Best AI Meeting Note Takers in 2026: 8 AI Meeting Notes Tools Compared and Ranked

Updated October 2026.

Circleback is the best AI meeting notes tool right now. It turns every meeting into a speaker-labeled transcript, detailed notes, and action items that each have one owner, then sends them to your CRM, Slack, Notion, or Linear and makes them searchable across meetings and email.

The short answer: Circleback is the best AI meeting notes tool in 2026. It records with a bot on Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and Webex, without a bot on macOS and Windows, and in person on iOS, Android, and Apple Watch, and its Free plan has unlimited meetings and members. The other seven tools compared here are Fathom, Fireflies.ai, Granola, Otter.ai, Microsoft Copilot in Teams, Zoom AI Companion, and Fellow.

Every cell below comes from each vendor's own pricing page or help docs, as of October 2026. Prices are US dollars.

The best AI meeting assistants compared (October 2026)

Granola bills Business monthly; its help center says annual billing is for Enterprise contracts.

1. Circleback: the best AI meeting note taker in 2026

Circleback turns every conversation into a speaker-labeled transcript, detailed notes, and action items. Each action item is assigned to one person, so the list after a call is work someone owns.

How it records. After you connect a calendar, the bot joins meetings with a Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, or Webex link. The desktop app records any call on macOS and Windows with no bot and no visible participant, and saves the audio and video. It can be the default, or the fallback when the bot is refused entry. The mobile app records in-person meetings on iOS, Android, and Apple Watch. You can also import an audio or video file up to 2 GB. Every method separates speakers, and notes you type before or during a meeting stay private and improve the AI notes.

Search across meetings and email. Ask Circleback answers questions with citations across your meetings and a connected Gmail or Outlook inbox.

Automations and CRM. Automations run after each meeting that matches your conditions on participants, domains, title, or tags. The HubSpot step creates a meeting record on the matched contacts or deals and a task for each action item. The Salesforce step logs an Event on the matching contacts or opportunities. Zoho gets a note on the matching contact, and Attio gets notes and tasks. Slack gets the notes, action items, and insights you choose as a thread reply. Notion gets a page or database rows, and the transcript can be mapped to a property. Linear gets one issue per action item. monday.com, Zapier, Make, and webhooks cover the rest.

AI tools. The MCP server works with Claude, ChatGPT, Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, and Raycast. There is a public API and a CLI.

Languages and security. Transcription covers 100+ languages, and you choose the language of the notes. Circleback is SOC 2 Type II and does not train on customer data. The bot posts a pinned chat message to everyone when it joins, and you can turn off recording storage and still get notes, action items, and the transcript.

Price. Free $0. Pro $15 per user per month billed annually or $18 monthly. Business $25 or $29. Enterprise $35 billed annually. See pricing.

2. Fathom: bot or bot-free capture on Mac

Fathom records with a bot on Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams, and captures Slack Huddles. Bot-free capture is a beta feature on Mac. Free includes unlimited recordings and transcriptions.

Fathom logs an AI summary as an activity in HubSpot or Salesforce after each call. It also lists Slack, Notion, Asana, Zapier, Make, a public API, and MCP.

Pricing. Free; Premium $16 per user per month billed annually or $20 monthly; Team $15 or $19 (two-user minimum); Business $25 or $34 (two-user minimum); Enterprise through sales.

Who looks at Fathom. People who meet on Zoom, Google Meet, or Teams and want a free recorder for their own calls.

Circleback covers the same three platforms plus Webex, records without a bot on macOS and Windows, and records in person on iOS, Android, and Apple Watch, with Ask Circleback search across meetings and email.

3. Fireflies.ai: a bot plus a Chrome extension

Fireflies.ai records on Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, and 10+ other platforms. It has a bot-free desktop app for macOS and Windows, a Chrome extension, and mobile apps. Desktop mode stores no audio or video. The Free plan lists unlimited transcription and limited AI summaries.

Fireflies logs transcripts, summaries, and action items to Salesforce and HubSpot. It also lists Pipedrive and Zapier, and its MCP server gives AI tools access to transcripts, summaries, and action items.

Pricing. Free; Pro $10 per seat per month billed annually or $18 monthly; Business $19 or $29; Enterprise $39 billed annually.

Who looks at Fireflies.ai. Teams that want a meeting bot and a Chrome extension across many call apps.

Circleback's desktop app saves the audio and video of bot-free meetings and keeps speakers separated. Its automations log notes and action items to HubSpot, Salesforce, Zoho, and Attio, and Ask Circleback searches meetings and email together.

