NoteCat vs Craig: Which Discord Recording Bot Should You Use?

If you've looked for a way to record Discord voice calls, two names keep coming up: NoteCat and Craig. Both are solid, and both have been recording Discord conversations for a while. They're just built with different goals in mind.

Full disclosure: we make NoteCat. We'll keep this fair anyway, because the honest answer is that the better tool really does depend on what you're recording for.

The short version

• Craig is the better choice if you're producing audio. It records each person to a separate track, which is exactly what you want when you'll be editing in a tool like Audacity or Adobe Audition.
• NoteCat is the better choice for everyday calls where you mostly want to know what was said. You get a live transcript, an AI summary, and the recorded audio.

Most people land on NoteCat simply because meetings, gaming sessions, and study calls are more common than audio production. But if you're a podcaster, Craig may genuinely suit you better, and we'd rather tell you that than pretend otherwise.

Feature comparison

Where Craig is the stronger pick

Craig has a well-earned following among podcasters and audio producers, and the reason is its multi-track recording. Each speaker lands on a separate track, so you can balance levels, cut someone's coughing fit, or fix one person's audio without touching anyone else's. If your recording is going to end up in a DAW for editing, that workflow is hard to beat, and it's where Craig is at its best.

Multi-track recording is on the NoteCat roadmap, but it isn't live yet. For now, if separate tracks per speaker are essential to your workflow, Craig is the one to reach for.

Where NoteCat is the stronger pick

NoteCat is built around a different question: what was actually said? That's the part most calls care about.

• Live transcription, free. The conversation turns into text in real time, so anyone who joins late can read back without interrupting. Craig can transcribe recordings too, but only on its paid Patreon tier, and not live as you talk.
• AI summaries. When you stop recording, NoteCat writes up the key points and action items. You can also set custom summary prompts for meeting notes, gaming recaps, D&D sessions, and more.
• Share with a link. You can share any transcript with a link for anyone who missed the call.
• Accuracy tuning. Add custom vocabulary so names, jargon, and acronyms come out spelled right.
• The audio too. You can still play back and download the recording from the web dashboard, so you keep the call either way.

For meetings, classes, game nights, and most day-to-day Discord calls, the transcript and summary tend to matter more than separate audio tracks, and that's the gap NoteCat fills.

Which one is right for you?

There's also no rule that says you have to pick one. Some servers run Craig when they're recording something they'll edit, and NoteCat for everything else.

Try NoteCat free

If transcripts and summaries are what you're after, invite NoteCat and run /record in any voice channel. It's free to get started, and the live transcript shows up as you talk.

Have questions about which one fits your setup? Ask us in the NoteCat Discord.