Yes, AI notetakers now do this job well enough for everyday use: they join Zoom, Google Meet and Teams calls, transcribe them and send a summary with action items, though you should still check names and numbers. For most small businesses we recommend Fathom: its free plan includes unlimited recordings and transcripts, and paid plans start at $16 per user a month billed yearly.
Free and low cost notetakers are widely used on the major video platforms today, and the main things to manage are accuracy checks and recording consent.Fathom
Best for most small businesses, and the best free option: unlimited recordings at no cost.
Fathom's free plan is the most generous we found. It includes unlimited recordings and transcriptions, instant AI call summaries, clips, playlists and search across your calls, and lets you choose between a meeting bot or bot free capture, which is a beta feature for Mac Fathom pricing ↗. Most competitors cap free use by minutes or meetings; Fathom does not list a numeric cap, though some AI features such as action items are marked as limited use Fathom pricing ↗. It works with Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams Fathom features ↗.
When you want more, Premium costs $16 a month billed yearly, or $20 monthly, and adds advanced summaries, AI action items, a chat assistant that answers questions about your meetings and a custom meeting bot Fathom pricing ↗. Team is $15 per user a month billed yearly, with a two user minimum, and adds shared search, highlight playlists, comments and keyword alerts Fathom pricing ↗. Business, at $25 per user a month billed yearly, adds CRM field sync and coaching scorecards for sales teams Fathom pricing ↗. Every plan carries a 90 day guarantee Fathom pricing ↗. Fathom connects to HubSpot, Salesforce, Slack, Asana, Zapier and Make, and lists SOC 2 Type II, GDPR and HIPAA compliance Fathom pricing ↗ Fathom features ↗.
Users rate it highly. On Trustpilot, Fathom scores 4.8 out of 5 from 284 reviews, with praise for quick setup, clear summaries and the free tier Trustpilot, Fathom ↗. The main complaints are slow, email only support and a bot that some users say joins calls inconsistently Trustpilot, Fathom ↗. Hands on testing is in progress; we will update this guide with results.
Why we like it
- Free plan with unlimited recordings and transcripts
- Works with Zoom, Google Meet and Teams
- Bot free capture option on Mac (beta)
- HubSpot and Salesforce sync on Business
- SOC 2 Type II and HIPAA compliance listed
Flaws but not dealbreakers
- Some AI features are limited on the free plan
- Support is mostly by email, users say
- Some users report the bot missing calls
Fireflies.ai
Best for teams that want the lowest paid price and lots of integrations.
Fireflies has the cheapest paid plan among our picks. Pro is $10 per seat a month billed yearly and adds video recording, downloads, an email assistant, action items with a task manager and unlimited integrations, with 8,000 minutes of storage per seat Fireflies pricing ↗. Business is $19 per seat a month billed yearly and adds unlimited storage, a multi language mode, conversation intelligence and team analytics Fireflies pricing ↗. It transcribes more than 100 languages, which is useful for bilingual businesses Fireflies pricing ↗.
There is a free plan, but it is tighter than Fathom's. It allows 400 minutes of storage for the whole team, 20 AI credits, limited AI summaries and a two hour recording limit Fireflies pricing ↗. It works with Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams, and offers web, desktop and mobile apps plus a Chrome extension Fireflies pricing ↗.
Fireflies scores 4.5 out of 5 from 836 reviews on Trustpilot Trustpilot, Fireflies ↗. Reviewers like its accurate transcripts and organized notes Trustpilot, Fireflies ↗. Complaints include charges after a free trial, surprise upgrade prompts and summaries that sometimes get the speaker wrong Trustpilot, Fireflies ↗. Set a calendar reminder before any trial or renewal date.
Why we like it
- Paid plan from $10 per seat a month billed yearly
- Transcribes more than 100 languages
- Unlimited integrations on paid plans
- Mobile, desktop and Chrome apps
Flaws but not dealbreakers
- Free plan storage is only 400 minutes per team
- Billing complaints from some users
- Speaker labels are not always right
Otter.ai
Best for businesses that record a lot, including in person meetings, and want unlimited meetings.
Otter has been in this category for years and covers more ways to record than most. It has web, Mac and Windows apps, iOS and Android apps and a Chrome extension, and joins Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet Otter pricing ↗. The phone apps make it practical for in person meetings, client consultations and site visits, not just video calls.
The Business plan is the one to buy if you rely on it. It costs $19.99 per user a month billed yearly and includes unlimited meetings, meetings up to four hours, three meetings at once, 200 AI chat questions per user a month, custom AI workflows and admin tools Otter pricing ↗. Pro is cheaper, at $8.33 a month billed yearly on the list price, but caps you at 1,200 minutes a month and 90 minutes per conversation Otter pricing ↗. Salesforce, HubSpot and Zapier connections are available from Pro, with user limits Otter pricing ↗.
The free Basic plan is useful for a test but tight: 300 minutes a month, 30 minutes per conversation and only your 25 most recent conversations Otter pricing ↗. On Trustpilot, Otter scores 4.1 out of 5 from 727 reviews; support gets praise, while complaints focus on renewal charges and transcripts that need editing Trustpilot, Otter ↗.
