The best AI note takers in 2026
As of October 2026, Fathom is our top-rated AI note taker, at 4.6 out of 5, for recording and summarizing calls for free. MeetGeek is our pick for small teams on a budget, and Granola for notes without a meeting bot.
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Our picks for October 2026
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Best overall
Our rating: 4.6 / 5Unlimited recordings on a free plan that never expires.
Best for small teams
Our rating: 4.5 / 5Records with or without a bot. Pro from $9.99 per user a month, billed yearly.
Best for team archives
Our rating: 4.3 / 5Every call in one searchable library. Pro from $10 per user a month, billed yearly.
Best without a bot
Our rating: 4.2 / 5No bot joins the call. Free plan, then $14 per user a month.
All AI note takers, ranked
Ordered by our rating. Prices: lowest paid plan on annual billing, per user a month unless the row says otherwise, checked on 17 October 2026. This article contains affiliate links.
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Fathom Reviewed
Best for free, unlimited recording of your own calls
Note: recording without a bot is a Mac-only beta
Free plan unlimited recordings
From $15 per user a month, from 2 users
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MeetGeek Reviewed
Best for small teams on a budget, with or without a meeting bot
Note: Pro plan includes 20 hours a month
Free plan 3 hours a month
From $9.99 per user a month
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Fireflies.ai Reviewed
Best for a shared, searchable archive of every team call
Note: 20 AI credits on the free plan
Free plan 400 minutes of storage
From $10 per user a month
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Granola Reviewed
Best for bot-free notes that build on what you type
Note: audio is deleted after transcription
Free plan 30 days of meeting history
From $14 per user a month
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tl;dv Reviewed
Best for sales teams that review and coach their calls
Note: CRM sync is on paid plans
Free plan unlimited recording, AI notes on 10 meetings
From $18 per user a month
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Notta Reviewed
Best for transcribing meetings and audio files, including bilingual calls
Note: free recordings stop at 3 minutes
Free plan 120 minutes a month
From $8.17 a month for one user
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HappyScribe Reviewed
Best for transcripts and subtitles in 150+ languages, plus meeting notes
Note: free meeting recorder, up to 45 minutes a call
Free plan 10-minute transcription trial
From $8.50 a month for one user
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Otter.ai Reviewed
Best for 300 free minutes a month, plus a phone app for in-person talks
Note: free conversations stop at 30 minutes
Free plan 300 minutes a month
From $8.33 per user a month
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Krisp Reviewed
Best for clear audio on calls, with bot-free notes as a bonus
Note: transcripts and summaries in 16 languages
No free plan 7-day trial
From $8 per user a month
Our picks in detail
What each pick does well, where it falls short and who should skip it. Strengths and limits come from our full reviews and each vendor's own pages, checked on 17 October 2026.
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Best overall: Fathom
Our rating: 4.6 / 5Fathom joins your Zoom, Google Meet or Microsoft Teams calls, records them and writes a summary with action items as soon as the call ends. On a Mac, it can also record without a bot joining.
Strengths
- Unlimited recordings and transcripts on the free plan
- Summary ready as soon as the call ends
- iOS app for in-person meetings since September 2026
Limits
- Some AI features are capped on the free plan
- Recording without a bot is a Mac-only beta
- Team plans start at two seats
Skip it if you want one shared archive of every team meeting. Fireflies.ai is built for that.
Go deeper: Fathom vs MeetGeek
How we tested it: on our own Fathom account, for our September 2026 review.
Free plan. Paid from $15 per user a month, from 2 users.
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Best for small teams: MeetGeek
Our rating: 4.5 / 5MeetGeek records your calls with a meeting bot or, through its desktop app, without one. After each call it sends a summary with highlights and action items.
Strengths
- Desktop app records without a bot on Mac and Windows
- Bot-free recording is included on the free plan
- Business plan has unlimited transcription
Limits
- Free plan covers 3 hours of meetings a month
- Pro plan stops at 20 hours a month
- Free transcripts are kept for 3 months
Skip it if you have long or frequent calls and want them free. Fathom has no recording cap on its free plan.
Go deeper: Fathom vs MeetGeek
How we tested it: on our own MeetGeek account, for our September 2026 review.
Free plan. Paid from $9.99 per user a month.
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Best for team archives: Fireflies.ai
Our rating: 4.3 / 5Fireflies.ai records and transcribes your meetings, then keeps every call in a searchable library the whole team can use. The same app now drafts follow-up emails and takes dictation.
Strengths
- Transcription in 100+ languages, even on the free plan
- Desktop app records without a bot on Mac and Windows
- Email assistant and dictation included on every plan
Limits
- Free plan stores 400 minutes for the whole team
- AI features run on credits, 20 on the free plan
- Free recordings stop at 2 hours
Skip it if you only record your own calls and want them free with no storage limit. Fathom fits that better.
Go deeper: Otter AI alternatives
How we tested it: on our own Fireflies.ai workspace, for our August 2026 review.
Free plan. Paid from $10 per user a month.
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Best without a bot: Granola
Our rating: 4.2 / 5Granola captures the call from your computer instead of sending a bot. When the meeting ends, it turns the notes you typed into a clean write-up.
