Sombra vs Claras: AI file notes for Australian advisers, compared
Details about other tools reflect their publicly available information as at the date this page was published and last reviewed, and may have changed since. Check each vendor's own site for the current position.
Quick answer
Claras and Sombra are both Australian-built and Australian-hosted, and both write compliant file notes in your templates. The difference is what each is for. Claras is the mature compliance-note tool: it checks, files and exports to XPlan, then stops. Sombra treats the note as step one and carries it into an ongoing client workflow, a living client record, a practice-wide attention queue and tracked follow-through, and we help optimise the wider client workflow around it rather than leaving you to configure it. On price, Claras charges per seat once you go unlimited (A$139 per adviser plus A$39 per assistant); Sombra Team is a flat A$179 for the first three users. Choose Claras for the most proven filed note. Choose Sombra if the note is the beginning of the work, not the end of it.
At a glance
| Sombra | Claras | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Australian advice firms | Australian advice firms |
| File notes in your templates | Yes | Yes |
| Compliance / gap checks | Yes | Yes, checks before filing, PII redaction, audit-ready |
| Australian-hosted | App, database and transcription in Australia, no model training | Yes, Australian-hosted |
| No model training on client data | Yes, stated | Anonymous processing; PII not shared with the AI |
| CRM export | Client workflow is native | Word and XPlan export |
| After the note | Client record, attention queue, tracked follow-through | Files the note; work after it is on you |
| Implementation | Hands-on: we fit it to your workflow | Self-serve; custom onboarding at Enterprise tier |
| Entry price | Free (3 notes), then A$49/mo for 20 notes | A$50/mo Pay As You Go, 4 notes, then A$10 each |
| Unlimited | A$89/mo (Pro), A$179/mo Team (3 users) | A$139/mo per adviser plus A$39/mo per assistant |
Both write a strong compliant note. The differences that decide it are pricing structure, what happens after filing, and who sets the tool up. Those are below.
Where Claras is the stronger choice
Say it plainly: Claras is the more established compliance-note tool, and for some firms that is exactly the buy. It has been in market longer, its compliance checks and PII redaction are front and centre, and it exports straight to XPlan, which matters if XPlan is your system of record and you want the note to land there and nothing more. If your job is “reliably turn every meeting into a compliant, filed note, and let my CRM handle the rest,” Claras does that job well and has the track record to prove it.
Where Sombra pulls ahead
The note is step one, not the deliverable. Claras files the note. Sombra files the note and then keeps going. The advice context and the source note stay linked in a Client Directory. Agreed actions become tracked work in Follow Through, with owner, timing and client context. And Book of Business surfaces the relationships across the whole practice that need attention, with the evidence attached, so nothing quietly slips. Claras hands the filed note back to you. Sombra keeps the work moving after it.
Team pricing that does not punish you for growing. Claras Unlimited is priced per seat: A$139 per adviser plus A$39 per assistant, every month. A firm with three advisers and two support staff is paying A$495 a month before anyone opens the app. Sombra Team is a flat A$179 for the first three users. At the entry level the gap runs the other way too: Sombra’s A$49 Starter includes 20 notes, where Claras’s A$50 Pay As You Go includes 4. Run the numbers for your own headcount and note volume before you decide.
We optimise the whole machine, and we work with what you already run. Claras gives you a login and, at the Enterprise tier, custom onboarding onto its product. Sombra goes wider than product onboarding. Your firm already uses AI tools and has its own way of working, and we start from that rather than trying to change it: we assess your entire client workflow, from top of funnel through sales, onboarding, advice, ongoing reviews, retention and expansion, across the teams, tools and systems you already run, and help you optimise the whole of it. Sombra slots into the part it serves best, the note and the work after it, and we refine the rest around it so your machine runs, not just the note.
When to choose which
Choose Claras if you want the most proven compliance-note tool, XPlan export, and you are happy for the work after the note to live in your CRM. Choose Sombra if the note is step one, you want the client record, attention queue and follow-through that come after it, flat team pricing, and a team that fits the tool to your firm. Try it free on three real meetings first.
FAQ
Is Sombra a Claras alternative? Yes. Both are Australian-built, Australian-hosted AI file-note tools for advisers. The difference is scope: Claras focuses on the compliant filed note and CRM export; Sombra carries the note into an ongoing client workflow, and we assess and optimise your whole client workflow around it.
Do both keep data in Australia? Yes. Both state Australian hosting. Sombra specifies app, database and transcription in Australia with no model training on client conversations; Claras uses anonymous processing with PII not shared with the AI and adviser-controlled retention. On residency, they are level.
Is Sombra cheaper than Claras? It depends on your shape. For a low-volume solo adviser the entry prices are close, though Sombra’s A$49 tier includes 20 notes versus Claras’s 4 at A$50. For a team, Sombra’s flat A$179 (three users) is usually well below Claras’s per-adviser-plus-per-assistant pricing. Do the multiplication for your headcount.
Can I try Sombra before switching? Yes, three file notes free, no card. Run it on a real meeting alongside Claras and compare the note and what happens after it.
By Kevin Dykes, Cofounder and CEO of Sombra. Claras facts are from claras.ai, verified 24 August 2026; pricing and features change, so re-verify before relying on this.
Implementation We optimise the whole machine with you → We assess your client workflow, work with the tools you already run, and fit Sombra into the part it serves best.