Overview
This review covers Coconut, an AI note-taking app aimed at students and meeting users, evaluating its features, pricing, and overall value compared to alternatives.
App Availability and Setup
- Coconut is available on iOS, Android, and has a web app version.
- Users are required to provide personal details upon initial setup.
Features and Functionality
- Transcribes recordings and generates summaries and breakdowns similar to competitor apps.
- Allows flagging bookmarks, adding personal notes, editing, translating, and downloading the recording.
- Features interactive note chat for further breakdown and explanation of lecture content.
- Includes student-focused tools like flashcards, quizzes, active recall, and study games.
- Offers the ability to create a video (with basic visuals) or podcast from notes.
- Supports sharing and exporting flashcards to Anki.
- Web app allows uploading and summarizing YouTube videos, PDFs, text, and audio.
User Experience
- Receives many notifications, which may enhance engagement but could be overwhelming.
- Design is considered unattractive and some features feel poorly integrated or unnecessary.
- Heavy reliance on transcript quality for overall app effectiveness.
Pricing and Value
- The cheapest plan is approximately £12–13 per month or £129 per year, which is considered expensive for the category.
- There is a free plan, but the exact limitations are unclear.
- App store rating is high (4.9), but sustained usage as a paid product is questionable.
Comparative Analysis
- Alternatives like Recall AI offer similar features at a lower price ($7–8/month) and include a free plan.
- RemNote also provides strong flashcard capabilities, with reasonable pricing for advanced features.
Pros and Cons
- Pros: Unique student features (flashcards/quizzes), cross-platform availability, and multiple export options.
- Cons: High price point, some poorly implemented or unnecessary features, and unappealing design.
Recommendations / Advice
- Consider alternative apps like Recall AI or RemNote for better value and a similar or superior feature set.
- Coconut may be worth trying if interested in its unique student-oriented features, but the price is not justified for most users.