Strengths
- No bot appears in the call's participant list
- Builds on the notes you type during the meeting
- Apps for desktop, iPhone, Android and Apple Watch
Limits
- Audio is deleted after transcription, so no playback
- Free plan keeps 30 days of meeting history
- Notes are lighter if you don't type much
Skip it if you need recordings to replay or share. Fathom and tl;dv keep the recording.
How we tested it: on our own free Basic account in the Mac app, for our September 2026 review.
Free plan. Paid from $14 per user a month.
How to choose an AI note taker
Start from the meetings you have, then compare free plans. Most tools here have one, so record a few real calls before you pay.
You record your own calls and want it free
Fathom records and transcribes unlimited calls on its free plan, with some AI features capped. tl;dv also records without limits for free and writes AI notes for 10 meetings. Otter.ai gives 300 free minutes a month, with each conversation capped at 30 minutes.
Your team wants one archive of every meeting
Fireflies.ai keeps every call in a shared, searchable library that the whole team can use. MeetGeek is close in price on its Pro plan, and its Business plan removes the transcription limit.
You'd rather no bot joined the call
Granola and Krisp capture audio from your own device, so no bot appears in the meeting. MeetGeek, Fireflies.ai, tl;dv, Otter.ai and Notta now have desktop apps that record without a bot too, and Fathom offers it as a beta on Mac. Either way, tell people the meeting is being recorded.
You work in more than one language
HappyScribe transcribes in 150+ languages and also makes subtitles. Fireflies.ai covers 100+ languages, even on its free plan. Notta handles bilingual meetings, and Krisp writes transcripts and summaries in 16 languages.
You run sales calls
tl;dv is built for teams that review and coach their calls, with CRM sync on its paid plans. Fathom is a free way to start: it records your own calls without limits and lets you share clips from the recording.
Already paying for Zoom, Teams or Google Meet?
Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet each offer a built-in AI note taker, included in some paid plans or sold as an add-on. If every meeting happens on one of them, try that first. The tools on this page work across all three and keep one history of your calls.
AI note takers FAQ
What is the best AI note taker in 2026?
Fathom is our top-rated AI note taker in October 2026, at 4.6 out of 5. Its free plan records and transcribes unlimited calls. Paid plans start at $16 a month for one user, or $15 per user for teams of two or more, billed yearly. MeetGeek is our pick for small teams on a budget, and Fireflies.ai for teams that want a shared archive of every call.
Is there a free AI note taker?
Yes, most tools on this page have a free plan. Fathom records unlimited calls for free. Otter.ai gives 300 minutes a month, with a 30-minute cap per conversation. MeetGeek gives 3 hours a month, and Notta 120 minutes with each recording capped at 3 minutes. tl;dv records without limits but writes AI notes for 10 meetings. Krisp has a 7-day trial instead.
Can an AI note taker work without a bot joining the meeting?
Yes. Granola and Krisp capture audio from your own computer, so no bot appears in the call. MeetGeek, Fireflies.ai, tl;dv, Otter.ai and Notta also have desktop apps that record without a bot, and Fathom offers it as a beta on Mac. Whichever you use, let people know the meeting is being recorded.
Do AI note takers work for in-person meetings?
Yes, several AI note takers have phone apps for meetings in the room. Otter.ai's mobile app records conversations around you, Granola runs on iPhone, Android and Apple Watch, and Fathom released an iOS app for in-person meetings in September 2026. MeetGeek's desktop app can also record meetings held offline.
Which AI note taker supports the most languages?
Of the tools on this page, HappyScribe lists the most languages, with AI transcription in 150+ languages on every plan. Fireflies.ai transcribes in 100+ languages, including on its free plan. Notta handles bilingual meetings, and Krisp covers 16 languages for transcripts and summaries.
Should I use the AI notes built into Zoom, Teams or Google Meet?
The AI notes built into Zoom, Microsoft Teams or Google Meet make sense if your company already pays for them and every meeting runs on that one platform. A dedicated AI note taker such as Fathom or Fireflies.ai works across all three and keeps one searchable history of your calls.
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About this page
- What is listed
- AI note takers that record, transcribe and summarize your meetings, each with a full review on this site.
- Our picks
- Best overall is always the highest-rated tool on this page. Each other pick is our choice for one kind of reader. The strengths and limits listed for the picks come from each tool's full review and the vendor's own pages.
- Ratings
- Each rating is our overall score from that tool's full review, on a 5-point scale, and the list is ordered by it. A score rates the whole product, not only its note-taking features. See how we test and rate tools.
- Prices
- The lowest paid plan on annual billing, read from each vendor's pricing page on 17 October 2026. Granola's page doesn't say whether its $14 is billed monthly or yearly, and tl;dv's page showed its prices in euros (EUR 18 for Pro) that day. Billing units and minimum seats differ, so each row gives its own.
- Update log
- 17 October 2026: new layout, four picks explained in detail, and prices and free-plan limits rechecked on each vendor's pricing page. TalkNotes and Superlist left this page; Superlist stays on our Time Management page.