Natively vs Cluely comes down to who supplies the AI. Natively is a free, source-available desktop app: you connect your own API keys or run local models, so the software costs nothing for personal use and you pay whichever AI providers you connect. Cluely is a hosted AI meeting assistant: you sign in and the models are included. As of October 2026, its free Starter plan is capped, and Pro costs $19.99/mo or $11.99/mo billed annually.
Both run on Windows and macOS and both help during calls, so the real differences are setup, cost, model choice, privacy and licensing. Everything below comes from Natively's GitHub README and pricing page and from Cluely's own site, checked on October 14, 2026. Disclosure: we make CoPilot Interview, a third option covered near the end.
Natively vs Cluely at a glance
| Natively | Cluely | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Desktop AI assistant for meetings, interviews and other live conversations | AI meeting assistant with on-request answers and meeting notes |
| Software price | Free for personal, educational, research and non-commercial use | Free Starter plan with limits |
| Who supplies the AI | You: your own API keys, or local models through Ollama | Cluely: models are included in the plan |
| Paid options | Pro licence $79 one-time or $39/yr; managed plans $8 to $35/mo | Pro $19.99/mo, or $11.99/mo billed annually; a top tier at $149.99/mo, or $44.99/mo billed annually |
| License | Natively Personal Use Source License v1.0, which calls it source-available, not open source | Proprietary |
| Platforms | macOS 12+ (Apple Silicon and Intel), Windows 10/11; no Linux support | macOS 10.15+, Windows 11 (x64), plus an iPhone app |
| Setup | Install, then add speech-to-text and AI keys or install Ollama | Download, sign in, press Cmd/Ctrl + Enter for help |
| Where your data lives | Transcripts, keys and screenshots stored on your computer by default | Processed by Cluely and its service providers, per its privacy policy |
| Résumé and job description context | Listed as a Pro feature in the README | Custom instructions and file uploads (3 files on Starter) |
| Mock interviews | None; the README says so | None listed on its site |
| Support | GitHub issues; premium support on managed Pro and above | Priority support on Pro |
Prices are in USD as listed on October 14, 2026. Confirm on each vendor's page before you buy.
What each one really costs
Natively
Natively's README says it is "100% free to use with your own keys." That is true of the software, not of running it. A cloud setup has two meters: a speech-to-text provider that transcribes the call and a language model that drafts the answer. Each bills you per use at its own rates, so a heavy practice week costs more than a quiet one. Running local models through Ollama removes the bill but needs hardware: the README recommends 8 GB of RAM or more, and 16 GB or more for local AI.
Natively also sells two paid layers, listed on its pricing page:
- Natively Pro licence: $79 one-time for lifetime use, or $39 a year. You still bring your own keys. Pro unlocks features such as résumé and job description awareness, long-term memory and automated company research.
- Managed plans: Standard $8/mo, Pro $15/mo (shown discounted from $20), Max $25/mo and Ultra $35/mo. These bundle AI, transcription and web search under one key, with quotas described in words (light, regular, high, maximum) rather than numbers. Pro and above include the Pro desktop licence, and the page says you can cancel any time.
Cluely
Cluely's pricing page lists three tiers:
- Starter, free: limited AI responses, limited meeting notetaking, custom instructions, up to 3 file uploads and the ability to ask about past meetings.
- Pro, $19.99/mo or from $11.99/mo billed annually: unlimited AI responses and notetaking, unlimited files, access to the latest models Cluely offers, and priority support.
- A top tier at $149.99/mo, or $44.99/mo billed annually ($539.88 a year): everything in Pro plus one added capability. Nothing else changes.
There are no API keys and no usage bills beyond the plan. The pricing page doesn't state trial or refund terms, so read Cluely's terms of service before you pay.
Setup: an evening of configuration or a quick install
Natively ships from its GitHub repository, and Mac users can install it with Homebrew: brew install --cask Natively-AI-assistant/tap/natively. Its release notes describe signed macOS builds for Apple Silicon and Intel and a Windows installer that isn't code-signed, so Windows may show a SmartScreen warning on first run. Building from source needs Node.js 22.13 or later, Git and Rust.
