# Omi

Manufacturer: [Based Hardware](/companies/based-hardware)  
Category: wearable

## Summary

Omi, by Based Hardware (founder Nik Shevchenko, San Francisco), is a shipping AI necklace in the ambient-recording 'second brain' category: a small circular orb on a neck lanyard that captures conversations and runs them through GPT-4o for ambient transcription in 25+ languages, auto-summaries and tasks, a searchable memory database, daily recaps, and a 'Brain Map'. It sells for $89 as a consumer unit (about $70 dev) one-time, with a free tier (unlimited on-device transcription plus 1,200 cloud minutes a month) and an optional Omi Unlimited plan from $16 a month; the user owns the device. It is one of the few genuinely open-hardware entries in the cohort: an MIT-licensed GitHub repo of about 12,700 stars with firmware, apps, and open hardware designs, maintained into 2026. The AI is genuine cloud functionality, not veneer. One significant cap-flag: the aspirational brain-interface and EEG 'reads-your-mind' marketing is not the shipping product, which is audio-only; the BCI module is roadmap with no code, and TechCrunch could not verify it. (Omi is distinct from Friend, Avi Schiffmann's pendant; Shevchenko's device was originally also named Friend and was renamed Omi.)

## Top line

> Omi is shipping now at $89 (actual sale price), no capability claims are on file, the model has no verified field deployments in the registry, and no incidents are on record.

## Readiness

- **Availability** (shipping-now): Shipping now.
- **Price honesty** (actual-sale-price): One price on file: $89 (actual sale price).
- **Capability honesty** (no-claims): No reviewed capability claims on file for Omi.
- **Real-world use** (commercial): Maturity: commercial. No verified deployments in the registry.
- **Safety record** (no-incidents): No incidents on record. No verified deployments either.

## What it claims to do

_No reviewed capability claims on file._

## Price

- $89, _actual-sale-price_ ([Based Hardware (Omi product page)](https://www.omi.me/pages/product)) _as of 2025-01-08_

## Real-world use

_No verified deployments on file for Omi._

## Safety record

_No incidents on record. No verified deployments either, so the absence is uninformative._

## Privacy

_No privacy practices disclosed or on file for Omi._

## Specs

- **notes**: [{"label":"Verified","value":"Omi (by Based Hardware; founder/CEO Nik Shevchenko, Thiel Fellow; San Francisco; ~$700K raised) is a shipping AI necklace in the ambient-recording 'second brain' category. One of the few TRULY open-hardware entries in the cohort (MIT-licensed, actively maintained). maturity=commercial."},{"label":"DISAMBIGUATION","value":"Omi is DISTINCT from Friend (Avi Schiffmann's AI companion pendant, in registry as friend-pendant). Nik Shevchenko's device was originally also called 'Friend' but was renamed to Omi after Schiffmann's competing device bought friend.com (~$1.8M). Keep separate."},{"label":"AI-substance: genuine (cloud)","value":"Real cloud AI (GPT-4o): ambient transcription, auto-summaries/tasks, searchable memory, daily recaps. Not veneer. Captive-vs-sale: hardware SALE + optional SaaS subscription (user owns device; can self-host given the open stack)."},{"label":"CAP-FLAG (aspirational EEG/brain-interface claims)","value":"Marketing (CES 2025 headlines: 'reads your mind', detect when you address it via neural signal) is UNVERIFIED: TechCrunch explicitly could not verify the brain interface; the SHIPPING product is audio-only; the brain/BCI module is roadmap (2026-2027, priority-access) with NO EEG/BCI implementation in the repo (only a 'BCI' topic tag). Treat all neural/mind-reading claims as aspirational. '250+ developer apps' is company-claimed, not audited."}]
- **specs**: Small circular orb (~2.5cm) on a neck lanyard (also head-mountable). $89 consumer / ~$70 dev (one-time). Free tier: unlimited on-device transcription + 1,200 cloud min/mo; Omi Unlimited from $16/mo. GPT-4o cloud AI: ambient transcription (25+ languages), auto-summaries/tasks, searchable memory DB, daily recaps, 'Brain Map'. Genuinely open-source (GitHub BasedHardware/omi, MIT, ~12.7k stars, firmware + Flutter/macOS apps + open hardware incl. 'Omi Glass').
- **formFactor**: wearable (AI necklace orb; ambient recording / 'second brain' transcription + recall)

## What's under the hood

_No brain on file for Omi._

## Frequently asked questions

### Is the Omi actually available for purchase?

Yes, shipping now.

_Source: [Omi (vs Friend): AI wearable; renamed after Avi Schiffmann bought friend.com; brain-interface UNVERIFIED](https://techcrunch.com/2025/01/08/omi-a-competitor-to-friend-is-an-ai-wearable-that-can-be-worn-as-a-necklace-or-taped-to-your-head/)._

### What does the Omi cost?

Omi costs $89 one-time (actual sale price).

_Source: [Based Hardware (Omi product page)](https://www.omi.me/pages/product)._

### Where is the Omi being used?

No verified field deployments on record.

### Is the Omi safe?

No incidents on record, but with no verified field deployments either, the absence is uninformative.

### How does the Omi handle privacy?

No privacy practices disclosed or on file for Omi.

### Who makes the Omi?

Omi is made by Based Hardware, based in San Francisco, California, USA.

_Source: [Omi (vs Friend): AI wearable; renamed after Avi Schiffmann bought friend.com; brain-interface UNVERIFIED](https://techcrunch.com/2025/01/08/omi-a-competitor-to-friend-is-an-ai-wearable-that-can-be-worn-as-a-necklace-or-taped-to-your-head/)._

## Manufacturer

- [Based Hardware (https://techcrunch.com/2025/01/08/omi-a-competitor-to-friend-is-an-ai-wearable-that-can-be-worn-as-a-necklace-or-taped-to-your-head/)](https://techcrunch.com/2025/01/08/omi-a-competitor-to-friend-is-an-ai-wearable-that-can-be-worn-as-a-necklace-or-taped-to-your-head/)

## Compared to

- [Hey Pocket](/consumer/models/hey-pocket)
- [AI Pin](/consumer/models/humane-ai-pin)
- [Xiaomi AI Glasses](/consumer/models/xiaomi-ai-glasses)

## Sources

1. [Omi (vs Friend): AI wearable; renamed after Avi Schiffmann bought friend.com; brain-interface UNVERIFIED](https://techcrunch.com/2025/01/08/omi-a-competitor-to-friend-is-an-ai-wearable-that-can-be-worn-as-a-necklace-or-taped-to-your-head/)
2. [BasedHardware/omi (open-source, MIT; ~12.7k stars; firmware + apps + open hardware; active 2026)](https://github.com/BasedHardware/omi)
3. [Omi product: $89 consumer / ~$70 dev; free 1,200 cloud min/mo; Omi Unlimited from $16/mo; GPT-4o](https://www.omi.me/pages/product)
4. [OmiGPT smarter AI wearable (ambient transcription + searchable memory)](https://decrypt.co/315375/omigpt-aims-smarter-ai-wearable)

_Canonical: https://deploy.report/models/omi_