AI meeting notes tools compared: which one writes your minutes for you
Fathom wins on free value: unlimited recordings with instant summaries and action items at no cost. Otter.ai is the strongest paid generalist at $8.33/month annual, Fireflies fits teams recording across platforms, and Granola covers the meetings that happen off-camera. All five document support for Zoom, Meet and Teams.
What these tools actually do
AI meeting notetakers do three jobs: record and transcribe the call, summarize what was decided, and extract action items with owners. The products differ mainly in where they run — some join as a bot participant, some ride along as a browser or desktop extension — and in how their free tiers are capped. The transcription engines underneath are increasingly similar; what you are choosing is workflow fit and pricing structure.
| Tool | Free tier | Entry paid plan | Platform support | Standout feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Otter.ai | 300 min/month | Pro $8.33/mo (annual) | Zoom, Meet, Teams | Polished editor, TXT/DOCX/SRT export |
| Fireflies.ai | Unlimited transcription, limited storage | Pro $10/mo (annual, per seat) | Zoom, Meet, Teams | Unlimited transcription on free tier |
| Fathom | Unlimited recordings | Premium $16/mo (annual) | Zoom, Meet, Teams | Unlimited free recordings + summaries |
| Granola | Basic free | Business $14/user/mo | Works without joining calls | Notetaking for in-person meetings |
| Descript | 1 hr transcription/mo | Hobbyist $16/mo (annual) | Via import or recording | Full audio/video editor included |
Fathom: the free tier that ends the debate
Fathom's free plan covers unlimited recordings with instant summaries and action items, which removes the usual reason to pay. The paid tiers exist for teams — shared folders, CRM sync, and integrations — rather than for gating basic functionality. The trade-off is that Fathom is built around the video-call flow: it rides along in Zoom, Meet and Teams rather than transcribing arbitrary audio files. If your meetings are on those platforms, start here and only upgrade if your team needs collaboration features.
Otter.ai: the general-purpose workhorse
Otter is the most established product in this category, and it shows in the editor: searchable transcripts, speaker labeling, and export to TXT, DOCX, PDF and SRT. The free tier's 300 minutes a month runs out quickly for heavy users, at which point Pro is $8.33 a month billed annually for 1,200 minutes and a 90-minute meeting cap (Business lifts it to four hours). Otter also handles uploaded audio files, which makes it a crossover with dedicated transcription tools — useful if your "meetings" include interviews and podcasts.
Fireflies: unlimited transcription, metered everything else
Fireflies' hook is unlimited transcription on the free tier, with limits applied to storage minutes and team seats instead. For a single user who records a lot but stores little, that is a genuine free win. Paid plans start at $10 a month per seat billed annually, adding more storage, CRM integrations, and analytics. The product is strongest inside sales teams that want every call logged; solo users may find Fathom's free tier covers the same ground with less setup.
Granola: for meetings without a screen
Granola occupies a niche the others ignore: meetings that happen in person, on the phone, or without an invite link. Instead of joining a call, it listens on your device and blends its notes with yours, producing structured minutes after the fact. Business pricing is $14 per user a month, with an Enterprise tier above it. If your workflow is video-call heavy, the others beat it on automation; if half your meetings happen walking between offices, Granola is the only tool here built for that.
Descript: the editor that also takes notes
Descript is a full audio and video editor that happens to transcribe, so it belongs in this list only if you will also cut podcasts or videos. The free tier includes one hour of transcription a month, and the Hobbyist plan at $16 a month (annual) raises the ceiling. For pure meeting minutes it is overkill and overpriced; for someone who already edits recordings in Descript, the notetaker features come along free. See the subtitle tools comparison for its video-side abilities.
Who hears your meetings?
Everything here means sending meeting audio to a third party's servers, so the privacy question is unavoidable: colleagues did not consent to a bot recording the call when they joined. The practical answer is consent first — most tools display a clear participant notice, and it is a courtesy as much as a legal matter in many jurisdictions. Beyond that, check each vendor's retention and model-training terms: some keep recordings only for the account owner, others may use transcripts to improve their services unless you opt out, and team plans usually add contractual protections that free tiers lack. For confidential calls, prefer a provider whose enterprise terms you have read over whichever tool has the best free minutes.
Selection advice: Start with Fathom — the free tier covers unlimited recordings, so paying is only for team features. Upgrade to Otter.ai if you need generous minute caps and polished exports. Choose Granola if meetings happen away from video calls. For raw recordings rather than live meetings, use a transcription tool instead. Our method is on How We Pick.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the best AI meeting notes tool?
- For most people, Fathom is the best value: its free tier includes unlimited recordings with instant summaries and action items. Otter.ai is the strongest general-purpose option if you need a paid plan with more minutes and exports. Fireflies suits teams that record across many platforms, and Granola is worth it when you take meetings outside video calls.
- How much do AI meeting note takers cost?
- Fathom and Otter both have useful free tiers, with Fathom's free plan covering unlimited recordings. Otter Pro costs $8.33 a month billed annually, Fireflies Pro $10 a month per seat, Fathom Premium $16 a month, and Granola Business $14 per user a month. Paid tiers mostly add monthly minute caps and platform integrations rather than better summaries.
- Can an AI notetaker join Zoom, Google Meet and Teams?
- Most mainstream AI notetakers support Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams through an assistant bot or an integrated extension. Fathom, Otter and Fireflies document support for all three. If you need a tool for in-person or phone meetings, Granola is designed for meetings outside video platforms.
- Is an AI meeting notetaker worth paying for?
- If you attend more than a few meetings a week, yes: the summary and action-item extraction saves real time compared to writing minutes by hand. Start with a free tier like Fathom's, and only upgrade when you hit its monthly limits or need team features.
- What is the difference between a notetaker and a transcription tool?
- A transcription tool converts any audio or video into a raw transcript. A meeting notetaker does that too, but it also summarizes, extracts action items, and integrates with calendar and conferencing apps. If you need transcripts of recordings that are not meetings, use a transcription tool instead.