Best AI note takers for meetings Bot or no bot, in person or online, compared on what they cost over three years
Granola, Otter, Fathom, Fireflies and 8 more AI note takers compared: bots, in-person meetings, free plans and what each costs over three years.
12 compared
On price, limits and platforms, plus 4 features side by side, from each maker's own pages.
Three-year costs
From $300 to $846 for one person; 10 can be used free, with limits.
No affiliate links
Nobody paid to be here, and we earn nothing if you sign up.
| Pick | From | 3 years | Works without a bot joining | In-person meetings | Transcribes on your device | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Granolaapp | $14/moor a free plan | $504 | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| 2Otter.aiapp | $8.33/mo yearlyor a free plan | $300 | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| 3Fathomapp | $16/mo yearlyor a free plan | $576 | Partly | Yes | No | Yes |
| 4Fireflies.aiapp | $10/mo yearlyor a free plan | $360 | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| 5tl;dvapp | $18/mo yearlyor a free plan | $648 | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| 6Read AIapp | $15/mo yearlyor a free plan | $540 | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| 7Notion AI Meeting Notesapp | $20/mo yearlyor a free plan | $720 | Yes | Yes | No | Partly |
| 8Zoom AI Companionapp | $14.16/mo yearlyor a free plan | $510 | Yes | Yes | No | Partly |
| 9Microsoft Teams with Copilot (Facilitator)app | $23.50/mo yearly | $846 | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| 10Google Meet "Take notes for me" (Gemini)web app | $14/mo yearly | $504 | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| 11Meetilyopen-source app | Free to self-host, or $10/mo yearly | Free | Yes | Partly | Yes | Yes |
| 12Anarlog (formerly Hyprnote)open-source app | Free to self-host, or $11.67/mo yearly | Free | Yes | Partly | Optional | Yes |
Prices per person, from each maker's own pricing page unless the entry says otherwise. “3 years” is the device plus the cheapest paid plan that does the job. Costs, sorted.
What's the best AI note taker for meetings?
For most people on a laptop, Granola is the pick: no bot joins, it works in the room, and the free plan keeps 30 days. Fathom records every call free. If your meetings live in Zoom, Teams or Google Meet, check the notes your plan already includes. Meetily keeps everything on your own computer.
- Best overall
- Granola: no bot, works in person, free for 30 days of history; $14 a month for all of it.
- Free, every call
- Fathom: records every Zoom, Meet or Teams call free, with no monthly cap.
- Phone and laptop
- Otter.ai: one account for calls, phone recordings and a laptop in the room; Pro is $8.33 a month billed yearly.
- On Microsoft 365
- Microsoft Teams with Copilot (Facilitator): notes inside Teams, with a Copilot license from $21 a user a month.
- On Google Workspace
- Google Meet "Take notes for me" (Gemini): notes saved to Drive, on Business Standard at $14 a user billed yearly.
- On your computer
- Meetily: open source, transcribes on your own machine, no usage caps.
12 picks
The picks, one by one
In the order we'd look at them for most people. Each with what it costs, who it suits, the one thing it does best, and its catch. Checked Oct 13, 2026.
- 01
Granola
app
Best for: People who type rough notes during calls and want AI to fill them in from the transcript
Stands out: Merges your own typed notes with the transcript, and keeps no audio or video afterwards
The catch: No recording to replay, and the free plan only keeps 30 days of meetings.
- Works without a bot joiningYesCaptures your computer's audio; nothing joins the call
- In-person meetingsYesiPhone and Android apps transcribe the room through the phone mic
- Transcribes on your deviceNoAudio goes to a cloud transcription provider, then is deleted
- Free planYesBasic plan; notes older than 30 days drop out of history
- Free planMeeting history limited to 30 days
- Business plan$14 a month
- Three years$504
- Runs onMac, Windows, iPhone, Android
Price from granola.ai. Sources: granola.ai, docs.granola.ai, docs.granola.ai, docs.granola.ai.
- 02
Otter.ai
app
Best for: One account that covers video calls, phone recordings and a laptop in a meeting room
Stands out: Runs on Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android and the web, with a bot or bot-free recording
The catch: Free stops each conversation at 30 minutes and keeps only your 25 most recent; monthly Pro is $16.99.
- Works without a bot joiningYesMac and Windows app records without its bot; in Zoom, Meet and Teams the bot is the default
- In-person meetingsYesPhone and desktop apps record from the mic
- Transcribes on your deviceNoTranscribed in Otter's cloud
- Free planYes300 minutes a month, 30 minutes per conversation
- Free plan300 minutes a month, 30 minutes per conversation
- Pro plan$8.33 a month, billed yearly
- Three years$300
- Runs onMac, Windows, iPhone, Android, Web, Chrome
Price from otter.ai. Sources: otter.ai, help.otter.ai, otter.ai.
