The market’s confidence in Granola is undeniable. Following a $20 million Series A in late 2024, the company secured a massive $43 million in May 2025, signalling strong belief in its “bot-free” vision. But does the product live up to the financial hype?

This architecture makes Granola excellent for lightweight, solo note-taking where simplicity and privacy are paramount. However, this same design introduces trade-offs for teams, particularly in areas like multi-user collaboration, sophisticated organization, and synchronized playback, which are staples of bot-based alternatives.

In this review, we’ll put Granola AI to the test in real-world workflows, clarify its privacy stance and pricing, and see exactly where it shines—and where it falls short—before comparing it with the seven best Granola AI review alternatives for every use case and team size.

Granola AI Verdict at a Glance

Granola AI carves out a specific niche by prioritizing privacy and simplicity through its unique, bot-free architecture. It excels at providing fast, live transcription and AI notes directly from your device’s audio, eliminating the meeting clutter of a virtual participant. However, this design inherently limits functionality that teams often rely on, such as recording playback and deep workflow integrations, which some Granola AI review alternatives exceed.

Key Strengths and Limitations of Granola AI

Pros:

• No bot joins your calls, creating a distraction-free meeting environment.
• Works with any desktop application that outputs audio, from Zoom to webinars.
• Delivers reliable, real-time transcription for clear audio sources.
• Useful templates and a quick “Ask Granola” feature for instant summaries.
• Granola (Business) offers native integrations with Zapier, Slack, Notion, HubSpot, Attio, and Affinity

Cons:

• No Recording or Playback, which lacks audio/video recording, making it impossible to verify context or review spoken nuance.
• Organization tools are basic, hindering multi-user collaboration and content governance.
• Free Plan Limits: Basic plan includes 14 days of meeting history
• Data for Training: Granola trains on anonymized data by default, and any user can opt out in Settings. Enterprise workspaces have training off by default and org-wide controls

Who Should (and Shouldn’t) Consider Granola

Onboarding & Setup: Desktop App and Google Workspace Requirement

Getting started with Granola AI is straightforward but comes with two specific technical requirements that are crucial to understand before signing up. Unlike many web-based competitors, Granola requires a desktop application and, for the foreseeable future, a Google Workspace account. This combination provides both the foundation for its device-audio processing and a potential blocker for users outside the Google ecosystem.

The First-Run Experience and Interface

The initial setup involves downloading the desktop app, a step that some users report as a minor point of confusion if they were expecting a purely browser-based tool. Once installed, you’ll log in with your Google Workspace credentials. Historically, this has been a strict requirement, so users with personal Gmail accounts should check for any updated waitlist or policy changes, as this remains a significant gatekeeper.

Upon launching, the interface is clean and minimalist. The core functionality is front and center: you can start a “New Session” to begin transcribing any audio on your computer.

The live transcript appears in a dedicated panel within the app, and AI-generated notes are conveniently housed in a collapsible sidebar. The experience feels immediate and purpose-built for the task, with clear access to your ongoing and past transcription sessions from the main dashboard.

Live Transcription Accuracy & Speaker Identification

Granola AI’s core promise is reliable, real-time transcription, and for the most part, it delivers on this front. In testing, the text-to-speech accuracy for clear audio sources is generally strong and competitive with other lightweight tools.

However, its performance in more complex scenarios reveals the practical limitations of its bot-free architecture, particularly when it comes to speaker identification, which some Granola AI review alternatives provide.

Testing Multi-Language Transcription

A notable feature is its ability to handle multi-language calls. The system can auto-detect languages mid-conversation, which is a significant advantage for international teams or use cases like language learning classes. 

It performs well with major languages like Spanish or French, but struggles with heavy accents or rapid code-switching—areas where specialized transcription tools or advanced Granola AI review alternatives tend to do better. So, It’s a capable multi-tool, but not a master of any one language.

The Critical Impact of No Audio/Video Playback

This is Granola’s most significant trade-off. The absence of a recording means there is no way to verify the transcript against the original audio. If the speaker identification is inconsistent in a multi-person call—which it often is—you cannot re-listen to clarify who said what. Minor transcription errors become permanent and unverifiable. This fundamentally impacts trust and makes the tool unsuitable for quality assurance on critical calls, such as legal discussions, investor meetings, or sensitive client negotiations, where every word and its context matter. For these use cases, the inability to playback is a deal-breaker. This limitation alone makes some teams seek Granola AI review alternatives that include playback features for full verification.

AI Notes, Templates & “Ask Granola” in Action

Beyond raw transcription, Granola AI aims to add immediate value through its AI note-taking features. The environment is reminiscent of Notion, offering a clean, editable workspace for your meeting notes. This is supplemented by a library of templates for common meeting types (e.g., project kick-offs, 1:1s) and the ability to create custom templates, which helps standardize note-taking across recurring meetings.

The standout feature for many is “Ask Granola,” a chatbot-like interface that lets you query the transcript in real-time. It excels at providing quick, short answers to factual questions like “What are the action items?” or “Find the discussion about the Q4 budget.” It’s designed for speed and extraction, not for complex, multi-step reasoning. However, Granola AI review alternatives with advanced AI assistants may offer deeper reasoning, memory retention, or integration with external tools.

Limitations of the Q&A Feature

The primary limitation of “Ask Granola” is its lack of persistent context. Your Q&A history does not carry over between sessions, meaning you can’t build a complex understanding across multiple meetings. It’s a powerful tool for interrogating a single call, but it doesn’t learn or retain knowledge from your past interactions, limiting its utility for long-term project tracking. Many Granola AI review  alternatives now focus on building memory across meetings, making them better suited for teams that need continuity and cumulative project insights.

Custom Vocabulary for Internal Jargon

For teams with specific terminology, the custom vocabulary feature is a welcome addition. You can upload a list of internal jargon, product names, or technical terms to significantly improve transcription accuracy for those words. However, a key caveat is that this feature is disabled when using multi-language mode. You must choose between accurately transcribing specialized English terms or handling multiple languages, as you cannot effectively do both at once. Teams needing both jargon accuracy and multilingual support often look for Granola AI review alternatives that balance both seamlessly.

Organization, UI & Day-to-Day Use

Granola’s user interface excels in simplicity for individual users but reveals its limitations when used in a team environment. The day-to-day experience is streamlined for solo note-taking, with a clean, focused design that minimizes friction during live transcription. However, Granola AI review alternatives frequently offer tagging, advanced search, and role-based permissions for improved collaboration and governance.

Private vs. Shared Folders for Teams

The platform offers a basic folder system to organize transcripts, with the ability to create both private and shared folders. While this enables fundamental collaboration, it lacks the sophistication teams often need. There are no advanced sorting options, tagging systems, or role-based permissions. This minimal approach works for ad-hoc sharing but feels thin for teams requiring structured knowledge management, robust search across shared assets, or governance over sensitive meeting content. Teams needing structured collaboration often prefer Granola AI review alternatives that feature role-based access, advanced sorting, and centralized search functions across all transcripts.

Calendar Integration and UX Quirks

A genuinely helpful feature is the calendar integration, which automatically detects scheduled Google Meet calls and prompts you to start a session, ensuring you never miss a transcription. This auto-kickoff is seamless and reliable. On the flip side, some UX quirks emerge in daily use. A notable one is the inability to quickly jump to the top of a long transcript; you must manually scroll back up, which can be a minor but persistent annoyance when reviewing lengthy meetings. Overall, the experience is polished for an individual’s workflow but can feel underdeveloped for multi-user governance and scalability. Many Granola AI review alternatives refine this user experience with smoother navigation, better layout controls, and enhanced automation.

Granola Privacy, Data Use & Legal Considerations

Granola’s core architecture—transcribing device audio with no bot and no separate A/V recording—creates a uniquely seamless user experience from a privacy perspective. However, this technical approach does not eliminate the user’s legal and ethical obligations. The very invisibility of the tool means the responsibility for transparency falls entirely on you.

How Device-Only Audio Affects Consent Rules? 

While Granola doesn’t create a traditional recording, it is still capturing and processing the conversation. In the eyes of the law in many regions, this constitutes transcription or recording, triggering consent requirements. In two-party or all-party consent jurisdictions (like California or parts of the EU), you are legally obligated to inform all participants and obtain their consent before starting a Granola session. The lack of a bot makes the process less obtrusive but does not change the legal baseline.

A critical, and often overlooked, aspect of Granola’s data use is its policy on model training. By default, your transcription data is used to train and improve Granola’s AI models. The company mentions anonymization, but the specifics of this process are not publicly detailed. The ability to opt out of this data training is a feature reserved exclusively for Enterprise plan subscribers, meaning individual and Business tier users implicitly agree to contribute their data to the model.

Ethical use mandates proactive disclosure. A simple, effective practice is to include a standard notice in your meeting invitations: “For note-taking purposes, I use an AI transcription tool that processes audio locally. Please let me know if you have any concerns.” For highly sensitive discussions—such as legal negotiations, HR conversations, or confidential financial deals—it is advisable to avoid any cloud-processed transcription tool altogether unless you have a signed Enterprise agreement with explicit data control guarantees. In these scenarios, the risk outweighs the convenience.

Granola AI Pricing: Plan Breakdown & Hidden Limits

Granola’s pricing structure appears straightforward with three main tiers, but a closer look reveals important constraints, especially for free users. Understanding these limits is crucial to determining the true value proposition for your use case.

Granola Basic vs. Business vs. Enterprise

Understanding the Free Plan’s Constraints

The primary constraint of the Basic plan is the limited session history. While live transcriptions are available, you cannot build a long-term, searchable knowledge base of all your meetings. The exact number of sessions stored is not always explicitly advertised, which may cause confusion. Basic is designed for solo or occasional use. Importantly, while it does include shared folders, deeper admin controls and SSO are only available on Enterprise.

Value Assessment: Is Granola Pricing Competitive?

For a solo user who needs lightweight, bot-free note-taking, the Basic plan offers excellent value. The Business plan, however, faces stiffer competition. While $15/user/month is competitive on paper, teams paying this price for “unlimited notes” must remember they are still not getting meeting recordings, playback, speaker analytics, or robust post-call automations that are standard in similarly priced alternatives like tl;dv or Fireflies. Therefore, Granola’s pricing is competitive only for those who specifically value the bot-free model above all else; for teams seeking a full-featured meeting intelligence platform, it may represent a poorer value despite the lower cost.

Granola AI Review Alternatives: 7 Tools Compared for 2025

Choosing the right Granola AI review alternatives requires careful evaluation of several key metrics that determine a tool’s effectiveness for team collaboration and workflow integration.

Our analysis of the top alternatives focuses on five critical dimensions:

• Recording & Playback: The ability to capture and review meeting context through audio/video recording
• Speaker ID Quality: Accuracy in identifying and distinguishing between multiple speakers
• Granola offers native integrations (Business): Zapier, Slack, Notion, HubSpot, Attio, Affinity

• Admin & Analytics: Team management features and meeting intelligence insights
• Data Controls: Privacy protections and data usage transparency

After thorough testing across these criteria, Krisp emerges as our top recommendation for most teams seeking a balanced upgrade path from Granola. It preserves the simplicity users appreciate while adding the enterprise-grade features that growing organizations require.

Krisp: Best All-Around Granola AI Alternative

Krisp AI meeting assistant emerges as our top recommendation for teams seeking a balanced alternative to Granola. Alongside its AI-powered noise cancellation and accent neutralization, it delivers the capabilities Granola lacks, including full meeting recording with searchable transcripts, reliable speaker identification in group settings, and automated workflow integration with tools like Slack, Google Docs, and Salesforce.

Krisp Key Features

• Complete recording with accurate, real-time meeting transcription
• AI-powered noise cancellation and accent conversion for clearer communication
• Reliable speaker identification for clear voice attribution
• Automated workflow integration with Docs, Slack, and CRMs
• AI-powered note-taking and action item tracking
• Team administration controls and usage analytics
• Enterprise-grade data governance and privacy options

Pros

Full meeting capture enables quote verification and rep coaching

Automated workflows eliminate manual note distribution

Speaker identification makes team meetings easy to follow

Team management features support scaling organizations

Clear data controls meet enterprise compliance requirements

Strong ROI through time savings and workflow automation

Where Krisp Isn’t Ideal

Free plan caps may not fit enterprise teams

G2 Rating for 2025 October: 4.7/5 (Krisp reviews on G2)

Tl;dv: Best for Customer-Facing Teams

Tl;dv Key features

• Auto notes & summaries across Zoom, Meet, and Teams
• Recurring, multi-meeting reports and cross-meeting analytics
• Sales coaching playbooks (BANT/MEDDIC), performance dashboards, objection handling tips
• 6,000+ integrations with CRMs, PM tools, and collaboration platforms

Tl;dv Pros

Excellent “across-meetings” intelligence for spotting patterns and trends

Features that help with sales (playbooks, coaching, dashboards)

A very large library of integrations

Tl;dv Cons

Advanced features like unlimited multi-meeting reports and full integrations are only on paid tiers

G2 Rating for 2025 October: 4.7/5 (Tl;dv reviews on G2)

Otter.ai: Best for Real-Time Collaboration

Otter AI Key Features

• Real-time transcription in Zoom, Teams, Meet
• AI Chat + OtterPilot for summaries and action items
• Free plan: unlimited meetings, 300 minutes/month, 3 imports
• Cross-platform: web, iOS/Android, Chrome extension
• Paid plans expand to 1,200–6,000 minutes & CRM/SSO

Pros

Real-time transcription and summaries

AI Chat answers questions instantly

Multi-device support

Free tier good for light use

Supports English, French, Spanish

Cons

OtterPilot may seem intrusive in sensitive meetings, as its presence can disrupt conversation flow

G2 Rating for 2025 October: 4.4/5 (Otter reviews on G2)

Fireflies.ai: Best for Automated Workflows

Fireflies AI Key Features

• Real-time transcription for Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, Webex
• AI summaries, action items, topic detection
• Integrations: Slack, Notion, HubSpot, Salesforce, Asana, CRMs
• “AskFred” AI assistant + smart search & analytics
• Mobile apps, Chrome extension, API access
• GDPR, SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA (higher tiers)

Pros

Collaboration features: highlight, comment, share

Broad integrations keep workflows seamless

Free plan: unlimited transcription + 800 minutes storage

Searchable archives for quick decisions

Analytics (sentiment, speaker talk time) add insights

Cons

Bot can join late or feel intrusive

G2 Rating for 2025 October: 4.8/5 (Fireflies reviews on G2)

Gong: Best for Enterprise Sales Intelligence

Gong Key Features

• Automated coaching and performance management
• Deep CRM integrations (Salesforce, HubSpot)
• Market intelligence and competitive insights
• Enterprise-grade security and compliance

Pros

Accurate conversation intelligence drives revenue growth

Automated coaching improves team performance

Deep CRM integrations provide seamless workflow

Enterprise-grade security meets strict compliance needs

Market intelligence reveals competitive trends

Cons

Overkill for non-revenue teams and individual users

Complex implementation requires dedicated setup

G2 Rating for 2025 October: 4.7/5 (Gong reviews on G2)

Loom: Best for Async Communication

Loom Key Features

• Async video messaging for quick updates and feedback
• Screen and camera recording
• Interactive elements (reactions, comments)
• Video editing and clip creation
• Centralized video library and sharing
• Basic integrations with Slack, Notion, and Google Docs

Pros

Saves meeting time with async communication

Easy to create and share professional videos

Engagement analytics show viewer data

Simple, intuitive interface

Free plan available with core features

Cons

Not designed for live meeting transcription

Limited transcription and AI note-taking features

Basic integrations compared to dedicated meeting tools

G2 Rating for 2025 October: 4.7/5 (Loom reviews on G2)

Why Consider a Granola AI Review Alternative?

