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Somebody always ends up writing the notes. The call ends, everyone promises to "send something round", and an hour later you're piecing together who agreed to what. An AI note taker does that job for you, which is why so many calls now have an extra attendee called "Notetaker". The newer apps drop the bot, and that raises a quieter question: does everyone on the call know they're being transcribed?
What is an AI note taker?
It's software that listens to a meeting, transcribes it, then writes a summary and action items you can search later. Some send a bot into your Zoom, Teams or Meet call as a visible participant, as Otter and Fathom do. Others record your computer's audio with no bot, like 
GranolaGranolaGranola is an AI notepad for Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android that transcribes meetings from your device's audio, without a bot joining the call, and turns your rough notes into a Buying guide · View store →. Teams, Zoom and Meet also have their own built in, and pocket recorders such as Plaud cover meetings in a room.
Why is everyone talking about them?
Because the dullest part of a meeting is the easiest to hand over. When the Department for Business and Trade trialled 1,000 Copilot licences in late 2024, summarising meetings was the use staff reported most, saving 0.7 hours a task on average; 22% of respondents also spotted Copilot making things up (DBT evaluation, 2025). GranolaGranolaGranola is an AI notepad for Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android that transcribes meetings from your device's audio, without a bot joining the call, and turns your rough notes into a Buying guide · View store → raised $125 million at a $1.5 billion valuation in March 2026 (TechCrunch). In the UK, "ai note taker" is searched about 3,600 times a month and "best ai note taker" 480 (Google Keyword Planner, October 2026).
What does it cost, and what's the catch?
Often nothing. A year for one person in October 2026 runs from free on Fathom to $96 for 
KrispKrispKrisp is a desktop app that removes background noise from calls and takes AI meeting notes without sending a bot into the call. It suits people who spend their day on Zoom, Teams oBuying guide · View store →, about $100 for Otter, $168 for GranolaGranolaGranola is an AI notepad for Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android that transcribes meetings from your device's audio, without a bot joining the call, and turns your rough notes into a Buying guide · View store → and Ad$180 for 
CirclebackCirclebackCircleback is an AI meeting note taker that writes notes, action items and searchable transcripts for online and in-person meetings, with a bot or a bot-free desktop app. It suits Buying guide · View store →, all in US dollars, and Granola adds VAT on top. Microsoft's Copilot Business add-on is £13.80 a user a month billed yearly, plus VAT, until a promotion ends on 31 December 2026.
The catch is what happens to the recording. Several apps train their own AI on your meetings unless you opt out, most keep transcripts in the US, and the bot-free ones leave telling people entirely to you.
The short answer: if you meet mostly on Teams, Zoom or Meet, the built-in note taker may be all you need. For a free standalone app, Fathom summarises unlimited calls. GranolaGranolaGranola is an AI notepad for Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android that transcribes meetings from your device's audio, without a bot joining the call, and turns your rough notes into a Buying guide · View store → suits people who can't stand bots (free with 30 days of history, or $14 a month), CirclebackCirclebackCircleback is an AI meeting note taker that writes notes, action items and searchable transcripts for online and in-person meetings, with a bot or a bot-free desktop app. It suits Buying guide · View store → anyone who wants a bot or none and notes sent to their CRM (Ad$15 a month billed annually), and Plaud conversations in a room. More tools are on our meeting notes software page.
The AI note takers side by side
Prices are the cheapest year for one person in October 2026, in US dollars before VAT unless shown in pounds.
| Tool | How it listens | Free plan | Trains on meetings? | A year from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fathom | Bot (no-bot beta on Mac) | Unlimited recordings | Yes, opt-out | Free; $192 paid |
| GranolaGranolaGranola is an AI notepad for Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android that transcribes meetings from your device's audio, without a bot joining the call, and turns your rough notes into a Buying guide · View store → | No bot | Unlimited, 30 days' history | Yes, opt-out | $168 |
| CirclebackCirclebackCircleback is an AI meeting note taker that writes notes, action items and searchable transcripts for online and in-person meetings, with a bot or a bot-free desktop app. It suits Buying guide · View store → | Bot or no bot | Unlimited, 30 days' history | Says no | Ad$180 |
| KrispKrispKrisp is a desktop app that removes background noise from calls and takes AI meeting notes without sending a bot into the call. It suits people who spend their day on Zoom, Teams oBuying guide · View store → | No bot (optional bot) | 7-day trial only | Says never | $96 |
| Otter | Bot or no bot | 300 minutes a month | Yes | About $100 |
| Fireflies | Bot (no-bot options) | Unlimited only with auto-join | Says never | $120 |
| tl;dv | Bot | AI notes on 10 meetings | Says no | $216 |
 FyxerFyxerFyxer is a London-built AI assistant that works inside Gmail and Outlook: it labels incoming email, drafts replies in your tone, records video calls and keeps a follow-up list. It 1 current offer · View store → | Bot or no bot | About 6h40m, audio only | Yes, opt-out | Ad$444 |
| Teams Copilot | Built in | None | No | £165.60 + VAT |
| Zoom AI Companion | Built in | 3 summaries a month | No | About $170 |
| Gemini in Meet | Built in | None | Not without permission | £227.88 |
| Plaud Note Pro | Pocket recorder | 300 minutes a month | Not without consent | About £243 with device |
Which suits you depends mostly on where you meet, so I'd like to know where readers' meetings happen.
