Best AI Meeting Notes Tools 2026: Otter vs Fireflies vs Fathom vs Granola vs Tactiq
- Best overall: Otter.ai (4.5/5)
- Best free: Fathom
- Best for teams: Fireflies.ai
- Pricing last checked: 2026-09-21
Otter.ai (4.5/5) leads the cluster on auto-join transcription and language breadth; Fireflies (4.4/5) is the integrations and conversation-intelligence pick; Fathom (4.3/5) has the most generous $0 tier plus sales CRM auto-fill; Granola (4.2/5) is the no-bot local privacy differentiator; Tactiq (4.0/5) is the cheapest, lightest Chrome-extension entry.
| Tool | Rating | Pricing | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Otter.ai Best overall | 4.5/5 | Free $8.33/mo (Pro, annual) | Otter.ai is the AI notetaker standard for auto-join transcription and summaries — bot join… |
| Fireflies.ai Best for teams | 4.4/5 | Free $10/mo (Pro, annual) | Fireflies.ai is the integrations-heavy meeting recorder — one auto-join bot across Zoom/Te… |
| Fathom Best free | 4.3/5 | Free $15/mo (Team, annual) | Fathom is the free-first AI notetaker — unlimited recording and transcription on the $0 ti… |
| Granola | 4.2/5 | Free $14/mo (Business) | Granola is the no-bot AI notepad — it transcribes local system audio on Mac/Windows and en… |
| Tactiq | 4.0/5 | Free $8/mo (Pro, annual) | Tactiq is the lightweight Chrome-extension notetaker — no bot, no download, real-time capt… |
Bottom line: five different shapes of the same promise — capture a call and hand back a clean summary. Otter.ai (4.5/5) is the reference point for auto-join transcription quality and language coverage; Fireflies (4.4/5) wins on the team and CRM-integration surface; Fathom (4.3/5) is the free-tier and sales pick; Granola (4.2/5) is the no-bot privacy pick; Tactiq (4.0/5) is the cheap, lightweight entry. The decision comes down to what drives your bill — per-user minutes, the per-meeting cap, or whether a bot visibly joining is acceptable. Prices are re-checked against each vendor's live pricing page on the date shown.
Pricing and details
Otter.ai · 4.5/5
Free plan available · $8.33/mo (Pro, annual)
Per-user minutes pool: Basic 300 min/mo, Pro 1,200 min/mo, Business/Enterprise unlimited live + 6,000 imported. Per-meeting caps: 30 min Basic, 90 min Pro, 4h Business. Annual saves ~51% on Pro / ~33% on Business.
Basic $0 · Pro $8.33/mo · Business $19.99/mo · Enterprise custom
Otter.ai is the AI notetaker standard for auto-join transcription and summaries — bot joins Zoom/Meet/Teams, free Basic tier gives 300 min/month, Pro entry at $8.33/mo annual.
Score breakdown
Pros
- Auto-join bot across Zoom/Meet/Teams with clean structured summaries
- Widest language coverage of the notetakers (incl. Japanese, Chinese)
- Usable free tier: 300 min/mo + AI Chat, no card
- Scales to Business/Enterprise with unlimited live minutes and CRM sync
Cons
- The 30-minute per-meeting cap on Basic bites before the monthly pool
- Per-user billing: a 10-seat team is real money fast on Business
- Import-file minutes can draw from a tighter pool than live minutes
Pricing verified 2026-09-21
Fireflies.ai · 4.4/5
Free plan available · $10/mo (Pro, annual)
Unlimited transcription and AI summaries on every plan; the meter is storage + automation depth. Free 400 min/team, Pro 8,000 min/seat, Business/Enterprise unlimited. Per-seat billing is the bill driver. Annual saves ~44% Pro / ~34% Business.
Free $0 · Pro $10/seat/mo · Business $19/seat/mo · Enterprise $39/seat/mo annual-only
Fireflies.ai is the integrations-heavy meeting recorder — one auto-join bot across Zoom/Teams/Meet plus 30+ CRM/Slack apps, unlimited transcription on every tier, Pro from $10/mo annual.