- 03
Fathom
app
Best for: Recording every Zoom, Meet or Teams call free, with no monthly cap
Stands out: The free plan has no cap on how many calls it records and transcribes
The catch: Bot-free recording is a Mac-only beta; on Windows a bot joins your calls.
- Works without a bot joiningPartlyBot-free capture is a Mac-only beta; on Windows a bot joins
- In-person meetingsYesiPhone app, released October 2026; no Android or iPad
- Transcribes on your deviceNoCloud transcription
- Free planYesUnlimited recordings and transcripts
- Free planUnlimited recordings; AI action items and chat are limited
- Premium plan$16 a month, billed yearly
- Three years$576
- Runs onMac, Windows, iPhone, Web (Zoom, Meet, Teams)
Price from fathom.ai. Sources: fathom.ai, help.fathom.video, help.fathom.video.
- 04
Fireflies.ai
app
Best for: Mixed Windows, Mac and phone users who want one searchable meeting archive
Stands out: Its desktop app also takes notes on phone calls: iPhone calls through a Mac, Android through Windows Phone Link
The catch: Free plan stores only 400 minutes, and bot-free notes come without speaker names or a recording to replay.
- Works without a bot joiningYesDesktop app's Take Notes uses device audio, but with no speaker names or saved audio
- In-person meetingsYesMobile app, or the desktop app on a laptop mic
- Transcribes on your deviceNoCloud transcription
- Free planYes400 minutes of storage per team
- Free plan400 minutes of storage per team; limited AI summaries
- Pro plan$10 a month, billed yearly
- Three years$360
- Runs onMac, Windows, iPhone, Android, Web, Chrome
Price from fireflies.ai. Sources: fireflies.ai, guide.fireflies.ai, guide.fireflies.ai, fireflies.ai.
- 05
tl;dv
app
Best for: Teams that want unlimited free recordings and their meeting data kept in the EU
Stands out: Free plan records and transcribes without a cap, and data is hosted in the EU
The catch: Free plan writes AI notes for only 10 meetings; Pro is $29 a seat if you pay monthly.
- Works without a bot joiningYesDesktop app records system audio, no bot; bot-free mode is audio only
- In-person meetingsYesiPhone and Android app records in the room, even offline
- Transcribes on your deviceNoCloud, hosted and stored in the EU
- Free planYesUnlimited recordings; 10 meetings with AI notes, 10 Ask AI queries
- Free planUnlimited recordings and transcripts; AI notes for 10 meetings
- Pro plan$18 a month, billed yearly
- Three years$648
- Runs onMac, Windows, iPhone, Android, Web, Chrome
Price from tl;dv's own blog review (updated 2026-10-10); its pricing page showed only euros from our location (€18 a seat a month yearly, €29 monthly). Sources: tldv.io, tldv.io, tldv.io.
- 06
Read AI
app
Best for: People who want meeting reports from calls and in-person talks on the same free account
Stands out: Its free plan already includes the Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android apps
The catch: Free covers only 5 meetings a month, up to an hour each; Pro is $19.75 if paid monthly.
- Works without a bot joiningYesMac and Windows app records from your computer; otherwise its assistant joins the call
- In-person meetingsYesiPhone and Android apps capture in-person meetings
- Transcribes on your deviceNoCloud transcription
- Free planYes5 transcripts a month, meetings up to 1 hour
- Free plan5 meetings a month, up to 1 hour each; no audio or video playback
- Pro plan$15 a month, billed yearly
- Three years$540
- Runs onMac, Windows, iPhone, Android, Web
- 07
Notion AI Meeting Notes
app · by Notion
Best for: Teams already working in Notion who want meeting notes next to their docs and tasks
Stands out: Notes land as Notion pages in the workspace where the project's docs already live
The catch: Needs the Business plan, $20 a seat yearly or $24 monthly, and use is capped at 10 hours a day.
- Works without a bot joiningYesDesktop app uses system audio and mic; no bot
- In-person meetingsYesMobile and browser versions record through the mic
- Transcribes on your deviceNoCloud transcription
- Free planPartlyFree and Plus get a limited trial; full use needs Business
- Free planFree and Plus plans get a limited trial only
- Business plan$20 a month, billed yearly
- Three years$720
- Runs onMac, Windows, iPhone, Android, Web
Price from Notion's pricing page showed euros from our location (€19.50); the USD figures ($240 a year, $24 monthly) come from the same page's USD currency option. Sources: notion.com, notion.com.
