Comparison

Cadence vs Orai

Updated October 13, 2026 · By Simón Rendón, founder of Cadence

Orai and Cadence are both speech practice apps that listen to you talk and count your filler words. They differ on price structure and, most of all, on what happens to your recordings. Orai is a coach with lessons and a cheaper yearly plan. Cadence is a free daily practice habit that never keeps your audio.

I make Cadence, so weigh this accordingly. Every claim about Orai below comes from Orai’s own pricing page, privacy policy, or App Store listing, checked on October 13, 2026, and linked at the end.

At a glance

Privacy is the biggest difference

Practicing out loud means recording yourself at your least polished: the false starts, the rambling answer, the story you are not ready to tell anyone yet. Where those recordings end up matters.

Cadence encrypts your audio on your phone before it is uploaded, analyzes it in memory, and discards it as soon as the analysis finishes. Your audio is never stored on our servers and never used to train AI models, on the free plan or on Premium. On iPhone, an encrypted copy stays on your device so you can replay a session, and you can delete your recordings from your profile at any time. The finished results are held on our servers for up to 24 hours so they can reach your phone, then deleted.

Orai’s privacy policy says recordings made in its app “may be uploaded to and stored on our cloud servers, with copies also stored on your device,” and that for non-enterprise users this information “may also be used to evaluate and improve Orai’s own speech-analysis features.” Orai deletes account data from its active systems within 30 days of a request.

Where Orai is stronger

• Lessons. Orai pairs its feedback with short public speaking lessons and a library of scenarios: pitches, interviews, toasts, tough questions. Cadence has short guided programs, such as the seven-step Interview Confidence on iPhone, but not a full course.
• The yearly price. If you know you will practice for a year, Orai’s $49.99 annual plan costs less than Cadence’s $64.99, and it offers a one-time lifetime purchase.
• Track record. Orai has been around for years, with thousands of App Store ratings and a web version for practicing at a desk.

Where Cadence is stronger

• A free plan that does not run out. Three analyzed sessions a day, recordings up to three minutes, no card. For a daily five-minute habit, that is enough to never pay.
• Privacy on every plan. Audio encrypted before upload, never stored, never used for training, and the only copy of a recording lives on your phone.
• Month-to-month price. $7.99 against $12 if you would rather not commit to a year.
• Fillers in context. Cadence counts um, uh, and er, and also like, so, basically, and you know when they are used as fillers, marked on your transcript and timeline.

Which should you pick?

Pick Orai if you want a structured course and are happy to pay for a year up front. Pick Cadence if you want to practice a few minutes a day without paying, or if you would rather your recordings never sit on someone else’s server.

If you are deciding between more than these two, the best app to stop saying um covers what to look for in any of them.

Common questions

Is Cadence cheaper than Orai?

Month to month, yes: Cadence Premium is $7.99 a month, and Orai Pro is $12 a month on Orai’s website. On a yearly plan Orai is cheaper, at $49.99 a year against Cadence’s $64.99. Cadence also has a free plan with no time limit, while Orai offers a 7-day trial that needs a credit card. Prices as of October 2026.

Does Orai store my recordings?

Orai’s privacy policy says recordings made in its app may be uploaded to and stored on its cloud servers, with copies also stored on your device, and that for non-enterprise users this information may be used to evaluate and improve Orai’s speech analysis. Cadence encrypts your audio before upload, never stores it on its servers, and never uses it to train AI models.

Is there a free alternative to Orai?

Cadence’s free plan includes three analyzed sessions a day, recordings up to three minutes, filler word detection, a score, and a transcript. It has no time limit and needs no credit card. Cadence is available on iPhone and Android.

Sources, checked October 13, 2026: Orai, Pricing. Orai, Privacy Policy (last updated January 1, 2026). Orai, Product. Orai on the App Store, in-app purchase prices. Cadence, Privacy Policy. Orai is a trademark of its owner; this page is not affiliated with or endorsed by Orai.