Is the note taker in Teams, Zoom or Meet good enough?
For plenty of office workers, yes, and the company may already pay for it. All three say they don't train AI on your meetings without permission (Microsoft, Zoom, Google).
Teams: intelligent recap writes notes, tasks and chapters after a transcribed meeting, and Copilot answers questions about it (Microsoft). It needs a Copilot licence or the Teams Premium add-on. UK trainer Scott Brant shows the whole flow, including why ending the meeting rather than leaving it keeps stray chatter out of the notes.
Zoom: summaries are unlimited on Pro, $14.16 a user a month billed annually in October 2026, and the free plan gets three a month (Zoom).
Meet: Gemini writes notes into a Google Doc in the organiser's Drive (Google). It comes with Workspace Business Standard and above (Google) or Google AI Pro at £18.99 a month.
The trade-off is accuracy. Dr Marina Hurley checked a Zoom summary of her 90-minute workshop and found the topic misdescribed and a statement attributed to her that she says she never made (Writing Clear Science, 2025). And they only work inside their own platform, so a client's Zoom call gets nothing from your Teams licence.
Who it suits: offices already paying for Copilot, Zoom Pro or Workspace.
Less suited to: anyone whose calls are spread across platforms.
Fathom: is the best free AI note taker really free?
Fathom is here for the most generous free plan of any dedicated app: unlimited recordings, transcripts and storage, with a summary after every call (Fathom). Zapier named it the best free AI meeting assistant (Zapier, April 2026). Advanced summaries and Ask Fathom are "limited use", with no number given.
It joins Zoom, Meet and Teams as a bot, with a bot-free mode in beta on Mac only (Fathom). It trains its own models on de-identified data unless you opt out, and stores everything in the US (Fathom).
Who it suits: individuals and small teams who want unlimited notes for nothing.
Less suited to: Webex users and teams that need UK or EU hosting.
Price: free; Premium is $16 a month billed annually or $20 monthly in October 2026 (Fathom).
Granola: the pick if you can't stand meeting bots
GranolaGranolaGranola is an AI notepad for Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android that transcribes meetings from your device's audio, without a bot joining the call, and turns your rough notes into a Buying guide · View store → is here because it's the best-known way to get AI notes with no bot. It uses your computer's audio and microphone, so it works with any call on your computer (Granola). You type rough notes and it fills them out from the transcript, then deletes the audio (Granola). The free plan hides notes older than 30 days, and UK university students get 12 months of Business free (Granola).
Efficient App's reviewers used it for a year and preferred searching its notes to their bot recordings, though it only works if you remember to press record (not sponsored, they say).
The catch: nobody sees a bot, so nobody knows unless you tell them. Its chat notice and camera watermark are optional unless an Enterprise admin enforces them (Granola), and training on anonymised data is on by default on Free and Business (Granola). In April 2026 The Verge reported that notes were viewable by anyone with the link by default (Granola says such links are unlisted). A proposed US class action filed on 30 July 2026 alleges it records people without their knowledge (PPC Land); nothing has been decided.
Who it suits: people in back-to-back calls who like typing their own notes.
Less suited to: anyone needing UK or EU hosting (it's US only, per Granola) or a recording to replay.
Price: Business is $14 a user a month in October 2026, billed monthly only (Granola).
Circleback: bot or no bot, with notes that go where you work
CirclebackCirclebackCircleback is an AI meeting note taker that writes notes, action items and searchable transcripts for online and in-person meetings, with a bot or a bot-free desktop app. It suits Buying guide · View store → is here because it lets you choose: a visible bot that joins from your calendar, or a bot-free desktop app (AdCircleback). Its "automations" send the insights you define to Notion, a CRM or Slack (TechCrunch, 2024).
