Key Takeaways
- The category splits on one architectural question: bot or no bot. Otter, Fireflies and Read AI send a visible bot into your calls. Granola, ChatGPT Record Mode and meetergo Log capture audio on your machine. Zoom's AI lives inside Zoom itself.
- The second question is where transcription runs. Every tool here processes in a US cloud except meetergo Log, which transcribes locally on the device by default with an EU cloud option.
- Free rarely means free. Minute meters (Otter), storage meters (Fireflies), meeting counts (Read: 5/month, Granola: 25 total) hide in every free tier. Log's free tier is unmetered.
- There is no single winner. Below is the one-table overview, then the honest short verdict per tool, with a full head-to-head behind each.
This page is the index for our AI notetaker comparisons. One table, seven tools, and a two-paragraph verdict each, with links to the detailed matchups. Prices and limits are as of August 2026 and change often; every detailed comparison lists its sources.
The comparison table
| Tool | Capture | Free tier | Paid entry | Languages | Data processing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Otter.ai | Bot (OtterPilot) | 300 min/mo, 30 min/meeting | $8.33 to $16.99/user/mo | 6 | US cloud (AWS US-West) |
ToolOtter.ai CaptureBot (OtterPilot) Free tier300 min/mo, 30 min/meeting Paid entry$8.33 to $16.99/user/mo Languages6 Data processingUS cloud (AWS US-West) | |||||
Fireflies.ai | Bot (Fred) | Unlimited transcription, 400 min team storage | $10/user/mo annual | 100+ | US cloud |
ToolFireflies.ai CaptureBot (Fred) Free tierUnlimited transcription, 400 min team storage Paid entry$10/user/mo annual Languages100+ Data processingUS cloud | |||||
Granola | Bot-free, on device | 25 meetings | $14/user/mo | Multi | US cloud transcription |
ToolGranola CaptureBot-free, on device Free tier25 meetings Paid entry$14/user/mo LanguagesMulti Data processingUS cloud transcription | |||||
Read AI | Bot (Read Assistant) | 5 transcripts/mo, 1 h cap | $15/user/mo annual | 16+ | US cloud |
ToolRead AI CaptureBot (Read Assistant) Free tier5 transcripts/mo, 1 h cap Paid entry$15/user/mo annual Languages16+ Data processingUS cloud | |||||
Zoom AI Companion | Inside Zoom | Minimal on free Zoom | Included with paid Zoom | Zoom languages | Zoom cloud |
ToolZoom AI Companion CaptureInside Zoom Free tierMinimal on free Zoom Paid entryIncluded with paid Zoom LanguagesZoom languages Data processingZoom cloud | |||||
ChatGPT Record Mode | Bot-free, on device (macOS only) | Not on free plan | Inside ChatGPT Plus $20/mo | Many | OpenAI cloud, audio deleted after transcription |
ToolChatGPT Record Mode CaptureBot-free, on device (macOS only) Free tierNot on free plan Paid entryInside ChatGPT Plus $20/mo LanguagesMany Data processingOpenAI cloud, audio deleted after transcription | |||||
meetergo Log | Bot-free, on device | Unlimited, no account | Light 9.90 EUR/user/mo | 40+ | Local by default, EU cloud optional |
Toolmeetergo Log CaptureBot-free, on device Free tierUnlimited, no account Paid entryLight 9.90 EUR/user/mo Languages40+ Data processingLocal by default, EU cloud optional | |||||
Otter.ai: the incumbent
Otter is the best-known name, with the most mature live collaboration: shared transcripts, highlights, comments, AI chat over your archive. Its constraints are minute meters on every plan below Business, six languages, and US-only hosting with no EU option.
Best for US-based, English-first teams that collaborate in the transcript. Full comparison: Otter.ai vs meetergo Log. Wider field: Otter alternatives.
Fireflies.ai: the integration machine
Fireflies pairs a calendar-driven bot with the deepest integration list and 100+ languages with auto-detect. Transcription is unlimited; storage and AI credits are the meters. Everything runs through the US cloud, and the bot sits visibly in every call.
Best for sales teams that want calls pushed into CRM automatically. Full comparison: Fireflies vs meetergo Log. Wider field: Fireflies alternatives.
Granola: the bot-free notepad
Granola records mic and system audio on your machine, blends your typed fragments with the transcript, and offers the category's best chat over past meetings. It streams audio to a cloud transcription provider during the call and gives you 25 meetings before the $14 plan.
Best for note-taking enthusiasts on back-to-back calls. Full comparison: Granola vs meetergo Log. Wider field: Granola alternatives.
Read AI: the analytics engine
Read adds what nobody else does: engagement scores, sentiment, coaching metrics for managers. That requires the most invasive capture in the category and a bot in every call, and the free tier is five transcripts a month.
