All four record a meeting and hand you notes afterward. They split on two things: how the recording happens, and what you can do with the notes once the call ends.
My pick: Fathom. Its free plan lists unlimited recordings and transcriptions, lets you choose bot or bot-free capture, and its pricing page lists a public API and MCP. That's the least restrictive free plan of the four.
- Otter.ai: best for reading the transcript live, and the lowest Pro price.
- Fireflies.ai: best for teams that want integrations, analytics and 100+ languages.
- Granola: best for lightweight solo notes with no bot in the call.
I compared them on free plan limits, how they capture audio, how your notes reach Claude or ChatGPT, and price.
| Otter.ai | Fireflies.ai | Fathom | Granola | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan | 300 minutes a month | 400 minutes storage per team | Unlimited recordings | 30 days of history |
| Bot-free option | Desktop or Chrome | Chrome extension | Mac beta | Every plan |
| AI assistant access | MCP on Basic | API on every plan | Public API and MCP | MCP, 30 days on Basic |
| Paid from | $8.33/user | $10/seat | $15/user (Team) | $14/user |
Otter.ai
Otter is the one I'd pick if you want to read along while the meeting is still going. Its free Basic plan joins Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet to write and share notes.
Key features
- Live transcription and speaker identification on Basic
- AI Chat within and across meetings
- Otter MCP server on Basic, with API and webhooks on Enterprise
- Bot-free recording on desktop or in Chrome
Pros
- Live transcript during the call
- Lowest Pro price of the four
- MCP on the free plan
Cons
- Basic caps you at 300 transcription minutes a month and 30 minutes per conversation
- Basic keeps only your 25 most recent conversations
- API and webhooks need Enterprise
Pricing: Basic is free. Pro is $8.33 per user per month billed annually or $16.99 monthly, and Business is $19.99 or $30. See Otter's pricing page.
Best for: People who read along during calls and want the cheapest paid plan.
Fireflies.ai
Fireflies is a meeting bot with search, an AI assistant and API access, and it gets more useful once you pay and unlock integrations and analytics.
Key features
- Records Zoom, Google Meet, Teams and 10+ other platforms
- Chrome extension that records without the Fireflies bot
- Meeting search, the AskFred assistant, a desktop app and API access on Free
- Transcription in 100+ languages
Pros
- API on the free plan
- Unlimited integrations from Pro
- Conversation intelligence and team analytics on Business
- The widest language list of the four
Cons
- Free has no app integrations and limited AI summaries
- Free storage is capped at 400 minutes per team
- Video recording and action items with a task manager start on Pro
- HIPAA and SSO are Enterprise only
Pricing: Free is $0. Pro is $10 per seat per month billed annually or $18 monthly, Business is $19 or $29, and Enterprise is $39 billed annually. See Fireflies' pricing page.
Best for: Teams that want analysis and integrations layered on their transcripts.
Fathom
Fathom is my overall pick because the free plan asks the least of you: unlimited recordings and transcriptions, instant AI call summaries, and a choice of bot or bot-free capture.
Key features
- Bot for Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and Slack Huddles
- Bot-free capture in beta for Mac
- Claude and ChatGPT integrations, Zapier, Make, and a public API and MCP
- CRM field sync, a deal view, coaching metrics and AI scorecards on Business
Pros
- Unlimited recordings and transcriptions on Free
- Bot or bot-free capture on Free
- Coaching metrics and AI scorecards on Business
Cons
- Advanced summaries and Ask Fathom are limited on Free
- AI-generated action items start on Premium
- Bot-free capture is Mac only and still in beta
- No upload of recorded calls
Pricing: Free is $0. Premium is $16 per user per month billed annually or $20 monthly. Team is $15 or $19 with a 2-user minimum, and Business is $25 or $34 with a 2-user minimum. See Fathom's pricing page.
Best for: Solo users and small teams who record a lot and want a free plan without counting minutes.
Granola
Granola never adds a bot to the call. It captures device audio on every plan, including the free Basic plan, and deletes the audio after transcription.
Key features
- Bot-free device-audio capture on every plan
- Speaker tagging and custom note templates on every plan
- AI chat within and across meetings on Basic
- Desktop, iOS, Android and Apple Watch apps
Pros
- Nothing joins the call, ever
- Audio isn't kept after transcription
- MCP on the free plan
Cons
- No audio to replay what someone actually said
- Basic keeps 30 days of meeting history
- No upload of pre-recorded audio files
- API access and unlimited history need Business
Pricing: Basic is free. Business is $14 per user per month, and Enterprise is $35. See Granola's pricing page.
Best for: Solo users who want quick personal notes with nothing joining the call.
Also consider: Circleback
If you want bot and bot-free capture in one tool plus automations, Circleback is worth a look. It records Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and Webex with a bot, or from a desktop app on macOS and Windows with speaker labels and no bot. Conditional automations send meeting outcomes to a CRM, Slack, Notion, Linear, monday.com or Zapier, and API, MCP and CLI come with every plan. Free has unlimited meetings and members but locks meetings older than 30 days, CRM automations need Pro, and paid plans cost more than Otter Pro. More at circleback.ai.
How to choose
- You want the best free plan: Fathom, for unlimited recordings and transcriptions.
- You read along during calls: Otter.ai, which also has the cheapest Pro plan.
- You run a team that lives in other apps: Fireflies.ai, once you're on Pro for integrations.
- You coach a sales team: Fathom Business for scorecards and CRM field sync, or Fireflies Business for conversation intelligence.
- You never want a bot in the call: Granola.
FAQ
What is the best free AI notetaker of these four?
Fathom. Its free plan lists unlimited recordings and transcriptions, plus a choice of bot or bot-free capture. Otter caps minutes, Fireflies caps storage, and Granola keeps 30 days of history.
Which ones record without a bot?
All four have a way. Granola captures device audio on every plan, Fathom has bot-free capture in beta on Mac, Fireflies has a Chrome extension that records without its bot, and Otter offers bot-free recording on desktop or in Chrome.
Can I ask Claude or ChatGPT about my meetings?
Yes, with any of them. Fathom lists Claude and ChatGPT integrations and an MCP, Granola's MCP covers the last 30 days of personal notes on Basic, and Otter has an MCP server on Basic. Fireflies documents a remote MCP server and includes API access on every plan.
What happens to old meetings on a free plan?
It depends on the tool. Otter Basic keeps only your 25 most recent conversations, Granola Basic keeps 30 days of history, and Fireflies Free caps storage at 400 minutes per team. Fathom lists unlimited recording and call storage on every plan.
Which one is cheapest if I pay?
Otter.ai. Pro is $8.33 per user per month billed annually, below Fireflies Pro at $10 per seat, Granola Business at $14 and Fathom Team at $15.