You should evaluate other options if you require:

• Recording & Playback: The ability to listen back to verify context, coach team members, or capture nuanced discussions
• Advanced Team Features: Robust permission controls, shared workspaces, and collaboration tools
• Workflow Automation: Automatic syncing of notes and action items to your CRM, project management, or documentation tools
• Enterprise Data Controls: Granola trains on anonymized data by default, and any user can opt out in Settings. Enterprise workspaces have training off by default and org-wide controls.

• Reliable Speaker Identification: Consistent speaker diarization in meetings with multiple participants

Granola vs. The Market

Tool	Recording & Playback	Speaker ID Quality	Automations & CRM	Admin & Analytics	Data Controls	Best For
Krisp	Full meeting recording + transcripts	Good real-time diarization	Slack, Docs, HubSpot, Salesforce, Zapier	Team controls, usage insights	Local/server modes, enterprise privacy	Teams needing reliable capture + automated workflows
tl;dv	Cross-platform recording & transcription	Strong for group calls	Deep integrations (Slack, Notion, HubSpot)	Shared libraries, basic analytics	Varies by plan	Teams wanting easy recording + integrations
Otter.ai	Focused on live transcription	Good speaker separation	Basic integrations, less CRM depth	Light team tools	Limited enterprise control	Sales/support teams needing archives & CRM sync
Fireflies.ai	Full recording & transcription	Good diarization	CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot), Slack, Zapier	Team workspaces, analytics	Some model training on lower tiers	Sales/support teams needing archives & CRM sync
Gong	Advanced recording & transcription	Accurate diarization	Deep native CRM + deal insights	Enterprise analytics & coaching	Enterprise-grade governance	Revenue intelligence & sales coaching
Loom	Async video recording (not live)	Good diarization	Basic integrations (Slack, Docs)	Limited admin features	Not transcription-focused	Async communication & training content

Key Advantages & Disadvantages vs. Granola

Final Thoughts: Is Granola AI Right For You?

Granola AI successfully delivers on its core promise: frictionless, bot-free transcription that respects meeting privacy. For individual users like freelancers, consultants, and solo note-takers, it provides an excellent, streamlined solution for capturing personal meeting notes without the intrusion of a virtual participant.

However, teams will quickly encounter its limitations. The lack of audio/video playback makes verification and coaching impossible, while thin organizational tools and limited integrations create workflow bottlenecks. The default data training policy also raises privacy considerations for sensitive business discussions.

If you’re exploring broader options for AI-assisted productivity, check out our guide to the best AI note-taking apps — it compares top-rated tools designed for teams that need full meeting recording, playback, and collaboration features.

Choose Granola if: You are an individual who values maximum simplicity and privacy above all else, and can accept the trade-offs of no playback and basic features.

Choose an alternative now if: You work in a team setting, need recordings for compliance or coaching, require automated workflows with other tools, or handle sensitive information. In these cases, Krisp provides the most balanced upgrade, while Fireflies.ai excels at automation, and tl;dv is ideal for customer-facing teams.

FAQs

The post I Tried Granola AI (2025): Honest Review and the 7 Best Alternatives appeared first on Krisp.

We hand-tested 12 leading AI meeting assistants to find the top options. Our rankings are based on critical factors like transcription accuracy, privacy policies, key features, and real-world value, so you can find the right tool for your needs.

What is Fireflies.ai?

Fireflies.ai is a meeting assistance tool that uses artificial intelligence to capture and process spoken dialogue. The software connects to common video conferencing applications such as Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams. It functions by automatically attending scheduled meetings to record audio, provide transcriptions, and perform analysis. Its features include generating meeting summaries and identifying key decisions or action items discussed during the conversation.

Fireflies.ai Pros & Cons

Pros	Cons
Integrates with Zoom, Meet, Teams, and Slack	Accuracy drops with accents or background noise
AI-powered summaries and sentiment analysis	Uses bots that join meetings (privacy concerns)
Affordable entry-level plan	Free plan is limited (storage and features)
Searchable transcript archives	No offline mode
Customizable workflows	Upsells for advanced AI features

Fireflies.ai has a lot of great features, however these limitations make many teams look for other AI meeting assistants. There are now a number of good solutions in the collaborative technology landscape of 2025 that fill these particular requirements. These are the best options to think about.

Why Consider Fireflies Alternatives?

Fireflies.ai is a useful device, however our tour hands-on testing and analysis of user reviews showed that it has several problems that can make you want to look for other options. Below, we break down the most common pain points.

Fireflies.ai Limitations: What Users (and We) Discovered

1. Bots Feel Intrusive and Raise Privacy Concerns

Bots are annoying and make people worry about their privacy.

Fireflies has AI bots that immediately attend your meetings as people. This lets the tool capture and transcribe talks, but it also causes two big problems:

• Privacy risks: A lot of customers don’t like the idea of a third-party bot “listening in” on private conversations, such client calls, legal meetings, or HR talks.
• Awkwardness: The bot’s presence might seem invasive, especially in smaller or more important meetings when an additional “participant” could break up the natural flow of discourse.

2. Inconsistent Accuracy in Noisy or Multi-Speaker Calls

The Issue: Fireflies’ transcription accuracy drops significantly in the following scenarios:

• Background noise (e.g., coffee shops, construction sounds, or poor mic quality).
• Multiple speakers talking over each other (common in brainstorming sessions).
• Strong accents or technical jargon (e.g., medical, legal, or engineering terms).

3. Weak Free Plan: Storage Limits and Locked Summaries

• Unlimited transcription (sounds generous, right?).
• But only 800 minutes of storage per seat—which fills up fast if you’re in back-to-back meetings.
• Limited AI summaries (you’ll need to upgrade for full features).

4. No Offline Support:

Fireflies requires an internet connection to record or transcribe meetings. This is problematic for:

• Traveling professionals (e.g., poor hotel Wi-Fi, flights, or rural areas).
• Fieldwork (e.g., sales teams, journalists, or researchers conducting interviews offline).
• Security-conscious users who prefer local recording.

When to Switch from Fireflies: A Quick Checklist

Ask yourself: 

• Do you need offline recording? 
• Are privacy/bots a concern? 
• Do you require free video recording? 
• Is accuracy critical (e.g., accents, noise)?
•  Are you on a tight budget? 
• Do you need sales coaching features? 

Best Fireflies Alternatives in 2025

Finding the best AI meeting assistant alternatives might be hard, so we did the job for you. We’ve made a list of the 12 best devices, each of which has something unique to offer.

We didn’t simply look at their marketing sites; we looked at what truly matters: what they can accomplish, how much they cost, how simple they are to use every day, and if they really deliver. You can pick the ideal tool for your team by looking at the simple analysis of each one below, which includes the good, the bad, the price, and how they compare to each other.

1. Krisp – Best Overall Alternative (Our #1 Pick)

Krisp AI Meeting Assistant is different from other meeting assistants because it focuses on improving audio in real time instead of recording with a bot. It employs powerful AI to get rid of background noise, make speech with accents easier to hear, and write down what people say in real time, all without having an internet connection. We think Krisp is the best alternative to Fireflies and our top choice. It has a lot of handy features that function offline and keeps your calls private by not allowing any bots to join.

Key Features:

• Noise cancellation in real time (gets rid of background noise).
• Accent conversion changes accents into neutral English
• AI-generated meeting notes with tasks to do.
• No bots and a focus on privacy.
• Support that operates without the internet.

Pros (From Our Testing): 

• Works with any conferencing tool (Zoom, Teams, Meet, etc.). 
• No bots—avoids privacy concerns and awkwardness in meetings. 
• Real-time transcription with speaker identification. 
• Offline mode—ideal for remote teams or poor connectivity areas. 
• Multilingual support (transcribes meetings in 16+ languages).

Cons (What We Noticed): 

• Limited free plan (40 mins/month).

Pricing:

• Free: for 7 days (full access to all premium features)
• Pro: $8/month (billed annually).
• Business: $15/month (billed annually).

G2 Rating: 4.7/5 

2. Fireflies vs Jamie: Which is Better in 2025? 

Jamie works as a meeting assistant by recording, transcribing, and summarizing conversations without being an active participation in the meeting. The program works without an internet connection and has end-to-end encryption, making it a good choice for anyone who need more data protection. 

Key Features:

• Bot-free transcription (no intrusive bots).
• Offline mode (records without internet).
• Detailed AI summaries with action items.
• Executive Assistant Sidebar (CTRL+J shortcut for quick info retrieval).
• Supports 100+ languages.

Pros:

• No bots—eliminates privacy concerns. 
• Works offline—perfect for remote or traveling teams. 
• Accurate summaries (saves time on follow-ups). 
• Intuitive sidebar for quick meeting recaps.

Cons: 

• No video recording. 
• Limited integrations (but covers essentials like Slack and Google Drive).

Pricing:

• Free: 10 meetings/month (30 mins each).
• Standard: €24/month (20 meetings, 3 hours each).
• Pro: €47/month (50 meetings, 3 hours each).
• Executive: €99/month (unlimited meetings).

G2 Rating: 4.9/5

3. Fireflies vs Otter.ai: Which is Better in 2025?

Otter.ai is a platform that transcribes meetings in real time and makes live notes and speaker tags. A lot of journalists, teachers, and teams who require quick, precise transcripts utilize it. 

Otter is wonderful for taking notes during a meeting, but Krisp makes the meeting better by getting rid of background noise for everyone and letting you use it even when you’re not connected to the internet. Here is a full look at the most important features:

Key Features:

• Live transcription (see text as it’s spoken).

• Speaker identification (tags who said what).

• Searchable transcripts (find keywords instantly).

• Integrations with Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams.

• Otter AI Chat (ask questions about your meetings).

Pros: 

• Real-time transcription. 
• Live notes—great for collaboration during calls. 
• Easy to use with a clean interface.

Cons: 

• Video recording only in the enterprise plan. 
• Limited language support (primarily English).
• No noise cancellation technology.

Pricing:

• Free: limited features

• Pro: $8.33/month (billed annually, 1200 transcription minutes).

• Business: $20/month (6,000 mins/month).

• Enterprise: Custom pricing.

G2 Rating: 4.4/5

4. Fireflies vs tl;dv: Which is Better in 2025? 

Among the best Fireflies alternatives, tl;dv stands out because it combines meeting recording with features that are useful for sales. It automatically records video, makes accurate transcripts, and uses AI to find and clip important parts of conversations. 

This focus on getting useful deal information and offering video-based coaching makes it perfect for sales teams that depend on analyzing conversations and getting performance insights.

Key Features:

• Video recording and highlight reels (share key moments).

• AI-powered summaries with action items.

• Sales coaching tools (objection tracking, playbooks).

• Multi-meeting intelligence (track trends across calls).

• Integrations with Slack, HubSpot, and Salesforce.

Pros: 

• Free audio and video recording. 
• Sales coaching features (ideal for revenue teams). 
• Multi-meeting reports (spot trends across calls).

Cons: 

• Uses bots (privacy concerns for some users). 
• No offline mode.

Pricing:

• Free: Unlimited Meetings & Viewers, Unlimited AI Moment Summaries, 10x AI Meeting Notes, 10x Ask tl;dv AI, 10x AI Multi-Meeting Reports, 5 Uploads

• Pro: $18/month (unlimited storage, advanced features, billed annually).

• Enterprise: Custom pricing.

G2 Rating: 4.7/5

5. Fireflies vs Fathom AI: Which is Better in 2025? 

​​Fathom AI, is a  meeting intelligence tool that records, transcribes, and summarizes virtual meetings. Krisp matches Fathom’s bot-free approach and extends its value by solving the primary cause of bad transcripts—poor audio quality.

Key Features:

• Free unlimited Zoom recordings.

• Works with Teams and Google Meet.

• AI-generated summaries with action items.

• No bots (privacy-first).

• One-click highlights (share key moments).

• Integrations with Google Docs and Notion.

Pros: 

• No bots—avoids privacy issues. 
• Simple and lightweight (no complex setup).

Cons: 

• Restricted platform support (only works with Zoom, Google Meet, and MS Teams). 
• Lacks sales coaching and performance tracking (not suitable for sales teams). 
• No cross-meeting analytics or reporting (unable to track trends across multiple calls).

