Best tools
Best AI Note Takers in 2026
Fathom ranks first because its free plan records, transcribes and stores unlimited meetings and still includes the API and MCP server. Next: Granola, best for bot-free notes on desktop and phone, and Otter.ai, best for live transcripts during the meeting.
Our Picks at a Glance
In short 9 tools, in order of how well they meet our criteria.
| Rank | Tool | Best for | Starting price (date) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fathom | a free plan with unlimited recordings | $20 per seat a month (Oct 17, 2026) |
| Free planYes - unlimited recordings and summaries, advanced summaries on 5 calls a month | |||
| 2 | Granola | bot-free notes on desktop and phone | $14 per seat a month (Oct 17, 2026) |
| Free planPartial - only the last 30 days of notes visible | |||
| 3 | Otter.ai | live transcripts during the meeting | $16.99 per seat a month (Oct 17, 2026) |
| Free planPartial - 300 minutes a month, 30 minutes per conversation | |||
| 4 | Fireflies.ai | recording by bot, desktop, extension or phone | $18 per seat a month (Oct 17, 2026) |
| Free planPartial - limited AI summaries, 400 minutes of storage per team | |||
| 5 | Circleback | free meetings with API, MCP and CLI access | $18 per seat a month (Oct 17, 2026) |
| Free planPartial - unlimited meetings, 30-day history | |||
| 6 | tl;dv | free video recordings with EU hosting | $29 per seat a month (Oct 17, 2026) |
| Free planPartial - AI notes on 10 meetings, recordings kept up to 3 months | |||
| 7 | Read AI | speaker coaching on every plan | $19.75 per seat a month (Oct 17, 2026) |
| Free planPartial - 5 meetings a month, up to 1 hour each | |||
| 8 | Fellow | shared agendas with AI recaps | $11 per seat a month (Oct 17, 2026) |
| Free planPartial - 5 AI recordings per user, lifetime | |||
| 9 | Tactiq | live transcripts in Chrome with no stored audio | $12 per seat a month (Oct 17, 2026) |
| Free planPartial - 10 transcripts and 5 AI credits a month | |||
Tools are ordered by how well each meets our ranking criteria. Starting price is the lowest entry price on the vendor's pricing page on the date shown: monthly billing where offered, otherwise annual or one-time.
How We Ranked These Tools
In short We judged each tool on 6 criteria, using only facts from its own public pages.
- Recording method: Whether it records with a bot that joins the call, a bot-free desktop app, or both, and on which platforms.
- Free plan: What the free plan caps: minutes, meetings, AI summaries or how much history you can see.
- Team cost: The per-seat price on the vendor's pricing page, seat minimums and features held back for higher plans.
- Where notes go: CRM notes or field updates, follow-up email drafts, and an API or MCP server for your own tools.
- Platforms: Windows, Mac, iOS and Android apps, and whether it records in-person meetings.
- Privacy defaults: Whether it stores video, audio or only a transcript.
Tools are ordered by how well each meets our ranking criteria. Ken is our product, and Ken Notetaker (Coming) is not ranked here until it is live. We do not use ratings from review sites, and we have not tested these tools hands-on.
1. Fathom
In short Best for a free plan with unlimited recordings.
Fathom ranks first because its free plan records, transcribes and stores unlimited meetings and still includes the API and MCP server. Paid plans add follow-up emails, CRM field sync and coaching, but bot-free capture is a Mac-only beta.
Starting price: $20 per seat a month, checked Oct 17, 2026. Free plan: unlimited recordings and transcripts, advanced summaries on 5 calls a month.
Strengths
Free plan records, transcribes and stores unlimited meetings, with a standard AI summary on every call. Public API and MCP server on every plan, including Free. Business plan writes meeting insights into specific CRM fields and adds coaching metrics, AI scorecards and a deal view. iPhone app records in-person meetings on every plan. Paid plans carry a 90-day money-back guarantee.
Limits
Bot-free recording is a Mac-only beta, so Windows users rely on the meeting bot. Free plan gets advanced summaries on only 5 calls a month and no AI action items or follow-up emails. CRM field sync, coaching metrics and the deal view need the Business plan with at least 2 users. Mobile app is iPhone only, with no Android version.
2. Granola
In short Best for bot-free notes on desktop and phone.
Granola records from your own computer or phone with no bot in the call and never saves audio or video, on Mac, Windows, iOS and Android. It sits below Fathom because the free plan shows only the last 30 days of notes and Salesforce needs Enterprise.
Starting price: $14 per seat a month, checked Oct 17, 2026. Free plan: no daily transcription limit, last 30 days of notes visible.
Strengths
Records from your computer audio with no meeting bot, on Mac and Windows. Business plan has unlimited notes and history, follow-up drafts and API access. Drafts the follow-up email after external meetings from the transcript, calendar and past Gmail threads. iOS and Android apps work without a paid plan. Never saves meeting audio or video, on any plan.
