Video Highlight vs Sider
This page compares Sider's video and recording features with Video Highlight. Sider's Rec Note writes notes from what is said. Video Highlight is for video you learn from, and its notes keep what was on screen: pictures of the screen, each point at its time.
Sider is a general AI sidebar for the browser: chat with several AI models, writing help, translation, and summaries of web pages and YouTube videos. Its recorder, Rec Note, records a browser tab with system audio and, if you turn it on, your microphone, free and with no time cap. Sider also has a Lecture Recorder page. Recordings go to Wisebase, where Sider transcribes the speech, writes summaries and action items, and answers questions with timestamps. Video Highlight is for video you learn from: YouTube videos, courses, webinars, talks and your own video files, with notes that keep pictures of the screen.
Video Highlight vs Sider: feature by feature
| Feature | Video Highlight | Sider |
|---|---|---|
| Pictures of the screen in the notes | Pictures of the screen, picked for you | Not listed: its recorder pages describe transcripts, summaries and chat7 |
| What the notes are made from | What is on screen and what is said | The transcribed speech: transcript, summary, action items6 |
| Transcript | Beside the video; press a line to jump to that second | Readable, searchable text of the recording4 |
| A video playing in a browser tab | Record it with its sound and press H to save highlights with the picture on screen | Rec Note records the tab with system audio2 |
| YouTube videos | Paste a link: Summary, Transcript, Highlights and Ask for free; notes with pictures on paid plans | YouTube summaries in the sidebar1 |
| Questions about a video | Ask the video; answers carry times that move the player | Chat with a recording; answers with timestamps5 |
| Search your videos | Search your whole library by title or by what was said, and see the line that matched | Search across your videos in natural language5 |
Comparison based on publicly available information as of November 2026; prices and features may have changed. Found something outdated? Tell us and we'll fix it.
All product names and brands are property of their respective owners and are used for identification only; no affiliation or endorsement is implied.
Sources
Updated November 2026
- Sider's screen recorder page: choose "Rec Note" from the Sider menu and "Record Tab Screen + Audio"; "Choose recording quality (up to 2K), enable microphone if needed"; "Record any browser tab, capture system audio and microphone." sider.ai, checked November 12, 2026.
- Sider's screen recorder page: "Yes, Sider screen recorder is free. You get unlimited recording time, no watermark, 2K resolution, system audio and microphone capture, and AI transcription. Premium features are available with paid plans." sider.ai, checked November 12, 2026.
- Sider's Lecture Recorder page: "Record any lecture or meeting in up to 2K, no watermark, no time cap"; "You can capture system audio, your microphone, or both"; "Record Zoom calls, Google Meet, online courses, or any tab"; "Done recording? Sider transcribes the audio automatically. You get readable, searchable text." sider.ai, checked November 12, 2026.
- Sider's screen recorder page: "Recordings go to Wisebase, an AI-driven knowledge base. Search across your videos using natural language. Ask questions about past recordings and get answers with timestamps." sider.ai, checked November 12, 2026.
- Sider's screen recorder page: "the AI note taker transcribes speech, highlights key points, and creates summaries", and its AI features are "real-time transcription, automatic meeting notes and summaries, extraction of action items and decisions, AI chat for querying recordings, search across video content". sider.ai, checked November 12, 2026.
- Sider's two recorder pages describe transcription, summaries, action items and chat about a recording. Neither page lists pictures of the screen in the notes. sider.ai, checked November 12, 2026.
When Sider is the better fit
- You want a free tab recorder with no time cap and no watermark.
- You want your own microphone in the recording, for a call or a lesson where you speak.
- You want one sidebar for chat, writing, translation and page summaries across the web.
When Video Highlight is the better fit
- You want the notes to carry what was on screen: Video Highlight looks at the screen and reads what is said, and keeps the key points with pictures of the screen, each at its time.
- You learn from video: YouTube videos, courses, webinars, talks and your own video files.
- You want to press H while the video records and save a highlight with the picture on screen.
- You want a tab recorder that only takes the video and its sound: it never uses your microphone or camera.
Explore related features
Record a video playing in a Chrome tab, with its sound. Press H to save highlights while it records.
Video Highlight watches the whole video for you. Notes with pictures of the screen, each point at its time.
Turn a course lesson into notes with pictures and times that you can read instead of watching.
Press H to save a highlight, and find it again later at its time.
Video Highlight vs Sider: FAQs
Is this page about Sider's chat sidebar?
No. It compares Sider's video and recording features, Rec Note and its Lecture Recorder, with Video Highlight. Sider's sidebar also does chat with several AI models, writing and translation across the web. Video Highlight works only with videos and audio.
How are Rec Note notes different from Video Highlight notes?
Sider's recorder pages describe notes made from the transcribed speech: a transcript, a summary, action items and answers with timestamps. Video Highlight watches the video for you. It looks at what is on screen and reads what is said, and keeps the key points with pictures of the screen, each at its time. On screen, each time opens the video there.
Can I record a tab for free in Video Highlight?
No. Recording needs a paid plan, because the notes from a recording use Deep Watch. Deep Watch is included in Plus, Pro and Business. Sider's recorder is free. The Video Highlight free plan covers Summary, Transcript, Highlights and Ask on YouTube, Vimeo and Dailymotion links.
Does the Video Highlight extension use my microphone?
No. It records a video playing in a Chrome tab, with its sound, and never uses your microphone or camera. Nothing you say in the room goes into your notes. If your own voice must be in the recording, Sider's Rec Note can add your microphone.
Does either tool work on YouTube videos?
Yes, both. Sider summarizes YouTube videos in its sidebar. In Video Highlight, you paste a YouTube link and get a Summary, the Transcript beside the video, Highlights and Ask for free, and notes with pictures of the screen on Plus, Pro and Business. A link is all you need.
Hours of video. Minutes of reading.
Researchers, professionals, and creators use it on YouTube videos and on their own recordings