After installing, you choose providers. For answers, Natively supports Gemini, OpenAI, Anthropic, Groq, OpenRouter and any OpenAI-compatible endpoint, plus local models through Ollama. For transcription it supports cloud services such as Deepgram, Soniox, Google Cloud and Azure, local Whisper models that need no key, and Apple's on-device speech on macOS 26 or later. Each cloud provider means another account, key and bill.
Cluely is a conventional install: download the Mac or Windows app, sign in and start a call. It listens in the background and helps when you press Cmd/Ctrl + Enter, with shortcuts for "What should I say?", follow-up questions and a recap. It doesn't join your meeting as a bot. Its download page lists macOS 10.15 or later on Apple Silicon or Intel, Windows 11 on a 64-bit x64 processor, 8 GB of RAM recommended and 500 MB of disk space.
Platform limits cut both ways. Natively's README says it has no Linux support yet and is looking for maintainers to add it, so don't plan on a Linux build from either tool. Cluely lists Windows 11 only, while Natively runs on Windows 10 and 11. Whichever you pick, test audio capture first; our guide to how AI interview assistants capture system audio covers the usual failures, and the system requirements guide explains what each OS permission is for.
Models: you choose, or Cluely chooses
With Natively you pick the model for every job: a fast, cheap model for quick answers, a larger one for harder questions, or a local model when you want nothing to leave your computer. That control is the main reason to choose it. The cost is that answer quality depends on your configuration, and a wrong setting is yours to debug.
Cluely doesn't take your keys. Pro includes "unlimited access to latest AI models," chosen by Cluely, so there is nothing to configure. Neither shapes answers around a specific interview round out of the box. Natively has nine built-in modes, one of them for technical interviews, while Cluely relies on your custom instructions and uploaded files to steer a general assistant.
Privacy: local by default vs a hosted service
Natively's README says that by default it stores transcripts, API keys and screenshots on your computer, and that they don't leave it when you use your own keys. Two caveats matter. First, a cloud key sends your audio or text to that provider under its own data policy, so "local" only holds end to end with local speech-to-text and a local model. Second, since version 2.9.2 the app reports feature-usage statistics by default. The README says these never contain what you say, see or type, and you can turn them off under Settings, General, Advanced.
Cluely is a hosted service. Its privacy policy, last updated June 10, 2025, says customers may have it collect audio recordings, transcriptions and screenshots, lists cloud hosting and audio transcription providers among the companies that process data, and states that "Cluely does not sell your data or train on your data." Personal information is kept while your account exists, and you can request deletion. Read both documents before you install either app. Our AI interview assistant privacy guide lists the questions to ask any vendor.
Licensing, updates and support
Natively is often described as open source, but its own license notice says "Natively is source-available, not open-source." The Natively Personal Use Source License v1.0 allows personal, educational, research and non-commercial use; commercial use needs written permission. You can read the code, which matters for an app with access to your microphone. Releases are frequent (v2.9.2 shipped on October 5, 2026), and help comes through GitHub issues, with premium support on the managed Pro plan and above. Our guide to open source AI interview assistants explains how to vet a repository before you install it.
Cluely is closed source and updates like any commercial app, with priority support on Pro. You can't inspect its code, but you have nothing to maintain.
