Pricing
Start for free, upgrade when you need cloud features.
Free
Fully functional with your own API keys. Perfect for individuals who want complete control.
Pro
No API keys needed. Get cloud services, advanced sharing, and team features out of the box.
A note on our pricing
March 2026
When we launched Char Pro six months ago, we set the price at $8/month — well below what it actually costs us to run the service. We did this intentionally. We wanted as many people as possible to experience what a privacy-first, no-bot meeting notepad could be, without price being a barrier.
But we want to be honest with you about the economics. Cloud speech-to-text is expensive. The providers we rely on to deliver accurate, real-time transcription charge between $0.36 and $1.44 per hour of audio:
| Provider | Cost / hour |
|---|---|
| OpenAI Whisper API | $0.36 |
| Deepgram Nova-3 | $0.46 |
| AssemblyAI Universal | $0.65+ |
| Google Cloud STT | $0.96 |
| AWS Transcribe | $1.44 |
A single one-hour meeting can cost us $0.50 or more in STT alone — before accounting for LLM inference, infrastructure, and bandwidth. At $8/month, a user who records just two hours a week would already put us at a loss. Many of our most active users record far more than that.
We absorbed this for the past six months because we believed in getting Char into your hands first. That early-bird pricing helped us learn, iterate, and build something we are genuinely proud of — and it would not have been possible without you.
Going forward, we will be adjusting our Pro pricing to reflect the real cost of delivering the service. We are committed to keeping Char affordable — especially compared to alternatives that charge $20–30/month while locking away your data — but we need pricing that lets us keep building sustainably.
The free tier is not going anywhere. If you prefer to bring your own API keys, Char remains fully functional at no cost. And if you are on the current early-bird plan, we will honor your rate for as long as your subscription stays active.
Thank you for believing in us early. We are just getting started.
Char
John Jeong, Yujong Lee
Frequently Asked Questions
What does on-device transcription mean?
All transcription happens on your device. Your audio never leaves your computer, ensuring complete privacy.
What is local-first data architecture?
Your data is filesystem-based by default: notes and transcripts are saved on your device first, and you stay in control of where files live.
What is BYOK (Bring Your Own Key)?
BYOK allows you to connect your own LLM provider (like OpenAI, Anthropic, or self-hosted models) for AI features while maintaining full control over your data.
What's included in shareable links?
Pro users get DocSend-like controls: track who views your notes, set expiration dates, and revoke access anytime.
What are templates?
Templates are our opinionated way to structure summaries. You can pick from a variety of templates we provide and create your own version as needed.
What are advanced templates?
Advanced templates let you override Char’s default system prompt by configuring template variables and the overall instructions given to the AI.
What are shortcuts?
Shortcuts are saved prompts you use repeatedly, like “Write a follow-up to blog blah” or “Create a one-pager of the important stuff that’s been discussed.” They’re available in chat via the / command.
Do you offer student discounts?
Yes, we provide student discounts. Contact us and we’ll help you get set up with student pricing.
