- Best free AI note taker: Fathom. Its free plan includes unlimited recordings and transcripts with instant AI summaries.
- Best for people who hate meeting bots: Granola. It records your computer’s audio instead of sending a bot into the call. Free with 30 days of history; $14/month for unlimited.
- Best for teams: Fireflies. Unlimited transcription even on the free plan, plus search, CRM integrations and 100+ languages. Pro from $10/month billed yearly.
- Best for lectures, interviews and live captions: Otter. 300 free minutes a month; Pro from $8.33/month billed yearly.
- Already paying for Zoom or Google? Zoom’s AI Companion comes with paid Zoom plans, and Gemini can take notes in Google Meet on eligible Workspace and Google AI Pro plans.
An AI note taker listens to a meeting, a lecture or a voice memo and turns it into a transcript, a short summary and a list of action items, so you can pay attention instead of typing. There are now dozens of them. This guide compares the ones most people choose between, using the prices and limits on each company’s own pricing page, checked in October 2026.
The best AI note takers at a glance
| Tool | Best for | Free plan | Main paid plan | Joins as a bot? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fathom | Free use, sales and client calls | Unlimited recordings and summaries | Premium, $16/month yearly ($20 monthly) | Bot or bot-free (beta) |
| Granola | Bot-free notes on your own device | Yes, 30 days of history | Business, $14/month | No |
| Fireflies | Teams, search and integrations | Unlimited transcription, 400 min storage | Pro, $10/month yearly ($18 monthly) | Yes (Chrome extension can record without it) |
| Otter | Lectures, interviews, live captions | 300 min/month, 30-min limit | Pro, $8.33/month yearly ($16.99 monthly) | Yes |
| Zoom AI Companion | Zoom users | Limited | Included with paid Zoom plans | Built in |
| Gemini in Google Meet | Google Workspace users | No | Eligible Workspace plans, Google AI Pro | Built in |
1. Fathom — best free AI note taker
Fathom’s free plan is unusually generous: its pricing page lists unlimited recordings and transcriptions, instant AI call summaries, clips and search across calls on the free tier, with a choice of a meeting bot or bot-free capture (in beta). Premium ($20 a month, or $16 billed yearly) adds advanced summaries, AI-generated action items and a conversational assistant you can ask about past calls; Team is $19 per user ($15 yearly, two-user minimum). Choose Fathom if you want solid meeting notes without paying.
2. Granola — best if you don’t want a bot in the call
Most note takers join your meeting as an extra participant, which some people find awkward. Granola does not: it captures your device’s audio, so nobody sees a bot, and it works as a notepad where you jot a few words and the AI fills in the rest. Granola’s pricing lists a free Basic plan with 30 days of meeting history, Business at $14 per user a month for unlimited notes and history, and Enterprise at $35 with security and admin controls. It has desktop, iOS, Android and Apple Watch apps. Choose Granola if you take a lot of calls and want notes that feel like your own. Because it records on your device, tell the other people in the meeting that you are recording, as the law in many places requires.
3. Fireflies — best for teams
Fireflies joins Zoom, Google Meet, Teams and other platforms, transcribes in 100+ languages and lets you search everything said across your meetings. Its pricing page shows a Free plan with unlimited transcription, limited AI summaries and 400 minutes of storage per team; Pro at $10 per seat a month billed yearly ($18 monthly) with unlimited summaries, video recording and 8,000 minutes of storage; and Business at $19 yearly ($29 monthly) with unlimited storage and team analytics. Its Chrome extension can record without the Fireflies bot. Choose Fireflies if you want a shared, searchable record of a team’s meetings connected to your CRM and other tools.
4. Otter — best for lectures, interviews and live captions
Otter is one of the oldest AI transcription apps and is popular with students, journalists and anyone recording in person on a phone. Otter’s pricing page lists the free Basic plan at 300 minutes a month with a 30-minute limit per conversation, Pro at $16.99 a month or $8.33 billed yearly (1,200 minutes, 90 minutes per conversation) and Business at $30 a month or $19.99 yearly with unlimited meetings and up to four hours per conversation. Students and teachers with a .edu address get a discount on Pro. Choose Otter if you record long talks or interviews and want live captions while you listen.
5. Built-in options you may already have
- Zoom AI Companion summarises meetings, answers questions about what was said and drafts follow-ups. It is included at no extra cost with paid Zoom Workplace plans, according to Zoom pricing guides; free Zoom accounts get only a limited version.
- Gemini in Google Meet (“Take notes for me”) writes notes into a Google Doc. The meeting organiser needs an eligible Google Workspace plan (Business Standard or higher), and since June 2026 Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers can use it too. If you already pay for Google AI Pro, see what else the Google AI plans include.
- Microsoft Teams offers AI meeting recaps through Microsoft’s Copilot licences for work accounts.
If you only meet on one platform and already pay for it, try the built-in tool before buying another subscription.
How to choose
- You want it free: Fathom, then Fireflies’ free plan.
- You dislike bots joining calls: Granola, or Fathom’s bot-free mode.
- Your team needs a searchable meeting archive: Fireflies.
- You record lectures or interviews in person: Otter.
- You live in Zoom or Google Workspace: the built-in assistant first.
To turn notes into polished documents or emails afterwards, any general assistant works well; see our comparison of the best AI chatbots. For research across your own documents, Google’s notebook tool is covered in our NotebookLM review.
Privacy and consent
Recording people has rules. In many countries and US states, everyone in a conversation must agree to being recorded. Tell participants you are using a note taker, check your company’s policy before connecting one to work calendars, and look at each tool’s data settings: several let you limit storage time or keep transcripts out of AI training. Be careful with confidential calls such as medical, legal or HR meetings unless the tool offers the compliance your work requires.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best AI note taker in 2026?
For most people, Fathom: its free plan includes unlimited recordings, transcripts and AI summaries. Granola is the best choice if you do not want a bot joining your calls, Fireflies is best for teams, and Otter is best for lectures and interviews.
What is the best free AI note taker?
Fathom, whose free plan lists unlimited recordings and transcriptions with instant summaries. Fireflies also offers unlimited transcription for free, with limited AI summaries and 400 minutes of storage.
Is there an AI note taker that doesn’t join the meeting?
Yes. Granola records your computer’s audio instead of joining as a bot, Fathom has a bot-free mode in beta, and Fireflies’ Chrome extension can record without its bot. You should still tell others that you are recording.
Can ChatGPT take meeting notes?
ChatGPT can summarise a transcript or recording you give it, and OpenAI lists a record mode among ChatGPT features on some plans. A dedicated note taker is still more convenient for regular meetings because it joins or records automatically and keeps a searchable history.
Are AI note takers legal?
Yes, but recording laws differ. Many places require everyone in the conversation to consent. Announce the recording at the start of the meeting and follow your organisation’s rules.