An AI meeting assistant is a tool that records your calls, transcribes them and turns each conversation into a summary with action items, so you don’t have to take notes. The best AI meeting assistant for most people is Fathom, because its free plan records, transcribes and stores unlimited calls with no minute or storage cap.
The right pick depends on what you need most: a free plan, CRM sync, live transcription, no bot in the call, or shareable clips. This guide compares five tools on those points.
How we chose these tools
We researched each tool’s official pricing pages, help centers and feature pages, plus user feedback on review sites. We compared them on:
- Free plan: what you can do without paying, and where it stops.
- Pricing: the real per-user cost on annual and monthly billing.
- AI notes: summary quality, action items and search across calls.
- Integrations: Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, CRMs and team tools.
- Recording style: whether a bot joins the call or not.
What to look for in an AI meeting assistant
Before you compare tools, it helps to know which limits actually matter day to day.
Free plan limits. Every free plan stops somewhere: storage on Fireflies, advanced summaries on Fathom, conversation length on Otter, note history on Granola and AI notes on tl;dv. Pick the limit you can live with.
Meeting length. If your calls run longer than an hour, check the per-meeting cap. Otter Free stops at 30 minutes, while Fireflies Free records up to 2 hours.
Bot or no bot. Most tools join your call as a visible participant. If that feels awkward with clients, choose a bot-free option like Granola, or Fireflies’ Chrome extension on paid plans.
Where your notes go. Sales teams should check CRM sync, which usually sits on higher plans. Other teams may care more about Slack, Notion or a shared call library.
Price per person. Most tools charge per seat, so multiply by your team size and compare annual billing, which is often 20% to 50% cheaper.
The best AI meeting assistants at a glance
| Tool | Best for | Free plan | Paid plans from | Cappy Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fathom (Cappy’s Pick) | Best free plan | Unlimited recordings and storage | $15/user/month (annual) | 4.4/5 |
| Fireflies.ai | Searchable notes and CRM sync | Unlimited transcription, 400 min storage | $10/user/month (annual) | 4.3/5 |
| Granola | Notes without a bot | Last 30 days of notes | $14/user/month | 4.2/5 |
| Otter.ai | Live transcription on a budget | 300 min/month, 30 min per call | $8.33/user/month (annual) | 4.1/5 |
| tl;dv | Clips and highlights for sales teams | Unlimited recordings, AI notes on 10 meetings | $18/seat/month (annual) | 4.0/5 |
1. Fathom: best free AI meeting assistant
Fathom records, transcribes and stores unlimited Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams calls on its free plan, with no minute cap and no storage cap. It writes a summary after every call and lets you clip and share key moments.
Paid plans add unlimited advanced summaries, AI action items, follow-up emails and Ask Fathom for questions across calls. Team plans add a shared library, and Business adds CRM sync with HubSpot and Salesforce.
Key features: unlimited free recordings and storage, clips and playlists, 15+ summary templates on paid plans.
Best for: anyone who wants to start free and never worry about running out of storage.
Where it falls short: advanced AI summaries are limited to 5 calls a month on the free plan.
Pricing: Free plan; Premium $16/month, Team $15/user/month, Business $25/user/month (annual).
2. Fireflies.ai: best for searchable notes and CRM sync
Fireflies.ai joins your calls, transcribes them in more than 100 languages and makes every meeting searchable. Its assistant, AskFred, answers questions about one meeting or many, and its Business plan can update CRM records automatically.
It’s a strong choice for sales, customer success and recruiting teams who want meeting data in HubSpot or Salesforce. Paid plans also include bot-free recording through the Chrome extension.
Key features: AskFred search across meetings, 100+ languages, Autofill CRM on Business.
Best for: teams that want deep search across meetings and CRM sync at a fair price.
Where it falls short: the free plan stores only 400 minutes, and AI features run on credits.
Pricing: Free plan; Pro $10/user/month, Business $19/user/month (annual).
Read our full Fireflies.ai review.
3. Granola: best AI meeting assistant without a bot
Granola records your computer’s audio directly, so no bot joins the call. You type rough notes during the meeting, and Granola fills them out with the details from the transcript afterwards.
Because it doesn’t depend on a meeting platform, it works with Zoom, Google Meet, Teams and any other app on your computer. It also connects with Slack, Notion and HubSpot.
Key features: no bot in the call, your own typed notes enhanced by AI, works with any meeting app.
Best for: people who want AI notes without a visible bot in client or sensitive calls.
Where it falls short: the free plan only keeps your last 30 days of notes.
Pricing: Free plan; Business $14/user/month, Enterprise $35/user/month.
4. Otter.ai: best for live transcription on a budget
Otter.ai shows a live transcript during the call, so you can follow along, highlight key lines and add comments. Its mobile apps make it a natural fit for lectures and in-person interviews.
Pro is one of the cheapest paid notetakers on annual billing, and students get 20% off.
Key features: live transcript with highlights, mobile recording for in-person meetings, Otter AI Chat.
Best for: students and individuals who want a live transcript at a low price.
Where it falls short: the free plan stops each conversation at 30 minutes, and Pro is capped at 1,200 minutes a month and 90 minutes per meeting.
Pricing: Free plan; Pro $8.33/user/month, Business $19.99/user/month (annual).
Read our full Otter.ai review.
5. tl;dv: best for clips and highlights
tl;dv records and transcribes unlimited meetings on its free plan and makes it easy to clip key moments and share them with your team. It’s popular with sales and product teams who want to share customer feedback in short videos.
