formatting can avoid that optional processing.

Integrations and Apple support

Plus connects to Notion and Zapier. Export and Local Sync support workflows with Apple Notes, Obsidian, Bear, NotePlan, Drafts, Ulysses and Logseq, giving users routes beyond the app without making those services Plus-only integrations. Cleft lists support for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and CarPlay, with its download link leading to the Apple App Store; it is not the broadest choice for households using Android or Windows devices.

Pricing

Basic is free and includes five-minute recordings, the three built-in styles, on-device transcription, tags, search and export. It is a sensible way to capture short thoughts without a subscription, but the cap rules it out for longer sessions.

Cleft Plus costs $6.99 per month or $39.99 per year. Both plans raise the recording limit to 30 minutes and add attachments, Notion and Zapier integrations, custom instructions up to 500 characters, and Family Sharing for up to five people. Plus also includes priority support. The annual plan costs less than paying monthly for a full year, but both subscriptions are billed through the App Store and renew automatically unless canceled. There is no stated trial to factor into the decision.

Choose monthly Plus if you need the longer recording window or integrations but do not want an annual commitment. Annual Plus better fits regular users who expect to keep those features. Even paid recordings stop at 30 minutes, so Cleft is not the fit for sessions that routinely run longer.

Platforms

Cleft is available for iOS and macOS, and lists iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and CarPlay support. Offline recording and local transcription are useful when a connection is unavailable. Its Apple-centered reach is a limitation for anyone who needs an Android, Windows or web app.

Who it's for

Cleft suits Apple users who think aloud, want searchable transcripts and summaries, or need a private, offline-capable way to save short spoken notes. Basic can cover quick capture; Plus makes more sense for users who regularly record up to 30 minutes, attach material, or send notes into Notion or Zapier. People who need longer recordings or cross-platform access should look elsewhere.

Pros and cons

Local transcription and offline recording: useful for privacy-conscious capture and situations without a connection.
Three built-in formats, plus custom styles on Plus: supports different note-taking preferences without making basic formatting a paid feature.
Five-minute Basic cap and 30-minute Plus cap: clear limits that may interrupt longer thoughts or dictation sessions.
Apple-focused platform support: covers Apple devices and CarPlay, but excludes readers needing Android, Windows or web access.
Family Sharing for up to five on Plus: extends the subscription across a family, though it remains an App Store-billed subscription that renews unless canceled.

Alternatives

Voicenotes is worth considering if you need Android, web, Windows or browser-extension access; its free plan includes 100 weekly transcription minutes, unlimited recordings and 30-day history.

Audionotes may suit users who want broad Android, web and extension support alongside unlimited voice notes, with a one-minute limit per note on its free plan.

AudioPen is another option for cross-platform access, though its free recordings are capped at three minutes.

Memoth offers browser-extension support alongside iOS and macOS.

Memex is a free option for Android and iOS users; its AI features require a configured model service, which may incur provider charges.

VoiceJournal supports Android, iOS and web, and its free plan allows 10 notes total with two-minute recordings.

Notabe is an iOS alternative with five free AI summaries per month.

Murble is another freemium option for iOS and macOS.

Verdict

Cleft is a strong fit for Apple users who want to capture short spoken thoughts, get searchable structured notes and keep transcription local. Its built-in formats, offline recording and considered privacy approach make it more than a voice recorder. The five-minute free cap and 30-minute Plus ceiling are decisive drawbacks for longer dictation, while Apple-only availability narrows its audience. Choose it for privacy-minded, concise voice capture; choose another app if you need longer sessions or broader device support.

	Cleft	Lightning Voice
Free plan	Yes	No
Free trial	No	No
Paid from	$3.33/mo	—
Open source	No	No
Platforms	iOS, macOS	iOS
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Paid from	—	0.99 /mo
Voice reminders	—	Yes
Supported platforms	—	iOS

Cleft vs Lightning Voice

Cleft

Lightning Voice