Where CoPilot Interview fits as a third option
If you like Cluely's no-keys setup but want something built only for interviews, CoPilot Interview sits between the two. It is a desktop app for Windows 10+ and macOS 12+ with managed models, so there are no API keys. Its Free plan is $0 forever with no credit card and no signup: 15 minutes every day, sessions up to 15 minutes, all four modes including Mock Interview, and the Resume Builder. Paid plans start at $14.99/mo.
| CoPilot Interview | Natively | Cluely | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free use | Best choice: 15 min a day, no card, no signup, no API keys | Free with your own keys or local models | Starter, with limited AI responses |
| Paid from | $14.99/mo (sale; regular $19.99), or $5.99 for one hour | $79 one-time Pro licence; managed plans from $8/mo | $19.99/mo, or $11.99/mo billed annually |
| Setup | Best choice: download, unzip and run | Install, then configure keys or Ollama | Download and sign in |
| Models | Managed: fast free models on Free; ChatGPT and Gemini models on Pro; plus Claude on Pro+ | Any provider you connect, or local models | Included, chosen by Cluely |
| Built for | Interviews only | Meetings, interviews and other live situations | Meetings and calls of all kinds |
| Practice | Best choice: Mock Interview scores each spoken answer out of 10 | No mock interview mode | No mock interview listed |
| Fully offline | No | Yes, with local models | No |
| Code you can read | No | Yes, source-available | No |
Disclosure: we make CoPilot Interview.
Its data flow is different again: session files stay in your Documents folder, audio is streamed in short encrypted segments through our proxy to a speech-to-text model, the question text goes to the AI model you chose, and nothing is kept on our servers beyond the request. The security page walks through it. In a live session it captions the interviewer's question and shows a structured answer in about 2 seconds. Follow the rules of the employer or assessment you're in — many people use it only to practice, which works on the free plan.
Which should you choose?
- Choose Natively if you're comfortable creating API keys, want to pick your own models, want the option to run fully offline, or want to read the code. Set it up days before you need it, not the night before.
- Choose Cluely if you sit in calls all week and want notes, recaps and on-request answers in one hosted app with nothing to configure, and your Windows machine runs Windows 11.
- Choose CoPilot Interview if interviews are the whole point and you want scored practice plus a free daily allowance with no keys to manage. Our comparison of 15 AI interview assistants covers more options.
For single-tool detail, read our Natively AI review and Cluely review, or the head-to-heads CoPilot Interview vs Natively AI and CoPilot Interview vs Cluely.
Want interview help without API keys?
CoPilot Interview's Free plan works out of the box on Windows and macOS: 15 minutes every day, Mock Interview with every spoken answer scored, and no credit card or signup.
Download CoPilot Interview freeFAQ
Is Natively really free?
The software is free for personal, educational, research and non-commercial use, and its README says it is free with your own keys. You still pay any cloud speech-to-text or AI provider you connect, unless you run local models through Ollama. As of October 2026, a Pro licence costs $79 one-time or $39 a year, and managed plans run $8 to $35 a month.
Is Natively open source?
Not in the strict sense. Its license notice says it is source-available, not open source. You can read the code, but the Natively Personal Use Source License v1.0 limits use to personal, educational, research and non-commercial purposes; commercial use needs written permission.
Is Cluely free?
Cluely has a free Starter plan with limited AI responses, limited meeting notetaking and up to 3 file uploads. Unlimited use starts with Pro at $19.99/mo, or $11.99/mo billed annually, as of October 2026.
Which is more private, Natively or Cluely?
Natively can be more private: by default it keeps transcripts, keys and screenshots on your computer, and with local models nothing needs to leave it. With cloud keys, your audio or text goes to those providers. Cluely is a hosted service; its privacy policy says it doesn't sell or train on your data and lets you request deletion.
Do Natively or Cluely work on Linux?
No. Natively's README says it has no Linux support yet, and Cluely lists macOS, Windows 11 and an iPhone app. Natively runs on macOS 12+ and Windows 10/11.
Can Natively use my résumé and the job description?
Yes, but its README lists résumé and job description awareness as a Natively Pro feature, not part of the free edition. Cluely lets you add custom instructions and upload files, up to 3 on the free Starter plan.
Do I need an API key for CoPilot Interview?
No. CoPilot Interview uses managed models on every plan, including the Free plan with 15 minutes a day. It is made by NeuraSense AI LLC and is not affiliated with Microsoft Copilot or GitHub Copilot.