The bot posts a chat message introducing itself that can't be switched off (AdCircleback). Circleback says it doesn't train AI on customer data (AdCircleback) and hosts in the US (AdCircleback). The free plan has unlimited meetings with 30 days of history, and students get 50% off (AdCircleback). Reviews are thin: Trustpilot has four, two reporting missed notes.
Who it suits: teams who want notes pushed into their other tools automatically.
Less suited to: organisations that need UK or EU hosting.
Price: Pro is $15 a user a month billed annually or $18 monthly in October 2026 (AdCircleback).
Otter: live transcripts, and why people look for Otter alternatives
Otter is the name most people know, here for its live transcript and AI chat across past meetings, though Zapier found it struggled with technical language (Zapier). It joins as a bot or records from its desktop app (Otter). The free plan gives 300 minutes a month, 30 minutes a conversation.
Two things send people elsewhere. Its privacy policy lists training its AI on de-identified recordings and transcripts (Otter), and on 13 August 2026 a US judge let wiretap and voiceprint claims against it proceed, which is not a finding that Otter broke the law (UC Today). The other is lock-in: an oral-history editor on Reddit pays about $100 a year and feels trapped by years of transcripts.
Who it suits: people who want live transcripts and to quiz old meetings.
Less suited to: free users with long meetings, and anyone wanting a clear training opt-out.
Price: Pro is $8.33 a month billed annually or $16.99 monthly in October 2026 (Otter), or £99.99 a year through the UK App Store.
Fireflies: the widest coverage, if you read the free plan
Fireflies is here for breadth: its bot records Zoom, Meet, Teams and over ten more platforms (Fireflies). Fireflies says it never trains on customer data (Fireflies). For accounts opened since 1 September 2026, free unlimited transcription needs auto-join on, so the bot joins your calendar meetings; otherwise you get three meetings (Fireflies). A proposed Illinois class action from December 2025 alleges its speaker recognition makes voiceprints without consent (JD Supra).
For anyone weighing Fireflies alternatives, one r/productivity poster found its transcripts good but its summaries poor, and replies pointed to GranolaGranolaGranola is an AI notepad for Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android that transcribes meetings from your device's audio, without a bot joining the call, and turns your rough notes into a Buying guide · View store → and Fathom.
Who it suits: teams spread across many meeting platforms who'll pay for Pro.
Less suited to: free users who don't want a bot joining every calendar meeting.
Price: Pro is $10 a seat a month billed annually or $18 monthly in October 2026 (Fireflies).
Krisp: notes and noise cancellation in one app
KrispKrispKrisp is a desktop app that removes background noise from calls and takes AI meeting notes without sending a bot into the call. It suits people who spend their day on Zoom, Teams oBuying guide · View store → is here for noisy calls: it began as a noise-cancelling app and now takes notes with no bot (Krisp). Zapier picked it for audio quality but found it can distort your voice on some hardware (Zapier). It says customer data never trains its models and stores it in the US (Krisp). There's no free plan, only a seven-day trial, and Trustpilot reviewers complain about auto-renewals.
Who it suits: people who want clean audio and bot-free notes in one subscription.
Less suited to: anyone who wants a free plan.
Price: Core is $8 a month billed annually or $16 monthly in October 2026 (Krisp).
tl;dv: meeting notes kept in Europe
tl;dv is here for teams that want data in Europe: it says all its data centres are there and no customer data trains its AI (tl;dv). Free records unlimited meetings but writes AI notes for only ten (tl;dv).
Who it suits: teams whose policies want European hosting.
Less suited to: free users wanting AI notes on every call.
Price: Pro is $18 a seat a month billed annually or $29 monthly in October 2026 (tl;dv).
Plaud: for meetings in a room or on the phone
Plaud is here because plenty of conversations never touch a video call. The Note Pro is a pocket recorder that switches between in-person and phone-call recording (Plaud). Reviewing the original Plaud Note, TechRadar found the free minutes "can quickly disappear" (TechRadar, March 2025). UK reviewer Mark Gilroy finds it copes well with regional accents (his description carries Plaud affiliate links).
Who it suits: journalists, consultants and clinicians who meet face to face or by phone.
Less suited to: remote teams who want recaps shared automatically.
Price: £143 on sale (£169 regular) including VAT with 300 minutes a month; Pro raises that to 1,200 minutes a month for £99.99 a year (Plaud), so about £243 to £269 in year one.
Notion and Fyxer: if you already use them
Notion AI Meeting Notes records with no bot on the Business plan, and lets workspace owners enforce a consent message (Notion).
