Best Free AI Note Takers in 2026: What Each Free Plan Really Includes
ScoviAI Team5 min read
The short answer
Fathom has the most generous free plan (unlimited recordings and transcripts). Granola is the best free option without a meeting bot, and tl;dv is best for teams. The cheapest paid upgrades are Tactiq, Krisp and Notta at about $8 a month billed yearly.Every free AI note taker has a catch. One caps your minutes, another caps AI summaries, a third hides notes older than 30 days. To find the best free AI note taker for your meetings, you need to know which limit you'll hit first. We read the free plan terms on each company's own site and put them side by side.
Quick verdict: Fathom is the most generous free plan for video calls (unlimited recordings and transcripts). Granola is best if you don't want a bot joining your calls. tl;dv wins for teams that want unlimited recordings shared with everyone. If you outgrow the free plans, Tactiq, Krisp and Notta are the cheapest upgrades at about $8 a month on yearly billing.
How AI note takers work (and why free plans differ)
AI meeting assistants do three jobs: record the audio of a call, transcribe it into text, and summarize the transcript into notes and action items. Recording and transcription are cheap for these companies; the AI summaries are what cost them money. That's why free plans are usually generous with recordings and transcripts and strict with summaries, AI questions and history.
There are also two ways to capture a meeting:
- A bot joins the call as an extra participant (Fathom, Fireflies, tl;dv, Otter, Read AI). It's reliable and works even when you're not in the meeting, but everyone sees it.
- Your own device listens (Granola, Krisp, Tactiq). No bot appears, which feels more natural with clients, but it only works for meetings you attend yourself.
Free AI note takers compared
| Tool | Free plan limit | Bot joins the call? | Cheapest upgrade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fathom | Unlimited recordings and transcripts; advanced AI summaries for 5 calls a month | Yes | From $15/user/mo |
| tl;dv | Unlimited recordings; AI notes for 10 meetings a month; 3-month history | Yes | $18/seat/mo yearly |
| Fireflies.ai | Unlimited transcription with auto-join; 400 minutes of storage per seat | Yes | $10/seat/mo yearly |
| Otter.ai | 300 minutes a month; 30 minutes per conversation | Yes | $99.99/year |
| Read AI | 5 meetings a month | Yes | $15/mo yearly |
| Granola | Unlimited meetings; notes from the last 30 days | No | Paid plans on site |
| Tactiq | 10 transcripts and 5 AI credits a month | No (browser extension) | $8/mo yearly |
| Krisp | Unlimited transcripts; 2 AI meeting notes a day; 60 min of noise cancellation a day | No | $8/mo yearly |
| Notta | Small monthly allowance of minutes | Yes | $8.17/mo yearly |
Limits are taken from each tool's pricing or help pages and change from time to time; the deal pages linked below are kept up to date.
Fathom: the most generous free plan
Fathom records, transcribes and summarizes your Zoom, Google Meet and Teams calls, and its free plan has no cap on recordings or transcripts. The limit is on the advanced features: the richer AI summary templates, AI action items and Ask Fathom are included for your first 5 calls each month; after that you still get a basic summary.
Best for: anyone with several video calls a week who wants notes without paying.
Granola: no bot in your meetings
Granola listens through your computer's audio, so no extra participant joins the call, which many clients and interviewees prefer. You type rough notes and Granola turns them into clean meeting notes. The free Basic plan has unlimited meetings, but you can only open notes from the last 30 days (older notes are kept and come back if you upgrade). Students can get 12 months free.
Best for: people who take their own notes and want AI to tidy them up.
tl;dv: unlimited recordings for the whole team
tl;dv's free plan includes unlimited recordings and transcripts in 30+ languages, and you can invite your whole team. AI notes are limited to 10 meetings a month, with 10 Ask AI questions and 3 months of history. Pro is $18 per seat a month on yearly billing instead of $29.
Best for: small teams that want every call recorded and searchable.
Fireflies.ai: unlimited transcription, limited storage
Fireflies can auto-join and transcribe your meetings without a monthly cap on the free plan, with AI summaries included. The catch is 400 minutes of storage per seat, so older recordings fill it up, and downloading transcripts needs a paid plan. Pro is $10 a month per seat on yearly billing instead of $18.
Best for: sales and customer teams who live in their CRM.
Otter.ai, Read AI and Notta: good apps, tighter free plans
- Otter.ai gives 300 minutes a month with a 30-minute limit per conversation, fine for short calls and lectures. Students and teachers get 20% off Pro.
- Read AI includes 5 meetings a month on the free plan, plus summaries of email and messages. Pro is $15 a month on yearly billing.
- Notta's free plan includes a small monthly allowance of transcription minutes; Pro is $8.17 a month on yearly billing, with 1,800 minutes a month.
Tactiq and Krisp: no bot, low price
Tactiq is a Chrome extension that captures live captions from Google Meet, Zoom and Teams, so nothing joins the meeting. The free plan includes 10 transcripts and 5 AI credits a month; Pro is $8 a month on yearly billing.
Krisp started as a noise-cancelling app and now writes meeting notes too, again without a bot. Free users get unlimited transcripts, 2 AI meeting notes a day and an hour of noise cancellation daily. Core is $8 a month on yearly billing.
Which free AI note taker should you choose?
| If you… | Choose |
|---|---|
| Have many video calls and want everything free | Fathom |
| Don't want a bot in the meeting | Granola, Tactiq or Krisp |
| Need recordings shared across a team | tl;dv |
| Sync notes to a CRM | Fireflies |
| Mostly record short calls or lectures | Otter.ai |
Before you install any note taker
- Ask for consent. In many US states everyone on a call must agree to be recorded. Most tools announce themselves; tell people anyway.
- Check where notes are stored and who in your company can see them, especially for client calls.
- Use one tool, not three. Several bots in one meeting is the fastest way to annoy everyone.
Sources: free plan details from Fathom, tl;dv, Fireflies, Otter, Read AI, Granola, Tactiq, Krisp and Notta, checked in October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
›What is the best free AI note taker?
For most people, Fathom: its free plan has unlimited recordings and transcripts for Zoom, Google Meet and Teams, with advanced AI summaries for 5 calls a month and basic summaries after that.
›Is there a free AI note taker without a bot?
Yes. Granola, Tactiq and Krisp capture meetings from your own device, so no bot joins the call. Granola's free plan has unlimited meetings with notes from the last 30 days.
›Is Otter.ai free?
Otter has a free Basic plan with 300 transcription minutes a month and a 30-minute limit per conversation. Students and teachers get 20% off the paid Pro plan.
›Is Fireflies.ai free?
Yes. The free plan transcribes meetings without a monthly cap when the assistant auto-joins, but storage is limited to 400 minutes per seat and downloads need a paid plan.
›What is the cheapest paid AI note taker?
Tactiq and Krisp cost $8 a month on yearly billing, Notta $8.17 and Otter about $8.33 ($99.99 a year). Fireflies Pro is $10 a month per seat billed yearly.
Written by the ScoviAI team. We check prices on each seller's own pricing page and update our guides when plans change. Some links may be affiliate links; they never change our verdicts. How we work