Fathom, Granola, Otter, Fireflies.ai, tl;dv, Grain and Krisp are seven of the most capable AI notetakers built for 2026’s meeting-heavy workday. Each one listens in on a call, turns the conversation into an accurate transcript, and distills it into a clear summary with action items — so nobody on the call has to choose between actually participating and scribbling notes in the margins. Between them they cover sales calls, client check-ins, internal standups and everything in between, with free tiers generous enough that most people can try several before settling on one.
AI notetakers solve a problem every working professional recognizes: the important details from a meeting evaporate the moment it ends, and manual note-taking pulls focus away from the conversation itself while it is happening. The tools below approach that problem differently — some join the call as a visible bot, others read audio straight from the computer, and a few lean further into search and analytics than transcription alone. This list runs from the most broadly capable option down to strong specialists, so a reader can match a pick to how their team actually works: syncing notes into a CRM, keeping a bot out of sensitive calls, or simply getting a reliable transcript for free.
How we picked these AI notetakers
Every product on this list was researched against the same five criteria, so the order reflects genuine usefulness rather than how loudly a tool markets itself.
Related shortlists: 7 Best AI Presentation Software in 2026 and Top 10 Ad Blockers in 2026.
- Capability — how accurately it transcribes, summarizes and surfaces action items from real conversations
- Ease of use — how little setup it takes before a team can start capturing meetings
- Pricing and value — what the free tier actually includes, and whether paid plans earn their upgrade
- Reliability — consistency across Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and in-person conversations
- Who it suits — the team size, budget and workflow each tool is genuinely built for
| Tool | Best for | Key features | Pricing | Free trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fathom | Teams that want accurate, CRM-synced meeting notes without a dedicated notetaker in the room. | Automatic recording, Instant AI summaries, Ask Fathom | Free — unlimited recordings, transcripts and summaries | Free plan |
| Granola | People in back-to-back meetings who want a lightweight notepad instead of a bot joining every call. | No meeting bot, Live notes plus transcript, AI chat | Basic — free, with 30-day meeting history | Free plan |
| Otter | Individuals and teams who want reliable real-time transcription with a generous free tier. | Real-time transcription, Automated summaries, OtterPilot | Basic — free forever, 300 transcription minutes/month | Free plan |
| Fireflies.ai | Teams that want searchable meeting transcripts and conversation analytics across the whole organization. | Automatic recording, Searchable transcripts, AskFred AI assistant | Free — core recording and transcription | Free plan |
| tl;dv | Teams that want unlimited free recording and AI summaries across thousands of connected tools. | Meeting recording, AI summaries, 30+ languages | Free — unlimited recordings and transcripts | Free plan |
| Grain | Sales and customer-facing teams that want call insights without extra note-taking. | Automatic recording, Customizable AI prompts, Free viewer seats | Free — up to 20 meetings, AI notes included | 14-day free trial |
| Krisp | Remote workers and teams who need clean audio and AI meeting notes in one app. | Noise cancellation, Meeting transcription, AI meeting notes | Core — $16/user/month ($8/user/month billed annually) | 7-day free trial |
The best AI notetakers in 2026
1. Fathom
AI notetaking that is out of this world.
Fathom is best for: Teams that want accurate, CRM-synced meeting notes without a dedicated notetaker in the room.
Its free plan has no caps on recordings or summaries, and the CRM sync makes it a strong fit for sales and customer-success teams.
Key Fathom features
- Automatic recording — joins Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams calls
- Instant AI summaries — action items and highlights right after each call
- Ask Fathom — query your entire meeting history in natural language
- CRM sync — pushes notes and next steps into Salesforce, HubSpot and more
- Flexible capture — works on desktop, mobile and in person, not just video calls
Fathom pricing
- Free — unlimited recordings, transcripts and summaries
- Premium — $20/month ($16/month billed annually)
- Team — $19/user/month ($15/user/month annually, 2-user minimum)
- Business — $34/user/month ($25/user/month annually)
- Free trial: Free plan
2. Granola
The AI notepad for people in back-to-back meetings
Granola is best for: People in back-to-back meetings who want a lightweight notepad instead of a bot joining every call.
Because it reads audio instead of joining as a bot, it blends naturally into any meeting without announcing itself.
Key Granola features
- No meeting bot — transcribes straight from your computer's audio, nothing joins the call
- Live notes plus transcript — blends what you type with what was said
- AI chat — ask questions about any past meeting
- Shared folders — organize and share notes across a team
- Custom templates — tailor summaries to your own meeting formats
Granola pricing
- Basic — free, with 30-day meeting history
- Business — $14/user/month, unlimited history and integrations
- Enterprise — $35/user/month, SSO and dedicated support
- Free trial: Free plan
3. Otter
Record and review in real time.