Pricing: 

• Free plan available
• Premium: $16 monthly (billed annually)
• Team: $14/month per user (billed annually, min 2 users)
• Business: ​​$20/month per user (annual billing, min 2+ users)

G2 Rating: 5/5

6. Fireflies vs Rev.com : Which is Better in 2025? 

Rev.com is a professional transcribing app that turns audio and video materials into very precise text. Rev is great for legal, medical, media, and business teams who need transcripts, captions, and subtitles that are accurate.

Key Features:

• Human transcription (99% accuracy).

• AI transcription (faster, budget-friendly).

• Captions and subtitles (for videos).

• Supports 30+ languages.

• Integrations with Zoom, YouTube, and Vimeo.

Pros: 

• Captions and subtitles for accessibility. 
• Competitive pricing for the quality and features provided. 

​​

Cons: 

• Meeting bot joins calls, which can feel intrusive.
• No offline functionality, limiting use for in-person or remote meetings without internet.
• Meeting transcription limited (not as versatile as some competitors).

Pricing:

• Free plan available with limited features.
• Basic: $9.99 (per user/month – annually)
• Pro: $20.99

G2 Rating: 4.7/5

7. Fireflies vs Sonix: Which is Better in 2025? 

Sonix is an AI meeting tool that can transcribe and translate in over 53 languages. This makes it one of the most flexible options for worldwide teams.

Key Features:

• Transcription in 53+ languages.

• Automated translation and subtitles.

• In-browser editor (edit transcripts easily).

• AI-powered insights (identify key topics).

• Integrations with Zoom, Adobe Premiere, and Dropbox.

Pros: 

• Multilingual support (53+ languages). 
• Translation and subtitles for global teams. 
• Fast and accurate (great for long recordings).

Cons: 

• Pricing adds up for heavy users.
• Speaker Diarization Limits.

Pricing:

• Pay-as-you-go: $10/hour (only one user allowed)

• Premium: $22/month (6 hours included).

• Enterprise: Custom pricing.

G2 Rating: 4.7/5

8. Fireflies vs Trint: Which is Better in 2025?  

Trint is a transcription and subtitling program that helps instructors, journalists, and media teams work together. It can handle over 40 languages and helps teams work together in real time.

Key Features:

• Transcription in 40+ languages.

• Real-time collaboration (edit transcripts together).

• Subtitles and translations (for videos).

• Integrations with Adobe Premiere and Zapier.

• Secure and compliant (GDPR, SOC 2).

Pros: 

• Collaborative editing (team-friendly). 
• Subtitles and translations for global content.

Cons: 

• No live transcription during meetings. 
• Pricing is steep for solo users.
• Limitations on live transcription and integrations.
• Slower transcription speeds.

Pricing:

• Starter: $52/month (billed annually)
• Advanced: $60/month (billed annually)
• Enterprise: Custom

G2 Rating: 4.4/5

9. Fireflies vs Descript : Which is Better in 2025? 

Descript is a software tool that lets you edit audio and video, as well as transcribe, overdub, and record your screen. It’s perfect for podcasters, marketers, and anybody who creates content who needs to edit and write down what they say in the same location.

Key Features:

• AI transcription (edit audio/video by editing text).

• Overdub (fix mistakes with AI voice cloning).

• Screen recording (for tutorials and demos).

• Collaboration tools (team editing).

• Integrations with Adobe Premiere and Final Cut Pro.

Pros: 

• All-in-one editing and transcription. 
• Overdub feature (save time on re-recording). 
• Great for content creators (podcasts, videos, tutorials).

Cons: 

• Steep learning curve for beginners. 
• Expensive for teams.

Pricing:

• Free plan available
• Hobbyist: $16 (only 10 transcription hours/month, billed annually)
• Creator: $24 (billed annually)
• Business: $50 (billed annually)

G2 Rating: 4.6/5

10. Fireflies vs Happy Scribe: Which is Better in 2025?  

Happy Scribe can transcribe in more than 120 languages. It also gives subtitles and captions. It’s perfect for teams throughout the world that need to be able to switch between speed and accuracy.

Key Features:

• AI and human transcription (choose based on needs).

• Subtitles and captions (for videos).

• 120+ languages supported.

• Interactive editor (easy proofreading).

• Integrations with YouTube, Vimeo, and Dropbox.

Pros: 

• Human + AI options (flexibility for accuracy vs. speed). 
• 120+ languages (best for global teams). 
• Subtitles and captions for accessibility.

Cons: 

• Human transcription is pricey.
• Lower AI-powered transcription accuracy.

Pricing:

• Starting: Pay as you go (from $12 per 60min)
• Lite: $6 (billed annually, 720 minutes of AI Transcription, Subtitling, and Translation per year)
• Pro: $19 (billed annually)
• Business: $59 (billed annually)

G2 Rating: 4.8/5

11. Fireflies vs Tactiq : Which is Better in 2025? 

Tactiq utilizes Generative AI to record, write down, and get useful data from meetings. It automatically writes down what people say on popular platforms including Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom. You can also take notes in real time, produce summaries using AI, build action items, and set up custom AI prompts.

Key Features:

• Real-time transcription (see text as it’s spoken).

• Task assignment (assign action items from transcripts).

• Supports 30+ languages.

• Integrations with Slack, Notion, and Google Docs.

Pros: 

• Real-time transcription (great for live note-taking).
•  Custom AI prompts.
• Lightweight and easy to use (Chrome extension).

Cons: 

• No Video Playback. 
• Relies on free transcription from Google Meet.
• Primarily works through a Chrome extension.

Pricing:

• Free: 10 transcripts / monthly
• Pro: $8  (billed annually)
• Team: $16.67  (billed annually)
• Business: $29.16 (billed annually)

G2 Rating: 4.5/5

12. Fireflies vs Gong: Which is Better in 2025?  

Gong is a sales intelligence platform that records, transcribes, and analyzes sales calls to help teams do better. It’s made for sales teams who need a lot of information and guidance.

Key Features:

• Sales call recording and transcription.

• Revenue intelligence (track deals, objections, and trends).

• Coaching tools (playbooks, scorecards, and analytics).

• CRM integrations (Salesforce, HubSpot).

• Sentiment and talk-time analysis.

Pros: 

• Deep sales insights (track objections, deal risks, and trends). 
• Coaching tools (improve rep performance). 
• CRM integrations (sync with Salesforce, HubSpot).

Cons: 

• Expensive 
• Overkill for non-sales teams.
• The search filter is not convenient.

Pricing: Custom (contact for quote).

G2 Rating: 4.7/5

Tool	Offline Support	No Bots	Video Recording	Free Plan	G2 Rating	Best For
Krisp					4.7	Privacy, noise cancellation
Jamie					4.9	Offline, bot-free
Otter.ai					4.4	Real-time transcription
tl;dv					4.7	Sales coaching, video
Fathom					5	Free Zoom summaries
Rev.com					4.7	Human transcription
Sonix					4.7	Multilingual teams
Trint					4.4	Collaboration + subtitles
Descript					4.6	Content creation + editing
Happy Scribe				(10-minute)	4.8	Human + AI hybrid
Tactiq					4.5	Chrome users + sentiment
Gong					4.7	Sales revenue intelligence
Fireflies					4.8	General meeting notes

How to Choose the Right Fireflies Alternative (Our Buying Guide)

Your team’s specific requirements, budget, and workflow will determine which Fireflies alternative is best for you. We’ve tried each tool and made a decision framework to assist you choose the best option that fits your needs. This is different from typical competitor reviews.

Use this guide to quickly identify which tool aligns with your goals:

Decision Framework: Best Tools by Use Case

1. Privacy-First Users

Your Priorities: 

No bots joining meetings.

Offline recording for security. 

End-to-end encryption for sensitive discussions.

Our Top Picks:

• Krisp – Best for noise cancellation + privacy as well as bot-free recordings.
• Jamie – Best for bot-free recording.

While both tools eliminate privacy concerns by avoiding bots, Krisp delivers unparalleled value by not only protecting your privacy but also fundamentally improving meeting quality. Its industry-leading noise cancellation ensures everyone hears and is heard clearly

2. Sales Teams

Your Priorities: 

Video recording for deal reviews. 

Sales coaching (objection tracking, playbooks). 

CRM integrations (Salesforce, HubSpot).

Our Top Picks:

• Krisp – Best for clearer sales conversations & trusted client calls
• tl;dv – Best for video highlights + coaching.
• Gong – Best for revenue intelligence + analytics.
• Avoma – Best for AI-driven sales insights.

Tools like tl;dv and Gong look at what was spoken, but Krisp makes sure that everything is heard properly in the first place. Sales calls typically take place in places that aren’t great, like a rep’s automobile or a loud coffee shop. 

Krisp’s AI-powered noise reduction gets rid of background noise for both you and your potential client. This makes sure that your client hears you clearly and that your transcription software gets every word right. This makes transcripts for coaching more dependable, communication clearer to create client relationships, and data for your CRM more reliable.

3. Global Teams

Your Priorities: 

Multilingual transcription (50+ languages). 

Translation + subtitles for accessibility. 

Cross-platform support (Zoom, Teams, Meet).

Clear accent comprehension to overcome language barriers.

Our Top Picks:

• Krisp – Best for accent clarity & cross-cultural communication (supports 95+ language)
• Sonix – Best for 38+ languages + subtitles.
• Happy Scribe – Best for 120+ languages + human options.
• Notta – Best for budget-friendly multilingual support.

Transcription programs like Sonix and Happy Scribe are great at turning spoken words into written text in different languages, but Krisp solves the biggest problem with global meetings by acting as an AI accent converter. Its AI doesn’t just transcribe accents—it actively neutralizes them, making it easier for international team members to comprehend spoken English during live conversations.

4. Accuracy-Critical Use Cases

Your Priorities: 

Human-level transcription accuracy (99%+). 

Minimal errors in technical/legal jargon. 

High-confidence word highlighting for editing.

Our Top Picks:

• Krisp – Custom vocabulary feature allows you to upload key terms and names to guarantee 100% accuracy for specialized terms and names.
• Rev.com – Best for human transcription (99% accuracy).
• Scribie – Best for human-verified transcripts.

While services like Rev.com and Scribie excel at manual verification, Krisp ensures they have the clearest possible audio to work with from the start. 

5. Solo Users & Students

Your Priorities: 

Free or low-cost plans. 

Easy-to-use interface. 

Real-time transcription for lectures/interviews.

Our Top Picks:

• Krisp – Best for intelligent meeting notes & study materials
• Otter.ai – Best for real-time notes + free tier.
• Fathom – Best for free Zoom summaries.

While Otter.ai and Fathom provide solid transcription options, Krisp delivers something more valuable: professional-grade audio that improves every aspect of your academic and professional presence. For students recording lectures, Krisp ensures crystal-clear playback by eliminating classroom chatter and background noise. For remote learners giving presentations, it projects your voice with studio-like clarity. Additionally, Krisp transforms how you capture and utilize educational content through its advanced note-taking capabilities.

6. Content Creators & Editors

Your Priorities: 

Video/audio editing tools. 

Overdubbing (fix mistakes with AI). 

Subtitles/captions for accessibility.

Our Top Picks:

• Krisp – Best for end-to-end content creation workflow.
• Descript – Best for editing + transcription.
• Sonix – Best for subtitles + multilingual support.

Krisp improves the whole content creation process by making sure that every online interview and collaborative session records studio-quality audio from the very start. Other tools just concentrate on certain parts of production. This gives you the best possible base for editing. Also, Krisp’s meeting AI automatically makes shareable summaries, important quotations, and content snippets that producers can use right away for social media clips and ads. This is a lot more useful than just transcribing.

7. Enterprises & Large Teams

Your Priorities: 

Scalability (100+ users). 

Advanced security (SOC 2, GDPR). 

Custom workflows (APIs, SSO).

Our Top Picks:

• Krisp – Best for privacy-focused scalability, accent neutralization.
• Gong – Best for sales-driven enterprises.
• Otter.ai – Best for collaboration + integrations.

Krisp meets the stringent demands of large organizations through its robust, privacy-first architecture that processes all audio locally on the device, ensuring no sensitive data is stored or transmitted to the cloud. This approach not only provides superior security but also supports seamless scalability across global teams without performance degradation. Beyond security, Krisp enhances productivity for international enterprises through its real-time accent conversion feature, which improves clarity and understanding across diverse multilingual teams.

Why Krisp is the Best Fireflies Alternative (Our Deep Dive)

We formally tested more than a dozen Fireflies alternatives and are sure that Krisp is the best solution for most teams in 2025. This is why:

1. Industry-Leading Noise Cancellation

Fireflies has trouble with background noise, which makes transcripts wrong and makes people angry.

Krisp’s Solution:

Krisp utilizes AI to get rid of background noise in real time, so you can hear everything clearly, even in busy places.

2. AI Transcription with Speaker ID & Accent Conversion

Krisp’s Solution:

• Speaker Identification: Accurately tags who said what, even in group calls.

• Accent Conversion: Changes non-native accents into neutral English so that transcripts are easier to read.

• Real-Time Transcription: Delivers live captions during meetings.

3. Smart Meeting Summaries + AI Chat

Krisp’s Solution:

• AI-Generated Meeting Summaries: Automatically marks important points, tasks, and choices.
• AI Chat: Lets you ask questions about meetings (e.g., “What were the action items from yesterday’s call?”).

4. Bot-Free & Privacy-First

Krisp’s Solution:

• No Bots: Record meetings without joining as a participant—eliminating intrusiveness.
• Local Processing: Audio is processed on-device, not in the cloud.
• GDPR/CCPA Compliant: Meets global privacy standards.

5. Works Across Any Conferencing App

Krisp’s Solution:

• Universal Compatibility: Works with any conferencing app (Zoom, Teams, Meet, Webex, etc.).
• No Platform Lock-In: Switch tools without losing functionality.