FyxerFyxerFyxer is a London-built AI assistant that works inside Gmail and Outlook: it labels incoming email, drafts replies in your tone, records video calls and keeps a follow-up list. It 1 current offer · View store → is an email assistant first. Its Notetaker joins Zoom, Teams and Meet as a visible participant and emails you a summary and draft follow-up (Fyxer). It's hosted in Belgium and the Netherlands (Fyxer), but Pro at $37 a month billed annually (AdFyxer) only makes sense if you want the inbox help too.
Do you need everyone's permission to use an AI note taker in the UK?
Not under criminal law if you're on the call, but at work you need to tell people. The UK has no "two-party consent" offence: interception under the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 means making a call's content available to someone who isn't its sender or intended recipient, so recording your own call isn't usually a crime (DavidsonMorris, 2026).
Work recordings fall under UK GDPR, which exempts only purely personal or household activity (Article 2). The ICO says you can record online meetings with a valid purpose "that can't be achieved using less intrusive methods eg taking minutes of meetings", a lawful basis, and by telling people beforehand why, what for and how long you'll keep it (ICO). So a business should be able to say why ordinary minutes won't do. Secret recording at work is usually misconduct (DavidsonMorris).
A bot does the telling for you. Without one, it's on you, and a 2024 r/productivity thread shows the split: a KrispKrispKrisp is a desktop app that removes background noise from calls and takes AI meeting notes without sending a bot into the call. It suits people who spend their day on Zoom, Teams oBuying guide · View store → user tired of explaining bots, and a reply calling secret recording "a bit suspicious".
FyxerFyxerFyxer is a London-built AI assistant that works inside Gmail and Outlook: it labels incoming email, drafts replies in your tone, records video calls and keeps a follow-up list. It 1 current offer · View store →'s desktop app makes you confirm attendees were told (Fyxer); GranolaGranolaGranola is an AI notepad for Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android that transcribes meetings from your device's audio, without a bot joining the call, and turns your rough notes into a Buying guide · View store → and Krisp offer optional notices, and CirclebackCirclebackCircleback is an AI meeting note taker that writes notes, action items and searchable transcripts for online and in-person meetings, with a bot or a bot-free desktop app. It suits Buying guide · View store →'s desktop app describes none.
Training matters too: a supplier that trains its own AI on your meetings becomes a controller of that data, the ICO says (ICO). US hosting is lawful when the supplier is certified under the UK Extension to the Data Privacy Framework or uses another approved safeguard, but if your employer insists on Europe, tl;dv and Fyxer offer it below enterprise plans. The US lawsuits turn on California and Illinois law, which matters if someone on your call is there (UC Today).
Questions people ask
Is there a free AI note taker?
Yes. Fathom summarises unlimited Zoom, Meet and Teams calls free, and GranolaGranolaGranola is an AI notepad for Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android that transcribes meetings from your device's audio, without a bot joining the call, and turns your rough notes into a Buying guide · View store → and CirclebackCirclebackCircleback is an AI meeting note taker that writes notes, action items and searchable transcripts for online and in-person meetings, with a bot or a bot-free desktop app. It suits Buying guide · View store → allow unlimited meetings with 30 days of history.
Is it legal to record a meeting without consent in the UK?
Recording a call you're on isn't usually a crime, but for work the ICO expects a reason, a lawful basis and telling people first.
Can I use AI to take notes in a Teams meeting?
Yes, with a Copilot licence or Teams Premium (Microsoft), or a bot such as Fathom or CirclebackCirclebackCircleback is an AI meeting note taker that writes notes, action items and searchable transcripts for online and in-person meetings, with a bot or a bot-free desktop app. It suits Buying guide · View store → if your organisation allows it.
Do AI note takers work with British accents?
No tool publishes a test. Otter says it handles British, Scottish and Irish accents (Otter), and Mark Gilroy found Plaud coped well in his comparison.
So which AI note taker should you use?
The first place to look is what you already pay for, as long as someone reads the summary before it goes out. For a standalone app, Fathom is the free one to beat, GranolaGranolaGranola is an AI notepad for Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android that transcribes meetings from your device's audio, without a bot joining the call, and turns your rough notes into a Buying guide · View store → suits people who dislike bots, and CirclebackCirclebackCircleback is an AI meeting note taker that writes notes, action items and searchable transcripts for online and in-person meetings, with a bot or a bot-free desktop app. It suits Buying guide · View store → suits teams who want notes delivered into other tools. Whichever you choose, a line at the start of each call saying why it's running and how long you'll keep the notes covers the ICO's main ask.
Our meeting notes software page has more tools, the best dictation software covers talking instead of typing, and the best to-do list apps give the action items a home.
