Guide
Best AI meeting assistant: nine tools compared
Direct answer
The best AI meeting assistant for most small businesses is the one built into the video platform you already pay for, or a free tier from Fathom, Fireflies, or Otter. As of October 2026, Fathom has the most generous free plan (unlimited recordings and transcripts), Granola is the pick if you don't want a bot in the call, Fireflies covers the most languages, and Microsoft 365 Copilot or Google Meet's Gemini notes make sense if your whole team already lives in that suite. TeamShift, which publishes this page, isn't in this roundup because it doesn't record or transcribe meetings. It can join a call as a disclosed AI participant that acts for your business, which is a different job, covered at the end.
What an AI meeting assistant does
An AI meeting assistant records a call, turns the audio into a transcript, and writes a summary with decisions and action items. Most also let you search past meetings and ask questions about them ("what did the client say about the deadline?"). The better ones push notes into your CRM or project tool.
There are three ways they capture audio:
- A bot that joins the call as a named participant. Everyone sees it. Otter, Fireflies, Read AI, and tl;dv work this way by default.
- Device audio, no bot. The app listens on your computer. Granola works only this way, and Fathom offers a bot-free option in beta.
- Built into the platform. Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet run notes inside the meeting itself.
That choice matters more than most feature lists. It affects who knows they're being recorded, which ties into consent law. Our AI notetaker guide covers consent, accuracy limits, and data retention in detail.
Quick comparison
Prices are from each vendor's own pricing page as of October 2026, per user per month. "Annual" means billed yearly.
| Tool | Free plan | Paid from (monthly) | Paid from (annual) | Bot in the call? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Otter | 300 min/mo, 30 min per conversation | $16.99 | $8.33 | Yes |
| Fireflies | Unlimited transcription, limited summaries | $18 | $10 | Yes, or Chrome extension without bot |
| Fathom | Unlimited recordings and transcripts | $20 | $16 | Bot, or bot-free in beta |
| Read AI | 5 transcripts/mo | $19.75 | $15 | Yes |
| Granola | 30 days of history | $14 (Business) | Not listed separately | No, device audio |
| Zoom (ZoomMate) | Summaries for 3 hosted meetings/mo | See below | See below | Built in |
| Microsoft 365 Copilot Business | No | $25.20 | $18 | Built in |
| Google Meet with Gemini | No | $14 (Business Standard) | $14 (Business Standard) | Built in |
| tl;dv | Yes | Not verified | Not verified | Yes |
The tools in detail
Otter
Otter's pricing page lists a free Basic plan with 300 transcription minutes a month and a 30-minute cap per conversation. Pro is $16.99 a month or $8.33 a month billed annually, with 1,200 minutes and a 90-minute cap. Business is $30 monthly or $19.99 annually, with unlimited meetings and a four-hour cap per conversation. Transcription covers English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, and Chinese. Enterprise adds SSO and a HIPAA add-on.
Best for: people who mostly meet in English and want a cheap annual plan with real-time transcripts. Our Otter alternatives page covers what to switch to if Otter's caps or bot behavior don't suit you.
Fireflies
Fireflies has a free plan with unlimited transcription, limited AI summaries, and 400 minutes of storage per team. Pro is $18 monthly or $10 per seat billed annually, with unlimited summaries, 8,000 minutes of storage per seat, and video recording. Business is $29 monthly or $19 annually with unlimited storage and conversation analytics. Enterprise is $39 per seat, annual only, and adds HIPAA compliance and custom data retention. It lists transcription in 100+ languages.
Best for: teams that meet in several languages or want a big library of searchable calls. See our Fireflies review.
Fathom
Fathom's free plan includes unlimited recordings, transcripts, and instant AI summaries. Premium is $20 a month or $16 billed annually and adds AI action items and a meeting assistant you can question. Team plans need at least two users: Team is $19 monthly or $15 annually, and Business is $34 or $25, adding CRM field sync and coaching metrics. Its pricing page lists a choice of bot or bot-free capture, with bot-free still in beta on Mac.
Best for: solo owners and small sales teams who want a strong free tier, and anyone who wants the option of skipping the bot.
Read AI
Read AI gives you 5 transcripts a month free. Pro is $19.75 monthly or $15 annually with unlimited transcripts and integrations such as HubSpot, Salesforce, and Notion. Enterprise is $29.75 or $22.50 and adds video playback. Enterprise+ is $39.75 or $29.75, needs five or more licenses, and adds HIPAA compliance and custom data retention. It supports 20+ languages and includes a meeting coach that scores how calls went.
Best for: people who want feedback on how they run meetings, not just notes.
