Last updated: July 2026 · By Daniel Levi, founder of AI Creator Picks
Short answer: AI meeting assistants record, transcribe, and summarize your calls automatically. In 2026, Fathom has the most generous free tier with unlimited recording, Granola is the only one that works without a bot joining the call, and Otter and Notta are the cheapest paid options at around $8/month. We compared six on free tiers, accuracy, and price.
If you run calls, sales chats, or client meetings, an AI notetaker gives you back the hour you used to spend writing up notes. The tools all record and summarize well now, so the real differences are the free-tier limits, whether a bot has to join the call, and how much the paid plan costs. Here is how the six worth knowing compare.
AI meeting assistants compared (2026)
| Tool | Best for | Free tier | Cheapest paid | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fathom | The most generous free tier | Unlimited recording, transcript and summaries (advanced summaries capped at 5 meetings/mo) | Premium ~$15/mo | Advanced AI summaries are capped on free; Zoom, Meet and Teams focus |
| Granola | Bot-free notes (nothing joins the call) | Basic free forever, limited history, no integrations | $14/user/mo | Records system audio locally, so it is Mac-first and needs you in the room |
| Otter.ai | Solo creators and quick transcripts | 300 minutes/mo, 30 min per conversation | Pro ~$8.33/mo (annual) | The 30-minute per-call cap on free cuts off longer meetings |
| Fireflies.ai | CRM and workflow integrations | Unlimited transcription, 800 min storage | Pro $10/mo (annual) | Free storage fills at 800 minutes; best value needs annual billing |
| tl;dv | Multilingual recording across platforms | Unlimited recording, auto-deletes after 3 months | Pro $18/mo | Free recordings are deleted after 3 months unless you upgrade |
| Notta | Cheapest paid + strong multilingual | Free plan with monthly limits | Pro ~$8.17/mo (annual) | Best features and higher limits are gated to the paid tier |
Compiled from official pricing pages, current as of 2026. Prices reflect the cheapest usable paid tier; monthly billing is pricier than annual. Verify the live page before relying on a figure.
How to choose, by how you meet
- You want the best free notetaker, period: Fathom. Unlimited recording, transcripts, and summaries on the free plan is unmatched, as long as you can live with advanced AI summaries capped at five meetings a month.
- You do not want a bot showing up in the call: Granola. It records system audio locally instead of sending a bot into the meeting, so nobody sees a notetaker join. The trade-off is that it is Mac-first and you need to be in the room.
- You just need cheap, reliable transcripts: Otter or Notta, both around $8/month. Notta is also the stronger pick if you work across languages.
- You want it wired into your CRM and workflow: Fireflies. Its integrations are the deepest, which matters more for sales and ops than for a solo creator.
The patterns worth knowing before you pay
- Free tiers cap you three different ways. Otter caps minutes (300/month), Fireflies caps storage (800 minutes), and tl;dv caps time (recordings auto-delete after 3 months). Fathom is the outlier that caps almost nothing on the free plan.
- Bot or no bot is a real decision. Most tools send a visible bot into your call to record it. Granola is the notable exception. If a bot joining a client call feels awkward, that alone can decide the tool.
- Accuracy is close, language coverage is not. The English transcription is strong across all six now. If you record multilingual calls, Notta and Fireflies are more reliable than Otter or Fathom.
Building the rest of your AI stack? See our companion comparisons of the best AI video generators, AI image generators, and AI presentation tools.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free AI meeting notetaker?
Fathom. Its free plan includes unlimited recording, transcripts, and summaries, which is far more generous than the minute or storage caps on Otter, Fireflies, and tl;dv. Advanced AI summaries are capped at five meetings per month.
Which AI meeting assistant works without a bot joining the call?
Granola. It records system audio locally on your Mac instead of sending a bot into the meeting, so no one on the call sees a notetaker join.
What is the cheapest AI meeting assistant?
Notta at about $8.17/month and Otter at about $8.33/month (both on annual billing) are the cheapest paid options. Fireflies Pro follows at $10/month.
Does Otter have a free plan?
Yes. Otter’s free plan gives 300 transcription minutes per month with a 30-minute cap per individual conversation, which cuts off longer meetings.
Which is best for multilingual meetings?
Notta and Fireflies handle non-English transcription more reliably than Otter or Fathom, so they are the better pick if your calls are not in English.
Methodology and sources
We compiled each tool’s free-tier limits, cheapest usable paid plan, and standout features from its official pricing page and documentation, current as of 2026. This is a documentation and comparison of published plans, not a paid stress test. Paid prices depend on annual versus monthly billing and change often (Fathom’s Premium price in particular), so verify the live page before relying on a figure.