C​​onclusion

Fireflies is a great tool to write down what happens in meetings and link to CRM systems, however it’s not flawless. Users sometimes have trouble with transcription accuracy, privacy issues, and rising prices, which may make it less useful for bigger groups or sensitive topics. If you prefer a service that is more trustworthy and has more features, you should look at the top Fireflies alternatives.

Our research demonstrated over and over again that Krisp is the finest option. Krisp solves the main problems that made people leave Fireflies in the first place. It removes background noise for everyone on the call, makes sure the audio is perfectly clear, and works without any bots that aren’t needed.

Krisp is a great choice for remote and hybrid teams looking for one of the best Fireflies competitors on the market today. It has real-time transcription, strong privacy settings, and an easy-to-use UI.

Ready for clearer, more productive meetings?

FAQs

The post Fireflies.ai Review (2025) —12 Best Alternatives to Try appeared first on Krisp.

AI meeting tools are becoming more and more popular because of these real-world needs. The global AI transcription market is undergoing remarkable transformation, projected to grow from $4.5 billion in 2024 to $19.2 billion by 2034, representing a 15.6% compound annual growth rate.

Krisp always came out on top as the most trustworthy choice after testing out a bunch of the best ones. Krisp not only helps you take notes during meetings, but it also improves the sound quality better. It achieves this by employing cutting-edge voice clarity and noise reduction technology to make sure that what is written down is clear and accurate from the outset. The ideal choice for your team will depend on what you require.

What is Otter.ai? An Objective Review

Otter.ai is a cloud-based speech-to-text platform designed to transcribe conversations in real-time. It gained early popularity by providing an accessible tool for individuals and teams to capture meeting notes, interviews, and lectures automatically. Its main job is to turn spoken words into written text, which makes conversations searchable and shareable.

The platform’s key features include:

• Live Transcription: Provides real-time captioning and note-taking during meetings.
• Speaker Identification: Distinguishes between different speakers in a conversation, labeling text accordingly.
• Team Collaboration: Lets many people work on the same transcripts in a shared workspace by accessing, highlighting, editing, and commenting on them.
• Integration: Connects with calendar and conferencing apps like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet to automatically join and record meetings.

To provide a fair view, we compared what it has to offer to the demands of most businesses.

Otter is useful, but many people still look for other options because of language, privacy, and transcribing issues.

Why Look for Otter AI Alternatives?: Key Limitations and Reasons to Switch

It’s no secret that Otter.ai helped put AI transcription on the map. A lot of teams still utilize it. But if you’ve read user reviews or spoken to other pros, you’ve probably heard the same problems come up over and over again. A lot of individuals are looking for alternate solutions because of these real-life problems, not simply the specs.

Transcription Accuracy Isn’t Always Reliable

For a tool whose main job is to transcribe speech, nothing frustrates users more than finding errors in the text. This isn’t about occasionally missing a word—it’s a pattern that makes the tool feel untrustworthy. One user put it bluntly in a G2 review:

“The accuracy of the notes can sometimes be skewed due to poor connections or bad audio quality. I’ve also noticed that when there’s a speaker with a heavy accent, the notes are not as accurate and sometimes don’t make sense.”

If you have to spend more time fixing your meeting notes than they save, the product is not helping you.

The Free Plan Feels Designed to Push You to Pay

Many people start with Otter’s free plan to test it out. But what seems like a generous offering often turns out to be restrictive. Between the tight minute limits and lack of advanced features, the jump to a paid plan feels inevitable. Yet, even after upgrading, some users don’t feel the value is there. One particularly disappointed user wrote:

“There’s nothing redeeming about this product compared to others out there… When I asked for a refund, they wouldn’t give me even a partial refund.”

It’s one thing to pay for software. It’s another to feel like you’re overpaying for what you get.

Workflow and Team Management

Software should make collaboration easier, not harder. Unfortunately, Otter’s approach to permissions and calendar integration has left some users dealing with more headaches than they signed up for. From meetings being auto-recorded without permission to confusing access settings, the administrative overhead can be real. One team lead shared:

“My team is struggling to figure out access settings. Right now, only the person who recorded a call can grant permission for others to access it.”

When software adds steps to your process instead of removing them, it’s working against your team’s momentum.

Privacy Risks and Unintended Recording

The most concerning issue is just how easy it is to record things you never meant to record. Because Otter runs continuously in the background, it’s simple to forget it’s on after your meeting ends. One user highlighted this serious flaw:

“It’s very easy to accidentally leave Otter.ai on after the end of your conversation, which means it continues to record and transcribe everything it hears. That means if you’re using it in your office, it may record and transcribe sensitive conversations, private HR matters or highly confidential information without you realizing it.”

Otter AI Limitations in Global Language Support

Otter.ai’s poor capacity to work with several languages is the biggest problem for multinational teams. It works best for English, but it doesn’t always work as well for other languages. This is a big problem for worldwide firms who have meetings in more than one language. Organizations today need technologies that can accurately and reliably transcribe meetings in dozens of languages. 

These aren’t minor inconveniences; they’re fundamental flaws that impact your team’s productivity, collaboration, and data security. If these limitations sound familiar, you’re not just looking for a different tool. You’re looking for a better way to work.

The tools we review next were built to solve these exact problems. 

Top Otter AI Alternatives in 2025

The market for AI meeting assistants has expanded dramatically, offering solutions that address Otter.ai’s well-known limitations. We’ve evaluated the leading tools based on transcription accuracy, feature set, security, and overall value to bring you this curated list of the best alternatives this year.

1. Otter vs Krisp: The Best Overall Alternative

Krisp redefines the category by combining state-of-the-art transcription with foundational audio improvements and a unique privacy-first approach. It operates at the device level, making it the most versatile and secure choice for professionals who value clarity and confidentiality.

Key Features:

• AI Noise Cancellation: Removes background noise and echo from all participants for crystal-clear calls and accurate transcripts.
• Multilingual Support: Transcribes meetings in over 100 languages.
• Interactive AI Meeting Assistant: Provides a real-time meeting summary and allows users to ask questions via chat during calls.
• Universal Compatibility: Works with any conferencing app (Zoom, Teams, Meet) without requiring individual integrations.

Pros: Unmatched audio clarity, superior privacy model, extensive language support, no meeting bot required.

Cons: The AI chat feature is newer than some dedicated chatbot interfaces.

Pricing: Free plan (7 days, full access to premium features). Paid plans start at $16/user/month (50% off billed annually).

Rating: 4.7/5 (G2)

2. Otter vs Fireflies.ai

Fireflies.ai is a powerful, automation-focused competitor that excels at capturing, summarizing, and analyzing conversations, especially for sales and revenue teams.

Key Features:

• Deep integrations with CRMs (Salesforce, HubSpot) and collaboration tools.
• Automated generation of “Super Summaries” with action items and key topics.
• Powerful search functionality across all meeting conversations.

Pros: Excellent for sales teams, strong workflow automation, and post-meeting analysis.

Cons: Requires a bot to join meetings, which can raise privacy concerns and feel obtrusive.

Pricing: Free plan available (limited AI summaries). Paid plans start at $10/user/month.

Rating: 4.8/5 (G2)

3. Otter vs Sembly AI

Sembly AI positions itself as an insights engine, offering detailed analytics and reporting on meeting performance and team engagement.

Key Features:

• Generates detailed “Smart Meeting Reports” with insights and trends.
• Reliable speaker identification and action item tracking.
• Tracks meeting performance metrics over time.

Pros: Strong analytical capabilities for managers and team leads.

Cons: Less focused on real-time interaction and collaboration during the meeting itself.

Pricing: Free plan available with limited features. Team plans start at $15/user/month.

Rating: 4.6/5 (G2)

4. Otter vs Fathom

Fathom is a popular, free-to-use alternative that provides real-time call transcription and summarization with a strong focus on seamless CRM integration.

Key Features:

• Completely free for individuals and teams.
• Automatic highlighting of key moments during calls.
• One-click push of summaries and recordings to Salesforce and HubSpot.

Pros: Exceptional value, zero-cost entry, perfect for solo sales professionals.

Cons: Primarily geared towards sales use cases, with less focus on internal team collaboration.

Pricing: Free plan available with limited features. Pro plan starts at $19/user/month.

Rating: 5/5 (G2)

5. Otter vs tl;dv

Focused exclusively on Zoom and Google Meet ecosystems, tl;dv (too long; didn’t view) is designed for users who prefer to quickly record, clip, and share key moments from meetings.

Key Features:

• One-click recording for Zoom and Google Meet.
• Easy creation and sharing of video clips and soundbites.
• Automatic transcription and chapter creation.

Pros: Extremely user-friendly for creating and sharing video snippets.

Cons: Limited to two platforms (Zoom & Google Meet), lacks broader meeting assistant features.

Pricing: Free plan available (Unlimited Transcription in 30+ Languages). Pro plan starts at $29/user/month.

Rating: 4.7/5 (G2)

6. Otter vs Notta

Notta is a strong competitor known for its high transcription accuracy rates and robust capabilities for transcribing pre-recorded audio and video files.

Key Features:

• Exceptionally high transcription accuracy rate.
• Ability to transcribe pre-recorded audio and video files.
• Good real-time transcription and note-taking.

Pros: Provides accurate transcriptions.

Cons: Less focused on the holistic meeting, collaboration, and summarization experience.

Pricing: Free plan available (120 transcription minutes/month). Paid plans start at €11.69/user/month.

Rating: 4.4/5 (G2)

7. Otter vs Descript

Descript is a unique tool that combines high-quality transcription with a full-fledged audio and video editing studio, making it ideal for content creators.

Key Features:

• “Edit audio by editing text” with its Overdub feature.
• Comprehensive screen recording and publishing tools.
• Multi-track editing for podcasts and videos.

Pros: Best for content creators, podcasters, and marketers.

Cons: Overkill for teams that only need meeting transcription and summaries.

Pricing: Free plan available. The Hobbyist plan starts at $24/user/month, 

Rating: 4.6/5 (G2)

8. Otter vs Read AI

Read AI focuses on providing real-time meeting analytics and post-meeting insights to help teams understand engagement, talk time, and sentiment during their calls.

Key Features:

• Real-time analytics dashboard showing participant engagement and talk time.
• Automated video highlights and summaries sent post-meeting.
• Sentiment analysis and meeting score to gauge effectiveness.

Pros: Unique focus on meeting analytics and participant engagement metrics.

Cons: Less emphasis on collaborative note-taking and transcription editing.

Pricing: Free plan available (5 meeting transcripts per month). Premium plan starts at $19.75/user/month.

Rating: 4/5 (G2)

9. Otter vs Grain

Grain is designed for customer-facing teams that need to easily capture, clip, and share key moments from customer interviews, sales calls, and user research sessions.

Key Features:

• Automatically records and transcribes meetings from Zoom.
• Allows users to create and share short video clips quickly.
• Organizes key moments into shareable collections and playlists.

Pros: Excellent for user research and customer feedback analysis, very intuitive clipping.

Cons: Functionality is primarily focused on Zoom and customer insights, not internal meetings.

Pricing: Free plan available (basic AI notes). Paid plans start at $19/user/month.

Rating: 4.6/5 (G2)

10. Otter vs Avoma

Avoma is an AI meeting assistant and intelligence platform built for revenue teams, focusing on the entire meeting lifecycle from preparation to follow-up.

Key Features:

• Conversation intelligence with talk-to-listen ratios and topic tracking.
• Automated coaching and feedback on meeting performance.
• Pre-meeting preparation with agenda templates and collaborative tools.

Pros: End-to-end platform for sales coaching and enablement.

Cons: A comprehensive platform with a higher price point; may be more than some teams need.

Pricing: Free plan available for 14 days. For Startups, starting at $29.

Rating: 4.6/5 (G2)

11. Otter vs Jamie

Jamie is a European-based AI assistant that specializes in generating high-quality meeting summaries and action items without requiring a calendar integration or bot.

Key Features:

• Operates without calendar access; users start Jamie manually for ad-hoc notes.
• Generates structured summaries, action items, and decisions without joining the call.
• Strong focus on data privacy and GDPR compliance.

Pros: Simple, privacy-focused approach, high-quality summaries.

Cons: Lack of automation requires manual meeting start/stop.

Pricing: Free plan available. Pro plan is €24/user/month.

Rating: 4.9/5 (G2)

12. Otter vs Gong

Gong is the market leader in revenue intelligence, providing deep analysis of customer interactions to drive sales coaching and forecasting for enterprise teams.

Key Features:

• Powerful revenue intelligence and deal forecasting.
• Detailed conversation analytics for sales coaching.
• Integrates deeply with CRMs and sales enablement tools.

Pros: Industry-standard for large sales teams, unparalleled deal insights.

Cons: Enterprise-level pricing, not designed for general meeting transcription or non-sales use.

Pricing: Pricing is available upon request, enterprise-only

Rating: 4.7/5 (G2)

Comparison Table: Otter.ai Alternatives at a Glance (2025)

How to Choose an Otter Alternative

You have a lot of options when it comes to Otter.ai alternatives, so you need to be careful about which one you choose for your squad. Don’t just look at the features; think about what you truly need. This framework could help you decide.

1. Free vs. Paid Features: Assess Your Budget & Needs

• For Individuals & Testers: Start with tools offering robust free plans. Fathom is exceptional here, offering unlimited usage for solo users. Krisp also provides a full-featured free trial to properly test its environment.
• For Teams: Look beyond minute limits. Evaluate the cost of collaboration. Paid plans typically unlock shared workspaces, admin controls, and higher accuracy, which are essential for team-wide adoption.
• Hidden Cost: Think about the “time tax” that comes with a bad free plan. The tool’s actual cost is your productivity if you spend more time fixing mistakes than it saves.

2. Multilingual Capabilities: Ensure Global Inclusivity

This is a very important difference if your team works across borders. One of the main reasons people look for other transcription services instead of Otter is because Otter.ai doesn’t support many languages.