Score breakdown
Pros
- One bot across Zoom/Meet/Teams piped into 30+ apps
- Unlimited transcription and AI summaries on every plan, including free
- Business tier adds conversation intelligence and team analytics
- Deep sales/CS workflow (CRM auto-fill, topic tracking)
Cons
- Per-seat billing multiplies the bill as the team grows
- Free tier caps storage at 400 min/team — the quiet second meter
- No video recording or transcript downloads below Pro
Pricing verified 2026-09-21
Fathom · 4.3/5
Free plan available · $15/mo (Team, annual)
Free tier is unlimited recordings + transcription (the most generous in the set). Paid tiers add advanced summaries, action items and conversational assistant; team tiers gate CRM field sync, deal views and coaching. Annual ~20-26% off. 90-day guarantee.
Premium $16/mo · Team $15/mo · Business $25/mo (per user, 2-user min)
Fathom is the free-first AI notetaker — unlimited recording and transcription on the $0 tier, sales-friendly CRM auto-fill, Premium entry at $16/mo annual for the teams tier.
Score breakdown
Pros
- The only $0 tier with unlimited recording and transcription
- Sales-oriented: CRM field sync, deal views, coaching metrics
- Bot-free capture option (in beta) for quieter meetings
- Contractual: audio/transcripts not used to train models
Cons
- Team and above require a 2-user minimum
- Advanced coaching/CRM features gate behind $15-34/mo team tiers
- Cloud-based — data residency for regulated teams
Pricing verified 2026-09-21
Granola · 4.2/5
Free plan available · $14/mo (Business)
Freemium. Basic free with limited meeting history; Business adds unlimited history, integrations (Notion/Slack/HubSpot/Zapier), MCP support and admin controls; Enterprise adds SSO and org-wide opt-out of model training. Audio processed locally and deleted after transcription.
Basic free (limited note history) · Business $14/user/mo · Enterprise $35/user/mo (50+ users, SSO)
Granola is the no-bot AI notepad — it transcribes local system audio on Mac/Windows and enhances the notes you already take, not a full transcript; Business from $14/mo, privacy-first local processing.
Score breakdown
Pros
- No bot joins — local system-audio capture (privacy-first, no consent friction)
- Enhances your own notes rather than replacing them with a transcript
- Audio processed locally and deleted; opt-out of model training on paid/Enterprise
- Cheap entry: Business $14/user/mo with unlimited history + integrations + MCP
Cons
- Requires the desktop app (Mac/Windows) running during the meeting
- You still take notes — not fully passive transcription
- Free tier limits how far back you can search
Pricing verified 2026-09-21
Tactiq · 4.0/5
Free plan available · $8/mo (Pro, annual)
Chrome-extension, no bot joins, no audio storage (privacy). Free = 10 transcripts/mo + 5 AI credits. Pro = unlimited transcripts; Team adds unlimited AI credits + auto-share; Business adds SSO/SAML. Cheapest paid entry of the cluster. No per-meeting minute cap.
Free $0 · Pro $8/user/mo · Team $16.67/user/mo · Business $29.17/user/mo
Tactiq is the lightweight Chrome-extension notetaker — no bot, no download, real-time captions on Google Meet/Zoom/Teams, free 10 transcripts/month, Pro from $8/mo annual.
Score breakdown
Pros
- No download, no bot — a Chrome extension, no audio stored (privacy)
- Free tier: 10 transcripts/month with no per-meeting cap
- Cheapest paid entry of the cluster (Pro $8/mo annual)
- Works on Google Meet, Zoom and Teams web clients
Cons
- Browser-only — depends on web clients and system audio quality
- Shallow on team analytics, conversation intelligence and CRM depth
- Fewest languages of the notetakers
Pricing verified 2026-09-21
Frequently asked questions
How many AI Meeting Notes tools are compared here?
This page compares 5 AI Meeting Notes tools, with Otter.ai as our top-rated pick. Pricing was last re-checked on 2026-09-21.
Which AI Meeting Notes tool has the best free plan?
Fathom is our free-tier pick among the tools compared.