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Circleback vs Novastart

Features, pricing, ratings, and pros and cons, side by side.

Novastart logo

Novastart

Infinite canvas desktop where your apps, teammates and AI agents share one workspace

Freemium
Visit websiteView details

Verdict

Circleback is listed under AI Assistants and Novastart under Productivity. Circleback scores higher in FinderAtlas's editorial review (8.2 vs 7.3 out of 10). Both have a free plan or trial. Only Circleback is available on Web, iOS and Android and offers an API. Only Novastart is available on Linux.

Best overall

Circleback

  • Sales Teams
  • Product Managers
  • Founders
  • Customer Success Teams

Choose Circleback if

  • You want a tool built for Teams that want automatic meeting notes and CRM or task-tracker updates via bot-free recording.
  • Bot-free desktop recording avoids a visible notetaker in client calls.
  • Free plan includes API, MCP and CLI access and mobile apps.

Choose Novastart if

  • You want a tool built for keeping many apps and projects organized in saved workspaces, watching AI agents work step by step, sharing a live workspace with teammates.
  • Agents work with a visible cursor and can be paused, steered or taken over.
  • Permanent free plan with all apps available.
Best for beginners
Circleback
Best for business
Circleback

Features

18 features compared.

  • AI Meeting Notes
    Circleback
    Available
    Novastart
    Not available
  • Action Items
    Circleback
    Available
    Novastart
    Not available
  • Bot-Free Recording
    Circleback
    Available
    Novastart
    Not available
  • Automations
    Circleback
    Available
    Novastart
    Not available
  • Ask Circleback
    Circleback
    Available
    Novastart
    Not available
  • Custom AI Insights
    Circleback
    Available
    Novastart
    Not available
  • Transcription
    Circleback
    Available
    Novastart
    Not available
  • Calendar Auto-Join
    Circleback
    Available
    Novastart
    Not available
  • Developer Access
    Circleback
    Available
    Novastart
    Not available
  • Infinite canvas
    Circleback
    Not available
    Novastart
    Available
  • Saved canvases
    Circleback
    Not available
    Novastart
    Available
  • Visible AI agents
    Circleback
    Not available
    Novastart
    Available
  • Multi-agent runs
    Circleback
    Not available
    Novastart
    Available
  • Agent modes
    Circleback
    Not available
    Novastart
    Available
  • Team collaboration
    Circleback
    Not available
    Novastart
    Available
  • Real apps
    Circleback
    Not available
    Novastart
    Available
  • Local-first data
    Circleback
    Not available
    Novastart
    Available
  • Undo history
    Circleback
    Not available
    Novastart
    Available

Pricing

Plans as listed by each vendor. Check their sites for current prices.

  • Pricing model
    Circleback
    Freemium
    Novastart
    Freemium
  • Free plan
    Circleback
    Yes
    Novastart
    Yes
  • Starting price
    Circleback
    $0
    Novastart
    $0
  • Plans
    Circleback
    4 plans
    Novastart
    3 plans

Circleback plans

  • Free

    $0

    Core notes and action items for individuals

    • AI meeting notes and action items
    • Ask Circleback
    • bot-free desktop app
    • mobile apps
    • limited automations
    • 30-day meeting history
    • 2 teams

  • Pro

    Most popular

    $18/user/mo

    Full automations and unlimited history

    • Automations with all integrations
    • custom AI insights
    • unlimited meeting history
    • 1 year of recording storage
    • 5 teams

  • Business

    $29/user/mo

    Team administration and retention controls

    • Everything in Pro
    • admin and member roles
    • unlimited free viewers
    • custom data retention
    • usage dashboard
    • 2 years of recording storage
    • unlimited teams

  • Enterprise

    $35/user/mo

    Security, provisioning and support for large organizations

    • Everything in Business
    • SSO (SAML or OIDC)
    • SCIM provisioning
    • invoice or PO billing
    • priority support
    • HIPAA compliance
    • unlimited recording storage

Novastart plans

  • Free

    $0

    Try Novastart with limited canvas space.

    • All apps
    • 1 folder
    • 2 canvases
    • 4 windows per canvas
    • AI agents pay per use

  • Pro

    Most popular

    $10/month

    Unlimited canvas space, marked as the recommended start.

    • All apps
    • Unlimited folders
    • Unlimited canvases
    • Unlimited windows
    • AI agents pay per use

  • Team

    $20/month

    Pro plus shared canvases for teams.

    • Everything in Pro
    • Team collaboration
    • Shared canvases

Our ratings

Scored out of 10 by the Finder Atlas editorial team. Last reviewed October 2026.