• For Global Teams: Prioritize tools with extensive language support (50+ languages). Krisp (100+), Fireflies.ai (100+), Grain (100+), and Jamie (100+) are leading choices.
• Check for Accuracy: Support for a language doesn’t guarantee accuracy. Look for user reviews or test specific languages you need.

3. Privacy & Bot-Free Mode: Protect Sensitive Conversations

This is a major architectural difference with significant implications.

• For Maximum Privacy: Choose tools that process audio on-device instead of in the cloud. Krisp is the standout here, offering bot-free, device-level processing that never sends your audio to a server for its core noise cancellation. Jamie also offers a local processing option.
• Understand the Trade-off: Cloud-based bots (like Fireflies.ai, Gong) enable powerful features but require sending your meeting data to their servers. Always review their data security and retention policies.

4. Transcription Accuracy: Build a Foundation of Trust

The most crucial thing about any transcribing tool is how accurate it is. Nothing else matters if you can’t trust the text.

• For Technical or Complex Topics: Look for tools known for high accuracy, like Notta, or those that improve accuracy by enhancing audio first, like Krisp with its noise cancellation.
• Test It: Use a recording of a past, complex meeting to test the accuracy of a tool’s free plan before committing.

5. Integrations & Collaboration: Fit Your Workflow

The best tool is the one that works where you already do.

• For CRM & Sales Teams: Fireflies.ai, Avoma, and Gong lead with deep integrations into Salesforce, HubSpot, and other sales enablement tools.
• For General Collaboration: Ensure it works seamlessly with your core conferencing apps (Zoom, Teams, Meet). Krisp has a unique advantage here as it works with any app without requiring separate integrations.
• For Team Notes: Find out whether the tool lets more than one person highlight, comment on, and edit transcripts together in a shared workspace.

Suggested Picks: Find Your Best Fit

Using the framework above, here are our best suggestions for specific situations:

Best for Remote Teams & Overall Use: Krisp

Why: Because it’s the only tool that solves the two biggest problems with working from home: bad audio and meetings that don’t go well. It works on all platforms (Zoom, Teams, Meet) without bothersome bots. It also offers improved noise cancellation, accurate transcription, and summaries for everyone.

Best for Multilingual Users: Krisp or Fireflies.ai

Why: They can both handle more than 100 languages. Krisp is a wonderful option since it protects your privacy and makes the sound better. Use Fireflies.ai if your sales and marketing CRMs are a key part of how you operate.

Best for Privacy-Conscious Organizations: Krisp

Why: Its unique AI works on your microphone and speaker to analyze your speech data on the device itself. Cloud-based bots can’t match the degree of privacy and security that your interactions get when they’re not routed to the cloud for its basic noise suppression.

Best for Sales & Revenue Teams: Fireflies.ai or Gong

Why: They provide comprehensive CRM connectors, conversation intelligence, talk-to-listen ratios, and coaching feedback that are very helpful for sales managers and salespeople.

Why Krisp Stands Out

Krisp stands out by solving the two biggest problems in remote communication: poor audio and inefficient meetings. It does this through a powerful combination of AI and a privacy-first design. 

1. Superior AI Noise Cancellation: The Core Technology

Krisp is based on cutting-edge AI noise suppression at its core. This isn’t just a basic filter; it’s a complex neural network that has been taught to tell the difference between speech and background noise.

• How it works: The AI analyzes the audio input in real-time, instantly identifying and removing non-voice sounds, such as typing, dog barking, or street noise. This happens before the audio is sent to your conferencing app.
• The Result: You get pristine audio quality without any delay. This technology gives Krisp a unique clarity edge over basic built-in solutions offered by platforms like Zoom or Teams.

2. No Bots, No Cloud Processing

A key differentiator is Krisp’s bot-free, local-processing model.

• Your Data Stays Yours: For its core noise cancellation, audio processing occurs locally on your device. Your voice data is not sent to or stored on external servers. This commitment to privacy is a major trust advantage.
• Seamless Integration: Because it works at the device level, Krisp integrates with any communication software you use—whether it’s Zoom, Slack, Teams, or a web-based platform. There’s no need for plugins or awkward bots to join your calls.

3. Beyond Just Noise Removal

Krisp builds on its audio foundation to become a full-featured AI meeting assistant. This suite of tools is designed to automate meeting documentation and enhance productivity.

• Meeting Transcription: Krisp provides accurate, real-time meeting transcription, turning spoken conversation into searchable text. This is invaluable for reviewing discussions and ensuring nothing is missed.
• Meeting Summary: After the call, the AI automatically generates a concise meeting summary, highlighting key discussion points, decisions, and action items. This saves hours of manual note-taking.
• Record Meetings: With one click, you can record meetings directly through Krisp. The recording is automatically synced with the transcript and summary, creating a perfect, searchable archive of every important conversation.

Conclusion

While Otter.ai is a popular entry point, professionals quickly discover its constraints. The meeting length caps and import limits on its free plan can hinder productivity, while its cloud-based bot model raises valid privacy concerns for sensitive discussions.

This is why the search for superior Otter.ai alternatives leads to Krisp. It’s not just another tool; it’s a fundamental upgrade to how you communicate and collaborate.

For 2025 and beyond, Krisp stands as the definitive choice because it solves the root problems others don’t:

• It processes data on a device level, putting privacy first, so your chats stay safe.
• It gives everyone the finest sound quality possible, making their voices seem clear.
• It offers a powerful, bot-free AI meeting assistant that records, transcribes, and summarizes without intruding on your calls.

Krisp seamlessly combines world-class noise cancellation with intelligent meeting notes, removing distractions and automating follow-ups in one seamless, invisible package.

Ready to experience the difference that clarity and privacy make?

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The post Otter.ai Honest Review + 12 Best Alternatives in 2025 appeared first on Krisp.

Where these tools fit

• AI meeting assistants: Krisp, Otter, tl;dv, Fireflies, Supernormal, MeetGeek, Avoma, Jamie, Rewind
• Meeting management tools: Fellow for agendas, templates, and action items
• Collaboration hubs: Integrations into Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Slack, and CRM tools

What is Fellow.app?

Fellow is a meeting management and collaboration platform. It helps teams plan agendas, run structured meetings, and track actions. Its AI Meeting Copilot records, transcribes, and summarizes linked to calendar events.

G2 score: 4.7/5 · See reviews

Common use cases 

• Weekly team meetings with collaborative agendas and notes
• 1:1s and performance conversations with shared follow-up items
• Project kickoffs, sprint reviews, and retrospectives
• Cross-functional syncs with decisions and owners captured
• Leadership meetings that need structured discussion and action tracking
• In-person sessions where notes and actions must be centralized

Pricing

• $7/month (billed yearly)
• $11/month (billed monthly)

Why Consider Fellow Alternatives?

Fellow excels at structure. Some teams also need stronger AI audio and bot-free capture.

Common triggers to switch

• Your team needs studio-clear audio on every call
• You want bot-free recording and notes
• You need accent conversion for global teams
• You require sales intelligence beyond meeting notes
• Your budget favors a lighter, single-purpose tool

The 9 best Fellow alternatives in 2025

Below are trusted Fellow competitors. Each entry lists ideal fit, highlights, drawbacks, and starting price.

1. Krisp AI

Best for: Krisp AI meeting assistant is the best for clear calls and accurate notes without bots.

G2 score: 4.7/5 · See reviews

Krisp

4.7 out of 5 stars

Key features

• Real-time transcription with searchable history.
• Two-way noise removal and echo removal for clearer calls.
• Bot-free recording that respects privacy.
• Meeting summaries with action items and AI chat.
• Speaker identification for faster review.
• Accent conversion for clearer global speech.

Pros

• Improves input quality, not only notes.
• Accurate, free, and unlimited transcription for professionals.
• Recording works without a visible bot.

Cons

• Focused on meetings, not long-form studio podcasts.
• Some advanced features sit on paid plans.

Pricing plans: $0 · $8 · $15 per user billed annually

Fellow vs Krisp: Fellow structures meetings well. Krisp improves audio and creates reliable notes without a bot.

2) Otter.ai

Best for: Fast live transcripts with easy sharing

G2 score: 4.4/5 · See reviews

Otter.ai

4.4 out of 5 stars

Key features

• Live captions and transcripts in meetings.
• Auto-join Notetaker for Zoom, Meet, and Teams.
• Shareable notes with highlights and comments.

Pros

• Fast capture that is easy to share.
• Mobile apps help on the go.

Cons

• Bot presence may not suit sensitive calls.
• Speaker labels sometimes need cleanup.

What users say

• “Helps track conversations without constant note-taking.”

Pricing: $0 · $8.33 · $20 per user
Fellow vs Otter: Fellow is stronger on agendas. Otter is stronger on live transcripts.

3) tl;dv

Best for: Coaching and product discovery with shareable highlights

G2 score: 4.7/5 · See reviews

tl;dv

4.7 out of 5 stars

Key features

• Bot recorder creates chapters and highlights.
• Clip soundbites for coaching and alignment.
• CRM and workflow integrations.

Pros

• Great for highlight reels and coaching moments.
• Strong platform coverage for major meeting tools.

Cons

• Bot-only capture model.
• Some advanced features on higher tiers.

Pricing: $0 · $18 · $35 per user
Fellow vs tl;dv: Fellow wins on hygiene and structure. tl;dv wins on coaching and searchable highlights.

Fellow vs tl;dv: Fellow wins on meeting structure. tl;dv wins on recorded insights and coaching.

4) Fireflies.ai

Best for: Scalable capture and search across many meetings
G2 score: 4.8/5 · See reviews

Fireflies.ai

4.8 out of 5 stars

Key features

• AI transcription with robust search.
• Automated summaries and follow-ups.
• Multiple capture modes including browser extension.

Pros

• Reliable capture at scale.
• Works across major platforms.

Cons

• Bot can surprise external guests.
• Compliance settings need attention in regulated teams.

Pricing: $0 · $10 per user
Fellow vs Fireflies: Fellow is a manager’s hub. Fireflies is a capture and search powerhouse.

5) Supernormal

Best for: Quick post-meeting documentation with clean templates

G2 score: 4.4/5 · See reviews 

Supernormal

4.4 out of 5 stars

Key features

• Automatic note taking with consistent templates.
• AI summaries with actions and decisions.
• Simple export to docs and tools.

Pros

• Saves time after calls.
• Great for product and ops teams.

Cons

• Often relies on a joiner bot.
• Advanced features on higher plans.

Pricing: $0 · $18 · $29 per user

Fellow vs Supernormal: Fellow gives richer meeting hygiene. Supernormal speeds documentation.

6) Rewind AI

Best for: Personal memory and cross-app recall 

G2 score: 4.8/5 · See reviews

For a more detailed comparison, check out our Fellow.app or Rewind comparison article.

Rewind

4.5 out of 5 stars

Key features

• Personal recorder across screen and audio.
• Fast semantic search for past work.
• Wearable option for in-person capture.

Pros

• Bot-free capture beyond meetings.
• Local-first options for sensitive work.

Cons

• Different model than classic note takers.
• Limited team collaboration features.

Pricing: $0 · $19 per user
Fellow vs Rewind: Fellow is for agendas. Rewind is for lifelong recall and personal context.

7) MeetGeek

Best for: Automated recording with simple analytics.

G2 score: 4.6/5 · See reviews

MeetGeek

4.6 out of 5 stars

Key features

• Auto-join bot for major platforms.
• Summaries, tags, and searchable transcripts.
• Team library with permissions.

Pros

• Good value for automated capture.
• Useful templates for common calls.

Cons

• Bot presence may require approvals.
• Advanced analytics on higher tiers.

Pricing: $0 · $15 · $29 per user
Fellow vs MeetGeek: Fellow manages agendas. MeetGeek focuses on capture and distribution.

8) Avoma

Best for: End-to-end lifecycle with revenue intelligence

G2 score: 4.6/5 · See reviews

Avoma

4.6 out of 5 stars

Key features

• Recording, notes, and follow-ups.
• Conversation and revenue intelligence for GTM teams.
• Coaching playlists and scorecards.

Pros

• Strong fit for sales and success workflows.
• Deep CRM sync and analytics.

Cons

• Pricing scales with add-ons and seats.
• Heavier to implement than simple note takers.

Pricing: $19 · $29 · $39 per user
Fellow vs Avoma: Fellow is for team rituals. Avoma serves revenue and CS workflows.

9) Jamie

Best for: Privacy-sensitive and multilingual teams

G2 score: 4.9/5 · See reviews

Jamie

4.9 out of 5 stars

Key features

• Bot-free, device-side recording and notes.
• Multilingual transcription and summaries.
• Tasks and decisions extracted automatically.

Pros

• Private capture without a visible bot.
• Fast summaries that are easy to share.

Cons

• Meeting credits on lower tiers.
• Fewer enterprise integrations.

Pricing: €0 · €24 · €47 · €99 per user
Fellow vs Jamie: Fellow structures the session. Jamie records discreetly and summarizes well.

Comparison table

How to choose the right Fellow alternative

Use this checklist to match needs with tools.

Core choices

• Bot-based or bot-free capture
• Free plan limits or paid tiers
• Real-time or post-call workflows

Quality factors

• Transcription accuracy with your accents
• Noise cancellation for clearer input
• Speaker identification fidelity
• Summaries that match your format

Integration needs

• CRM sync for sales and success
• Project tools for follow-ups
• Security and retention controls

Decision guide

• Best for teams: Krisp, tl;dv, Fireflies, Avoma
• Best for students: Otter, Supernormal
• Best for enterprises: Avoma, Gong
• Best for privacy-sensitive work: Krisp, Jamie, Rewind

Why Krisp often leads as a Fellow alternative

Krisp combines audio clarity with a modern AI meeting assistant. It improves the audio quality of the input and the output. 

