Omi vs Pocket: Always-On AI Pendant or Press-to-Record Recorder?

Omi and Pocket both turn conversations into summaries and to-dos, but Omi is an always-on pendant and Pocket is a recorder you press to start. Omi is $169 at its current limited-time price (list $229), is open source and listens whenever you wear it, with 10 to 14 hours of battery. Pocket is $129 (list $199), snaps onto the back of your phone with MagSafe, records when you press its side button and lasts about 4 days. Choose Omi if you want to catch conversations without thinking about it; choose Pocket if you want to decide what gets recorded, including phone calls.

Prices and specs checked at omi.me and heypocket.com on 1 November 2026.

What Is Omi?

Omi is an AI pendant from Based Hardware. You wear it on the included chain or wristband, or set it on a desk, and Omi says it is "always ready, so you catch the conversation instead of missing it." It turns what it hears into summaries, to-dos and mind maps in 25+ languages, records offline and syncs later, and works with iPhone, Android, Mac and the web.

Omi's hardware and software are open source, with the code on GitHub, and Omi says you can run it locally. It says data is encrypted in transit and at rest, that it is SOC 2 and HIPAA compliant, and that it never uses your recordings for model training without your permission. Battery is 10 to 14 hours, which Omi describes as a full workday. Omi says orders ship in 1 to 4 business days, worldwide.

What Is Pocket?

Pocket is an AI recorder from a Y Combinator startup. It is a thin 52 g card that snaps onto the back of your phone with MagSafe, with an adhesive mount for phones without it. You press the side button to start, a light and a vibration confirm it is recording, and you press again to stop. It has two studio microphones plus a contact microphone that Pocket says captures phone calls without speakerphone.

Pocket stores recordings on 64GB of onboard storage and syncs them to its US-hosted cloud through the app. It quotes 4 days of active use, a 1.5 hour charge, 120+ languages and pickup up to about 15 meters. Pocket says US orders typically arrive in 3 to 5 business days. For Pocket against Plaud, see Plaud vs Pocket AI.

How Much Do They Cost?

Omi: $169 at the current limited-time price, down from $229. The free plan includes unlimited on-phone transcription and 300 cloud minutes a month. Pro is $29.99 a month or $269.91 a year and adds unlimited transcription and 1,000 Ask Omi questions a month.

Pocket: $129, down from $199, with free shipping. The free plan includes unlimited standard transcription, 3 Ask Pocket chats a day and summaries kept for 30 days. Pro is $19.99 a month billed yearly, or $239.88 a year, and adds highest-accuracy transcription, live transcription and summaries saved forever. New devices get the first 30 days of Pro free.

Over three years on the free plans, Omi costs $169 and Pocket $129. On the yearly Pro plans, Omi comes to about $979 and Pocket to about $849.

Always On vs Press to Record

This is the real choice. Omi listens whenever you wear it, so it catches the conversation you did not know would matter. The trade-off is that it records everything around you, which raises privacy and consent questions, and its battery lasts a workday rather than days.

Pocket only records when you press it. That gives you control and a much longer battery, and its contact mic makes it good for phone calls. The trade-off is that it captures nothing on the day you forget to press it.

Which Should You Choose?

Choose Omi if you want hands-free capture of in-person conversations, like the idea of open-source hardware you can run locally, and are happy to charge it every day.

Choose Pocket if you want to choose what gets recorded, take a lot of phone calls, want a battery that lasts days, and want the cheaper device and cheaper Pro plan.

For more comparisons, see Bee vs Omi, Legend vs Pocket AI and Pocket vs antimattr vs Button.

Where Legend Fits

Legend One sits on the always-on side, like Omi, but is built as jewelry. It is a voice-first AI memory pendant made for people with ADHD, worn at chest height and on all day, with a Halo light when it is active. It is not a medical device and does not treat ADHD. Legend turns your conversations into text, with no audio to play back and none kept in your account, and gives you daily summaries and auto-generated to-dos in the Legend App. Legend still captures audio to create the transcript, so recording and consent laws may apply where you live. It is $499 USD including the first year of membership, with free worldwide shipping. Orders ship within 30 days, then arrive in about 14 business days. See how it works.

The Takeaway

Omi is a $169 open-source pendant that listens all day and lasts a workday per charge. Pocket is a $129 MagSafe recorder you press to start, with a 4-day battery and a contact mic for phone calls. Pick Omi to catch conversations without thinking about it, and Pocket to stay in control of what gets recorded.

FAQ

What is the difference between Omi and Pocket? Omi is a pendant that is always on while you wear it. Pocket is a recorder that snaps onto your phone with MagSafe and records only when you press its side button.

How much is Omi? $169 at its current limited-time price, down from $229. The free plan includes unlimited on-phone transcription and 300 cloud minutes a month, and Pro is $29.99 a month or $269.91 a year.

How much is Pocket? $129, down from $199. It has a free plan, and Pro is $19.99 a month billed yearly, or $239.88 a year.

Can Pocket record phone calls? Yes. Pocket says its contact microphone captures phone calls without speakerphone.

Is Omi open source? Yes. Omi says its hardware and software are open source, with the code on GitHub, and that you can run it locally.

More in this category: the best AI wearables in 2026 and the best AI pendants in 2026.

Sources: Omi product page and Omi pricing, and heypocket.com, all checked 1 November 2026. Prices are USD.