- 08
Zoom AI Companion
app · by Zoom
Best for: People whose meetings are mostly on Zoom and who already pay for a Zoom plan
Stands out: Included in paid Zoom plans at no extra cost, and its My Notes also covers Teams, Meet and in-person talks
The catch: The free Basic plan gets only 3 AI summaries a month, on meetings capped at 40 minutes.
- Works without a bot joiningYesBuilt into Zoom; My Notes uses device audio in Teams and Meet
- In-person meetingsYesMy Notes records in-person talks, also on mobile
- Transcribes on your deviceNoCloud processing
- Free planPartlyBasic plan: 3 summaries and 3 note-taking uses a month
- Free planBasic: 3 meeting summaries and 3 AI note-taking uses a month; 40-minute meetings
- Zoom Workplace Pro plan$14.16 a month, billed yearly
- Three years$510
- Runs onMac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, Android, Web
Price from zoom.us. Sources: zoom.us, news.zoom.com, zoom.com.
- 09
Microsoft Teams with Copilot (Facilitator)
app · by Microsoft
Best for: Companies already on Microsoft 365 whose meetings happen in Teams
Stands out: Facilitator writes shared notes live inside the meeting, visible to every internal attendee
The catch: Needs a Copilot license: $21 a user on top of a Microsoft 365 plan, or $23.50 bundled with Business Standard.
- Works without a bot joiningYesBuilt into Teams meetings; no third-party bot
- In-person meetingsYesTeams mobile app: Take notes with Facilitator
- Transcribes on your deviceNoMicrosoft cloud
- Free planNoFacilitator needs a Microsoft Copilot license
- Microsoft 365 Business Standard with Copilot plan$23.50 a month, billed yearly
- Three years$846
- Runs onWindows, Mac, iPhone, Android, Web
Price from microsoft.com. Sources: microsoft.com, support.microsoft.com.
- 10
Google Meet "Take notes for me" (Gemini)
web app · by Google
Best for: Google Workspace teams who want notes saved to Drive without adding another app
Stands out: Notes arrive as a Google Doc in the organizer's Drive, with summary, action items and full transcript
The catch: Not on free Gmail accounts or Workspace Starter, and it handles eight languages, one per meeting.
- Works without a bot joiningYesBuilt into Google Meet; no bot
- In-person meetingsYesAdded August 2026 from the Meet home screen; Android first, web and iPhone after
- Transcribes on your deviceNoGoogle cloud
- Free planNoNeeds Workspace Business Standard or up, or a Google AI Pro or Ultra plan
- Google Workspace Business Standard plan$14 a month, billed yearly
- Three years$504
- Runs onWeb, Android, iPhone
Price from workspace.google.com. Sources: workspace.google.com, support.google.com, support.google.com, workspaceupdates.googleblog.com, blog.google.
- 11
Meetily
open-source app · by Zackriya Solutions · open source
Best for: Keeping recordings and transcripts entirely on your own Windows or Mac computer
Stands out: Transcription runs fully on your computer, and audio never leaves it
The catch: Free edition doesn't label speakers; Linux users must build it themselves.
- Works without a bot joiningYesRecords your mic and system audio; nothing joins the call
- In-person meetingsPartlyA laptop mic on the table works; there is no phone app
- Transcribes on your deviceYesWhisper or Parakeet models run on your computer
- Free planYesCommunity edition, MIT-licensed, no caps
- Free planCommunity edition free with no usage caps; no speaker labels
- Pro plan$10 a month, billed yearly
- Three yearsFree
- Runs onMac, Windows, Linux (build from source)
Price from meetily.ai. Sources: meetily.ai, github.com.
- 12
Anarlog (formerly Hyprnote)
open-source app · by Fastrepl · open source
Best for: Open-source Granola-style notepad that runs locally, including on Linux
Stands out: Notes and transcripts stay in a local SQLite database you can read and export as Markdown
The catch: Free plan needs your own AI keys for summaries; Windows, Linux still beta.
- Works without a bot joiningYesCaptures device audio; nothing appears in the participant list
- In-person meetingsPartlyLaptop mic picks up the room; no phone app
- Transcribes on your deviceOptionalOn-device models on supported Macs, or a provider you choose
- Free planYesUnlimited on-device transcription; bring your own AI keys
- Free planFree with on-device models or your own API keys
- Pro plan$11.67 a month, billed yearly
- Three yearsFree
- Runs onMac, Windows (beta), Linux (beta)
Price from anarlog.so. Sources: anarlog.so, anarlog.so, github.com.