Best for coaching-driven revenue teams that will actually use the dashboards. Full comparison: Read AI vs meetergo Log.
Zoom AI Companion: the included one
If you pay for Zoom, its meeting summaries and in-meeting questions are already included, centrally managed, zero setup. The boundary is the platform: nothing outside Zoom-hosted meetings, minimal access on free Zoom, and the notes want to stay in Zoom's world.
Best for Zoom-only organisations. Full comparison: Zoom AI Companion vs meetergo Log.
ChatGPT Record Mode: the ad-hoc brilliance
Press record in the Mac app, get a transcript and an excellent summary, included in paid ChatGPT. macOS only, capped per recording, no meeting workflow, no speaker labels, processing on OpenAI's servers with audio deleted afterwards.
Best for Mac-based ChatGPT subscribers with occasional recordings. Full comparison: ChatGPT Record Mode vs meetergo Log.
What reviewers say
G2 averages as of August 2026, with sample sizes, because a score without one is noise: Otter.ai 4.4/5 (504 reviews), Fireflies.ai 4.7/5 (752), Granola 4.7/5 (36), Read AI 4/5 (44), Zoom Workplace 4.5/5 (56,598, for the whole product rather than the AI notes), ChatGPT 4.6/5 (2,972, for ChatGPT overall rather than Record Mode). The two most instructive numbers are the small ones: Granola and Read AI are young products whose averages can move a full star with a dozen reviews.
Each head-to-head linked above carries the capture for its own tool and a short read of what the reviews actually say.
Where each falls short
Every tool on this page has a section named for its weaknesses in its head-to-head; the one-line versions: Otter meters minutes and stores only in the US. Fireflies meters storage and puts a bot in every call. Granola caps the free tier at 25 meetings and transcribes in the cloud. Read AI scores your colleagues and starts at five free transcripts. Zoom's notes end at Zoom's edge. ChatGPT Record Mode is macOS-only, capped and unstructured. meetergo Log needs the 9,90 EUR Light plan for speaker labels and templates, has a young review base and a short integration list, and its polish trails Granola's.
meetergo Log: the local-first suite play
Log is our own product, so read this knowing that. Its position in the table is factual: bot-free capture on Mac and Windows, transcription running locally on the device by default, unlimited and free without an account, 40+ languages, nine structured minute templates, EU-hosted cloud where a server is involved at all. Speaker labels and custom templates come with Light at 9.90 EUR per user per month, and the notes live inside the meetergo suite next to scheduling, CRM and e-signatures.
Best for EU teams, regulated industries, heavy recorders and anyone who wants no bot and no upload. Try it from meetergo Log, or test the engine without installing anything on the free audio transcription tool.
Who is each tool for: three questions
Where may the audio be processed?
EU-only or on-device required: meetergo Log. US cloud acceptable: everything is on the table.
Bot or no bot?
Counterparties in enterprise, finance, healthcare or public sector routinely refuse bots. Bot-free candidates: Granola, ChatGPT Record Mode, meetergo Log.
Notes, analytics, or platform convenience?
Finished minutes and workflow: meetergo Log or Fireflies. Coaching analytics: Read AI. Zero-setup inside one platform: Zoom. Augmented personal notes: Granola. Collaboration in the transcript: Otter.
FAQs
What is the best free AI notetaker?
Unmetered free: meetergo Log (unlimited local transcription, no account). Metered free tiers: Otter (300 min/month), Fireflies (400 min team storage), Read (5 transcripts), Granola (25 meetings total).
Which AI notetakers work without a meeting bot?
Granola, ChatGPT Record Mode and meetergo Log capture audio on the device. Of the three, only Log also transcribes on the device.
Which notetaker is GDPR-safest for EU companies?
Architecture beats certificates: local processing (meetergo Log) removes the transfer question that US-cloud tools answer with SCCs and assessments. See each head-to-head for the specifics.
Do these tools record Teams and Google Meet as well as Zoom?
The bot tools (Otter, Fireflies, Read) join all three. Zoom's AI stays in Zoom. The device-capture tools (Granola, ChatGPT Record Mode, meetergo Log) record anything your machine plays.
Booking + video conferencing in one tool.
Booking + video conferencing in one tool.
Sources
- Vendor pricing pages, all checked August 2026: otter.ai/pricing, fireflies.ai/pricing, granola.ai/pricing, read.ai/pricing, Zoom pricing pages, OpenAI plan documentation, meetergo.com/apps/ai-notes
- G2 ratings and review counts captured August 2026 from each product's G2 reviews page; captures embedded in the individual comparisons
- Data-processing statements: Otter help center (AWS US-West), Granola transcription docs, Zoom AI training statement, OpenAI Record Mode documentation
