📝 Use case · Meeting notes

What's the best AI tool for meeting notes?

Short answer

Granola is the best AI meeting-notes tool for most people: it captures audio from your device without a bot joining the call and turns your rough notes into clean summaries, with a free plan. If your team wants a shared, searchable archive with CRM integrations, choose Fireflies.ai (Pro from $10/seat/mo billed annually). Otter.ai's free plan, with 300 minutes a month, is the easiest way to get live transcripts.

Updated Oct 15, 2026 · 3 tools ranked · Top pick: Granola · How we rank

The ranking

  1. #1

    Granola

    Established pick

    Best for: People who want great meeting notes without a bot joining the call.

    Verdict: Granola captures your device's audio with no bot in the meeting, then uses AI to fill out your own rough notes. It has desktop, iOS and Android apps. The paid Business plan adds unlimited history, integrations (Notion, HubSpot, Zapier) and MCP access for your AI assistant.

    Price: Basic free (30 days of meeting history). Business $14/user/mo. (checked 2026-10-15)

    Try Granola →granola.ai
  2. #2

    Fireflies.ai

    Established pick

    Best for: Teams that want a shared, searchable meeting archive with CRM and app integrations.

    Verdict: Fireflies sends a notetaker to Zoom, Google Meet, Teams and more, or records through its Chrome extension without a bot. You get summaries, search and its AskFred assistant. CRM and app integrations start on paid tiers, and advanced AI actions use credits that aren't included in the base price.

    Price: Free plan. Pro $10/seat/mo billed annually ($18 monthly). AI credits extra. (checked 2026-10-15)

    Try Fireflies.ai →fireflies.ai
  3. #3

    Otter.ai

    Established pick

    Best for: Individuals who want live transcripts and summaries with a usable free plan.

    Verdict: Otter joins Zoom, Teams and Google Meet, transcribes live with speaker identification and writes summaries with action items. It also has an MCP server so your AI assistant can query your meetings. The free plan's 300 minutes a month is enough to test it on a real week of calls.

    Price: Free Basic (300 transcription minutes/month). Pro $16.99/user/mo, cheaper billed annually. (checked 2026-10-15)

    Try Otter.ai →otter.ai

Some "Try it" buttons may become affiliate links, always marked (aff). No pay-to-rank, ever. Disclosure.

⚡ Try this use case in 30 seconds

After your next call, paste the transcript or notes into any AI assistant (or use as a custom template in Granola, Fireflies or Otter):

From this meeting transcript, write:
1) A 3-sentence summary a busy person can read in 10 seconds.
2) Decisions made (bullets).
3) Action items as a table: owner | task | due date (write 'not stated' if missing).
4) Open questions and risks.
5) A short, friendly follow-up email I can send to attendees.
Don't invent anything that isn't in the transcript.

Transcript:
[paste here]

Open Granola →

FAQ

Is there an AI notetaker that doesn't join the call as a bot?

Yes. Granola captures your device's audio with no bot in the meeting. Fireflies can also record through its Chrome extension without a bot.

What's the best free AI meeting notes app?

Granola, Fireflies and Otter all have free plans. Otter's includes 300 transcription minutes a month, and Granola's free Basic plan keeps 30 days of meeting history.

Do I need to tell people I'm using an AI notetaker?

It's good practice, and recording consent laws vary by country and state. Granola has a setting to let people know you're using it.

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