Circleback
8.2overall
Novastart
7.3overall

  • Ease of Use

    Circleback
    8.6
    Novastart
    Not rated

  • Feature Depth

    Circleback
    8.3
    Novastart
    Not rated

  • Value for Money

    Circleback
    8.2
    Novastart
    Not rated

  • Performance & Speed

    Circleback
    8.0
    Novastart
    Not rated

  • Documentation & Support

    Circleback
    7.8
    Novastart
    Not rated

  • Agent Transparency

    Circleback
    Not rated
    Novastart
    8.0

  • Workspace Organization

    Circleback
    Not rated
    Novastart
    8.0

  • Team Collaboration

    Circleback
    Not rated
    Novastart
    7.5

  • Setup & Compatibility

    Circleback
    Not rated
    Novastart
    6.0

  • Pricing Clarity

    Circleback
    Not rated
    Novastart
    7.0

Scores weigh documented features, plan value, platform coverage, integrations and user feedback. A missing score means we have not rated that area yet.

Pros and cons

Circleback

Pros

  • Bot-free desktop recording avoids a visible notetaker in client calls.
  • Free plan includes API, MCP and CLI access and mobile apps.
  • Broad integration list covering Slack, Notion, Linear, HubSpot, Salesforce and Zapier.
  • Unlimited free viewers on Business, so non-participants do not need a seat.
  • Releases page shows frequent updates, with entries in October 2026.

Cons

  • Free plan keeps only 30 days of meeting and recording history and 2 teams.
  • Most integrations, including Notion, HubSpot and Salesforce, require Pro at $18 per user per month.
  • SSO, SCIM and HIPAA compliance are limited to the Enterprise plan.
  • The desktop app covers macOS and Windows only; no Linux app was found.

Novastart

Pros

  • Agents work with a visible cursor and can be paused, steered or taken over
  • Permanent free plan with all apps available
  • Pro at $10 per month removes canvas limits
  • Local-first design keeps canvas contents on the user's machine
  • Peer-to-peer canvas sharing with per-person cursors

Cons

  • The app is a full computer in a window and the site warns to expect some lag
  • App supports only Windows and Intel Macs, and needs 8 GB RAM and virtualization
  • Novastart OS replaces the existing system on the PC it is installed on
  • Agent use costs extra on every plan and needs credits of $25 or more
  • Young product launched in September 2026 with little independent review history

Platforms

  • Web
    Circleback
    Supported
    Novastart
    Not supported
  • Windows
    Circleback
    Supported
    Novastart
    Supported
  • macOS
    Circleback
    Supported
    Novastart
    Supported
  • iOS
    Circleback
    Supported
    Novastart
    Not supported
  • Android
    Circleback
    Supported
    Novastart
    Not supported
  • API
    Circleback
    Supported
    Novastart
    Not supported
  • Browser Extension
    Circleback
    Not supported
    Novastart
    Not supported
  • CLI
    Circleback
    Supported
    Novastart
    Not supported
  • Linux
    Circleback
    Not supported
    Novastart
    Supported

Integrations

Circleback

22 integrations
  • Google Calendar
  • Gmail
  • Outlook
  • Slack
  • Notion
  • Linear
  • HubSpot
  • Salesforce
  • Attio
  • Asana
  • PostHog
  • Ashby
  • Intercom
  • Plain
  • Zoho
  • Monday
  • Zapier
  • Make
  • Zoom
  • Google Meet
  • Microsoft Teams
  • WebEx

Novastart

No integrations listed.

Company

  • Company
    Circleback
    Circleback
    Novastart
    Marketplace Distributors LLC
  • Founded
    Circleback
    2023
    Novastart
    Not listed
  • Headquarters
    Circleback
    San Francisco, CA
    Novastart
    Manhattan Beach, CA
  • Listing
    Circleback
    Claimed
    Novastart
    Claimed

Frequently asked questions

Is Circleback better than Novastart?

It depends on your workflow. Circleback is built for Teams that want automatic meeting notes and CRM or task-tracker updates via bot-free recording. Novastart is built for keeping many apps and projects organized in saved workspaces, watching AI agents work step by step, sharing a live workspace with teammates.

What are the key feature differences between Circleback and Novastart?

Circleback: AI meeting notes, action items and automations that work with or without a bot. Novastart: Infinite canvas desktop where your apps, teammates and AI agents share one workspace.

Does Circleback or Novastart have a free plan?

Yes, both do. Circleback is freemium and Novastart is freemium, and each has a free plan or trial.

Which is cheaper, Circleback or Novastart?

Both can be used for free. Paid plans differ in limits and features, so compare the tiers in the pricing table above.