The best AI note takers for meetings in 2026
The best AI note taker for meetings is Granola. Fathom is the best free one and Fireflies suits teams. Seven compared on price and whether a bot joins.
For most people, Granola is the best AI note taker for meetings. It records the sound on your computer, so no bot ever joins the call, and it works with any call app. Pick Fathom if you want unlimited recordings for free, or Fireflies if your team needs every call searchable in many languages.
What does an AI note taker do?
An AI note taker records a meeting, writes a transcript and turns it into a summary with action items. Most also let you search old calls and ask questions about them.
There are two ways to record. Some tools send a bot that joins the call as a guest, so everyone sees it in the list of people. Others record the sound on your own computer, so nothing joins the call. Most tools now offer both. Either way, tell people you are recording: in many places the law says everyone has to agree.
To dictate your own notes instead of recording a call, see the best AI dictation apps. For study tools beyond meetings, see the best AI tools for students.
The best AI note takers for meetings at a glance
Prices are per person per month, billed monthly, from each maker's own pricing page on Nov 8, 2026. Paying for a year ahead costs 20 to 50% less with all but Granola, which bills monthly only.
| Tool | Free plan | Paid from | Records with | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Granola | AI notes, last 30 days shown | $14 a user | Your device only | Notes without a bot |
 Fathom | Unlimited recordings and summaries | $20 a user | A bot, or a Mac beta | The best free plan |
 Otter | 300 minutes a month | $16.99 a user | A bot, or its desktop app | Live transcripts |
 Fireflies | Limited AI summaries, 400 minutes of storage | $18 a user | A bot, or its desktop app | Teams and many languages |
 tl;dv | Unlimited recordings, AI notes for 10 meetings | $29 a user | A bot, or its desktop app | Sales and CRM notes |
 Read AI | 5 meetings a month, up to an hour each | $19.75 a user | A bot, or its desktop app | Recaps by email and chat |
 Bluedot AI | 5 meetings in total | $18 a user | Its extension, or a bot | Recording from the browser |
The seven best, one by one
1. Granola: best for most people
Granola works like a notepad. You jot a few rough notes during the call, and when it ends Granola fills them out from the transcript, in your own structure. It records the sound on your computer and never sends a bot, so it works with any call app and with meetings in the room.
The free Basic plan shows only your last 30 days of notes; older ones are kept until you upgrade. Business costs $14 a user a month and adds unlimited history and links to Notion, HubSpot and Zapier. Granola has apps for Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android, and transcribes 31 languages on the desktop.
Good
- No bot ever joins the call
- Your rough notes become the outline
- Works with any call app, and in person
Watch for
- The free plan shows only the last 30 days
- It keeps no recording to play back
2. Fathom: best free note taker
Fathom has the most generous free plan here: unlimited recordings, transcripts and AI summaries for Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams. A bot joins the call to record it, and a mode with no bot is in beta on the Mac. Its iPhone app records meetings in the room.
Premium costs $20 a month for one person. Team and Business cost $19 and $34 a user a month and need at least two people. On the lower plans, sync to HubSpot and Salesforce works for up to 3 people per company.
Good
- Unlimited free recordings and summaries
- The summary is ready when the call ends
- Sends notes to HubSpot and Salesforce
Watch for
- A bot joins the call, except in the Mac beta
- Ask Fathom is limited on the free plan
3. Otter: best for live transcripts
Otter writes the transcript live, so you can read along, highlight a line or add a comment while the meeting is still going. Its assistant joins Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams, and its desktop app can record with no bot.
The free Basic plan gives 300 minutes a month, up to 30 minutes per meeting, and keeps your 25 latest conversations. Pro is $16.99 a user a month, and Business is $30.
Good
- A live transcript you can follow during the call
- Apps for iPhone and Android for meetings in the room
- A desktop app that records with no bot
Watch for
- Free meetings stop at 30 minutes
- Transcribes 6 languages, fewer than the others
4. Fireflies: best for teams and many languages
Fireflies sends its assistant to Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Webex and more, and transcribes in more than 100 languages. Its desktop app and Chrome extension can record with no bot. Every call goes into one library the whole team can search.
The free plan has limited AI summaries and 400 minutes of storage. Pro is $18 a seat a month, and Business is $29. Fireflies says it never uses your meetings to train AI.