Why we like it
- Unlimited meetings on Business
- Strong mobile apps for in person recording
- Long track record and many reviews
- CRM and Zapier connections
Flaws but not dealbreakers
- Free plan caps conversations at 30 minutes
- HIPAA compliance only as an Enterprise add on
- Renewal and billing complaints
Granola
Best for people who do not want a bot joining their calls.
Granola takes a different approach: instead of sending a bot into the meeting, it captures audio from your own device, on every plan Granola pricing ↗. That avoids the awkward moment when a client sees an unknown notetaker join the call. You still need to tell people you are recording, as we explain below. It has desktop, iOS, Android and Apple Watch apps Granola pricing ↗.
The free Basic plan includes AI meeting notes, templates, shared folders, multi language support and Slack, but keeps only 30 days of meeting history Granola pricing ↗. Business costs $14 per user a month and adds unlimited history, pre meeting briefs, follow up emails and connections to Notion, Zapier, HubSpot, Attio and Affinity Granola pricing ↗. HIPAA compliant workspaces need the $35 Enterprise plan Granola pricing ↗.
Why we like it
- No bot joins your meetings
- Pre meeting briefs and follow up emails on Business
- Apps for desktop, phone and Apple Watch
Flaws but not dealbreakers
- Free plan keeps only 30 days of history
- HubSpot and Zapier need the paid plan
- Annual pricing not listed
Compare them
| Tool | Starting price | Free plan limits | Zoom, Meet, Teams | Bot free option | CRM sync | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FathomOur pick | $16/mo yearly | Unlimited recordings; some AI features limited | Yes | Yes, Mac beta | Business plan | Most small businesses |
| Fireflies.aiBudget pick | $10/seat/mo yearly | 400 min storage per team, 20 AI credits | Yes | Not stated | Unlimited integrations on Pro | Lowest paid price |
| Otter.aiUpgrade pick | $8.33/mo yearly (Pro); Business $19.99 | 300 min/month, 30 min per conversation | Yes | Not stated | Pro and up, with limits | Heavy and in person use |
| GranolaAlso great | $14/user/mo | 30 days of history | Not stated | Yes, all plans | HubSpot on Business | No bot on calls |
| Read AI | $15/user/mo yearly | 5 meetings/month, 1 hour max | Yes | Not stated | Pro plan | Meeting analytics |
| Zoom AI assistant (ZoomMate) | Not stated | Summaries for 3 hosted meetings/month | Zoom | Built in | Not stated | Zoom only teams |
Prices and features from each vendor’s site, checked Oct 9, 2026. Prices change often.
Who this is for
This guide is for anyone who spends part of the week on calls and the rest of it trying to remember what was said. Think of a consultant juggling client calls, an agency owner running weekly check ins, a contractor quoting jobs over Zoom, or a manager who wants a record of team meetings without assigning someone to type.
An AI notetaker joins or listens to your meeting, writes a full transcript, and then sends a short summary with decisions and action items. Better tools let you search across every past call and ask questions like what a client said about the budget last month. Some also push notes into your CRM.
If you have only a few calls a month, the free plans from Fathom, Otter or Fireflies may be all you ever need. Paid plans make sense once you rely on the notes for follow ups, sales or team handoffs.
Why you should trust us
We read every vendor's pricing and feature pages and checked each price on October 9, 2026. We read user reviews on Trustpilot for each pick and looked at independent legal guidance on recording consent RCFP recording guide ↗. Every fact in this guide links to the page it came from.
We have not yet tested these tools hands on. Hands on testing is in progress, and we will update this guide with results, including transcript accuracy with accents and cross talk, summary quality and how reliably each tool joins calls. No vendor paid for placement, and our picks were chosen on merit.
How we picked
We looked at the notetakers that small businesses mention most, plus the AI features built into video platforms. We set aside tools sold only through sales teams and tools aimed only at large sales departments.
For each, we asked what a one to ten person business gets for free, what the first paid plan costs, and whether the tool works with the three main video platforms.
We then read user reviews for each finalist. We gave weight to complaints that came up again and again, such as missed recordings, billing surprises and slow support, because those problems cost a small business more than a missing feature does. Fathom stood out for a free plan without a published minute cap and a high user rating Fathom pricing ↗ Trustpilot, Fathom ↗. Fireflies earned the budget spot on price Fireflies pricing ↗, Otter the upgrade spot for unlimited meetings and strong mobile apps Otter pricing ↗, and Granola a mention for skipping the meeting bot entirely Granola pricing ↗.
- Works with Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams
- A useful free plan, with limits stated clearly
- Accurate transcripts plus summaries and action items
- Search across past meetings
- Connections to tools like Slack, HubSpot or Zapier
- Clear security statements, including HIPAA options for clinics
What an AI notetaker can and can't do today
It can record, transcribe and summarize reliably enough for daily use. Our picks all produce transcripts and AI summaries, and most list action items and let you search across calls Fathom pricing ↗ Fireflies pricing ↗ Otter pricing ↗ Granola pricing ↗. Fireflies transcribes more than 100 languages Fireflies pricing ↗. Several tools let you ask questions about past meetings in a chat window Fathom pricing ↗ Otter pricing ↗.