Granola
Granola captures device audio on every plan, so no bot joins your call. Basic is free with 30 days of meeting history. Business is $14 per user a month with unlimited history and integrations like Slack, Notion, HubSpot, and Zapier. Enterprise is $35 and adds SSO, HIPAA-compliant workspaces, and a workspace-wide opt-out from model training. On the other plans each user can opt out individually.
Best for: consultants, founders, and anyone in client meetings where a visible bot feels awkward. You still owe the other side notice that you're recording.
Zoom
Zoom's AI assistant is now called ZoomMate. Zoom's AI page now lists limited AI features on the free Workplace Basic plan, including meeting summaries for three hosted meetings a month, and a paid ZoomMate plan with 2,200 AI credits per user per month. The price didn't show on Zoom's page when we checked. Press coverage of the launch reported $20 per user per month.
Best for: businesses already on Zoom that want summaries without adding another vendor.
Microsoft Teams with Copilot
Microsoft's pricing page lists Microsoft 365 Copilot Business as an add-on to an existing Microsoft 365 business plan at $18 per user per month paid yearly ($21 before the current offer) or $25.20 on monthly billing. Bundles are also listed: Business Standard with Copilot at $23.50 and Business Premium with Copilot at $32, both paid yearly. Copilot covers Teams meeting recaps along with Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint.
Best for: Microsoft 365 shops that want meeting notes plus help across the rest of Office. It's expensive if meetings are all you need.
Google Meet with Gemini
Google Workspace's pricing page shows Gemini in Meet ("summarize, translate, and take notes") on Business Standard and up, not on Starter. Business Standard lists at $14 per user per month and Plus at $22, with introductory discounts running at the time we checked.
Best for: Google Workspace teams already on Standard or higher. The notes come with the plan.
tl;dv
tl;dv is a bot-based recorder popular with sales and product teams, with a free plan and CRM integrations. Its public pricing page didn't load for us, and third-party sites list conflicting numbers, so we haven't stated a price. Check tl;dv directly.
How to choose
- Start with what you already pay for. If you're on Google Workspace Business Standard or a paid Zoom plan, try the built-in notes before buying anything.
- Decide on bot or no bot. A visible bot tells everyone a recording is happening, which helps with consent. Bot-free tools are less intrusive, so you have to announce it yourself.
- Check the caps that bite. Otter's free plan stops at 30 minutes per conversation. Read AI's free plan stops at 5 transcripts a month. Granola's free plan keeps 30 days of history.
- Check where notes go. If you want follow-ups in HubSpot or Salesforce, confirm that integration is on the tier you're buying.
- Read the data terms. Training on your recordings, retention controls, and HIPAA vary a lot by plan. Medical practices should only use a plan that signs a Business Associate Agreement.
Where TeamShift fits (and where it doesn't)
TeamShift isn't a notetaker. It doesn't record meetings, keep audio or video, or produce transcripts. If you want a searchable record of every call, use one of the tools above.
What TeamShift can do is join a Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams call as a clearly disclosed AI participant, shown with an avatar or a labeled tile. TeamShift's team sets it up for your business, and in the meeting it can speak for the business within the brief you give it. Afterward, the follow-up is drafted for your OK: the Sales worker drafts the recap email and proposes CRM notes in HubSpot, and the Operations lead turns next steps into tasks and checks they got done. Nothing goes to a client until you approve it. That's a fit for teams that want an AI participant acting for the business, not a recorder, and you can still run a notetaker alongside it.
FAQ
What is the best free AI meeting assistant?
As of October 2026, Fathom's free plan is the most generous, with unlimited recordings, transcripts, and AI summaries. Fireflies' free plan also offers unlimited transcription but limits summaries and storage. Otter's free plan caps you at 300 minutes a month and 30 minutes per conversation.
Is an AI meeting assistant legal to use?
Usually, if everyone knows they're being recorded. Federal law and most states allow recording when one party consents, but California, Pennsylvania, Florida, Illinois, and several other states require every party's consent. Announce the recording at the start of the call and let people object.
Which AI meeting assistant doesn't use a bot?
Granola records device audio on every plan, so nothing joins the call. Fathom offers a bot-free option in beta, and the Fireflies Chrome extension can record without its bot. Built-in tools in Zoom, Teams, and Google Meet run inside the platform.
Do I need a separate tool if I have Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace?
Not always. Google Workspace Business Standard and up include Gemini notes in Meet. Microsoft needs a Copilot add-on or a Copilot bundle. A separate tool makes sense if you meet across several platforms or want deeper search and CRM sync.
Does TeamShift have a meeting notetaker?
No. TeamShift doesn't record meetings or produce transcripts. It can join Zoom, Meet, or Teams calls as a disclosed AI participant that speaks for your business within its brief, and it drafts recap emails, CRM notes, and tasks for your OK.