What sets Krisp apart

• Industry-leading background noise and echo removal
• Bot-free AI note taker with meeting recording and transcription
• Accurate speaker identification in notes
• Accent conversion for clearer global communication
• Meeting summaries, action items, and AI chat
• Works with any meeting platform
• Privacy-friendly approach with local processing elements

What to keep in mind

• Designed for meetings, not long-form studio recordings
• Some advanced features are on paid plans

What users say

SCREENSHOT

Final thoughts

Fellow remains strong for structured agendas and action tracking. If you need clearer audio and smarter notes, Krisp leads for most teams. Revenue teams gravitate to Avoma. For fast transcription, Otter is simple. For privacy-focused workflows, Jamie or Rewind stand out. Among these, Krisp provides a balanced mix of clarity, transcription, and AI-powered insights, making it one of the best AI note takers for modern teams.

FAQs

The post Fellow App Review and Alternatives: The 9 Best Options in 2025 appeared first on Krisp.

• automatic call recording
• live transcription
• clean post-meeting summaries without much setup

And with good reason, the average employee now sits through 62 meetings per month, and Atlassian studies show that nearly half of them are unproductive. Poorly organized meetings cost U.S. companies an estimated $399 billion every year in lost productivity. No wonder tools like Fathom have gained traction.

However, many users hit the same pain points, such as pricing that scales fast for teams, limited integrations, accuracy struggles with noisy meetings, and the fact that it always joins your calls as a visible “bot” which, of course, isn’t ideal for sensitive conversations.

On top of that, Fathom lacks features like advanced reporting, coaching insights, or multi-meeting intelligence that other AI note takers are starting to offer.

That’s where this guide comes in. I’ve tested Fathom alongside its competitors and pulled together the 10 best Fathom alternatives in 2025. You’ll see each tool’s strengths, weaknesses, and ideal use cases, plus a quick buying guide so you can choose the AI meeting assistant that actually fits your workflow.

What is Fathom AI Note Taker?

Fathom Note Taker is a meeting assistant that automatically records, transcribes, and summarizes calls on Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams. It’s best known for its polished summaries, generous free plan for individuals, and simple integrations with tools like Google Docs, Notion, Asana, and Salesforce.

Key features include:

• Automatic meeting summaries 
• Searchable transcripts 
• Integrations with popular apps 
• Support for 20+ languages

Fathom Pros and Cons

While Fathom is a solid option, it’s not for everyone. If you need more advanced insights, broader integrations, or a bot-free experience, the good news is that plenty of competitors go further. Let’s look at the best Fathom alternatives in 2025.

Best Fathom Alternatives in 2025

Now that you know what to look for in Fathom AI alternatives, let’s look at the 10 best available options for the AI meeting note taker, even going further.

1) Krisp AI — Best Overall Pick in the Best Fathom Alternatives for 2025

Krisp as the best AI meeting assistant addresses the biggest Fathom limitations: no mobile app, visible bot in calls, and limited free plan. It offers bot-free real-time transcription, free AI transcriptions, and industry-leading noise, voice, and echo cancellation, making it ideal for individuals, businesses, and teams who want accurate, distraction-free meeting notes.

Krisp Key Features

• Bot-free AI note-taking and meeting transcription, with optional bot-assisted recording
• Unlimited free AI transcription for individuals
• AI summaries, action items, and shareable notes with calendar integration
• Built-in noise, voice, and echo cancellation; accent conversion
• Real-time transcription with speaker identification
• AI note-taking Integration with Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and more
• AI chat interface to query meeting content
• Multilingual transcription support
• Meeting recording with synchronized transcription

Krisp Pros

  Unlimited free transcription tier—rare among competitors

  Industry-leading audio enhancement for noisy environments

  Clean, automated summaries with actionable insights

  Bot-free operation—no extra participant in your call

  Multilingual support for international teams

  Easy sharing and collaboration on notes

Krisp Cons

Team features and admin controls are locked behind paid tiers

Krisp Pricing

Free plan: unlimited AI transcription 

Pro: $8/month billed yearly or $16/month billed monthly with AI notes + noise cancellation

Business: $15/month billed yearly or $30/month billed monthly

G2 Rating for 2025 September: 4.7/5 (Krisp reviews on G2)

2) Otter AI — Best for Sales Team

Otter is one of the most established AI meeting assistants, known for live transcription and summaries. Recent upgrades push it deeper into sales, with an AI Sales Agent for BANT insights, CRM sync, and automated follow-ups.

Otter AI Key features

• Real-time, accurate transcription that distinguishes between speakers
• Pushes summarized notes, action items, and BANT insights to Salesforce and HubSpot
• Ask questions across all meetings to uncover trends
• Auto-joins meetings to record, transcribe, and generate summaries
• Pre-built and custom templates for sales, interviews, and project management
• Direct integration with Zoom, Teams, and Google Meet

Otter AI  Pros

  Strong live transcription with speaker attribution

  “Ask across meetings” workflow via Otter Chat for trend analysis

  Native sales features automate summaries, follow-ups, and CRM updates

  Reliable core transcription engine with proven accuracy

Otter AI Cons

Enterprise-grade controls live on Business/Enterprise plans

Otter AI Pricing

Free: 300 min/mo (30-min cap per meeting)

Pro: $8.33/user/mo billed annually ($16.99 monthly)

Business: $20/user/mo billed annually ($30 monthly)

Enterprise: custom pricing

G2 Rating for 2025 September: 4.4/5 (Otter reviews on G2)

3) Fireflies AI — Best for Customer Support Teams

Fireflies automatically records meetings, transcribes in 100+ languages, and generates AI summaries. Its “AskFred” assistant helps you query transcripts, while mobile apps and CRM/PM integrations expand its reach.

Fireflies Key features

• Meeting recorder with searchable, keyword-tagged transcripts
• Automated AI summaries (bullet points, outlines) with custom topic/tracker detection
• File upload support to process audio/video from any source
• Mobile apps for iOS and Android
• Support for transcription in 100+ languages
• Native integrations with Salesforce, HubSpot, and other CRMs
• Deep workflow integrations with Slack, Asana, Notion, and Google Suite
• Conversation Intelligence analytics (talk-to-listen ratios, sentiment, monologues)

Fireflies Pros

Paid plans include unlimited transcription and storage, ideal for heavy users

Extensive native integrations streamline workflows across multiple apps

Quickly find and replay key moments in calls with keyword search

Mobile functionality allows recording and note-taking anywhere

Fireflies Cons

Advanced analytics and video features only available on Business/Enterprise

Fireflies Pricing

Pro: $10/user/mo (annual)

Business: $19/user/mo (annual)
Enterprise: $39/user/mo (annual)

G2 Rating for 2025 September: 4.6/5 (Fireflies reviews on G2)

Top 3 Best Fathom Alternatives (Recommended)

Tool	Bot-free	File uploads	Multi-language transcription	Mobile app	Collaboration tools	AI summaries/notes
Krisp AI
Otter.ai
Fireflies.ai

4) Tactiq — Best for UX Researchers

Tactiq is a lightweight, bot-free Chrome extension that delivers live transcription for Zoom, Meet, and Teams. It then generates AI summaries, action items, and workflows that plug directly into tools like Slack, Linear, and HubSpot.

Tactiq Key features

• Bot-free, real-time transcription (no recorder bot joins the call)
• AI summaries, action items, and “AI Workflows” with integrations
• Upload recordings for transcription + global search

Tactiq Pros

Simple setup and discreet capture

Affordable team pricing with unlimited transcripts on paid tiers

Tactiq Cons

Analytics, coaching, and admin controls live on higher tiers

Tactiq Pricing

Free: 10 transcripts/mo + 5 AI credits

Pro: $8/user/mo annually ($12 monthly)

Team: $16.67/user/mo annually ($20 monthly)

Business: $29.16/user/mo annually ($40 monthly)

Enterprise: custom

G2 Rating for 2025 September: 4.5/5 (Tactiq reviews on G2)

5) Sembly AI— Best for Small Teams

Sembly is not for sales coaching; it’s for structured documentation and working together. It records, transcribes, and summaries meetings on Zoom, Teams, and Webex. It also has features like task extraction, voice ID, and shared workspaces.

Sembly Key features

• Notes made by AI that include judgments and tasks to do
• Voice recognition and meeting labeling for clarity
• Automatically join through file uploads, calendar events, and shared workspaces
• Paid plans include screen and video recording

Sembly Pros

Clear, structured outputs and task extraction

Solid cross-platform support

Sembly Cons

Paid levels only include more advanced cooperation and recording

Sembly Pricing

Free: limited transcription + summaries

Pro: $10/user/mo

Team: $15/user/mo

Enterprise: custom

G2 Rating for 2025 September: 4.6/5 (Sembly AI reviews on G2)

6) tl;dv — Best for Coaching 

tl;dv is an AI notetaker that can automatically take notes, update your CRM, and provide you insights from several meetings. It has more than 6,000 integrations and sales coaching playbooks (BANT, MEDDIC), thus it’s one of the most complete platforms out there.

Tl;dv Key features

• Auto notes & summaries across Zoom, Meet, and Teams
• Recurring, multi-meeting reports and cross-meeting analytics
• Sales coaching playbooks (BANT/MEDDIC), performance dashboards, objection handling tips
• 6,000+ integrations with CRMs, PM tools, and collaboration platforms

Tl;dv Pros

Excellent “across-meetings” intelligence for spotting patterns and trends

Features that help with sales (playbooks, coaching, dashboards)

A very large library of integrations

Tl;dv Cons

Advanced features like unlimited multi-meeting reports and full integrations are only on paid tiers

Tl;dv Pricing

Free: unlimited recordings and transcripts, limited AI credits

Pro: $18/user/mo billed annually ($29 monthly)

G2 Rating for 2025 September: 4.7/5 (Tl;dv reviews on G2)

7) Gong AI — Best for Enterprise Sales 

Gong is a complete platform for revenue intelligence. By recording client discussions, it gives you insights into deals, pipelines, and forecasts, along with AI-driven coaching. It’s made for big sales teams who need a lot of CRM integration.

Gong Key features

• AI monitors and insights for capturing conversations
• Calls are immediately linked to deal, pipeline, and forecast data.
• Coaching on a large scale with performance benchmarks
• Salesforce, HubSpot, Microsoft Dynamics, and a custom CRM API all work together.

Gong Pros

The best company in revenue analytics and forecasting 

A big enterprise ecosystem with great CRM connectivity

Gong Cons

Too much for small teams; too focused on big businesses

Gong Pricing

Contact Gong for a custom proposal

G2 Rating for 2025 September: 4.7/5 (Gong AI reviews on G2)

8) MeetGeek — Best for Mobile Users

MeetGeek automatically joins and records meetings (even if there is no host), transcribes them in more than 50 languages, and makes AI summaries with highlights and templates. Its great mobile apps, which let you gather data even when you’re not connected to the internet, make it a great choice for teams who are always on the go.

MeetGeek Key features

• Recording, uploading files, and capturing HD video without a host (premium tiers)
• AI-made summaries, highlights, and templates just for you
• Integrations with CRM/PM, Chrome extensions, and automation workflows
• Apps for iOS and Android that work offline

MeetGeek Pros

Strong mobile features (including offline capturing) 

Clear plan structures and many of integrations 

Helpful templates and workflows that highlight important tasks

MeetGeek Cons

Free plan capped at 3 hours per month

MeetGeek Pricing

Free: 3 hours/month
Pro: $15/user/mo

Business: $29/user/mo

Enterprise: $59/user/mo (annual discounts available)

G2 Rating for 2025 September: 4.6/5 (MeetGeek reviews on G2)

9) Avoma — Best For Forecasting

Avoma is a modular conversation and revenue intelligence platform as well as an AI meeting assistant. The base plan includes recording, transcription, AI notes, and follow-ups. As your team grows, you can add conversation intelligence (CI) and revenue intelligence (RI) to your plan.

Avoma Key features

• Unlimited AI Meeting Assistant: auto video recording, real-time transcription, AI notes, “Ask Avoma” per meeting, AI follow-ups
• Free viewer seats for unlimited teammates
• CI add-on such as AI scoring, playbooks, conversation analytics
• RI add-on such as deal risk tracking, methodology tracking, forecasting

Avoma Pros

Modular approach such as start small, add CI/RI features as needed

Unlimited free viewer seats make scaling easier

Avoma Cons

Full CI/RI features require separate paid add-ons per user

Avoma Pricing

AI Meeting Assistant: $19/user/mo (annual)

CI add-on: $29/user/mo (annual)

RI add-on: $29/user/mo (annual)

Enterprise: additional controls and pricing on request

G2 Rating for 2025 September: 4.6/5 (Avoma reviews on G2)

10) Bluedot — Best for Individuals

Bluedot is a Chrome extension-based, bot-free meeting notetaker. It delivers AI summaries, templates, and (on Pro tiers) video recording and imports. Designed for simplicity, it focuses on fast setup and lightweight note capture.

Bluedot Key features

• Bot-free capture via Chrome extension
• AI summaries and shareable notes
• Custom meeting templates (Pro)
• Zoom & Google Drive import (Pro), unlimited duration on higher tiers

Bluedot Pros

Clean, extension-first workflow

Unlimited video duration and imports available on Pro

Bluedot Cons

Basic plan is audio-only with a 1-hour limit per meeting

Bluedot Pricing

Basic: $18/member/mo (audio only, 1-hour limit)

Pro: $25/member/mo (unlimited video + imports/templates)

G2 Rating for 2025 September: 4.8/5 (Bluedot reviews on G2)

Best Fathom Alternatives Features Comparison

When I tested these tools, I noticed that the small things make the biggest difference. So, to keep it clear, I put my findings into the table below. It shows, at a glance, what each Fathom alternative can (and can’t) do.

Tool	Bot-free	File uploads	Multi-language transcription	Mobile app	Collaboration tools	Noise Cancellation	Accent Conversion	AI summaries/notes
Krisp AI
Otter.ai
Fireflies.ai
Tactiq
Sembly AI
tl;dv
Gong
MeetGeek
Avoma
Bluedot

Best Fathom Alternatives Pricing Comparison

I also summarized all the free and paid plans in the table below. It helped me see which tools stay budget-friendly and which ones are better suited for bigger teams or enterprises.

