AI meeting note-takers compared
Short answer
Fathom has the most generous free plan, with unlimited recordings and summaries. Fireflies and Otter are the established all-rounders from about $8 to $10 per user per month billed yearly. Granola records from your own device without a bot joining the call. If your company already pays for Zoom, Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 Copilot, the built-in notes may be all you need.
AI note-takers record your meetings, transcribe them and write summaries and action items. Here's how the main options compare, using their pricing pages, checked on the date above.
Price comparison (per user per month)
| Tool | Free plan | Paid (billed yearly / monthly) | Joins as a bot? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fathom | Unlimited recordings and summaries | Premium $16 / $20 | Yes |
| Fireflies | Unlimited transcription, limited storage | Pro $10 / $18; Business $19 / $29 | Yes |
| Otter | 300 min/mo, 30 min per meeting | Pro $8.33 / $16.99; Business $19.99 / $30 | Yes |
| tl;dv | 10 AI notes in total | Pro ~$18 / ~$29 | Yes |
| Granola | Notes kept 30 days | Business $14 | No, records from your device |
tl;dv prices are from a third-party roundup because its pricing page was unavailable.
Built-in options you may already pay for
- Zoom: AI meeting summaries are included in paid Zoom Workplace plans with some usage limits; the free Basic plan gets summaries for a few meetings a month (Zoom).
- Google Meet: Gemini's "Take notes for me" saves notes to Google Docs on eligible Workspace and Google AI plans, and shows all participants that notes are being taken (Google).
- Microsoft Teams: intelligent recap needs Teams Premium or Microsoft 365 Copilot (Microsoft); Copilot Business is $18 per user per month billed yearly.
If your company already has one of these, try it before adding another subscription.
Which one to pick
- Best free: Fathom.
- Best for sales and CRM workflows: Fireflies or Fathom, which connect to common CRMs and team tools.
- Best for lectures and interviews: Otter, which is also good at live transcription.
- No bot in the call: Granola.
- Already on Zoom, Google Workspace or Microsoft 365: the built-in notes.
Privacy and consent
Recording laws vary. In all-party-consent US states, everyone on the call generally has to agree. Otter has faced a class action, filed in 2025, alleging its bot recorded people without consent, and Fireflies faced a biometric privacy suit in Illinois (UC Today). Good practice:
- Announce at the start of the meeting that an AI note-taker is recording.
- Check the tool's data retention and whether it trains on your recordings.
- Turn off automatic joining for sensitive meetings.
Turning meetings into podcasts or videos? See how to transcribe and edit a podcast with AI.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free AI note-taker?
Fathom's free plan includes unlimited recordings and AI summaries, with limits on its AI question feature. Fireflies' free plan offers unlimited transcription with limited storage and summaries, and Otter's free plan covers 300 minutes a month.
Is it legal to record meetings with an AI note-taker?
It depends on where participants are. In all-party-consent US states such as California and Illinois, everyone on the call generally has to agree to recording. Tell participants and get consent; several note-taker companies have faced lawsuits over recording without it.
What is the difference between a bot and a no-bot note-taker?
Bot-based tools such as Otter, Fireflies, Fathom and tl;dv join your call as a visible participant. Granola records audio from your own computer instead, so no bot appears, which means you need to tell others yourself that you are taking AI notes.