Omi anchors the open-source corner of DEPLOY's wearable cohort. The verified-vs-claimed framework rewards shipped capability: Omi's genuine GPT-4o features and MIT-licensed hardware are verified, while its headline brain-interface claim is held to a higher bar.
✔
The AI is genuine cloud functionality (GPT-4o transcription, summaries, searchable memory), and the open hardware is real: an MIT-licensed GitHub repo of about 12,700 stars with firmware, apps, and hardware designs, maintained into 2026.
The $89 above is a verified one-time consumer price (about $70 for the dev unit). No subscription is required: there is a free tier (unlimited on-device transcription plus 1,200 cloud minutes a month), with an optional Omi Unlimited plan from $16 a month. The user owns the device.
Availability
Shipping now
Omi is shipping and consumer-available from Based Hardware, and is one of the few genuinely open-hardware entries in the cohort: an MIT-licensed GitHub repository of about 12,700 stars with firmware, apps, and open hardware designs, maintained into 2026.
Real-world status
Omi is a shipping AI necklace in the ambient-recording 'second brain' category: a small orb worn on a neck lanyard that captures conversations and runs them through GPT-4o for transcription in 25+ languages, auto-summaries and tasks, a searchable memory database, daily recaps, and a Brain Map. DEPLOY places it in the genuine-cloud-AI tier of the AI-substance spectrum, with the added distinction of genuine open hardware. One significant cap-flag applies: 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.
⚠
Cap-flag: the 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. Buy Omi as an open-source audio AI necklace, not a mind-reader.
💡
Omi is distinct from Friend, Avi Schiffmann's AI companion pendant already in the registry. Shevchenko's device was originally also named Friend and was renamed Omi after Schiffmann's competing device acquired the friend.com domain.
AI capture wearables: Omi vs Hey Pocket vs Humane AI Pin
Omi
Hey Pocket
Humane AI Pin
Price
$89 (one-time)
🟢verified
$99 (one-time)
🟢verified
Discontinued
⊘absence
AI substance
Genuine (GPT-4o)
🟢verified
Genuine (multi-model)
🟢verified
Thin vs marketing
🟠claimed
Open source
Yes (MIT, ~12.7k stars)
🟢verified
No
🟢verified
No
🟢verified
Form
Necklace orb
🟢verified
Voice recorder
🟢verified
Pin
🟢verified
Status
Available
🟢verified
Available
🟢verified
Discontinued
⊘absence
Sources: DEPLOY registry, Based Hardware, TechCrunch, Open Vision Engineering
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is Omi?
$89 for the consumer unit (about $70 dev), one-time🟢verified. No subscription is required; a free tier exists, and Omi Unlimited is optional from $16/month.
Does Omi have real AI?
Yes, genuine cloud AI🟢verified: GPT-4o transcription in 25+ languages, summaries, tasks, a searchable memory database, and a Brain Map.
Does Omi read your mind?
No. The shipping product is an audio AI necklace. The brain-interface / EEG marketing is roadmap with no code🟠claimed, and TechCrunch could not verify it.
Is Omi open source?
Yes, genuinely: an MIT-licensed GitHub repo of about 12,700 stars🟢verified with firmware, apps, and open hardware designs, one of the few genuine open-hardware entries in the cohort.
Is Omi the same as Friend?
No🟢verified. Omi (Based Hardware) was originally also called Friend and was renamed after Avi Schiffmann's separate Friend pendant acquired the friend.com domain.
Pricing and availability are tagged verified or claimed against primary sources. Manufacturer targets are reported as targets, not prices you can pay today.