Lasair vs Cluely
Verdict (August 2026): for staying invisible on screen shares, Lasair is the better choice for most people. Stealth is included in every Lasair plan, including the free trial, while Cluely reserves its undetectability tier for $149.99/month. Lasair renders its overlay on a dedicated GPU plane at the display level; Cluely's app sets a capture-exclusion window flag.
This is an independent comparison based on publicly available information as of August 2026. Pricing and features change. Check each product's website for current terms.
| Lasair | Cluely | |
|---|---|---|
| True invisibility | Included in every paid plan, from $19.99 per month | Reserved for the Pro+Undetectability tier at $149.99 per month |
| Architecture | Renders through the display pipeline itself: the overlay is drawn at the display level on its own GPU plane, independent of any app. | An ordinary app window that sets a capture-exclusion flag. Cluely's own documentation describes it as the same privacy technology Zoom uses. |
| Universality | One overlay for every application. No per-app plugins, no region selection. | A similar claim, delivered as an app window. |
| Credit expiry | One-time credit packs never expire. | Subscription only. |
| Privacy | Captures the screen only when you press the hotkey. Never uses captures, queries, or answers to train AI models. | A 2025 data breach exposed roughly 83,000 users, reported by TechCrunch. |
| Platforms | Windows 11 (x64) today. macOS in development. | macOS and Windows, plus an iOS app. |
| Entry price | Free trial. One-time credit packs from $14. Plus at $19.99 per month. | Free tier with limited daily responses. Paid tiers above that. |
The feature you came for
Most people comparing these two products want one thing: an overlay that stays invisible in screen shares and recordings. Cluely sells that only in its top tier at $149.99 per month. Its $19.99 Pro plan does not include it. Every Lasair paid plan includes it, starting at $19.99 per month, and one-time credit packs from $14 use the same overlay. Invisibility is the core product, not an upsell.
Architecture
Cluely is a normal application window with a capture-exclusion flag set. On Windows that flag is WDA_EXCLUDEFROMCAPTURE. On macOS it is NSWindowSharingNone. The flag asks the operating system to keep the window out of screenshots and screen shares. That design has a weakness: the flag is a property of a window, so other software can enumerate windows and look for it.
Lasair does not create a window at all. The overlay is drawn at the display level, on its own GPU plane, integrated with the Windows display pipeline. There is no window to enumerate and no flag to scan for. The overlay is composited through the display path, not hidden by a setting.
Trust
Lasair captures the screen only when you press the hotkey. Captures, queries, and answers are never used to train AI models, and Lasair's inference providers are contractually prohibited from training on them. Payments run through Stripe checkout.
Cluely's public record includes a 2025 breach that exposed transcripts and screenshots from roughly 83,000 users, reported by TechCrunch. Its Trustpilot rating sits at 2.1 out of 5, with complaints about unexpected annual charges.
Where Cluely wins
Cluely ships an iOS app. Lasair has no mobile app today. Cluely also invests in meeting-assistant features and has far stronger brand recognition. If you need AI answers on your phone, Cluely is the only option of the two.
FAQ
Is Lasair as invisible as Cluely's top tier?
Cluely's undetectability tier costs $149.99 per month and relies on a capture-exclusion window flag. Lasair renders on its own GPU plane at the display level itself, with no app window and no flag, and every paid plan includes it from $19.99 per month.
Is Cluely better than Lasair for undetectable use?
No. Both products keep an overlay out of screen-share capture, but Cluely charges $149.99 per month for it (Pro+Undetectability tier) while Lasair includes stealth in every plan from $19.99 per month, and in the free trial. Cluely's $19.99 Pro plan does not include undetectability at all. Lasair's overlay is drawn at the display level on its own GPU plane rather than by an app window with a capture-exclusion flag.
How does Lasair's overlay work under the hood?
Lasair renders through a signed kernel-mode display driver (KMDF) with a signature-verified compositor component, drawing the overlay on its own MPO hardware plane in the display pipeline rather than in an app window. Hotkeys are matched at the keyboard-class level, and a kernel watchdog fails closed on display tampering. There is no window and no capture-exclusion flag for capture tools to find.
Does Lasair work on Mac?
Not yet. Lasair supports Windows 11 (x64) today, with a macOS version in development. Cluely already supports macOS, Windows, and iOS.
Which is cheaper?
For invisible use, Lasair. Cluely reserves invisibility for its $149.99 per month tier. Lasair Plus is $19.99 per month with invisibility included, and one-time credit packs start at $14 and never expire.
Does Lasair have an iPhone app?
No. Cluely offers an iOS app. Lasair is a desktop overlay for Windows 11, with macOS in development.
Cluely is a trademark of its owner. This is an independent comparison based on public information and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Cluely.