Otter is best for: Individuals and teams who want reliable real-time transcription with a generous free tier.
A long track record and HIPAA-ready enterprise options make it a dependable pick for regulated industries.
Key Otter features
- Real-time transcription — view live captions as the conversation happens
- Automated summaries — key points and action items after every meeting
- OtterPilot — joins and records Zoom, Google Meet and Teams calls automatically
- Searchable archive — find any moment across past meetings instantly
- Mobile and desktop apps — capture conversations wherever they happen
Otter pricing
- Basic — free forever, 300 transcription minutes/month
- Pro — $16.99/user/month ($8.33/user/month billed annually)
- Business — $19.99/user/month, billed annually
- Enterprise — custom pricing, with SSO and HIPAA compliance
- Free trial: Free plan
4. Fireflies.ai
Automatically record, search, and collaborate your meetings.
Fireflies.ai is best for: Teams that want searchable meeting transcripts and conversation analytics across the whole organization.
AskFred lets anyone query the meeting archive conversationally, turning old calls into a searchable knowledge base.
Key Fireflies.ai features
- Automatic recording — captures Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams calls
- Searchable transcripts — find any moment across your entire meeting history
- AskFred AI assistant — ask questions about meetings in natural language
- Conversation intelligence — sentiment, topic and talk-time analytics
- Team workspaces — channels, comments and shared clips for collaboration
Fireflies.ai pricing
- Free — core recording and transcription
- Pro — pricing on request
- Business — pricing on request
- Enterprise — custom pricing
- Free trial: Free plan
5. tl;dv
Catch up on meetings in minutes
tl;dv is best for: Teams that want unlimited free recording and AI summaries across thousands of connected tools.
The free tier is unusually generous, and its library of integrations makes it easy to slot into an existing workflow.
Key tl;dv features
- Meeting recording — captures Zoom and Google Meet calls automatically
- AI summaries — notes and highlighted moments generated after every call
- 30+ languages — transcribes and summarizes across a wide range of languages
- Clip and share — turns key moments into shareable highlight reels
- 5,000+ integrations — connects to CRMs and workflow tools via Zapier and native apps
tl;dv pricing
- Free — unlimited recordings and transcripts
- Pro — €29/month (€18/month billed annually)
- Business — €39/month (€29/month billed annually)
- Free trial: Free plan
6. Grain
AI-powered meeting recording for everyone, not just sales.
Grain is best for: Sales and customer-facing teams that want call insights without extra note-taking.
Free viewer seats mean a whole team can browse call insights while only active recorders pay.
Key Grain features
- Automatic recording — captures and transcribes sales and customer calls
- Customizable AI prompts — tailor summaries to the metrics that matter
- Free viewer seats — unlimited teammates can view shared meetings at no cost
- Highlight reels — clip key moments to share with the wider team
- Insights dashboards — track talk time and deal signals across calls
Grain pricing
- Free — up to 20 meetings, AI notes included
- Starter — $19/seat/month, billed annually
- Business and Enterprise — custom pricing, by demo
- Free trial: 14-day free trial
7. Krisp
Voice AI for Meetings
Krisp is best for: Remote workers and teams who need clean audio and AI meeting notes in one app.
It doubles as a noise-cancellation tool, so teams get clearer calls and AI notes from a single app.
Key Krisp features
- Noise cancellation — removes background noise and echo from any call
- Meeting transcription — records and transcribes across Zoom, Meet and Teams
- AI meeting notes — automatic summaries and action items after each call
- Accent conversion — smooths accents in real time for clearer communication
- No meeting bot required — works natively inside your existing apps
Krisp pricing
- Core — $16/user/month ($8/user/month billed annually)
- Advanced — $30/user/month ($15/user/month billed annually)
- Enterprise — custom pricing
- Free trial: 7-day free trial
Which AI notetaker should you choose?
Teams that already live inside a CRM will get the most value from Fathom, since its notes and next steps sync straight into Salesforce or HubSpot with almost no setup, and anyone who finds meeting bots intrusive should look at Granola, which reads directly from the computer’s audio instead of joining the call as a visible participant. Sales and customer-facing teams that want call insights without paying for every teammate who simply watches a recording should consider Grain, whose viewer seats stay free, while larger organizations that need searchable conversation analytics across hundreds of calls will find more depth in Fireflies.ai.
For a dependable, no-cost starting point, both Otter and tl;dv offer free tiers generous enough to cover real-time transcription and AI summaries without ever entering a credit card, making either a sensible first tool for a small team or a solo professional. Teams that already struggle with call audio quality as much as note-taking should look at Krisp, which bundles noise cancellation with meeting notes in a single subscription — a practical combination for fully remote teams spread across noisy home offices. Whichever tool a team starts with, the free plans here make it easy to run two in parallel for a few weeks before committing to a paid seat.
