AI pendants explained: what Limitless, Bee, Plaud and Friend cost, and which still sell

AI pendants and wearable recorders are small devices you clip on, wear around your neck or strap to your wrist. They record what is said around you, send it to a phone app and return transcripts, summaries or chat. The category is unsettled: one pendant is off the market, one belongs to Amazon, one is a straightforward recorder and one is a companion gadget. This guide is based on company pages read on Oct. 28, 2026, outlet reports where noted, and our earlier reporting.

Status at a glance

Limitless: acquired by Meta, no longer sold

Limitless's own site says "Limitless has been acquired by Meta." Its FAQ is blunt about the hardware: "No. We are no longer selling the Pendant as of December 5, 2025."

People who already bought one are covered for now. Limitless says it is making the Unlimited Plan free for all existing customers, and that it "will continue to support existing Pendant customers throughout 2026."

Limitless has not said what Meta plans to do with the device, the software or the recordings customers have stored. If you own a Pendant, that is the open question to watch.

Bee: owned by Amazon, still sold

Bee's co-founder wrote on Amazon's news site that Bee shipped several major features "after joining Amazon last year," in a post dated Jan. 5, 2026. TechCrunch, in a Jan. 12 article, called Bee Amazon's "newest acquisition in the space," describing a device worn as a clip-on pin or a bracelet.

Bee's website lists Bee Frontier at $74.99 and sends buyers to Amazon. It also says "Select features require a Bee Pro subscription." The price of that tier is not on a Bee page we could read. According to Unite.AI on Oct. 15, Bee Pro costs $11.99 a month or $99.99 a year, and a Bee Eclipse at $99.99 is listed as coming soon. Treat those figures as that outlet's report until Bee or Amazon confirms them.

On privacy, Amazon's post says Bee "processes conversations in real-time without storing audio for privacy." That is the company's claim. We found no independent test of it.

Plaud NotePin: a recorder with an AI layer

Plaud's NotePin is the least mysterious device here. Its product page lists it at $159.00 USD and describes it as something to "use as a necklace, wristband, clip, or pin." The page gives these specs: 20 hours of continuous recording, 40 days of standby, a 0.59 oz body and 64 GB of local storage.

Transcription is where the money question comes in. The page says "300 minutes/month of transcription included," with Pro or Unlimited for more minutes and advanced AI features. A separate Plaud page for the Unlimited plan bundle says "No monthly limits for unrestricted use." That page, dated June 17, 2026, shows two prices, $388.99 and $398.99, and the text does not make clear which is current, so check the page before you buy.

Plaud also says the product is built to ISO 27001, ISO 27701, GDPR, SOC II, HIPAA and EN 18031 standards. We did not verify that, and a compliance list on a product page is not the same as a promise about what happens to your recordings.

Friend: a companion pendant, price from one outlet

An archived copy of Friend's homepage from Oct. 13, 2026 shows only a tagline, "Your new roommate is waiting," and no price. Friend's live site could not be read.

The Gadgeteer reported on July 31, 2026 that Friend 2.0 is "priced at $249 (up from $129), plus an optional $10 monthly memory plan." We could not check that against Friend, so we cannot say what the device costs today or what the memory plan covers.

What these devices do with your recordings

The pages we read are thin on this, and that is worth knowing before you buy. Limitless has not said what happens to stored data under Meta. Bee says it does not store audio. Plaud lists compliance standards. For Bee, Plaud and Friend, we did not find each company's recording-consent terms on the pages we read. Read the privacy policy and any data deletion options in the app before you rely on any of them for work conversations.

Recording people: US consent rules

A pendant that listens all day records the people around you. As our guide to recording with smart glasses explains, federal law lets you record a conversation you are part of, or one where a participant agrees. A number of states go further and require everyone's consent, including California, Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Washington. That guide has a state-by-state table with the details.

In practice, a device that records continuously will pick up people who never agreed, and in an all-party state that can be a problem even if you meant well. If you plan to use one in meetings, tell people first. This is general information, not legal advice.

For how glasses signal that they are recording, see our piece on the camera light on smart glasses. The pages we read do not describe a visible recording indicator for Bee, Plaud or Friend.

Why this category keeps changing

Early AI gadgets showed how quickly a service can disappear. Humane stopped selling its AI Pin on Feb. 18, 2025, and its service ended 10 days later. Our history of the Humane AI Pin and Rabbit R1 covers both.

The same question now applies to pendants: what happens to the device and your stored recordings if the company is bought or shut down? Limitless's customers are living an answer right now. For how assistants are showing up on other worn devices, see ChatGPT on wearables.

How to choose

• You want a recorder that transcribes meetings: Plaud's NotePin is the one with a clear price, specs and free allowance on its own page.
• You want an assistant that remembers your day: Bee is sold, but check the subscription cost and read Amazon's terms first.
• You already own a Limitless Pendant: Limitless says the Unlimited Plan is free for existing customers and support continues throughout 2026. It has not said what happens after that.
• You are considering Friend: wait for a price and policy you can read on Friend's own site.