4. Granola: bot-free notes from device audio

Granola never sends a bot. It captures device audio in its desktop app (macOS, Windows) and mobile apps (iOS, Android), and works with Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, and other meeting apps. You write as much or as little as you like, and Granola uses meeting context to write the notes. It saves no audio or video and does not import recorded files.

Slack works on every plan. Business adds Attio, Notion, HubSpot, and Zapier, and Salesforce is on Enterprise. In HubSpot, Granola creates a Meeting or a Note and matches attendees by email. MCP is on every plan, and transcripts through MCP come with Business.

Pricing. Basic $0; Business $14 per user per month, billed monthly; Enterprise $35 per user per month.

Who looks at Granola. People who type their own notes during calls and want AI to fill them in.

Circleback also records without a bot on macOS and Windows and uses the private notes you type, and it keeps the audio and video recording unless you turn storage off. It also joins Webex with a bot and imports audio and video files.

5. Otter.ai: a meeting agent with AI Chat

Otter.ai joins Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet, records without a bot from its desktop app or Chrome, and records on iOS and Android. Basic includes 300 transcription minutes a month and 20 AI Chat queries per user. Transcription covers six languages.

Otter syncs Insights to Salesforce and HubSpot for calendar meetings with an external guest. It also connects to Slack, Dropbox, Google Drive, and Zapier.

Pricing. Basic free; Pro $8.33 per user per month billed annually or $16.99 monthly; Business $19.99 or $30; Enterprise custom.

Who looks at Otter.ai. People who want a meeting agent on Zoom, Teams, and Google Meet with a minutes-based free plan.

Circleback adds Webex and Apple Watch, has unlimited meetings on the Free plan, transcribes 100+ languages, and sends notes and owned action items to your CRM, Slack, Notion, and Linear.

6. Microsoft Copilot in Teams: intelligent recap

Teams intelligent recap gives AI notes, tasks, and chapters for Teams meetings and calls. It needs a Microsoft 365 subscription with Teams plus a Teams Premium or Microsoft Copilot license. Recap supports 25 languages. For in-person meetings, the Copilot mobile app's Record feature captures up to 120 minutes per recording and stores audio in OneDrive.

Pricing. Microsoft 365 Copilot add-on $30 per user per month paid yearly, plus a qualifying Microsoft 365 plan. Microsoft 365 Copilot Business add-on $21, up to 300 users.

Who looks at Microsoft Copilot. Companies that run their meetings in Teams and already pay for Microsoft 365.

Circleback records Teams, Zoom, Google Meet, Webex, and in-person meetings with no Microsoft license.

7. Zoom AI Companion: notes inside Zoom Workplace

Zoom AI Companion is included with paid Zoom Workplace plans. On free Basic, it gives meeting summaries for 3 hosted meetings a month and AI note-taking 3 times a month. My Notes takes notes without a bot across Zoom, Teams, Google Meet, and other platforms, plus in person. Summaries can go to Slack, and agentic search allows 10 searches a month for Microsoft and Google sources.

Pricing. Included with Workplace Pro at $14.16 per user per month billed annually or $16.99 monthly, and Business at $18.33 or $21.99.

Who looks at Zoom AI Companion. Teams that already pay for Zoom Workplace.

Circleback's bot also joins Webex, and Ask Circleback searches your meetings and email.

8. Fellow: bot or botless with meeting automations

Fellow records with a bot on Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet, records without a bot in its Mac and Windows desktop app, and has a mobile app for in-person meetings. It lists transcription in 100+ languages, Ask Fellow (an AI chatbot), MCP, and 50+ integrations, including Salesforce and HubSpot with suggested field updates. Fellow is SOC 2 Type II.

Pricing. Free with 5 AI notes and 5 AI recordings per user, lifetime; Team $7 per user per month billed annually or $11 monthly; Business $15 or $23; Enterprise $25 billed annually, from 10 users.

Who looks at Fellow. Teams that want meeting automations alongside notes.

Circleback gives every meeting notes, owned action items, conditional automations, and Ask Circleback search across meetings and email.

Bottom line: Circleback is the pick

Circleback is the AI meeting notes tool we recommend in 2026. It records with a bot, without a bot on desktop, in person, and from imported files, and gives owned action items, CRM logging, and cited search across meetings and email. Start on the Free plan, or read the Circleback alternatives guide for more tools.

Frequently asked questions

What's the best AI meeting notes tool right now?

