Tools I use
Plaud — the AI recorder that actually earns its keep
I run a clinical practice, three companies, and a research workload. The thing that quietly makes the rest of it work is a small AI voice recorder called Plaud. It captures conversations, generates structured summaries, and — in my setup — feeds directly into my CRM without me touching a keyboard.
Why it works
Three things Plaud gets right
Form factor
Magnetic, credit-card thin, sits on the back of a phone. No faff, no setup, one button.
AI summaries
Transcripts plus structured summaries — speakers, topics, action items — generated after each recording.
API access
Real developer-friendly endpoints. Recordings, transcripts, summaries — fetchable, scriptable, mine.
My workflow
Recording → CRM, without me in the loop
The reason this recorder stuck — and the reason others didn't — is the API. I wrote a small Python sync script that pulls new recordings from Plaud every hour, pulls the transcript and AI summary, and writes them as structured markdown files into my CRM vault. From there an agent named Harry tags participants, updates relationships, and flags follow-ups.
- 1. Record. One button on the device. Magnetic back sticks to the phone; I forget it's there.
- 2. Sync. Plaud uploads and transcribes automatically. An hourly cron hits the API and pulls anything new.
- 3. Ingest. Each recording becomes a markdown note with metadata, speakers, and summary — ready for my CRM pipeline.
- 4. Act. Contacts, commitments, and follow-ups surface in the next morning's review. Nothing falls through.
Clinical caveat: I pause Plaud before any patient consultation. Clinical encounters aren't recorded and don't enter this pipeline — only business conversations, meetings, and calls with consent.
Who it suits
Who should actually buy one
- Founders and operators running multiple threads — meetings blur, Plaud makes them searchable.
- Consultants and advisors whose deliverable is thinking — the summary beats notes taken while half-listening.
- Clinicians with a non-clinical side — research, podcasting, commercial work — as long as you respect the patient boundary.
- Anyone building automation — the API is the reason this isn't a toy.
Worth it?
For me, yes — enough that I built an entire pipeline around it. Your call on whether the device is right for how you work, but if you're here reading this page, you already know the problem it solves.
See Plaud at plaud.aiDisclosure
I'm a Plaud affiliate via Impact.com. If you buy through a link on this page, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend tools I actually use — Plaud sits on the back of my phone and runs through my CRM pipeline every day.