Three years, one person
What each one costs over three years
The device, plus the cheapest paid plan that does the job, for 36 months. Optional subscriptions aren't counted, and many have a free plan with limits: see each entry. Mockingbird is shown at its planned price.
Add up the ones you pay for: subscription calculator.
Lately
What changed in this category
The facts behind a few of the picks, each with its source.
A federal class action filed in August 2025 accuses Otter.ai of recording meeting participants without their consent and using the recordings to train its AI.
Source: npr.orgGoogle Meet's "Take notes for me" started working for in-person meetings in August 2026, on Workspace Business Standard and up and on Google AI Pro and Ultra.
Source: workspaceupdates.googleblog.comFrom September 21, 2026, Google Meet can turn on automatic note-taking by default for Workspace Business Standard and Plus customers, with a new option to limit it to meetings of three or more people.
Source: workspaceupdates.googleblog.comMicrosoft sells Microsoft 365 Copilot Business, which includes the Facilitator meeting agent, at $21 a user a month billed yearly, discounted to $18 for the first year through December 31, 2026.
Source: microsoft.com
Method
How we picked
- Whether it needs a bot in the call, and whether it works for a meeting in a room.
- Where the audio and transcript go: your device, or the maker's cloud.
- How far the free plan goes, and what one person pays over three years.
- Whether it's already included in a suite you pay for (Zoom, Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Notion).
We compare what each maker publishes: plans, limits, platforms, privacy terms and documented features, from their own pages, dated. We haven't used every product here for months, and we don't pretend to. We earn nothing from these links.
The order is our judgement of fit for most people, not a score. How we research these pages. Seen a price change? Tell us.
Not a pick: on our waitlist
Mockingbird, AI meeting notes for $99 once
A private AI meeting notepad for the Mac: it listens to the call, you jot notes, it writes them up. No bot, no subscription. It isn't built yet, so it isn't ranked above. We build the dupes people sign up for first; Granola Business costs $504 over three years.
Questions
Best AI note takers for meetings: FAQ
What is the best AI note taker for meetings?
It depends on where your meetings happen. If they are all in Zoom, Teams or Google Meet, the built-in note takers (Zoom AI Companion, Teams Facilitator, Gemini in Meet) need no extra app. If you switch between platforms, apps like Granola, Otter, Fathom or Fireflies work across all three.
Is there a free AI note taker for meetings?
Yes. Fathom's free plan has no cap on recordings, tl;dv records without a cap but writes AI notes for only 10 meetings, and Otter gives 300 minutes a month. Meetily's open-source Community edition is free with no caps and runs on your own computer.
What is the best AI note taker for in-person meetings?
Pick one with a phone app: Granola, Otter, Read AI, tl;dv, Fireflies and Notion all record a room through your phone's mic, and Fathom added an iPhone app in October 2026. Google Meet and Teams can also take notes on in-person meetings from their mobile apps.
What is the best AI note taker for Microsoft Teams?
If your company already has Microsoft 365, Copilot's Facilitator takes notes inside Teams meetings, but it needs a Copilot license ($21 a user a month, billed yearly). Without one, Otter, Read AI and Fireflies offer free plans and desktop apps that record Teams calls without a bot.
Does Zoom have a built-in AI note taker?
Yes. Zoom AI Companion comes with paid Zoom Workplace plans (Pro is $14.16 a month, billed yearly), and the free Basic plan gets 3 meeting summaries and 3 AI note-taking uses a month.
How much does an AI note taker cost?
Paid plans in this guide run from about $8 a month (Otter Pro, billed yearly) to $14-$20 a month (Granola Business, Zoom Pro, Notion Business). Paying monthly usually costs more: Otter Pro is $16.99 and tl;dv Pro $29 month to month.
Can an AI meeting assistant take notes without a bot joining the call?
Yes. Granola, Notion, Anarlog and Meetily never send a bot; they listen to your computer's audio. Otter, Read AI, tl;dv and Fireflies have desktop apps that do the same, while Fathom's bot-free mode is still a Mac-only beta.
Which AI note taker keeps recordings on my own computer?
Meetily transcribes 100% on your device with Whisper or Parakeet models, and Anarlog can run on-device models on supported Macs, keeping notes in a local database. Both are open source. The other picks here send audio to a cloud service.
More guides
Other buyer's guides
Keep comparing
Alternatives to the apps above
Every subscription app we've compared, by the job it does, with what three years of it costs against one payment.
Catbird
Hermit
Bowerbird
Cuttlefish