Limits
No meeting bot option: it records only from your own computer or phone. Salesforce integration is on the Enterprise plan only. Free plan shows only the last 30 days of notes in the app. Follow-up email drafts need Gmail; Microsoft Outlook is not supported yet.
3. Otter.ai
In short Best for live transcripts during the meeting.
Otter.ai offers a meeting bot and a bot-free desktop app, transcribes live on every plan and has an MCP server on all plans. Free conversations stop at 30 minutes, and follow-up drafts and the public API are Enterprise only.
Starting price: $16.99 per seat a month, checked Oct 17, 2026. Free plan: 300 transcription minutes a month.
Strengths
Free plan includes a meeting bot for Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet plus 300 transcription minutes a month. Desktop app for Mac and Windows records meetings without a bot joining the call. Live transcription during the meeting on every plan, including Free. MCP server on every plan lets Claude and ChatGPT search your meeting transcripts. On Enterprise, meeting insights can sync to Salesforce Opportunity fields or HubSpot Deal fields.
Limits
Free plan caps each conversation at 30 minutes and shows only the 25 most recent conversations. Salesforce and HubSpot note sync covers 1 user on Pro and 5 users on Business; unlimited users and syncing insights to CRM fields are Enterprise only. Follow-up email drafts, live coaching, the public API and video replay are Enterprise only. Pro is capped at 5 billed users and Business at 25.
4. Fireflies.ai
In short Best for recording by bot, desktop, extension or phone.
Fireflies.ai records through a bot, a desktop app, a Chrome extension or a phone app, with an API on every plan. AI skills and CRM autofill draw on small one-time credit grants, and the free plan stores only 400 minutes per team.
Starting price: $18 per seat a month, checked Oct 17, 2026. Free plan: limited AI summaries and 400 minutes of storage per team.
Strengths
Records without a bot through a desktop app for Mac and Windows or a Chrome extension for Google Meet. Desktop app plus iOS and Android apps on every plan, including Free. API access on every plan, plus an MCP server that gives AI tools access to transcripts and summaries. Business plan adds Deal Intelligence with deal health and AI close probability for HubSpot and Salesforce deals.
Limits
AI Skills, Autofill CRM, voice agents and custom summary sections draw on AI credits, and plans include only a one-time grant of 20 to 50. Free plan stores 400 minutes per team and caps each recording at 2 hours. Bot-free desktop recordings save no audio or video and label speakers as Speaker 1 and Speaker 2. Team analytics, Deal Intelligence and Autofill CRM need the Business plan.
5. Circleback
In short Best for free meetings with API, MCP and CLI access.
Circleback's free plan records unlimited meetings with a bot, a bot-free desktop app or phones, and includes API, MCP and CLI access. History on the free plan lasts 30 days, and its CRM steps log notes without updating fields.
Starting price: $18 per seat a month, checked Oct 17, 2026. Free plan: unlimited meetings with 30-day history.
Strengths
Free plan records unlimited meetings and includes API, MCP and CLI access. Records with a meeting bot, a bot-free desktop app for macOS and Windows, or iOS, Android and Apple Watch apps for in-person meetings. Drafts follow-up emails from your meetings and email threads and sends them from a connected Gmail or Outlook account on every plan. Automations log meeting notes to HubSpot, Salesforce, Attio and Zoho from the Pro plan. Saves audio and video by default with shareable clips, and recording storage can be turned off.
Limits
Free plan keeps only 30 days of meeting and recording history. CRM and most other automations start on the Pro plan. Salesforce and HubSpot steps log the meeting but do not update fields such as next step or stage. No sales coaching scorecards or talk-ratio analytics.
6. tl;dv
In short Best for free video recordings with EU hosting.
tl;dv records unlimited video meetings for free and keeps data in the EU, with CRM field mapping and an MCP server from Pro. The free plan writes AI notes for only 10 meetings and deletes recordings after up to 3 months.
Starting price: $29 per seat a month, checked Oct 17, 2026. Free plan: unlimited video recordings, AI notes on up to 10 meetings.
Strengths
Free plan records unlimited video meetings with transcription in 30+ languages. Bot-free desktop app for Mac and Windows records Zoom, Google Meet and Teams calls. Maps meeting notes into HubSpot, Salesforce and Pipedrive fields from the Pro plan. MCP server, API and webhooks from the Pro plan. Data hosted and stored in the EU, with GDPR and SOC 2 compliance.
Limits
Free plan writes AI notes for only 10 meetings and deletes recordings after up to 3 months. Playbook coaching, objection handling and multi-meeting AI insights need the Business plan. Mobile app records audio only and cannot show transcripts or summaries yet. Every plan caps a single recording at 3 hours.
7. Read AI
In short Best for speaker coaching on every plan.
Read AI combines a meeting bot with a bot-free desktop recorder, apps on every platform, and API and MCP access even on Free. The free plan covers 5 meetings a month, and video playback starts on Enterprise.
Starting price: $19.75 per seat a month, checked Oct 17, 2026. Free plan: 5 meetings a month, up to 1 hour each.
