Happy Valley

Kai vs sideOS

Kai and sideOS are both AI assistants tools. Kai is aimed at freelancers and small businesses, while sideOS is aimed at freelancers and developers. Only Kai has a free plan.

Kai

AI executive assistant for email, meetings, calendar and tasks

sideOS

Voice-driven Mac agent in the notch with local dictation and meetings

PricingPaid · $20Paid
Starting price$20/moNot published
Free planYesNo
Free trial——
Built forFreelancers, Small businesses, EnterpriseFreelancers, Developers, Small businesses
Platformsweb, macos, androidmacos
CountryCH—
Rating——

Choose Kai if

Founders, executives and consultants who want one assistant across email, meetings, calendar and tasks with approval before every action.

  • Never sends or deletes without your confirmation
  • No meeting bot joins your calls
  • Free trial with no card and no time limit

Look elsewhere if: People who only need a fast email client or a meeting notepad (Superhuman, Granola).

Choose sideOS if

Mac professionals who want a private voice agent, dictation and meeting notes in one app they pay for once.

  • One-time licence with all future updates and no subscription
  • No account and no sideOS server between you and the model
  • Dictation and meeting transcription stay on the Mac

Look elsewhere if: Windows or mobile users and teams that need shared meeting notes or admin controls (Granola, Raycast).

Kai vs sideOS pricing

Kai

  • Free trial$0One-time allowance, all features, no card, no time limit
  • Base$20/moPer seat; base monthly allowance
  • Pro$50/moPer seat; 5x Base allowance, includes Morgen Pro
  • Ultra$100/moPer seat; 10x Base allowance, includes Morgen Pro

sideOS

  • Lifetime licence$89.90One-time; one Mac at a time, every future update included
  • AI model usageVariesPaid to your own provider, about 2 to 5 cents per command

Kai · Key features

  • Botless meeting capture with live transcripts
  • Meeting summaries with owners, action items and drafted recap emails
  • Email triage into needs reply, FYI and waiting for reply
  • Reply drafts in your own writing style and follow-up nudges
  • Unified Google and Outlook calendar timeline with a daily brief
  • AI-ranked task list filled from meetings and email

Cons

  • Usage allowances are not published in absolute terms
  • Hitting the monthly allowance pauses work until you upgrade
  • Full two-sided call capture needs the Mac app

sideOS · Key features

  • Hold-to-talk agent that reads the screen, clicks, types and runs AppleScript
  • On-device dictation into any app in 62 languages at no extra cost
  • Meeting recording for Zoom, Meet and Teams with on-device Whisper and speakers
  • Background tasks with web search, file access and approved shell commands
  • Reminders that can complete a task before they fire
  • One-click MCP connections for Gmail, Calendar, Notion, Slack and GitHub

Cons

  • Apple Silicon Macs with macOS 14 or later only
  • Agent use adds API costs unless you run a local model
  • No free trial or refund window stated on the site

Kai vs sideOS: FAQ

Do Kai and sideOS have a free plan?

Kai has a free plan. sideOS has no free plan.

Not sure yet?