Plaud Surpasses $100M Annual Recurring Revenue After Delivering More Than 2 Million AI Note-Taking Devices.

Success stories in AI hardware remain relatively uncommon, but Plaud is working to establish itself as one by focusing on professionals who spend much of their time in meetings. The company announced that it has shipped more than 2 million AI-powered note-taking devices, including its Plaud Pin and credit-card-sized recorders that attach to the backs of smartphones. Alongside its hardware growth, Plaud revealed that its software subscription business has exceeded $100 million in annualised recurring revenue.

The company believes many AI tools still rely heavily on typed prompts and digital documents created from memory. Plaud argues that its screen-free devices encourage people to stay engaged in face-to-face conversations while automatically capturing key discussions, generating summaries, highlighting action items, and making important information easy to revisit later.

“Most AI companies have grown through software that lives behind a screen,” said Nathan Xu, co-founder and CEO of Plaud. “We chose a different direction. The conversations that drive real decisions don’t happen through keyboards. We wanted to build the interface for a post-screen world, and customers have validated that vision.”

Plaud expanded its hardware lineup last year with the launch of the $179 Plaud Pro, followed this year by the introduction of the similarly priced Plaud Pin S. Alongside new devices, the company has also accelerated software development. Earlier this year, it released a desktop application that generates Granola-style meeting notes from system audio during virtual meetings. More recently, Plaud introduced Plaud Teams, offering shared memory capabilities designed specifically for enterprise customers.

Every Plaud device includes 300 minutes of complimentary transcription services. However, users who attend numerous meetings often quickly exceed that allowance. To meet those needs, the company offers monthly, annual, and additional usage plans. Xu said nearly half of Plaud device owners eventually upgrade from the basic package to either Pro or Unlimited subscription plans, making recurring software revenue a major contributor to the company’s overall business.

At present, Plaud does not offer software subscriptions as a standalone product. Instead, paid plans are primarily available to customers who already own one of the company’s AI note-taking devices.

The AI meeting assistant hardware market is becoming increasingly competitive. Plaud now faces rivals including accessory maker Anker, Transsion-backed Viaim, Sequoia China-backed Vibe, and Y Combinator-backed Pocket, all of which are developing products aimed at professionals seeking smarter ways to capture and organise meeting conversations.