How to Choose the Right Tool from the Best Fathom Alternatives?

I’ve tried enough of these tools to know one thing: not every AI note taker is built for the same kind of user. Before you ditch Fathom, it’s worth thinking about what actually matters for your workflow.

Free vs Paid Plans

Some options, like Krisp and tl;dv, give you surprisingly generous free plans — unlimited recordings or transcripts that are more than enough for light use. Others, like Gong or Avoma, jump straight into premium pricing. If you only need transcripts every now and then, free will do. But if you’re running a team, you’ll eventually need the paid tiers for integrations, admin controls, and security.

Bot-Based vs Bot-Free (Privacy)

Fathom always pops into your call as a visible bot. That’s fine for internal syncs, but if you’re in front of a client or handling something sensitive, it can feel awkward. Tools like Krisp, Tactiq, and Bluedot solve this by running bot-free. On the flip side, Fireflies, Otter, and Sembly still use the classic “meeting guest” approach, which works, but isn’t exactly subtle.

Integrations

Every tool here plays nice with Zoom, Meet, and Teams,  that’s the baseline. But if you care about pushing notes into Salesforce, HubSpot, Notion, or Trello without extra clicks, then you’ll want something like Fireflies, tl;dv, or Avoma. Their integrations go deeper than Fathom’s, which can really matter if your workflow depends on automation.

Accuracy of Transcription

Transcription is where the differences show up fast. Krisp gets a boost from its built-in noise and echo cancellation, which helps in messy audio environments. Otter is razor-sharp when the sound is clean and the speaker is clear. Fireflies and MeetGeek are the safer bets if you need multiple languages covered; both handle 50+ languages well enough for international teams.

AI Summaries & Collaboration 

In 2025, just getting a transcript isn’t enough. AI summaries and collaboration tools are where the real value comes in. Krisp, Otter, and Sembly all generate decent action items and meeting summary. Sembly, MeetGeek, and Avoma focus on collaboration, with shared workspaces and searchable records. And if you care about sales coaching or cross-meeting insights, tl;dv and Gong are on another level.

Which of the Best Fathom Alternatives Fits You Best?

• For Individuals & Students → Krisp AI (bot-free, unlimited free transcription, noise cancellation that makes lectures or study groups easier to follow) or Otter.ai (handy captions and a solid mobile app).
• For Teams → Sembly AI (structured collaboration, task extraction) or MeetGeek (automation and offline mobile support).
• For Sales & Customer Success → tl;dv (coaching and objection handling) or Gong (full revenue intelligence if budget isn’t a problem).
• For Enterprises → Avoma (CI/RI add-ons, enterprise compliance) or Krisp Business (SOC 2, admin dashboards, strong privacy).

Comparing the Best Fathom Alternatives

Tool	Bot-Free	Free Plan	Paid Plan Start	Best For
Krisp AI		Unlimited transcription; 60 min/day noise cancel	Pro $8/mo	Overall Best Fathom Alternative
Otter.ai		300 min/mo; 30-min meetings	Pro $8.33/mo	Sales Teams
Fireflies.ai		800 min storage + transcription	Pro $10/mo	Customer Support Teams
Tactiq		10 transcripts + 5 AI credits	Pro $8–12/mo	UX Researchers
Sembly AI		60 min + 1 file upload	Pro $10/mo	Small Teams
Tl;dv		Unlimited transcripts & summaries	Pro $18/mo	Coaching
Gong AI			Quote-based	Enterprise Sales
MeetGeek		5 hrs transcription/mo	Pro $15/mo	Mobile
Avoma		Basic meeting assistant	$19/mo + add-ons	Forecasting
Bluedot		1 hr audio limit	Pro $25/mo	Best for Individuals

Why Consider Best Fathom Alternatives?

I looked at reviews, user comments, and real-world testing to find the primary reasons customers are leaving Fathom. Here are the key reasons:

Fathom AI Note Taker limitations

Users frequently point out Fathom AI Note Taker’s flaws, like the limits on the free plan, the visible bot experience, the lack of business compliance, the inability to upload files, the inadequate collaboration capabilities, and the fact that there is no mobile app.

A free plan with limited features

Fathom says it is a free AI meeting assistant, however the free edition only lets you record and transcribe basic meetings. The $19/user/month subscription locks away advanced tools including Ask Fathom questions, CRM connectors, and team dashboards. A lot of people now like Fathom’s competitors more because they provide better free plans that feature integrations and automation at no extra cost.

Not having bot-free experience

A lot of people don’t like that Fathom always joins your call as a visible bot. This can make it hard to trust people in meetings with clients or when talking about sensitive topics. Several Fathom options, on the other hand, offer transcription or background recording without bots, which makes them more private and professional.

There aren’t many integrations

Fathom works with Google Docs, Notion, Asana, HubSpot, and Salesforce, but the list is modest compared to platforms that offer thousands of integrations or deeper CRM and project management links. To avoid doing things by hand, teams with complicated processes sometimes opt for meeting transcription software that works with more tools.

Enterprise demands for security and compliance

Fathom’s security is good enough for individuals and small groups. But bigger businesses need enterprise-level compliance, such as SOC 2, SSO, or enhanced admin controls. Because Fathom doesn’t satisfy all business demands currently, companies that work with sensitive data are moving toward Fathom alternatives that are more compliant and ready for business.

No file uploads for transcription

Fathom can only transcribe meetings it is present at, which is another constraint. If you wish to process webinars, interviews, or recordings that aren’t online, you can’t upload audio or video files for transcription. Fathom competitors that let you upload files for transcribing make this process a lot easier.

Weak collaboration tools

Fathom was mostly made for people to utilize on their own. It doesn’t have many good collaboration tools, such as team libraries, shared dashboards, or insights from several meetings. It only has basic folders and mentions. That’s why a lot of people move to AI note takers made for teams, which have better ways to work together and follow up after meetings.

No mobile app

Fathom still doesn’t have an app for mobile devices. You can’t use your phone to record meetings or write down what people say in person, in interviews, or on the fly. In 2025, several of the finest Fathom alternatives have mobile apps for iOS and Android, which will make them more useful for hybrid and field teams.

Why Krisp Is the Best Fathom Alternative?

1. Bot-Free Recording Mode

Most note-takers join your meeting as a guest bot—that presence can feel awkward or expose sensitive calls. Krisp flips that script: it quietly records and transcribes without ever joining the call as a participant. That makes it sleek, discreet, and perfect for client sessions where you don’t want extra faces on camera.

2. Unlimited Transcription on the Free Plan

You get unlimited AI transcriptions on its free tier. That alone makes it rare among its peers and ideal for anyone who needs frequent capture without hitting hard caps.

3. Top-Tier Noise & Echo Cancellation

Noisy backgrounds? Krisp handles it. Its built-in AI noise and echo suppression filters out everything from barking dogs to distant traffic. It’s consistently rated #1 for clarity and presence even when others are competing in quiet studios.

4. AI Summaries + Interactive AI Chat

Krisp doesn’t stop at raw transcripts. It delivers AI-generated summaries and action items, curated for quick scanning and follow-ups. On top of that, there’s ongoing support for AI Chat—meaning you can query your transcript for insights using natural language (dates, decisions, tasks).

5. Mobile App — Capture on the Go

Mobile matters in 2025, and Krisp gets that. Its mobile app lets you record in-person meetings, dictate voice notes, upload audio, or even send the AI assistant bot to virtual calls. 

6. Multi-Language & Accent Support

Whether you’re working across accents or non-native speakers, Krisp’s on-device models handle it. With accent conversion and robust transcription accuracy (even in noisy environments), it adapts in real-time so nothing gets lost in translation.

My Honest Verdict on Best Fathom Alternatives

After years of testing Fathom, I keep coming back to the same conclusion: it’s good, but limited. For individuals who just want free transcripts, it works fine. But the lack of file uploads, no mobile app, shallow integrations, and the constant “bot in the room” feeling make it hard to recommend for teams or anyone who wants more than the basics.

That’s why, if you’re looking for the best Fathom alternative in 2025, my top pick after this comparison is Krisp AI. It’s bot-free, so you never have to worry about distracting meeting guests. It adds something Fathom doesn’t even attempt, such as real-time noise cancellation and it offers unlimited free transcriptions, which is rare in this space. For privacy, flexibility, and accuracy, it checks every box.

If you’ve outgrown Fathom, the next step is simple:

Source: G2

FAQs on the Best Fathom Alternatives

The post The 10 Best Fathom Alternatives in 2025 (Honest Fathom Review) appeared first on Krisp.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve tried tool after tool from popular names like Krisp AI and Fireflies.ai to newer players like Otter AI and Sonnet to see which ones actually deliver. 

What I found surprised me.

Some AI meeting note-taking apps functioned in the background without you knowing, turning talks into text with almost perfect accuracy and making short summaries of meetings. Some people had trouble with accents, technical terms, or made people feel uncomfortable by using evident recording bots. 

I looked at a lot of different sorts of meetings and picked the 10 top AI note-taking apps for meetings in 2025. I’ll give you my full review of the best AI for note-taking, talk about how each one worked in real life, and tell you which one was the best of the bunch. These tools will revolutionize the way you collect and arrange information so that you don’t have to worry about forgetting important data again and save hours of typing. 

What Is An AI Note-taking App?

An AI note taker is an application that uses artificial intelligence to automatically record meetings, generate transcripts, and create structured summaries without you having to write anything down.

Think of it as a personal AI meeting assistant that works in the background: it listens, transcribes, and organizes your notes so you can stay fully engaged in the discussion.

How Does a Note-taking app work?

Behind the scenes, AI meeting note taker apps combine speech recognition, natural language processing (NLP), and summarization models to deliver notes that are clear and actionable. Here’s what happens step by step:

1. Audio Capture & Meeting Transcription

• Bot-based apps send a virtual assistant to join your Zoom, Teams, or Google Meet.
• Bot-free apps capture audio directly from your device.
• Either way, advanced AI filters out background noise to create an accurate transcript.

2. Instead of dumping raw transcripts, AI extracts key decisions, action items, and highlights. This makes review faster and far more useful.

3. Notes can be edited, searched, and shared instantly. For businesses, this means no more confusion about “what was decided.” The AI-generated meeting summary keeps everyone aligned.

According to McKinsey, AI productivity tools can save professionals up to 3–4 hours per week normally lost to manual note-taking and follow-up. That time savings alone explains why AI note taker reviews consistently emphasize efficiency as the #1 benefit.

The Two Types of AI Note-taking Tools: Bot-Based vs. Bot-Free

Not all apps for note-taking work the same way. The market is split between bot-based and bot-free solutions, each with pros and cons depending on your needs.

Bot-Based AI Note Takers

These tools add a “virtual participant” into your meeting. The bot records audio, transcribes speech, and creates notes. While this makes the recording transparent, it can also feel intrusive—some users hesitate to speak freely when a bot is present. Plus, strict company privacy policies may block bots from joining meetings.

Best for: Teams that value transparency and want everyone to know the meeting is recorded.

Bot-Free AI Note Takers

Instead of joining as a participant, bot-free apps capture audio directly from your device. This allows for a more natural conversation flow, since no visible bot is in the meeting. It’s also a win for security, because much of the processing can happen locally—reducing risks associated with cloud storage or external data transfer.

Best for: Professionals and organizations that want discreet, secure, and seamless meeting transcription without interrupting the flow of discussion.

Trends in AI Note Taking for 2025 and Beyond

AI isn’t just a cool new thing anymore; it’s becoming a part of everyday jobs. A Grammarly 2023 survey found that 62% of employees want AI to handle meeting notes, and a third said it’s their #1 AI use case. Microsoft’s Work Trend Index shows 3 out of 4 knowledge workers already use AI tools, and the majority say it helps them save time (90%) and stay focused on meaningful work (85%). Translation? AI is freeing people from the busywork of note-taking so they can focus on strategy, creativity, and decision-making.

The market tells the same story. The AI note-taking market grew from $450M in 2023 and is forecasted to hit $2.5B by 2033 (source: Market Research Future).

AI note-taking will be as standard as email or Slack. It’s not just a “nice-to-have” anymore. It’s quickly becoming essential infrastructure for how teams record, recall, and act on information.

How We Ranked the Best AI Note-taking Apps in 2025

With dozens of apps for note-taking flooding the market, not all of them are worth your time or your data. To make this list of the best AI note takers, I relied on both hands-on testing and industry benchmarks. Each app was tested across multiple real-world scenarios: business meetings, online classes, brainstorming sessions, and one-to-one calls.

Here are the criteria I used to evaluate the best note-taking AI for 2025:

• Accuracy: every tool here can record and generate meeting summaries, but I looked closely at accuracy of meeting transcription, filler-word removal, speaker detection, and AI-powered summarization.
• Integration: I tested how well each note taking app integrated with popular platforms like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet. A top pick had to be versatile enough for hybrid workflows.
• Ease of use: a productivity tool should save time, not add it. Navigation, onboarding, and export options were weighted heavily.
• Ease of use: with sensitive meeting data at stake, I checked whether apps offered bot-free options, local processing, or encryption. This was critical for enterprise users.
• Free Trial: since the free trial option is important, I evaluated how generous each AI note taker’s free trial is, including transcription limits, meeting duration caps, and storage.
• Testing methods: very app listed here was personally tested by me in at least 3 different meeting types (team sync, client call, and lecture). My experience plays a major role in these AI note-taking app reviews.

Top 10 AI Note Taker Tools in 2025

The best AI note taking apps are: Krisp AI, Fireflies, Otter, Meetgeek, Granola, Fathom, Fellow, Jamie, Tactiq, and Supernormal.

