7 picks, prices checked Oct 2026

Best free AI meeting note takers

If you want to take meeting notes, start here: Granola (best value), Fathom (free pick).

CH 01Transcribe & take notesBest value

Granola

Botless meeting notes that enhance yours.

Best for
Back-to-back meetings.
Red flags
Desktop-focused.
Price
$0 with these limitsUnlimited AI notes, but only 30 days of meeting historyUpgrade: $14/user/mo (Business)
Opening line: “Turn my notes into a follow-up email.”
Filed underMeeting notes
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CH 02Transcribe & take notesFree pick

Fathom

AI meeting notetaker

Free AI notetaker with unlimited recordings and call summaries.

Best for
People who want every Zoom, Meet or Teams call recorded and summarized for $0.
Red flags
Joins as a bot by default (bot-free is a Mac beta); free advanced summaries and Ask Fathom are limited use; AI action items need Premium; Team plans need 2+ users.
Price
$0 with these limitsUnlimited recordings, transcripts and instant summaries; advanced summaries and Ask Fathom limitedUpgrade: $16/mo billed annually (Premium); $20 monthly
Opening line: “Record my weekly team call and send me a summary with decisions and open questions.”
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All 7 picks

  1. Granola $14/user/mo (Business)

    Granola: Botless meeting notes that enhance yours. Best for back-to-back meetings. Watch out for: desktop-focused. Price: $14/user/mo (Business) (free tier, checked Oct 2026).

  2. Fathom $16/mo billed annually (Premium); $20 monthly

    Fathom: Free AI notetaker with unlimited recordings and call summaries. Best for people who want every Zoom, Meet or Teams call recorded and summarized for $0. Watch out for: joins as a bot by default (bot-free is a Mac beta); free advanced summaries and Ask Fathom are limited use; AI action items need Premium; Team plans need 2+ users. Price: $16/mo billed annually (Premium); $20 monthly (free tier, checked Oct 2026).

  3. Otter.ai $8.33/user/mo billed annually (Pro; $16.99 monthly)

    Otter.ai: Meeting transcripts and summaries. Best for meetings. Watch out for: free minutes capped. Price: $8.33/user/mo billed annually (Pro; $16.99 monthly) (free tier, checked Oct 2026).

  4. Fireflies.ai $10/seat/mo billed annually ($18 monthly), Pro

    Fireflies.ai: AI meeting notetaker. Best for sales/team calls. Watch out for: bot joins calls. Price: $10/seat/mo billed annually ($18 monthly), Pro (free tier, checked Oct 2026).

  5. Read AI $15/user/mo billed annually (Pro); $19.75 monthly

    Read AI: Meeting notes plus search across your meetings, email and chat. Best for people who want meeting recaps and one search over Zoom, Meet, Teams, Gmail and Slack. Watch out for: free is only 5 meeting transcripts a month; joins calls as a bot, so check its auto-join and recap-sharing settings; paid prices are per user. Price: $15/user/mo billed annually (Pro); $19.75 monthly (free tier, checked Oct 2026).

  6. MacWhisper $72.50 one-time (Pro, personal license)

    MacWhisper: Local Whisper transcription on Mac. Best for private offline transcription. Watch out for: mac only. Price: $72.50 one-time (Pro, personal license) (free tier, checked Oct 2026).

  7. tl;dv $29/seat/mo (Pro, billed monthly); $18/seat/mo billed annually

    tl;dv: Record and summarize Meet/Zoom. Best for async teams. Watch out for: bot in calls. Price: $29/seat/mo (Pro, billed monthly); $18/seat/mo billed annually (free tier, checked Oct 2026).

Questions people ask

What is the best free AI tool to take meeting notes?

Fathom: Free AI notetaker with unlimited recordings and call summaries. Free tier (checked Oct 2026).

What is the best value AI tool to take meeting notes?

Granola: Botless meeting notes that enhance yours. From $14/user/mo (Business).

What do the free plans include?

Granola: Free tier: Unlimited AI notes, but only 30 days of meeting history. Fathom: Free tier: Unlimited recordings, transcripts and instant summaries; advanced summaries and Ask Fathom limited. Otter.ai: Free tier: 300 transcription minutes a month, 30 minutes per meeting. Fireflies.ai: Free tier: Unlimited transcription, but only 400 minutes of storage and 20 AI credits. Read AI: Free tier: 5 meeting transcripts per month, unlimited search. Limits change often, so check each tool's page before you rely on a free plan.

How did DupeStack pick these tools?

We compare free tiers, cheapest paid plans and known red flags for 182 AI tools, then rank them on quality, ease and value using only the evidence that applies to this job, and group the picks into free, best value and premium. Prices were checked in Oct 2026 and change often, so confirm on the vendor's site.

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