The Best Poised Alternative in 2026 (After the Poised Shutdown)
Poised (acquired by Deepgram in June 2024) officially shut down on October 8–9, 2026 and deleted historical call data to redirect users to Deepgram's Saga dictation app. If you were one of the 100,000+ communicators relying on Poised for live, bot-free in-call speech feedback, UmmLike is built specifically for you.
What Happened When Poised Shut Down in October 2026?
- Poised shut down on October 8–9, 2026 and wiped user history—leaving a gap for live, in-call communication coaching.
- Deepgram's replacement (Saga) focuses on voice dictation workflows rather than live filler-word, hedging, and pacing alerts during meetings.
- Other tools like Yoodli require an invasive meeting bot to join your live calls or focus only on pre-call roleplay rehearsals.
How UmmLike Replaces Poised on macOS and Windows
- Zero Meeting Bots: Captures only your microphone locally on macOS—no awkward 'AI Coach Notetaker' ever joins your Zoom, Google Meet, or Slack Huddle.
- Sub-Second Native macOS Notifications: Fires crisp macOS Notification Center banners (rate-limited to 3.5s) and a 440px Compact HUD the moment you spike on 'um/like', rush past 175 WPM, or monologue past 60 seconds.
- Live Hedging Rewrites: Catches weak qualifiers ('I think maybe', 'just wanted to', 'does that make sense') and flashes executive rewrites while you're still speaking.
Interactive Poised-Style Live Call Coaching Preview
Step through a sample call habit right here, or open the Live Voice Coaching Studio to test with your own microphone.
UmmLike vs. Poised, Deepgram Saga & Yoodli (2026)
| Platform | Status (Oct 2026) | Live In-Call Speech Coaching | Meeting Bot Required? | Core Focus & Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UmmLike (ummlike.app) | Active (macOS, Windows + Web Studio) | Yes — Sub-second native notifications + 440px Compact HUD | No (100% Bot-Free, Local Mic) | Live filler, hedging rewrites, WPM (130–160 target), & 60s monologue alerts (Free download) |
| Poised (poised.com) | Shut Down (Oct 8–9, 2026) | Discontinued (users redirected to Deepgram Saga dictation) | Was Bot-Free Desktop App | Was $19/mo ($13/mo annual); historical call data deleted Oct 2026 |
| Yoodli (yoodli.ai) | Active ($300M+ Enterprise L&D) | Pre-call AI Roleplays; post-call report for meetings | Yes (for real call recording) | Starter Free (5 lifetime roleplays), Pro $8/mo, Advanced $20/mo annual |
| Cluely (cluely.com) | Active (Pivoted Nov 2025) | AI Meeting Notes & Answer Prompts (not vocal coaching) | No (Desktop Overlay) | Starter Free, Pro $19.99/mo, Undetectability $149.99/mo ($44.99/mo annual) |
Frequently Asked Questions: Best Poised Alternative in 2026
Why did Poised shut down in October 2026?
After Deepgram acquired Poised in June 2024, Deepgram retired the Poised platform on October 8–9, 2026, deleting stored user content and redirecting users to its Saga voice dictation product.
Does UmmLike join my Zoom or Google Meet calls as a bot?
Never. Like Poised, UmmLike runs locally on your Mac and listens only to your microphone stream, so nobody on the call knows you are using a real-time speech coach.
Can I test UmmLike without installing anything?
Yes—you can run our interactive Live Mic Coaching Studio and 60-second speech simulator right in your browser at ummlike.app/app.