A local, private Cluely alternative that never breached its users.
Cluely streams your session to the cloud. SideSense keeps it on your machine. If the tradeoff between convenience and privacy matters to you, especially after the industry has seen what a breach looks like, this is the alternative.
The privacy difference is the whole point.
Cloud copilots record your session and hold your data on their servers. That is a real risk, and the wider category has already lived through a breach that exposed tens of thousands of user records. SideSense processes everything locally, so there is no server holding your interview to leak in the first place.
SideSense also trains you. Assist-only tools do not.
Most copilots only help during the call. SideSense adds Coach: scored mock interviews that make you better before the real one. You are not renting a crutch, you are building the skill and keeping the safety net.
SideSense vs Cluely
The short version, laid out honestly.
| SideSense | Cluely | |
|---|---|---|
| Where your audio goes | Stays on your machine | Streamed to the cloud |
| Practice mode | Yes, scored mock interviews | No, live help only |
| Growth tracking | One graph across practice and real | No |
| Offline option | Yes, free with Ollama | No |
| Breach history | No server holds your data | Known user data breach |
Questions, answered.
Why choose SideSense over Cluely?
Two reasons: privacy and practice. SideSense runs locally so your session never leaves your machine, and it includes scored mock interviews to make you better, not just a live copilot.
Is SideSense free like Cluely's free tier?
It is free while we are in early access, and the local path with Ollama has no per-request cost at all. There are no metered credits to top up.
Is my data private?
Yes. Audio and transcripts are processed on your own machine. Run fully offline with Ollama, or bring your own model key. Nothing is uploaded to our servers and nothing is stored there.
Get the copilot without giving up your data.
Local-first, with a real practice mode. Free in early access.