It still makes mistakes. Users report wrong speaker labels and summaries that are not always correct Trustpilot, Fireflies ↗, and transcripts that need editing Trustpilot, Otter ↗. Check any number, date, price or name before you send it to a client.
It can also miss meetings. Some Fathom users say the bot joins calls inconsistently Trustpilot, Fathom ↗, and some Fireflies users report skipped recordings Trustpilot, Fireflies ↗. For a call that really matters, make sure the notetaker has joined before you start.
Before you sign up
Recording consent is the big one. Federal law needs the consent of at least one party to a conversation, but about 11 states, including California, Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Washington, primarily require everyone's consent RCFP recording guide ↗. Because your callers may be anywhere, the simplest habit is to say at the start of every call that you are recording and using an AI notetaker.
Think about where the recordings live. If you discuss health or other sensitive information, look for HIPAA support: Fathom lists HIPAA compliance Fathom features ↗, while Otter offers it as an Enterprise add on Otter pricing ↗ and Granola and Fireflies include it on their top plans Granola pricing ↗ Fireflies pricing ↗.
- Announce the recording at the start of every call
- Decide whether a visible bot or bot free capture suits your clients
- Check how long recordings are kept and how to delete them
- Turn off automatic joining for sensitive meetings
- Review summaries before you share them
- Set a reminder before any free trial or yearly renewal
What to look forward to
Notetakers are turning into assistants that act on what was said. Several now draft follow up emails, prepare briefs before your next meeting and answer questions across all your calls Fathom pricing ↗ Granola pricing ↗. Video platforms are building the same features in: Zoom's assistant, now shown as ZoomMate, summarizes meetings and takes notes, with a free tier limited to three hosted meetings a month Zoom AI assistant ↗.
Bot free recording is also spreading, which should make notetakers less awkward on client calls Fathom pricing ↗ Granola pricing ↗. We will update this guide as these features mature and as our hands on testing finishes.
The competition
Read AIFree; Pro starts at $15/user/month billed yearly
Read AI covers Zoom, Teams and Google Meet with summaries, a meeting coach and more than 20 languages, and Pro starts at $15 per user a month billed yearly Read AI pricing ↗. Its free plan allows only five meeting transcripts a month with a one hour limit, far less than Fathom's Read AI pricing ↗.
Zoom AI assistant (ZoomMate)Free tier; included with Zoom Workplace Pro from $14.16/user/month billed yearly; ZoomMate from $20/user/month
Zoom's built in assistant, now presented as ZoomMate, summarizes meetings, answers questions during calls and takes notes Zoom AI assistant ↗. The free tier covers summaries for just three hosted meetings a month, and it only helps if your meetings are on Zoom Zoom AI assistant ↗.
Questions people ask
What is the best free AI meeting notetaker?
Fathom. Its free plan includes unlimited recordings and transcriptions, instant AI summaries and search across calls Fathom pricing ↗. Otter's free plan allows 300 minutes a month with a 30 minute limit per conversation Otter pricing ↗, and Read AI's allows five meetings a month Read AI pricing ↗.
How much does an AI meeting notetaker cost?
Many have free plans. Paid plans we checked start at $10 per seat a month billed yearly for Fireflies Pro Fireflies pricing ↗, $14 per user a month for Granola Business Granola pricing ↗, $15 for Read AI Pro billed yearly Read AI pricing ↗, $16 for Fathom Premium billed yearly Fathom pricing ↗ and $19.99 for Otter Business billed yearly Otter pricing ↗. Monthly billing usually costs more.
Is it legal to use an AI notetaker on calls?
Usually, if you get consent. Federal law requires one party's consent, but about 11 states, including California and Florida, primarily require all parties to consent RCFP recording guide ↗. Announce the recording at the start of each call.
Can an AI notetaker work without a bot joining the meeting?
Yes. Granola captures audio from your device on every plan, so no bot joins Granola pricing ↗. Fathom offers bot free capture as a beta feature for Mac Fathom pricing ↗.
Which AI notetaker works with Zoom, Google Meet and Teams?
Fathom, Fireflies, Otter and Read AI all list Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams Fathom features ↗ Fireflies pricing ↗ Otter pricing ↗ Read AI pricing ↗.
Fathom vs Otter: which is better for a small business?
Fathom has the stronger free plan, with unlimited recordings Fathom pricing ↗. Otter is better if you record many in person meetings on your phone or want unlimited meetings on its $19.99 a month Business plan Otter pricing ↗.
Is there a HIPAA compliant AI notetaker?
Yes. Fathom lists HIPAA compliance Fathom features ↗. Fireflies includes it on Enterprise Fireflies pricing ↗, Granola on its $35 Enterprise plan Granola pricing ↗, Read AI on Enterprise+ Read AI pricing ↗, and Otter as an Enterprise add on Otter pricing ↗.
Where this comes from
Checked Oct 9, 2026. Vendor pages describe their own products; independent sources add outside views.
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