Pick GhostDesk if you want built-in AI with no API keys, live transcription of call audio, or a single 24-hour pass. Pick AuraCloak if you want to choose your model (OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, Copilot, Azure, local), reuse your ChatGPT Plus or Claude Pro login, and pay $49 once instead of $25 a month (GhostDesk site, checked October 2026).
AuraCloak vs GhostDesk at a glance
GhostDesk prices below are from ghost-desk.app on October 11, 2026. Directory listings such as toolradar showed lower numbers a week earlier, so this one moves around.
| AuraCloak | GhostDesk | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly price | $9 | $25 |
| Longer terms | $49 lifetime | $50 for 3 months, $75 for 6 months |
| Short pass | No | $10 for 24 hours |
| Free trial | Lowest commitment is one month at $9 | 3 days, 10 questions a day |
| Platforms | Windows 10 (2004+) and 11, x64 | Windows, x64 |
| Hidden from screen share | Yes, WDA_EXCLUDEFROMCAPTURE | Yes, SetWindowDisplayAffinity (per listings) |
| AI included in price | No, your key or browser mode | Yes, built-in engine |
| Bring your own key | 6 provider types | Not listed |
| Use ChatGPT Plus / Claude Pro web login | Yes, browser mode | Not listed |
| Local models (Ollama, LM Studio) | Yes, custom endpoint | Not listed |
| Call audio transcription | No | Yes |
| Voice input | Push-to-talk, 5 engines incl. offline Whisper | Live transcription |
| Screenshot to AI | Alt+S, all monitors or one | Ctrl+Shift+S with text extraction |
| Click-through mode | Alt+C | Ctrl+Shift+C |
| Session export | No | PDF report |
| Account needed | No account | Google sign-in for trial (per toolradar) |
How we compared
We build AuraCloak, so we're not neutral. GhostDesk facts come from its official site, read on October 11, 2026, plus its toolradar and everydev listings for details the site leaves out (those are marked). We didn't buy GhostDesk, so nothing here describes its day-to-day behavior.
Screen share invisibility is a tie
Most comparison pages lead with invisibility. For these two apps it settles nothing.
GhostDesk's listings describe it as using the Windows function SetWindowDisplayAffinity. AuraCloak calls that same function with the WDA_EXCLUDEFROMCAPTURE flag. Once a window has that flag, every capture path that goes through Windows (Windows.Graphics.Capture, DXGI Desktop Duplication, GDI BitBlt) skips it. That's why Zoom, Teams, Google Meet in a browser, Slack, Discord, OBS, Loom, Xbox Game Bar, Snipping Tool and PrintScreen all leave AuraCloak out of the picture.
Same mechanism, same limits. A phone pointed at the monitor sees the overlay. Remote desktop sessions and hardware capture cards work outside Windows capture APIs. On Windows builds older than version 2004, AuraCloak falls back to an older mode where the window shows as a black box. Any app claiming more than this on Windows deserves a careful test: start a solo meeting, share your entire screen, record it, and play the recording back.
One small AuraCloak extra: file pickers opened from the overlay are hidden too, so attaching a PDF mid-call doesn't flash a dialog onto your share.
GhostDesk pricing vs AuraCloak pricing
GhostDesk sells passes. AuraCloak sells the app. That distinction matters more than the sticker price.
GhostDesk's prices include its AI engine, so $25 a month is all you pay. AuraCloak's $9 a month or $49 lifetime covers the software only. You then either pay your AI provider per use with an API key, or use browser mode and pay nothing extra on top of a ChatGPT Plus or Claude Pro plan you already have.
| Usage pattern | GhostDesk | AuraCloak |
|---|---|---|
| One important day | $10 (24-hour pass) | $9 (one month) |
| Six months | $75 | $49 lifetime |
| One year | $150 (two 6-month passes) | $49 lifetime |
| Two years | $300 | $49 lifetime |
| AI usage | Included | Your provider bill, or $0 extra in browser mode |
For a single day, GhostDesk's pass is reasonable and needs zero setup. Past six months the lifetime license wins easily, even after a few dollars a month in API usage. See the AuraCloak pricing page for both plans; every feature is in each.
