Pick Natively if you want free, source-available software with call transcription, meeting notes and searchable local memory, on Mac or Windows. Pick AuraCloak if you want a commercial Windows app you can use at work without license questions, browser mode for your ChatGPT Plus or Claude Pro login, GitHub Copilot and Azure OpenAI support, and $49 once. Prices checked October 2026.
AuraCloak vs Natively at a glance
| AuraCloak | Natively | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $9/mo or $49 lifetime | Free for personal use with own keys |
| Hosted AI plans | No (your key or browser mode) | $8, $15, $25, $35 a month |
| License | Commercial, closed source | Source-available, personal use; commercial use needs permission |
| Platforms | Windows 10 (2004+) and 11 | Windows 10/11, macOS 12+ |
| BYOK cloud providers | OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, GitHub Copilot, Azure OpenAI, custom | Gemini, OpenAI, Claude, Groq, OpenRouter, NVIDIA NIM, custom and more |
| Local models | Ollama, LM Studio, vLLM via custom endpoint | Ollama, LocalAI |
| Use ChatGPT Plus / Claude Pro web login | Browser mode | Not listed |
| GitHub Copilot sign-in | Yes | Not listed |
| Call audio transcription | No, mic push-to-talk only | Yes, system audio + mic |
| Meeting notes and memory | No | Summaries, action items, local search |
| Offline speech-to-text | Local Whisper | Local Whisper, Moonshine, Parakeet |
| Hidden from screen share | Yes, Windows capture exclusion | Yes, described as best-effort |
| Usage statistics | None | On by default, can be turned off |
How we compared
We make AuraCloak, so we have a stake in the answer. Natively's details come from natively.software and its GitHub README, both read on October 11, 2026. The two disagreed in places (the homepage's main download button pointed to a Linux build; the README says there's no Linux support), and where that happens we go with the README.
Natively pricing vs AuraCloak pricing
Start with the honest part: if you're a hobbyist with your own API key, Natively costs nothing, and AuraCloak can't beat free.
Natively's paid side has two tracks. Hosted AI plans, for people who don't want their own keys, run $8 (500 AI requests, 200 speech minutes), $15, $25 and $35 a month. A free trial gives 10 requests and 10 speech minutes without a card. Then there's Natively Pro for BYOK users, sold yearly or as a lifetime license, which unlocks its seven expert modes, resume and job description context and other extras. The site didn't show Pro prices when we checked. It also says Pro can be unlocked by holding a balance of its $NAT crypto token, which is unusual enough to mention.
AuraCloak is simpler: $9 a month or $49 once, every feature in both, AI paid to your provider directly or $0 extra in browser mode. The monthly plan passes the lifetime price in month six. Details on the AuraCloak pricing page.
The licensing question for work use
This is the row most comparison sites skip, and it matters if you plan to use either tool on sales or client calls.
Natively's code is public, but it isn't open source. The Natively Personal Use Source License v1.0 allows personal, educational, research and non-commercial use, and says commercial use needs written permission. If you're a consultant on billable calls or a sales rep running demos, read that license (or ask Natively) before relying on the free build at work.
AuraCloak is a plain commercial license bought through Dodo Payments. Use it for whatever work you do. The trade-off is that you can't read or modify our source code, which some people reasonably care about more.
AI models and local AI
Both apps are strong here, in different directions.
Natively supports a long list of cloud providers (Gemini by default, plus OpenAI, Anthropic Claude, Groq, NVIDIA NIM, OpenRouter and OpenAI-compatible endpoints), Ollama and LocalAI for offline models, and several offline speech engines. Its local memory stores meeting embeddings on your machine with SQLite, so you can ask about earlier calls.
AuraCloak covers the mainstream cloud providers too, and adds two sign-in routes Natively doesn't list: GitHub Copilot through your GitHub login (it uses your Copilot subscription), and Google sign-in for Gemini. Azure OpenAI takes your company's resource and deployment. Local models connect through the custom endpoint (Ollama, LM Studio, vLLM). And browser mode runs ChatGPT, Claude.ai, Gemini, Copilot or Perplexity web inside the overlay with your normal login. If you pay $20 a month for ChatGPT Plus, that's your AI bill covered.