Good
- More than 100 languages
- One search across every team call
- Links to HubSpot, Salesforce, Attio and more
Watch for
- A bot joins unless you use the app
- The free plan caps AI summaries and storage
5. tl;dv: best for sales calls and CRM notes
tl;dv records Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams calls and, on Pro, writes the notes into your CRM, such as HubSpot or Salesforce. Its desktop app can record with no bot, and it keeps your data in the EU.
The free plan records and stores without limit, but writes full AI notes for only your first 10 meetings, then for the first 10 minutes of each, and keeps data for 3 months. Pro is $29 a seat a month, and Business is $39.
Good
- Unlimited free recordings and storage
- Writes call notes into the CRM
- Data kept in the EU
Watch for
- AI notes stop after 10 free meetings
- Free data is kept for 3 months
6. Read AI: best for recaps by email and chat
Read AI sends a recap after each meeting, with a summary, action items and key questions. It can also sum up your email and chat threads, so the recap covers more than the call. Its desktop and phone apps record with no bot.
The free plan covers 5 meetings a month, up to an hour each. Pro is $19.75 a user a month. Read AI trains on your data only if you turn that on.
Good
- Recaps cover meetings, email and chat
- No AI training unless you opt in
- Clear action items after each call
Watch for
- Only 5 free meetings a month
- A bot joins unless you use the app
7. Bluedot: best Chrome extension with no bot
Bluedot records Google Meet, Zoom and Teams calls from its Chrome extension or desktop app, with no bot joining. It can send a bot instead if you like, and its phone apps record meetings in the room.
The free plan covers only 5 meetings in total, so treat it as a trial. Basic costs $18 a user a month, but records sound only, up to an hour a call. Pro adds video with no time limit for $25.
Good
- No bot joins the call
- Runs in Chrome, Edge, Brave and Arc
- You pay only for the people who record
Watch for
- Only 5 free meetings, ever
- Basic records sound only, up to an hour
The note taker you may already pay for
If your company pays for Google Workspace, Zoom or Microsoft 365, you may already have a note taker. Google Meet can take notes for you with Gemini on the Standard, Plus and Enterprise plans of Workspace. Zoom's assistant, now called ZoomMate, takes notes without limit on paid Zoom plans and 3 times a month on the free one. Microsoft Teams writes a recap only with Teams Premium, $10 a user a month on a yearly plan only, or a Copilot licence.
These are fine for one app. A separate note taker is worth it when you meet across Zoom, Meet and Teams, or when you need a search across all your calls.
Which one should you pick?
- You want notes without a bot in the callGranola
- You want the most you can get for freeFathom
- You want to read the transcript while the call is onOtter
- Your team meets in many languagesFireflies
- You sell, and want notes in your CRMtl;dv
- You live in Chrome and want no botBluedot AI
How we picked
We started from the 46 tools in Recaply's Meeting Notes list, plus transcription tools such as Otter. We kept the ones that work with Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams and have a free plan. We read each maker's pricing, help and privacy pages on Nov 8, 2026. Where two of a maker's own pages disagree, we say so.
We have not run side-by-side tests: what you read here comes from the makers' own pages. No maker paid to be in this list, and no maker saw it before it went live. If a price changes, we update this page and its date.
Questions people ask
What is the best free AI note taker?
Fathom is the best free AI note taker: its free plan has unlimited recordings, transcripts and AI summaries for Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams. tl;dv also records without limit, but writes full AI notes for only your first 10 meetings.
Which AI note takers work with Microsoft Teams?
All seven in this list work with Microsoft Teams calls. Teams' own recap needs Teams Premium, at $10 a user a month on a yearly plan only, or a Copilot licence.
Which AI note taker works without a bot?
Granola never uses a bot: it records the sound on your device. Bluedot works the same way from its Chrome extension. Otter, Fireflies, tl;dv and Read AI can also record with no bot through their desktop apps.
Are AI note takers legal?
It depends on the recording laws where you and the other people on the call are. Many places require everyone on the call to agree, so tell people at the start and check your company's rules.
Do AI note takers work for in-person meetings?
Most do: Granola, Otter, Fireflies, Read AI and Bluedot can record a meeting in the room with their phone apps. Fathom can too, on iPhone.
Do AI note takers use your meetings to train AI?
It depends on the tool: Fireflies, tl;dv and Bluedot say they never train on your meetings. Read AI trains only if you turn it on. Granola and Fathom train on data with names removed unless you turn it off. Otter trains on data with names removed, and its page names no way to turn that off.