Paid plans add more AI notes, CRM integrations with HubSpot and Salesforce, and sales coaching features on Business.
Key features: unlimited free recordings, easy clips and highlights, HubSpot and Salesforce integrations on paid plans.
Best for: sales and product teams who share meeting clips.
Where it falls short: AI notes are limited to 10 meetings a month on Free, and paid plans cost more than most rivals.
Pricing: Free plan; Pro $18/seat/month, Business $29/seat/month (annual).
Feature comparison
| Tool | Bot in the call? | CRM sync | Free plan catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fathom | Yes | Business plan | Advanced summaries on 5 calls a month |
| Fireflies.ai | Yes, or bot-free via Chrome extension on paid plans | Business plan (Autofill CRM) | 400 minutes of storage |
| Granola | No | HubSpot integration | Last 30 days of notes |
| Otter.ai | Yes | Paid plans | 30 minutes per conversation |
| tl;dv | Yes | Paid plans | AI notes on 10 meetings a month |
What each tool costs for a team of 5
Here’s the yearly cost for five people on each tool’s main team plan, billed annually.
| Tool | Plan | Cost per year |
|---|---|---|
| Fireflies.ai | Pro | $600 |
| Granola | Business | $840 |
| Fathom | Team | $900 |
| tl;dv | Pro | $1,080 |
| Fireflies.ai | Business (with CRM autofill) | $1,140 |
| Otter.ai | Business | about $1,200 |
| Fathom | Business (with CRM sync) | $1,500 |
Fireflies Pro is the cheapest team option here. For CRM sync, Fireflies Business costs less than Fathom Business.
The best AI meeting assistant for your type of work
Sales teams. Your notes need to end up in the CRM, so start with Fireflies.ai Business, which updates HubSpot or Salesforce records from your calls. tl;dv is a strong second if your team shares call clips for coaching and handovers.
Recruiting and HR teams. You run many similar interviews and need to search them later. Fireflies works well here, because AskFred can answer questions like “which candidates mentioned remote work?” across all your calls.
Consultants and agencies. Client calls can feel sensitive, and a visible bot may put clients off. Granola records without joining the call, and Fireflies’ Chrome extension offers bot-free recording on paid plans.
Teachers, students and researchers. Lectures and interviews often happen in person. Otter’s mobile apps and live transcript suit this best, and the student discount keeps the cost down.
Product and customer success teams. You want to share what customers actually said. tl;dv and Fathom both make it easy to clip key moments and share them with the rest of the team.
Founders and solo professionals. Start with Fathom Free, which stores every call at no cost, and upgrade only once you need full AI notes on every meeting.
Which AI meeting assistant should you choose?
- Best free plan → Fathom
- Sales team with a CRM → Fireflies.ai
- No bot in your calls → Granola
- Cheapest paid plan, live transcript → Otter.ai
- Sharing clips with your team → tl;dv
To compare the top picks head to head, read Fireflies vs Otter and Fathom vs Fireflies, or browse all AI meeting assistants.
How to get started with an AI meeting assistant
- Start on a free plan. All five tools here have one, so try your top two on real meetings for a week.
- Connect your calendar and choose whether the notetaker joins every meeting or only some.
- Tell participants you’re recording. Add a line to your invites, since some places legally require everyone’s consent.
- Review the first few summaries to see whether the notes match how your team works.
- Upgrade only when you hit a limit, and choose annual billing to save 20% to 50%.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Picking a tool for its free plan alone. A generous free plan doesn’t help if the paid plan you’ll need is too expensive for your team.
- Ignoring meeting length. Check the per-meeting cap before you rely on a tool for long workshops or lectures.
- Running two notetakers at once. Two bots in one call confuses guests. Choose one and turn off auto-join in the other.
- Sending summaries without reading them. AI notes can miss context or get names wrong, so skim before you share.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free AI meeting assistant?
Fathom, for most people. Its free plan records, transcribes and stores unlimited calls. Fireflies is a close second, with unlimited transcription but only 400 minutes of storage.
What is the cheapest AI meeting assistant?
Otter.ai Pro is the cheapest paid plan here, at $8.33 per user per month on annual billing. Fireflies Pro follows at $10.
Is there an AI meeting assistant without a bot?
Yes. Granola records audio from your computer, so no bot joins the meeting. Fireflies also offers bot-free recording through its Chrome extension on paid plans.
Do AI meeting assistants work with Zoom, Google Meet and Teams?
Yes. All five tools here work with Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams. Granola works with any meeting app because it records your computer’s audio.
Is it legal to record meetings with an AI notetaker?
Recording laws vary by country and state. Many places require you to tell participants a call is being recorded, so let attendees know and follow your company’s policy.
Which AI meeting assistant is best for sales teams?
Fireflies.ai, for most sales teams. Its Business plan updates HubSpot or Salesforce records from your calls, at $19 per user per month on annual billing. tl;dv is a good alternative if your team shares a lot of call clips.
Which AI meeting assistant is best for students?
Otter.ai, because its mobile app records lectures and the student discount brings Pro to $79.99 a year. Fireflies Free is a good no-cost option for lectures longer than 30 minutes.
Are AI meeting assistants accurate?
They’re usually accurate on clear audio, but names, numbers, accents and people talking over each other can trip them up. Add custom vocabulary where the tool supports it, and skim each summary before you share it.
Do AI meeting assistants work for in-person meetings?
Some do. Otter and Fireflies have mobile apps that record in-person conversations, and Granola has iOS and Android apps. Fathom and tl;dv are built mainly for video calls.