Overview
This review covers the features, pricing, pros, and cons of the Coconut app, an AI-powered note-taking tool targeted at students and meeting attendees. The reviewer compares Coconut to other AI note-taking solutions and concludes with an overall assessment.
App Features and Functionality
- Available on iOS, Android, and as a web app.
- Provides real-time transcription and summarization of recordings.
- Allows flagging bookmarks, manual note-taking, editing, translation, and downloading of notes.
- Users can interact with notes via chat for deeper understanding.
- Supports exporting flashcards to Anki and sharing notes with others.
- Includes video and podcast creation features, although videos are basic and visually unremarkable.
- Offers study games (e.g., matchups) with mixed relevance.
Student-Focused Tools
- Features flashcards generated from key points for active recall learning.
- Includes automated quizzes based on session content.
- Summarizes YouTube videos, PDFs, text, and audio uploads, both in web and mobile apps.
Pricing and Limitations
- App has a strong App Store rating and reports over 1 million users.
- Aggressive paywall: minimum £129/year (~£12–13/month), which the reviewer finds expensive for the feature set.
- Limits exist on the free plan, but specifics are unclear.
- Frequent notifications are integrated into the app experience.
- Application design is described as unrefined and features appear somewhat disjointed.
Comparisons and Alternatives
- Otter, Granola, and Fellow also offer AI meeting transcription with similar core functions.
- Recall AI provides similar features (quizzes, chat) at a lower price ($7–8/month) and has a free plan.
- RemNote offers strong flashcard tools, including a free option for basic flashcards.
Reviewer’s Assessment and Recommendations
- Not worth purchasing at current price point due to design, feature integration, and overall value.
- Lower pricing (~£3–4/month) would make it a more attractive option.
- Other alternatives provide similar or better features at a more reasonable cost.
- Suggests continual re-evaluation of Coconut as updates may improve value.
Decisions
- Coconut not recommended at current pricing; consider alternatives for better value.