Strengths
API and MCP server are available on every plan, including Free. Records with a bot on Zoom, Teams and Google Meet, or bot-free from the Mac and Windows desktop app. Syncs meeting notes and action items to Salesforce and HubSpot records on Pro and up. Suggests deal stage changes in HubSpot and Salesforce from meeting and email activity. Speaker coaching on every plan covers talking pace, filler words, interruptions and questions asked.
Limits
Free plan covers 5 meetings a month, each up to 1 hour. Video playback and highlights start at the Enterprise plan. Desktop recordings without the bot capture audio only and skip coaching metrics. SSO, SCIM and HIPAA are only on Enterprise+, which needs at least 5 licenses.
8. Fellow
In short Best for shared agendas with AI recaps.
Fellow keeps the AI recap, action items and recording in the same note as a shared agenda, with bot or bot-free recording. The free plan allows 5 AI recordings per user for the life of the account.
Starting price: $11 per seat a month, checked Oct 17, 2026. Free plan: 5 AI recordings per user, lifetime, plus a 14-day trial of paid features.
Strengths
Records with a meeting bot, a bot-free desktop app or Zoom native capture. Ask Fellow drafts follow-up emails and opens them in Gmail or Outlook, pulling external recipients from the calendar invite. Developer REST API on every paid plan plus an MCP server for Claude, ChatGPT, Copilot and Cursor. Desktop apps for Mac and Windows and mobile apps for iOS and Android. Meeting notes sit next to collaborative agendas and action items in the same calendar-linked note.
Limits
Free plan caps AI recordings at 5 per user for the life of the account. Team plan caps AI notes and recordings at 10 per user a month and has no CRM integration. AI CRM field updates and org-wide meeting analytics are Enterprise-only, and Enterprise starts at 10 users on annual billing.
9. Tactiq
In short Best for live transcripts in Chrome with no stored audio.
Tactiq transcribes Google Meet, Zoom and Teams calls in a Chrome extension with no bot and stores only text. It has no meeting bot, no mobile app and no video, and the free plan caps transcripts at 10 a month.
Starting price: $12 per seat a month, checked Oct 17, 2026. Free plan: 10 transcripts and 5 AI credits a month.
Strengths
Chrome extension transcribes Google Meet, Zoom and Microsoft Teams calls live with no bot joining. Does not record or store meeting audio; the transcript is saved as text. Team plan includes unlimited transcripts and unlimited AI credits. AI workflows push meeting updates to HubSpot and Pipedrive after the call. Free plan needs no credit card and has no time limit.
Limits
Free plan caps transcripts at 10 a month and AI actions at 5 credits a month, and Pro allows 10 credits. The Chrome extension covers calls joined in the browser; the Mac app (beta) covers Zoom desktop calls only. No audio or video recording, so there is no playback or clips. MCP server and Claude connector are in beta and listed on the Business plan.
How Do You Choose the Right Tool?
In short Ask each vendor on your shortlist these questions before you buy.
- Does it join calls as a bot, record from a desktop app, or both?
- What does the free plan cap: minutes, meetings, summaries or history?
- Does it update CRM fields, or only log a note?
- Does it store video and audio, or only a transcript?
- Does it work on every platform your team uses, including in-person meetings?
- Do your managers need coaching scorecards and deal analytics, or are notes enough?
FAQ
In short 6 questions buyers ask about AI note takers, answered from each vendor's public pages.
Do AI note takers need a bot to join the call?
No. Granola and Tactiq record from your own computer with no bot. Fathom, Otter.ai, Fireflies.ai, Circleback, Read AI, Fellow and tl;dv offer a meeting bot and a bot-free desktop option, Fathom's as a Mac-only beta.
Which AI note takers keep no audio or video?
Granola never saves meeting audio or video, and Tactiq stores only a text transcript. Fireflies.ai's bot-free desktop recordings also save no audio or video.
Which AI note takers update the CRM?
Fathom's Business plan, Fireflies.ai's Business plan, tl;dv from Pro and Fellow on Enterprise write meeting notes into CRM fields. Otter.ai and Read AI sync notes to Salesforce or HubSpot from Pro, Tactiq pushes updates to HubSpot and Pipedrive, Granola attaches notes to HubSpot, Attio and Affinity records on Business, and Circleback logs notes without updating fields.
Which AI note takers work on Windows and phones?
Otter.ai, Granola, Fireflies.ai, Read AI, Circleback, tl;dv and Fellow have Windows apps plus iOS and Android apps. Fathom has a Windows app and an iPhone app but no Android app. Tactiq runs as a Chrome extension with no mobile app.
Which AI note takers have a free plan?
Fathom has a free plan or free credits. Granola, Otter.ai, Fireflies.ai, Circleback, tl;dv, Read AI, Fellow and Tactiq have a limited free plan. The table shows the limits of each one.
How did you rank these tools?
We judged each tool on the 6 criteria under How We Ranked These Tools, using only facts from its public pages on the date shown. Tools are ordered by how well each meets our ranking criteria.
The new Ken opens to the waiting list in batches.
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