The Best AI Note Taker
The best AI note taker depends on how you meet. For a free start, Fathom, tl;dv and Granola all list free plans. For no bot on the call, Granola and Fellow capture audio from your device. For sales calls that update your CRM, look at Avoma and Fireflies.ai.
Last checked: . Not affiliated with the companies listed. Based on public information — not tested by us. How we check.
The 9 AI note takers compared
| Tool | Best for | Free plan | Joins as a bot? | Pricing summary (vendor) | Our label |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fathom | Solo and small-business owners on video calls | Yes | Bot or bot-free (bot-free is beta) | Free forever plan. Premium $20/user/month ($16 billed annually). Team $19/user/month ($15 annually, 2-user minimum). Business $34/user/month ($25 annually, 2-user minimum). Enterprise: talk to sales. 90-day guarantee per the pricing page. | Based on public information — not tested |
| Granola | People in back-to-back meetings who want no bot | Yes | Bot-free (captures computer audio) | Free plan (Basic $0); Business $14 per user/mo; Enterprise $35 per user/mo | Based on public information — not tested |
| Fellow | Managers running team meetings, in-person too | Yes | Bot-free via desktop and mobile app | Free plan (5 lifetime AI notes/recordings per user). Team $11/user/month ($7 billed annually). Business $23/user/month ($15 annually). Enterprise $25/user/month billed annually, starts at 10 users, via sales. No credit card required to start. | Based on public information — not tested |
| Notta | Consultants and agencies | Yes | Bot joins, or bot-free via desktop app | Free plan (120 transcription minutes/month, up to 3 minutes per conversation); Pro $8.17/mo ($97.99/yr) and Business $16.67/user/mo ($199.99/yr) billed annually; Enterprise (51+ seats) contact sales | Based on public information — not tested |
| Otter.ai | Small teams and sales calls | Yes | Auto-joins calendar meetings | Basic free; Pro $16.99/user/mo billed monthly or $8.33/user/mo billed annually; Business $30/user/mo monthly or $19.99/user/mo annually; Enterprise via demo | Based on public information — not tested |
| Fireflies.ai | Teams that want notes pushed into a CRM | Yes | Bot auto-joins calendar meetings | Free plan; Pro $10/seat/mo billed annually ($18 monthly); Business $19/seat/mo billed annually ($29 monthly); Enterprise $39/seat/mo (annual only) | Based on public information — not tested |
| tl;dv | Sales and customer success teams | Yes | Not stated in our data | Free forever plan (unlimited recordings and transcriptions, AI meeting summaries, no credit card); Pro €29/seat/month (€18/seat/month billed yearly); Business €39/seat/month (€29/seat/month billed yearly) | Based on public information — not tested |
| Read AI | Small teams and consultants | Yes | Not stated in our data | Free plan (5 meetings/month, up to 1 hour); Pro $15/user/mo billed annually ($19.75 monthly); Enterprise $22.50/user/mo annually ($29.75 monthly, 5+ licenses); Enterprise+ $29.75/user/mo annually ($39.75 monthly) | Based on public information — not tested |
| Avoma | Sales teams that want CRM fields updated | No (14-day trial) | Not stated in our data | Startup $19/recorder seat/mo billed annually ($29 monthly); Organization $39/mo monthly (annual price shown inconsistently as $24 or $29); Enterprise $39/mo billed annually only; viewers free; 14-day free trial | Based on public information — not tested |
Order is by how clearly each vendor states bot-free capture, not by quality or payment. Prices change; confirm on each vendor's pricing page.
Best for a free start
Fathom: Advanced summaries and AI action items need Premium or higher. CRM field sync, deal view and AI coaching scorecards are Business only. Team and Business plans need at least 2 users. Free plan limits are not spelled out on the pricing page. Sign-up with a Gmail/consumer email needs a scheduled Zoom/Meet/Teams meeting within 7 days. tl;dv: Full AI summaries for Zoom need Pro; no native mobile app (auto-recording works on mobile through Zoom, Meet and Teams); follow-ups are drafted for you to review. Fellow: Free plan is 5 AI notes and 5 AI recordings per user for the account's lifetime. Team plan caps AI notes at 10 per user per month. CRM integrations need Business; AI-powered CRM field updates need Enterprise (starts at 10 users, contact sales). Sign-up is through Google or Microsoft SSO only.
Best if you don't want a bot on the call
Granola mostly a note-taking assistant; it drafts follow-ups but does not act autonomously in other systems. Fellow captures through its desktop and mobile apps, and Fathom lists bot-free as beta.
Best for sales calls
Avoma updates CRM fields and adds a scheduler and lead router; No permanent free plan for recording users (viewers are free); intelligence features are paid add-ons. Fireflies.ai fills CRM records and creates tasks after meetings; Advertised paid prices are annual billing; monthly-billed rates are higher.
How to choose
- Does a bot join, or does the app capture audio from your device?
- Do the other people on the call know it is recorded, and are you allowed to record where they are?
- What does the free plan cap: meetings, minutes or lifetime notes?
- Does it write to your CRM, and on which plan?
- Is the price per seat, and is the shown price monthly or billed annually?
How a small business uses one
A note taker turns each client call into a summary and action items, so follow-up does not depend on someone's memory. If you would rather not wire up calendars, CRM fields and consent settings yourself, see Hire an expert.
Switching from Otter? See Otter.ai alternatives compared.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free AI note taker?
Several list a free plan: Otter.ai, Fireflies.ai, Granola, Read AI, Notta, tl;dv, Fathom, Fellow. The limits differ a lot. Fellow gives 5 AI notes and recordings per user for the account's lifetime, Read AI gives 5 meetings a month of up to 1 hour, and Notta gives 120 transcription minutes a month. tl;dv and Fathom describe their free plans as free forever. We have not tested them, so check the current limits on each pricing page.
Do AI note takers join the call as a bot?
Some do and some do not. Granola transcribes from your device without joining as a bot. Fathom and Notta offer a bot or a bot-free option, and Fellow offers bot-free capture through its desktop and mobile apps. Fireflies.ai and Otter.ai are described as joining calendar meetings automatically. Tell the other people on the call either way.
Is it legal to record meetings with an AI note taker?
Recording and transcription rules differ by country and state, and some places require everyone on the call to consent. This is not legal advice: check the rules where you and your callers are, tell people you are recording, and ask each vendor how it handles consent and stored data.
What is the best AI note taker for phone calls?
The tools in this guide are described by their vendors mainly for Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams meetings. If you want an AI to answer your business phone instead of taking notes, see our guide to AI receptionists.
Which AI note taker suits a small business?
It depends on your calls. For client calls on video, Fathom lists small-business owners as a fit and has a free plan. For team meetings, Fellow is built around managers and teams. For sales calls with CRM updates, Avoma and Fireflies.ai describe that feature. We do not rank one as best.
Keep exploring
Browse all Meeting Notes tools, see best AI agents by job, read about AI scheduling assistants, or get the weekly newsletter.
