Cluely Alternative
Shadow Claude vs Cluely
Cluely charges $75/mo for stealth mode and sends your audio to the cloud. Shadow Claude includes stealth in every plan, transcribes locally, and runs on Claude — the strongest reasoning model for coding interviews.
Windows 10+ · ~150 MB · No admin rights required
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Shadow Claude | Cluely |
|---|---|---|
| AI Model | Claude Sonnet 4.6 + Haiku 4.5 | Multiple (unspecified) |
| Stealth Mode | Included — all plans | $75/mo plan only |
| Monthly Price (with stealth) | $20/mo | $75/mo |
| Free Plan | 31,400 tokens/mo | Limited (no stealth) |
| Audio Privacy | Local Whisper — never leaves device | Cloud transcription |
| Resume-Aware Answers | ✓ | ✗ |
| Voice Detection | ✓ | ✓ |
| Screenshot Analysis | ✓ | ✓ |
| Follow-Up Suggestions | ✓ | ✗ |
| Remappable Hotkeys | ✓ | ✓ |
| Built With | Rust | Electron |
| Platform | Windows (Mac Q2 2026) | Mac only |
| Data Storage | Local only | Cloud (had breach) |
| Focus | Technical interviews | General meetings (pivoted) |
Data verified from competitor sites as of March 2026.
Why People Switch from Cluely
Stealth costs $0, not $75
Cluely locks stealth mode behind their $75/mo plan. Shadow Claude includes invisibility in every plan — including free. Screen-share exclusion is the whole point of the tool, not a premium upsell.
Claude beats GPT for coding
Shadow Claude runs on Claude Haiku 4.5 and Sonnet 4.6 — Haiku 4.5 for fast voice answers, Sonnet 4.6 for screenshots and complex questions. Claude scores 10/10 vs GPT-4o's 7/10 on hard LeetCode. That's the gap between getting the offer and not.
Your audio stays on your machine
Shadow Claude transcribes with Whisper locally — zero network traffic for audio. Cluely sends audio to the cloud. If you're on a corporate VPN or care about privacy, local transcription is the only option.
Your resume, your answers
Shadow Claude reads your resume and job description to generate personalized STAR stories and answers that reference your actual experience. Cluely gives the same generic answer to everyone.
Cluely pivoted away from interviews
Cluely has shifted focus toward general meeting assistance. Shadow Claude is purpose-built for technical interviews — coding rounds, system design, behavioral questions. Every prompt is tuned for interviews.
Cluely had a data breach
In 2025, Cluely exposed 83,000 users' data. Shadow Claude stores conversation data locally and processes audio on-device. There's nothing on our servers to breach.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Shadow Claude really a Cluely alternative?
Yes. Shadow Claude does everything Cluely does — voice detection, invisible overlay, AI-powered answers — but with a stronger AI model (Claude vs GPT), local audio processing, resume personalization, and stealth included at $20/mo instead of $75/mo.
Is Shadow Claude a good Cluely alternative?
Yes. Shadow Claude uses Anthropic's Claude (not GPT), costs $20/month for Pro vs Cluely's $75/month for comparable features, and processes all audio locally with Whisper. The overlay is invisible to Zoom, Teams, Meet, and Discord.
Does Shadow Claude work like Cluely?
Both are AI interview assistants with invisible overlays. The key differences: Shadow Claude uses Claude for answers (Cluely uses GPT), Shadow Claude transcribes audio locally with Whisper (Cluely sends audio to cloud servers), and Shadow Claude starts at $0/month with a free tier.
Is Shadow Claude cheaper than Cluely?
Yes. Shadow Claude's Pro plan is $20/month (1.5M tokens, screenshot analysis). Cluely's comparable stealth features start at $75/month. Shadow Claude also has a free tier with 31,400 tokens — Cluely does not.
Does Shadow Claude need admin permissions like Cluely?
No. Shadow Claude installs and runs as a standard user application — no admin rights, no UAC prompts, no accessibility permissions. It uses standard OS APIs for screen-capture exclusion and audio capture.
Does Shadow Claude work on Mac?
Currently Windows only. Mac support is shipping Q2 2026. If you need Mac today, FinalRoundAI is the best option — see our full comparison.
Is there a free plan?
Yes. 31,400 tokens per month, no credit card required. Includes voice detection, AI answers, and full stealth. Cluely's free plan doesn't include stealth mode.
How is Shadow Claude invisible to screen share?
Shadow Claude uses standard OS APIs to exclude its window from all screen capture. It's invisible to Zoom, Teams, Meet, Discord, OBS, and every other screen-sharing tool — included in every plan.
Try Shadow Claude Free
31,400 tokens/month free. Stealth included. No credit card.
Download for Windows — Free