Plaud hits $100m ARR as Singapore becomes key R&D hub

Plaud, a US-based startup that develops AI note-taking devices, has reached roughly US$100 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR), co-founder and CEO Nathan Xu told Tech in Asia on the sidelines of SuperAI in Singapore last week.

Founded in 2021, the company’s devices help users record, transcribe, summarize, and organize conversations and meetings.

Plaud co-founder and CEO Nathan Xu delivering his keynote at SuperAI 2026 in Singapore / Photo credit: Plaud

Last month, Xu said Plaud had shipped 2 million devices and generated US$500 million in cumulative bookings in less than three years.

While the CEO declined to disclose monthly or weekly active user figures, he said most device owners remain active and that nearly half of users subscribe to paid plans.

Singapore as R&D center

According to Xu, the US is Plaud’s largest market by revenue, followed by Europe and Asia Pacific. In terms of user count, Japan ranks among its top markets.

In Southeast Asia, the company’s customer base remains concentrated on executives, business owners, entrepreneurs, and senior managers.

Xu acknowledged that the company’s pricing remains too high for markets such as Indonesia and the Philippines, adding that Plaud has discussed introducing a lower-cost product or subscription tier.

However, he cautioned that a cheaper device could become obsolete within a year as Plaud continues to evolve its hardware, form factors, and AI services.

Most of Plaud’s Southeast Asia operations is focused on Singapore, which remains central to the company’s R&D efforts.

Last week, Plaud announced that it plans to invest S$10 million (US$7.8 million) and increase its local headcount to 150 employees by the end of 2026, up from nearly 100 today.

More than half of its Singapore-based staff work in research and development, according to Xu. He also credited the Singapore office with helping drive a tenfold increase in AI subscription bookings in 2025.

Margin pressure