Already pay for ChatGPT Plus or Claude Pro? Use it in a hidden Windows overlay for $49 once.
Get AuraCloakCall transcription vs push-to-talk
Natively captures system audio through a native Rust module plus a separate microphone channel, transcribes the call live and writes meeting notes with summaries and action items afterward. If you want a record of every call, that's a real feature AuraCloak doesn't have.
AuraCloak only hears your microphone, and only after you press Alt+V. Press it again to send, or Alt+Shift+V to cancel. It never records the other people on the call, writes no notes and doesn't answer on its own. Capturing other participants' voices can raise consent questions depending on where everyone is, so some people prefer a tool that simply can't. For engines you get Windows speech (free), Azure Speech, OpenAI Whisper API, Google Speech-to-Text, or Local Whisper offline with a 141 MB or 465 MB model.
Privacy and screen share invisibility
Natively says its windows are hidden from screen shares, the Dock and the taskbar, and calls this "best-effort, not a guarantee." Fair wording, and closer to the truth than most of the category.
AuraCloak asks Windows to exclude its window from capture with WDA_EXCLUDEFROMCAPTURE. Capture paths that go through Windows (Windows.Graphics.Capture, DXGI Desktop Duplication, GDI BitBlt) skip it, so Zoom, Teams, Meet in a browser, Slack, Discord, OBS, Loom, Snipping Tool and PrintScreen leave it out. A phone camera aimed at the monitor still sees it, and so do remote desktop sessions and hardware capture cards. Builds before Windows 10 version 2004 show a black box instead.
On data: Natively stores transcripts, keys and screenshots locally by default and has feature-usage statistics switched on by default (it says they exclude spoken and on-screen content). AuraCloak has no account, no telemetry and no chat sync, encrypts keys with Windows DPAPI, and sends prompts straight to the provider you picked.
Cluely vs Natively vs AuraCloak
Natively's GitHub repo is literally named after Cluely, so here's that comparison too. Cluely's pricing page (October 2026) lists Pro at $19.99 a month and puts screen share invisibility in a $149.99 a month tier, with Mac and iOS downloads only and no BYOK. Natively is free for personal use with your keys. AuraCloak includes invisibility at $9 a month or $49 once on Windows. More in our Cluely alternative guide.
Who should choose Natively, and who should choose AuraCloak
Choose Natively if:
- You want free software for personal use and can bring your own keys.
- You want live call transcription, meeting notes and search over past calls.
- You use a Mac, or want to read the source code.
Choose AuraCloak if:
- You need it for paid work and want a straightforward commercial license.
- You want to use ChatGPT Plus, Claude Pro, GitHub Copilot or Azure OpenAI you already have.
- You prefer push-to-talk over an app that records the whole call.
- You want zero telemetry and a $49 one-time price.
Still comparing? AuraCloak vs Pluely covers the other BYOK option, and AuraCloak vs GhostDesk covers the other Windows-only one.
FAQ
Is Natively free?
For personal use with your own API keys, yes. Natively also sells hosted AI plans at $8, $15, $25 and $35 a month with request and speech-minute limits, plus a Pro license (yearly or lifetime) whose price was not listed on its site in October 2026.
Is Natively open source?
Natively calls itself source-available, not open source. Its code is public on GitHub under the Natively Personal Use Source License v1.0, which allows personal, educational, research and non-commercial use and requires written permission for commercial use.
Does Natively work on Windows?
Yes. Its GitHub README lists Windows 10 and 11 and macOS 12 or later, and says there is no Linux support. AuraCloak runs only on Windows 10 version 2004 or later and Windows 11.
Does AuraCloak support local models like Natively?
Yes, for chat: point AuraCloak's custom OpenAI-compatible endpoint at Ollama, LM Studio or vLLM. Voice input can use Local Whisper offline. AuraCloak does not have local meeting memory or search over past calls, which Natively offers.
Cluely vs Natively: what is the difference?
Cluely is a closed, hosted product whose pricing page lists Mac and iOS downloads, with screen share invisibility in a $149.99 a month tier. Natively is source-available, free for personal use with your own keys, and runs on Mac and Windows. Prices checked October 2026.