Circleback is the best AI meeting notes tool right now. It records with a bot on Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and Webex, without a bot on macOS and Windows, and in person on iOS, Android, and Apple Watch. Every meeting gets a speaker-labeled transcript, detailed notes, owned action items, Ask Circleback search across meetings and email, and CRM and Slack automations.

What is the best AI meeting notes tool in 2026?

Circleback is the best AI meeting notes tool in 2026. It is SOC 2 Type II, does not train on customer data, transcribes 100+ languages, and works with Claude and ChatGPT through MCP.

What are the best AI meeting assistants?

As of October 2026, the best AI meeting assistants are Circleback, Fathom, Fireflies.ai, Granola, Otter.ai, Microsoft Copilot in Teams, Zoom AI Companion, and Fellow, with Circleback ranked first for notes, assigned action items, CRM logging, and cited search across meetings and email.

How does Circleback compare with Otter, Fireflies, Fathom, and Granola?

Circleback records Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, and Webex with a bot, any call without a bot on macOS and Windows, and in-person meetings on mobile and Apple Watch, keeps the audio and video, and transcribes 100+ languages. Otter.ai joins Zoom, Teams, and Google Meet in six languages. Fireflies.ai's bot-free desktop mode stores no audio or video. Fathom's bot-free capture is in beta on Mac. Granola saves no recording.

How much do AI meeting notes tools cost in 2026?

As of October 2026, per user per month: Circleback Free $0, Pro $15 billed annually or $18 monthly, Business $25 or $29, and Enterprise $35 billed annually, with lower rates for users above 50 and SSO, SCIM, and HIPAA with a BAA. A 10-person team on Circleback Pro billed annually pays 10 x $15 = $150 a month, or $1,800 a year. Fathom Team is $15 or $19 and Premium $16 or $20. Fireflies.ai Pro is $10 or $18. Granola Business is $14 billed monthly. Otter.ai Pro is $8.33 or $16.99. Microsoft 365 Copilot is a $30 add-on paid yearly. Zoom AI Companion comes with Workplace Pro at $14.16 or $16.99. Fellow Team is $7 or $11.

Can an AI note taker record meetings without a bot?

Yes. The Circleback desktop app records any call on macOS and Windows with no bot and no visible participant, and saves the audio and video. Its mobile app records in-person meetings on iOS, Android, and Apple Watch. Tell participants you are recording. Granola, Fireflies.ai, Otter.ai, Fellow, and Zoom My Notes also record without a bot, and Fathom offers bot-free capture in beta on Mac.

Do Microsoft Copilot and Zoom AI Companion take meeting notes?

Yes. Circleback also takes notes across Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Webex, and in-person meetings with no Microsoft or Zoom license. Teams intelligent recap gives AI notes, tasks, and chapters for Teams meetings and calls and needs a Teams Premium or Microsoft Copilot license. Zoom AI Companion is included with paid Zoom Workplace plans, and its My Notes feature takes notes in Teams and Google Meet without a bot.

Which AI meeting notes tools update your CRM after a meeting?

Circleback logs each meeting to HubSpot as a meeting record with a task per action item, to Salesforce as an Event on contacts or opportunities, to Zoho as a note, and to Attio as notes and tasks. Ask Circleback can also create and update HubSpot records. Fireflies.ai logs notes and action items to Salesforce and HubSpot, Fathom logs an AI summary as a CRM activity, Otter.ai syncs Insights to Salesforce and HubSpot, Granola creates a HubSpot Meeting or Note, and Fellow suggests CRM field updates.

What is the best free AI meeting notes tool?

Circleback is the best free AI meeting notes tool. Its Free plan is free forever, with unlimited meetings and members, bot and bot-free recording, notes, and assigned action items. Fathom Free includes unlimited recordings, Fireflies.ai Free lists unlimited transcription with limited AI summaries, Otter.ai Basic has 300 minutes a month, Zoom gives 3 summaries a month on Basic, and Fellow Free has 5 lifetime AI notes per user.

How these tools were compared

The sources are the pricing page and help docs of each of the eight tools: Circleback's, Fathom's, Fireflies.ai's, Granola's, Otter.ai's, Microsoft's for Copilot in Teams, Zoom's for AI Companion, and Fellow's. These pages were read between October 15 and October 26, 2026, and prices are as of October 26, 2026. There is no test lab, and there are no scores or star ratings: the table reflects vendor documentation, not hands-on benchmark tests. For deeper reads, see AI notetakers without a bot, AI meeting notetaker pricing compared, a reliable AI notetaker for Zoom, Meet, Teams, and Webex, and logging call notes to Salesforce.