Same Windows capture exclusion, your choice of AI, $49 once.
Get AuraCloakBuilt-in AI vs bring your own model
GhostDesk's site doesn't name its model; it describes a fast built-in engine with responses under 800 ms. Toolradar lists DeepSeek V3 with a GPT fallback, and another directory names Llama models on Groq. Either way, you don't pick.
That's the whole appeal for some people. You install, sign in, ask. No keys, no provider dashboards.
AuraCloak assumes you'd rather choose. You can connect OpenAI or Anthropic Claude with an API key, Google Gemini with a key or Google sign-in, GitHub Copilot with your GitHub login, Azure OpenAI with your company's resource and deployment, or any OpenAI-compatible endpoint (Ollama, LM Studio, OpenRouter, vLLM). A quick-switch in the overlay moves you between them. If your employer only approves Azure OpenAI, or you want a model running on your own GPU, that's the deciding row in the table.
Browser mode is the other route. It loads ChatGPT, Claude.ai, Gemini, Copilot or Perplexity inside the overlay with your usual login, still excluded from capture. Your keys, when you use them, are encrypted with Windows DPAPI on your PC and prompts go straight to the provider. There's no AuraCloak account, no telemetry and no chat sync.
Voice and audio
GhostDesk transcribes call audio live and suggests talking points from it, then exports a PDF report with the transcript afterward. AuraCloak doesn't capture call audio at all.
AuraCloak voice is push-to-talk from your own microphone: Alt+V to start, Alt+V to send, Alt+Shift+V to cancel. You choose the engine: Windows built-in speech (free), Azure Speech, OpenAI Whisper API, Google Speech-to-Text, or Local Whisper running offline on your PC (141 MB base model or 465 MB small model). If you want the AI to hear the other people on a call, GhostDesk does that and we don't.
Interview tool vs everyday overlay
GhostDesk markets itself mostly as an interview copilot. AuraCloak is built for any moment where you're sharing a screen and can't alt-tab: a sales demo where someone asks about pricing tiers, a presentation with speaker notes over the slides, a support call, pair programming where you screenshot a stack trace with Alt+S. For interviews, our angle is preparation: rehearse answers with your own model and keep your research and notes in one place. Many employers treat hidden live help during an interview as a rules violation, so check before you use any copilot in one.
Who should choose GhostDesk, and who should choose AuraCloak
Choose GhostDesk if:
- You want AI included with no API keys or provider accounts to manage.
- You want live transcription of what's said on the call.
- You need it for one day and a 24-hour pass is enough.
- You want a PDF record of each session.
Choose AuraCloak if:
- You want to pick the model: GPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot, Azure OpenAI or a local one.
- You already pay for ChatGPT Plus or Claude Pro and want to use it in a hidden overlay.
- You'll use it for more than six months and prefer $49 once.
- You want offline voice input and no account of any kind.
Looking at cross-platform options too? Compare AuraCloak vs Pluely, or read why Windows users skip Cluely on our Cluely alternative page.
FAQ
How much does GhostDesk cost?
GhostDesk's own site listed a 24-hour pass at $10, monthly at $25, 3 months at $50 and 6 months at $75 when we checked in October 2026. Some third-party directories still show lower figures such as $9.99 a month, so confirm the price at checkout.
Do GhostDesk and AuraCloak hide from screen share the same way?
As far as public listings say, yes. GhostDesk is described as using the Windows SetWindowDisplayAffinity function, and AuraCloak calls the same function with WDA_EXCLUDEFROMCAPTURE. Both inherit the same limits: a phone camera pointed at the monitor, remote desktop sessions and hardware capture cards still see the screen.
Can I use my own OpenAI or Claude API key with GhostDesk?
GhostDesk's site and listings don't mention bring-your-own-key support. It runs its own built-in AI. AuraCloak works the other way: you connect your own OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, GitHub Copilot, Azure OpenAI or custom endpoint, or use browser mode with your ChatGPT or Claude web login.
Does AuraCloak transcribe call audio like GhostDesk?
No. AuraCloak only takes voice input from your own microphone with Alt+V push-to-talk. It doesn't capture the other side of a call, transcribe meetings or export session reports.