Cluely vs GradGPT

A side-by-side look at pricing, capabilities, pros, cons, and our editorial scores.

	Cluely Writing	GradGPT Writing
Tagline	Real-time AI meeting assistant that takes notes and answers questions while you talk	AI essay coach that scores and red-flags college application drafts against admissions rubrics.
Category	Writing	Writing
Pricing	Freemium· Starter: Free · Pro: $19.99 · Pro + Undetectability: $149.99	Freemium· Free plan: $0 · GradGPT Plus yearly: $12/month · GradGPT Plus monthly: $36/month
Model	—	—
Editorial score	—	6.8 / 10
Use cases	Live sales call coachingReal-time meeting transcriptionAutomatic action-item extractionRecruiter screening notesInvestor pitch cheat-sheetsFollow-up question suggestionsPost-call AI summariesMultilingual meeting translationIn-person interview note-taking	college-essay-feedbackadmissions-prepcommon-app-essaysap-test-practicecollege-matching
Pros	True real-time overlay — answers appear in ~300 ms while the meeting is still in progress, not after Does not join calls as a bot, so participants never see a 'Cluely Notetaker' avatar in the roster Works across Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Webex and Slack Huddles from a single desktop app Captures both microphone and system audio, so it handles in-person conversations as well as remote calls Auto-generated summaries, action items and suggested follow-up questions save real post-call admin time 12+ language transcription with strong accented-English performance	Cheaper than a human admissions consultant for the same iteration loop Rubric-based scoring grounded in real admit benchmarks Free access path for low-income and Title I students Covers the full app: essays, activities, AP prep, college match
Cons	'Undetectability' raises serious consent and ethics issues in jurisdictions with two-party recording laws Top tier at $149.99/mo is expensive compared with Otter, Fireflies or Granola Underlying models are not disclosed, so enterprise buyers have no way to audit data-handling or model provenance No native CRM/Notion/Slack integrations of the depth Gong or Fathom offer — export is mostly manual Free tier is very restricted; realistic daily use requires the paid Pro plan Product is young and pivoted from an interview-cheating tool, so trust and roadmap stability are open questions	Underlying model and methodology aren't disclosed US admissions focus; thin value for international applicants No API or programmatic access for schools or counselors Risk of homogenized 'AI-flavored' essays if students over-rely
Website	cluely.com	gradgpt.com

Pick Cluely if

✅ True real-time overlay — answers appear in ~300 ms while the meeting is still in progress, not after
✅ Does not join calls as a bot, so participants never see a 'Cluely Notetaker' avatar in the roster
✅ Works across Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Webex and Slack Huddles from a single desktop app
✅ Captures both microphone and system audio, so it handles in-person conversations as well as remote calls

Pick GradGPT if

✅ Cheaper than a human admissions consultant for the same iteration loop
✅ Rubric-based scoring grounded in real admit benchmarks
✅ Free access path for low-income and Title I students
✅ Covers the full app: essays, activities, AP prep, college match

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