Google Meet is rolling out a hub that bundles notes, files, and recordings into a single place per meeting. Useful, and long overdue, but the transcription quality still trails specialized tools and cross-tool search is limited to Meet content. Anyone running meetings across Zoom, Teams, Meet, and Slack Huddles needs something that spans all four and stays with the notes after the call.
We tested seven meeting notes and recording apps on desktop across a month of daily calls to see which ones actually save time versus which ones just add another tab to close.
What to look for in a meeting notes app
Recording is table stakes. The differentiators show up in what the app does with the recording. A few criteria we weighted:
- Multi-platform meeting support (Zoom, Meet, Teams, Slack, Webex)
- Speaker labeling that stays right across the whole call
- Searchable transcript with jump-to-timestamp
- Summary quality and action item detection
- CRM and productivity tool integrations (HubSpot, Salesforce, Notion, Linear, Jira)
- Native desktop app that captures system audio without a bot joining the call
Quick comparison table
| App | Best for | Platforms | Free plan | Starting price/mo | Recording bot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Otter.ai | Long-form meeting transcription | Windows, macOS, web | 300 minutes | Pro tier for teams | Yes and system audio |
| Fireflies.ai | Sales team CRM sync | Windows, macOS, web | 800 minutes | Pro tier | Yes |
| Fathom | Free unlimited recording | Windows, macOS | Unlimited free tier | Team Edition upgrade | Yes |
| tl;dv | Multi-language and clips | Windows, macOS | Unlimited free tier | Pro tier | Yes |
| Granola | Bot-free workflow | macOS, Windows | Free trial | Individual plan | No, captures locally |
| Read AI | Meeting quality analytics | Windows, macOS, web | Free tier | Standard plan | Yes |
| Krisp Notes | Best-in-class noise cancellation | Windows, macOS | 60 minutes daily | Pro plan | No, captures on-device |
The apps
1. Otter.ai — Best for long-form meeting transcription
Otter.ai has been the default meeting transcription tool for years because it handles long calls better than most competitors. The OtterPilot bot joins Zoom, Meet, and Teams meetings, produces a searchable transcript with speaker labels, and generates a summary within a minute or two of the call ending.
Where it falls short: Speaker labels drift on calls with many participants. Custom vocabulary needs manual training for industry terms.
Pricing:
- Free: 300 minutes per month
- Pro tier for teams and higher caps
Platforms: Windows, macOS, web
Download: Otter.ai
Bottom line: Otter.ai for anyone who takes long client calls or interviews and needs the transcript to be the primary artifact.
2. Fireflies.ai — Best for sales team CRM sync
Fireflies built its differentiation around integrations. Recordings sync to HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, Zoho, and Copper with action items and summaries auto-attached to the right contact record. The AI Assistant lets you ask questions about past calls without hunting for the transcript.
Where it falls short: UI is denser than Otter’s. Casual users get overwhelmed by the sales-focused features.
Pricing:
- Free: 800 minutes per month
- Pro tier for team analytics and more CRM connectors
- Business and Enterprise tiers for larger orgs
Platforms: Windows, macOS, web
Download: Fireflies.ai
Bottom line: Fireflies for sales teams that live in a CRM. Overkill for internal-only meetings.
3. Fathom — Best free unlimited recording
Fathom offers unlimited free recording, transcription, and summarization, which is unusual in this space. The free tier is not a trial and does not throttle after a certain number of meetings. Summaries land in Slack or a shared workspace within seconds of the call ending.
Where it falls short: Limited integrations compared to Fireflies. No standalone assistant for questions across past calls without paid Team Edition.
Pricing:
- Free: unlimited recording and basic summaries for individuals
- Team Edition upgrade for shared analytics and CRM sync
Platforms: Windows, macOS
Download: Fathom
Bottom line: Fathom for anyone who needs solid meeting notes and cannot justify a subscription. The free tier is the strongest in the category.
4. tl;dv — Best for multi-language and clips
tl;dv handles more than 30 languages of transcription, which stands out for distributed teams. The clip feature lets you snip a 30-second highlight from a two-hour call and drop it in Slack or a doc. Useful for sharing decisions or quotes without asking colleagues to watch the whole recording.
Where it falls short: The AI summarization has been more variable than Otter’s in our testing. Some calls produce sharp summaries, others miss the key point.
Pricing:
- Free: unlimited meetings with basic features
- Pro tier for AI features and integrations
Platforms: Windows, macOS
Download: tl;dv
Bottom line: tl;dv for multilingual teams and anyone who needs the clip-and-share workflow.
5. Granola — Best for bot-free workflow
Granola takes the opposite approach from Otter or Fireflies. No bot joins the call. The macOS app captures system audio locally, transcribes it, and produces notes without any participant seeing “Otter has joined the meeting” in the participant list. For sensitive calls, this matters.
Where it falls short: macOS-first, with Windows support catching up. No shared team analytics or CRM sync.
Pricing:
- Free trial for individuals
- Individual plan for regular use
Platforms: macOS, Windows
Download: Granola
Bottom line: Granola for solo operators, consultants, and anyone who does not want a bot showing up in the participant list.
6. Read AI — Best for meeting quality analytics
Read AI analyzes not just what was said but how the meeting went. Participation balance, sentiment across speakers, whether the meeting ran over. The insights point at team dynamics beyond the transcript.
Where it falls short: Some of the analytics feel more like theatre than actionable data. Sentiment analysis on business calls is noisy.
Pricing:
- Free: limited meetings per month
- Standard plan for individuals
- Team plans for org-wide analytics
Platforms: Windows, macOS, web
Download: Read AI
Bottom line: Read AI for managers who want visibility into meeting quality across a team. Skip if you just need transcripts.
7. Krisp Notes — Best-in-class noise cancellation
Krisp built its reputation on removing background noise from calls, and Krisp Notes layers meeting transcription and summarization on top. If your calls take place in coffee shops, coworking spaces, or open-plan offices, the noise removal alone justifies the tool. Meeting summaries are a bonus.
Where it falls short: Not as feature-rich as Fireflies for CRM sync or Otter for long transcripts. Summaries are usable but not the leader.
Pricing:
- Free: 60 minutes daily
- Pro plan for unlimited use and full Notes features
Platforms: Windows, macOS
Download: Krisp
Bottom line: Krisp Notes for anyone whose call environment is the problem. The transcription is a solid secondary benefit.
How to pick the right one
- If you want the simplest option: Otter.ai
- If you sell for a living: Fireflies.ai
- If price matters most: Fathom
- If your team spans languages: tl;dv
- If you cannot have a bot in the meeting: Granola
- If you manage a team: Read AI
- If your call environment is noisy: Krisp Notes
FAQ
What is the best free app for meeting notes? Fathom for unlimited recording. Otter.ai for the strongest transcription within its 300-minute monthly cap.
Can I record a meeting without a bot joining? Yes. Granola and Krisp both capture on-device audio so no bot appears in the participant list.
Which meeting notes app has the best summary? Otter and Fathom lead for general summaries. Fireflies wins for sales-focused summaries with CRM context.
Do these apps work with Google Meet’s new hub? Most integrate with Meet directly. Otter and Fireflies join as participants; Granola captures system audio in parallel with Meet.
Is meeting recording legal without consent? Depends on jurisdiction. Many regions require all-party consent. Most of these apps prompt participants when the bot joins.
Which one integrates with HubSpot? Fireflies has the deepest HubSpot integration. Otter and Read AI both sync with HubSpot too, with fewer field mappings.
