Sombra vs Filenote: 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
Filenote and Sombra both turn a recorded meeting into a file note, but they are built on opposite philosophies. Filenote is a broad artefact generator with a strict no-storage model: it produces a wide set of documents (file notes, engagement letters, mind maps, Records of Advice, paraplanner forms) and then keeps nothing, delivering the output to your SharePoint or OneDrive. Sombra is the opposite by design: it keeps a living, adviser-controlled client record on Australian-hosted infrastructure, because the ongoing record is the product, and it carries the note into a client workflow, an attention queue and tracked follow-through. Choose Filenote if you want many documents out of each meeting and nothing retained. Choose Sombra if you want the relationship tracked over time and the record kept, in Australia, on your terms.
At a glance
| Sombra | Filenote | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Australian advice firms | Financial advisers |
| File notes in your templates | Yes | Yes (Reviews, Discoveries, SoA, Strategy templates) |
| Other outputs | Note-first, then the workflow after it | Broad: summary emails, engagement letters, mind maps, RoA, plus paraplanner forms and strategy papers (Pro) |
| Data model | Living client record, adviser-controlled, no model training | No-storage: keeps nothing; SOC2 Type II |
| Australian data residency | App, database and Claude processing in Australia, stated | ”In-country” processing; explicit Australian residency not stated |
| After the note | Client record, attention queue, tracked follow-through | Delivers artefacts to SharePoint/OneDrive, then done |
| Record retention | Kept in the tool, adviser-controlled | Nothing retained; record-keeping is on your systems |
| Setup | Hands-on implementation by our team | Self-serve, roughly 5 minutes |
| Free trial | Yes, 3 file notes, no card | 21-day free trial |
Same starting point, opposite design. Filenote’s answer to data risk is to keep nothing. Sombra’s answer is to keep a controlled record in Australia and build the workflow on top of it.
Where Filenote is the stronger choice
Give it its due: Filenote produces more different documents out of a single meeting than most tools here. Beyond the file note it generates summary emails, meeting transcripts, engagement letters pre-filled from discovery, client mind maps and Records of Advice, and on its Pro tier it adds strategy papers, advice flowcharts, paraplanner request forms and fact-find sheets, and can critique a strategy against an industry strategy bank. And its no-storage model is a real security posture: it states it never stores client information, recordings or artefacts, and it is SOC2 Type II certified. If your firm’s rule is “the tool should keep nothing,” Filenote is built exactly for that, and the breadth of artefacts is genuinely useful.
Where Sombra pulls ahead
A living record, not a document drop. This is the core difference, and it cuts both ways honestly. Filenote generates the artefacts and, by design, retains nothing; the output lands in your SharePoint or OneDrive and the relationship history is only ever as good as your own filing. Sombra keeps a living client record because that record is the point: advice context stays linked to the source note in a Client Directory, agreed actions become tracked work in Follow Through, and Book of Business surfaces which relationships across the practice need attention. A no-storage tool cannot do that job, because doing it requires keeping the record.
Record-keeping stays in one controlled place. AFSL firms carry long record-keeping obligations. With a no-storage tool, that retention burden sits entirely on your own systems and however disciplined your team is with SharePoint. With Sombra the record lives in the tool: Australian-hosted, adviser-controlled, deletable on request, and never used to train AI models. That is not “more secure” in the abstract, it is a different trade-off, and for firms that want a durable, controlled record rather than a pile of exported files, it is the one that fits.
Stated Australian residency, not “in-country.” Filenote says processing is “in-country” and holds SOC2 Type II, which is a strong general posture but not the same as an explicit statement that the application, the database and the AI processing all run in Australia. Sombra states all three, in Australia. For a residency-sensitive firm, ask Filenote to confirm the specifics; ours are on the page.
We implement it. Filenote is self-serve, live in about five minutes. Sombra treats implementation as standard: we work with your firm to design how it fits your existing workflow and tools, so it lands as part of how you run rather than another export destination.
When to choose which
Choose Filenote if you want the widest set of documents out of each meeting and a strict no-storage model where the tool keeps nothing. Choose Sombra if you want a living, adviser-controlled client record in Australia, the workflow and attention queue that sit on top of it, and a team that implements it into your firm. Try it free on three real meetings first.
FAQ
Is Sombra a Filenote alternative? Yes, though they are built on opposite models. Filenote is a no-storage artefact generator; Sombra keeps a living, adviser-controlled client record and runs the workflow after the note. Pick on whether you want the record kept or kept nowhere.
Does Filenote store my client data? Filenote states it does not store client information, recordings or artefacts, and it is SOC2 Type II certified, with processing “in-country.” The trade-off is that there is no ongoing record inside the tool, so retention and record-keeping fall to your own systems. Sombra keeps an adviser-controlled record, hosted in Australia, deletable on request.
Which is better for AFSL record-keeping? It depends on where you want the records to live. Filenote pushes every artefact out to your storage and keeps nothing itself, so your systems carry the obligation. Sombra keeps a durable, controlled record in the tool. Neither removes the adviser’s responsibility for the record.
Can I try Sombra first? Yes, three file notes free, no card. Run it on a real meeting and decide whether you want the record and the workflow, or just the documents.
By Kevin Dykes, Cofounder and CEO of Sombra. Filenote facts are from filenote.ai, verified 24 August 2026; features and certifications change, so confirm current details before relying on this.