Quick Answer
For most people in 2026, Fathom is the best free AI meeting note taker thanks to unlimited recording. Otter suits transcript-heavy users, Fireflies fits teams wanting a searchable archive, tl;dv handles multilingual calls, Fellow adds agendas and action items, and Notion AI is best if your notes already live in Notion.
For most people in 2026, Fathom is the best free AI meeting note taker thanks to unlimited recording, while Otter suits transcript-heavy users and Fireflies fits teams that want a searchable meeting archive. tl;dv is strong for multilingual calls, Fellow adds agendas and action items, and Notion AI is best if your notes already live in Notion.
Disclosure: some links below are affiliate links. If you sign up through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It never changes our picks. See our affiliate disclosure.
Key takeaways
- Best free pick: Fathom records unlimited meetings for free and caps only AI summaries (5 per month on the free plan).
- Best transcript tool: Otter gives a clean live transcript, but its free plan limits monthly minutes and per-meeting length.
- Best team archive: Fireflies builds a searchable library, though its free tier caps storage and AI credits.
- Watch the free-plan fine print: most "free" tiers limit AI summaries, storage, or file uploads, so read the caps before you commit.
- Prices change often: the figures below are current as of mid-2026, but always check current pricing on the tool's site before buying.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Free tier | Standout | Try it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fathom | Everyday meetings | Yes (unlimited recording) | Unlimited recording, fast summaries | fathom.ai |
| Otter | Live transcripts | Yes (limited minutes) | Real-time transcript and search | otter.ai |
| Fireflies | Team meeting archive | Yes (limited storage) | Searchable knowledge base | fireflies.ai |
| tl;dv | Multilingual calls | Yes (limited summaries) | Many languages, clip sharing | tldv.io |
| Fellow | Agendas plus notes | Yes (up to 10 users) | Agenda-driven meetings | fellow.ai |
| Notion AI | Notion-based teams | Add-on to Notion | Notes inside your workspace | notion.so |
Fathom
Fathom is the note taker we recommend to most people who just want a reliable record of their calls. It joins Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams, records the meeting, and produces a summary with action items shortly after you hang up. The free plan is unusually generous: recording and transcription are unlimited, and the main limit is on AI summaries, capped at 5 per month on the free tier. Paid plans remove that cap and add summary templates and CRM sync; check current pricing on the tool's site for exact figures. If you mostly need to rewatch or reread a meeting rather than auto-summarize every one, the free plan alone may be enough.
Who it's for: individuals and small teams who want dependable recording and summaries without paying on day one.
Otter
Otter built its reputation on live transcription, and that is still where it shines. As a call runs, Otter streams a readable transcript you can search, highlight, and share, which is handy for interviews, lectures, and accessibility. The trade-off is the free plan's caps: it limits total transcription minutes each month and the length of any single conversation, and it restricts how many existing audio files you can upload. That makes the free tier better for testing than for heavy daily use. Otter's paid plans raise those limits and add AI chat and summary features, but pricing shifts periodically, so check current pricing on the tool's site. If your priority is a clean, timestamped transcript you can quote from, Otter is a strong fit.
Who it's for: people who value an accurate live transcript over polished auto-summaries.
Fireflies
Fireflies leans into the idea of a searchable meeting archive. Its bot joins your calls, transcribes them, and files everything into a library you can search across, which is useful when you want to find who said what across dozens of meetings. It also connects to many CRMs and workplace tools. The free plan includes transcription but caps stored minutes and hands out a limited pool of AI credits for summaries and other advanced features, so the practical free ceiling is lower than the storage number suggests. Paid tiers expand storage, credits, and integrations; verify the current numbers on the tool's site before you commit. For teams that treat past meetings as a knowledge base, the search-first approach is the draw.
Who it's for: teams that want every meeting captured and searchable in one place.
tl;dv
tl;dv is a good match if your meetings span multiple languages or you like sharing short highlight clips. It records Zoom, Google Meet, and Teams, supports a wide range of languages, and makes it easy to cut a moment from a call and drop it into Slack or a doc. The free plan allows unlimited recordings but limits how many AI summaries you get, and recordings can be removed after a few months on the lowest tier, so download anything you want to keep. Paid plans add more summaries, longer retention, and deeper integrations; check current pricing on the tool's site. If you work across regions or lean on clip sharing, tl;dv earns its place.
Who it's for: distributed and multilingual teams that share meeting clips often.
Fellow
Fellow is less a pure note taker and more a meeting operating system. It pairs AI notes and transcription with shared agendas, action items, and follow-ups, so the notes connect to what you actually decided and who owns each task. That structure suits recurring team meetings and one-on-ones more than ad hoc calls. Fellow offers a free plan that supports small teams with core notes and transcription, with paid tiers adding more AI notes, automations, and CRM integrations. As always, confirm the current pricing on the tool's site, since tiers and user limits change. If your problem is not just capturing meetings but running them well, Fellow's agenda-first design is the reason to pick it.
Who it's for: managers and teams who want agendas, notes, and action items in one flow.
Notion AI
Notion AI is the pick when your team already lives in Notion. Rather than being a standalone recorder, it brings AI note-taking and summarizing into the workspace where your docs, wikis, and projects already sit, so meeting notes land next to the work they relate to. It can summarize, draft follow-ups, and answer questions across your Notion content. It is sold as an add-on to Notion rather than a free-standing free tool, so factor in your existing Notion plan and check current pricing on the tool's site. If you would otherwise copy notes from a separate app into Notion anyway, keeping them native saves a step.
Who it's for: teams already standardized on Notion who want notes in the same workspace.
Which AI note taker should you choose?
Start with how you work. If you want the safest free default, pick Fathom for unlimited recording. If accurate live transcripts matter most, choose Otter. Teams that want a searchable archive should look at Fireflies, while multilingual or clip-heavy groups will like tl;dv. Choose Fellow if you want agendas and action items built in, and Notion AI if your notes belong in Notion. Because free-tier caps and prices shift, confirm the current details on each tool's site before you decide.
Related reading: Best AI Productivity Tools and Notion AI vs ChatGPT.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best free AI meeting note taker in 2026?
Fathom is the best free pick for most people because it records and transcribes meetings without limits and only caps AI summaries (5 per month on the free plan). Otter and Fireflies also have free tiers, but they limit minutes, storage, or AI credits.
Do AI meeting note takers work with Zoom, Google Meet, and Teams?
Yes. Fathom, Otter, Fireflies, and tl;dv all support Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams. Fellow focuses on agendas plus notes across those platforms, and Notion AI works best when your notes already live inside Notion.
Is Otter or Fathom better for meeting notes?
Choose Otter if you want an accurate real-time transcript you can search and quote. Choose Fathom if you want unlimited recording and quick post-meeting summaries with action items. Otter's free plan limits minutes per month, while Fathom's free plan limits AI summaries.
Are free AI note taker plans actually free?
They are free to start, but most cap something important: AI summaries, stored minutes, file uploads, or how long recordings are kept. Read the specific limits before you rely on a free plan, and check current pricing on the tool's site since tiers change often.
Which AI note taker is best for a whole team?
Fireflies suits teams that want a searchable archive of every meeting, Fellow suits teams that run agenda-driven meetings with shared action items, and Notion AI suits teams already standardized on Notion. Compare free-tier user limits and current pricing before rolling one out.