Features	Krisp	Fireflies	Otter	Meetgeek	Granola	Fathom	Fellow	Jamie	Tactiq	Supernormal
Transcription
Real Time Transcription
Noise Cancellation
Accent Conversion
Speaker Recognition & Memory
Task, Decision & Topic Detection
AI Assistant
Supported Languages	17	100	4	50	10	28	92	100	63	60
AI Chat
AI Summaries
Mobile App

Krisp AI— Best Bot-Free AI Note Taking App for Meetings

Krisp is an AI-powered note-taking tool for meetings, letting professionals fully engage without the distraction of manual note-taking. It automatically transcribes, takes notes and summarizes meetings, removes background noise and integrates with popular productivity and CRM tools – making it one of the best AI note-taking apps for remote workers, frequent meeting attendees, and anyone collaborating in noisy or international teams.

Krisp AI chat is like having a smart assistant that understands your meetings and helps you get straight to what matters.

A Quick Look at How Krisp Works

Getting started with Krisp is simple. During my test, I installed the app, selected Krisp as my microphone and speaker in the meeting software ( tested for Zoom, Teams and Google Meet), and joined my call. From there, Krisp worked in the background, muting all the background noise.

After the meeting, I selected the meeting language and received my transcripts with accurate speaker identification in minutes. I generated notes afterwards and got all the key points in a few seconds – simple and time-saving!

Key Features 

• Bot-free meeting recording and accurate transcription
• AI-powered noise cancellation
• Clean meeting summaries with action items and key takeaways
• Krisp AI note taker Integrates with Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and more
• AI chat inside meeting notes
• Speaker identification for clear voice attribution
• Multilingual support
• Unlimited accent conversion, noise cancellation, notes and summaries in the free trial

Pros

Improves focus in noisy environments by fully removing background noise

Accurate and smooth transcription

Concise notes, summaries and action items after the meetings recordings

AI chat boosts collaboration and reduces follow-up friction

Speaker identification aids in fast scanning of notes

Language flexibility supports international conversations

Where Krisp isn’t ideal

Free trial gives access to the features for 7 days only

G2 Rating for 2025 September: 4.7/5 (Krisp reviews on G2)

Fireflies – Best AI Note-taking App for Team Collaboration

Fireflies is an AI meeting assistant that automatically records, transcribes, and summarizes conversations, making it the go-to tool for teams that need a single source of truth for their discussions. It’s built for managers, sales teams, and cross-functional collaborators who rely on shared notes and actionable follow-ups.

Quick Look at How Fireflies Works

You can invite the Fireflies bot (named “Fred”) to your meetings as a participant, or use its Chrome extension to start recording directly from your calendar. I invited the bot.

Once the meeting begins, Fred listens in, capturing everything that’s said. After the call, you’ll receive a full transcript and a smart summary in your team’s Fireflies workspace, where you and your colleagues can highlight key moments, add comments, and assign action items without ever leaving the platform.

Key Features

• Real-time transcription for Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, Webex
• AI summaries, action items, topic detection
• Integrations: Slack, Notion, HubSpot, Salesforce, Asana, CRMs
• “AskFred” AI assistant + smart search & analytics
• Mobile apps, Chrome extension, API access
• GDPR, SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA (higher tiers)

Pros

Collaboration features: highlight, comment, share

Broad integrations keep workflows seamless

Free plan: unlimited transcription + 800 minutes storage

Searchable archives for quick decisions

Analytics (sentiment, speaker talk time) add insights

Cons

Bot can join late or feel intrusive

G2 Rating for 2025 September: 4.6/5 (Fireflies reviews on G2)

Otter.ai – Best AI Note-taking App for Education & Training

Otter.ai is an AI meeting assistant that specializes in providing real-time transcription, making it an ideal tool for educational settings, training sessions, and any scenario where live captioning and instant notes are crucial. It’s one of the best AI note-taking apps for students, instructors, and professionals who need to capture information accurately as it happens.

Quick Look at How Otter AI Works

You can start using Otter.ai by having its “OtterPilot” join your scheduled video calls or by simply opening the mobile app or browser to start recording live conversations. As people speak during the call, Otter.ai instantly transcribes their words directly on your screen. After the meeting, you can review the transcript, use the AI Chat to ask some questions about the content, and get automated summaries with key points and action items, all accessible across your devices.

Key Features

• Real-time transcription in Zoom, Teams, Meet
• AI Chat + OtterPilot for summaries and action items
• Free plan: unlimited meetings, 300 minutes/month, 3 imports
• Cross-platform: web, iOS/Android, Chrome extension
• Paid plans expand to 1,200–6,000 minutes & CRM/SSO

Pros

Real-time transcription and summaries

AI Chat answers questions instantly

Multi-device support

Free tier good for light use

Supports English, French, Spanish

Cons

OtterPilot may seem intrusive in sensitive meetings, as its presence can disrupt conversation flow

G2 Rating for 2025 September: 4.4/5 (Otter reviews on G2)

Meetgeek – Best AI Note-taking App with Analytics

MeetGeek is an automated meeting recorder designed for teams and managers who want to track meeting productivity and outcomes. It goes beyond transcription to provide valuable analytics, making it ideal for sales, consulting, and project management teams focused on data-driven improvement.

Quick Look at How MeetGeek Works

MeetGeek works by automatically joining your scheduled video conferences as a participant. You simply connect your calendar, and it handles the rest. It records the meeting, transcribes it in real time, and almost instantly generates a summary. After the call, you can review the video, transcript, and key metrics, then share the most important clips and highlights directly to your team’s Slack, Notion, or other integrated apps.

Key Features

• Free plan: 5 hours transcription, 3-month storage
• AI summaries, highlights, action items
• Supports 60+ languages
• 7,000+ integrations via Zapier + Slack, Notion, Salesforce
• Chrome extension, iOS/Android apps, offline recording
• Enterprise-grade compliance: SOC 2, GDPR, HIPAA

Pros

Automated summaries & decision tracking

Huge integration ecosystem

Works across web, mobile, offline

Free plan includes summaries & search

Team-ready with custom bots and storage control

Cons

Advanced features (team spaces, templates) need paid plan

G2 Rating for 2025 September: 4.6/5 (MeetGeek reviews on G2)

Granola – Best Lightweight AI Note-taking App for Productivity

Granola is a minimalist AI notetaker designed for executives, consultants, and individual contributors who value discretion and polished outcomes over real-time features. It’s the ideal tool for anyone who just wants to have actionable write-ups instead of raw transcripts.

Quick Look at How Granola Works

Instead of a bot joining your call, the app captures audio directly from your device during meetings on Zoom, Teams, or other platforms. After the meeting, Granola processes the audio to create a transcript. You can then use its AI to instantly clean up the text or generate a polished, shareable “Writeup” based on your preferred template, all without ever storing your audio or video data.

Key Features

• Bot-free device-level capture (Zoom, Meet, Teams, Webex)
• AI “Writeups” polish rough notes into shareable docs
• Customizable meeting templates (standups, pitches, etc.)
• “Ask Granola” chat for instant queries
• Transcript text only—no audio/video storage
• Free trial: 25 meetings, AI chat, template access

Pros

Minimalist, bot-free experience

Polished summaries and writeups

Custom templates save time

Instant AI transcript cleanup

Great for execs who want actionable insights

Cons

Granola does not provide real-time transcription

G2 Rating for 2025 September: 5/5 (Granola reviews on G2)

Fathom – Best Free AI Note-taking App for Zoom Users

Fathom is an AI meeting assistant that automatically records, transcribes, and summarises calls, designed specifically for sales teams, recruiters, and consultants who need a reliable, no-cost solution. It stands out for its effortless setup and focus on helping users stay engaged in conversations without the distraction of note-taking.

Quick Look at How Fathom AI Works

Fathom is one of the best AI note-taking apps that’s incredibly straightforward. You simply install the free Zoom or Teams plugin and join your call as usual. Once the meeting starts, you click “Create Recording.” Fathom runs silently in the background, generating a real-time transcript. The moment you hang up, a full summary with key points, action items, and highlights is instantly available.

You can then share the entire summary or clip specific moments with a single click.

Key Features

• Auto transcription in Zoom, Meet, Teams (28 languages)
• Summaries & action items within 30 seconds
• “Ask Fathom” for instant Q&A from calls
• HubSpot CRM sync + Slack, Google Docs, Zapier
• Free plan: unlimited meetings, 5 AI summaries/month

Pros

Lightning-fast meeting summaries

CRM sync makes it ideal for sales teams

Ask Fathom removes need to replay calls

Flexible use on mobile & desktop

Free plan generous with unlimited transcriptions

Cons

Fathom does not offer real-time transcription.

G2 Rating for 2025 September: 5/5 (Fathom reviews on G2)

Fellow – Best AI Note-taking App for Structured Meetings

Fellow is a comprehensive meeting productivity platform designed for teams that want to structure their entire meeting lifecycle, from preparation to follow-up. It’s one of the best meeting note taking apps for managers, project leads, and revenue teams who value collaborative agendas, actionable outcomes, and a centralized hub for all me.

Quick Look at How Fellow Works

Fellow integrates directly into your workflow. Before a meeting, your team collaborates on a shared agenda within Fellow. When the meeting starts, Fellow’s AI co-pilot automatically joins your Zoom, Teams, or Meet call to record and transcribe the discussion. Fellow is one of the best note-taking apps that lets you check off agenda items and add notes in real time.

Afterward, the AI instantly generates summary and action items, which are saved in your team’s centralized library and can be synced to your CRM or project management tools.

Key Features

• Auto-joins Zoom, Meet, Teams as co-pilot
• AI notes, summaries, transcripts + centralized library
• Collaborative agendas, briefs, AI action items
• Integrations: HubSpot, Salesforce, Asana, Slack, Notion
• Supports 90+ languages, SOC 2 + GDPR/HIPAA compliant
• Centralized admin & access controls

Pros

Covers full meeting lifecycle (before, during, after)

“Ask Fellow” chatbot for instant queries

50+ integrations across CRMs and PM tools

Enterprise-grade compliance and admin tools

Multi-language support

Cons

Advanced CRM sync and templates require upgrade

G2 Rating for 2025 September: 4.7/5 (Fellow reviews on G2)

Jamie – Best AI Note-taking App for Concise Summaries

Jamie is designed for executives and professionals in Europe and beyond who prioritize data privacy and concise, accurate meeting outputs. It’s one of the best apps for note-taking for anyone attending meetings online or in-person who needs detailed, structured notes and summaries without the intrusion of a meeting bot.

A Quick Look at How Jamie Works

Jamie offers a discreet, bot-free experience. You simply start a recording from your computer or phone at the beginning of any meeting—whether it’s a video call or an in-person discussion. After the meeting, Jamie processes the audio and delivers a highly accurate transcript, a concise summary, action items, and speaker identification. You can then use the “Ask Jamie” AI assistant to query your notes or apply custom templates for specific industries.

Key Features

• Bot-free transcription, works online & in-person
• AI summaries, transcripts, action items, speaker ID
• “Ask Jamie” AI assistant with GPT-4 + Claude
• Custom templates & industry-specific terminology
• GDPR-compliant, EU hosting
• Free plan: 10 meetings/month, 30 minutes each

Pros

Bot-free & privacy-first

Accurate summaries and transcripts

Custom templates for workflows

Ask Jamie boosts follow-ups

GDPR/EU data hosting

Cons

No live transcription—only post-meeting notes

G2 Rating for 2025 September: 4.9/5 (Jamie reviews on G2)

Tactiq – Best AI Note-taking App for Google Meet & Teams

Tactiq is a Chrome extension that provides live transcription and AI-powered workflows directly within Google Meet, Zoom, and Teams. It’s perfect for sales teams, project managers, and anyone who needs instant meeting captions and the ability to turn discussions into actionable items like emails or tickets with a single click.

A Quick Look at How Tactiq Works

Tactiq is incredibly simple to use. After installing the Chrome extension, it automatically appears as an overlay in your supported video calls. It transcribes the conversation in real-time without a bot. You can then highlight any part of the transcript and use a smart action to generate a summary, create a Jira ticket, draft a follow-up email, or export the notes directly to Google Docs or Notion.

Key Features

• Live transcription for Zoom, Meet, Teams (no bot)
• AI summaries & action items on demand
• Smart AI workflows (emails, Jira tickets, etc.)
• Supports 30+ languages
• Chrome extension with export to Docs, Notion, Dropbox
• Free plan: 10 transcripts/month + 5 AI credits

Pros

Real-time transcription

AI workflows automate tasks fast

No bot—meetings flow naturally

Simple Chrome extension setup

Free plan good for testing

Cons

Pro plan pricey for midsize teams

G2 Rating for 2025 September: 4.5/5 (Tactiq reviews on G2)

Supernormal – Best AI Note-taking App for Startups

Supernormal is an AI notetaker built for the fast-paced, tool-heavy environment of startups. It focuses on automating meeting follow-ups with clean, structured notes and deep integrations into popular SaaS tools, all through a simple, bot-free recording process.

Quick Look at How Supernormal Works

Supernormal is one of the best note-taking AIs that works silently in the background. You grant it permission to access your microphone and it automatically detects when you join a Google Meet, Zoom, or Teams call. It records and transcribes the meeting without a bot. Minutes after you hang up, a summary appears in your Supernormal workspace, complete with a transcript, speaker labels, and action items.

You can then share the note via link or send it directly to Slack, Asana, or your CRM.

Key Features

• Bot-free capture for Google Meet, Zoom, Teams
• Speaker-labeled transcripts, AI summaries, action items
• “Ask Norma” AI assistant for instant Q&A
• Integrates with Asana, Slack, HubSpot, Salesforce, Zapier
• Free Starter: unlimited meetings, 1,000 min storage/user
• Paid plans: Pro & Business add unlimited storage, templates, automation

Pros

Bot-free and seamless capture

Clear, structured summaries with labels & actions

Wide integration support

Free plan generous with 1,000 minutes storage

Ask Norma AI chat adds search & context

Cons

Limited export formats—best for link sharing

G2 Rating for 2025 September: 4.4/5 (Supernormal reviews on G2)

Best AI Note-taking Apps by Use Case 

AI Note-taking Apps for Students

Best AI Meeting Notes Generators

AI Transcription and Summarization Tools

Pricing Comparison for AI Note-taking Apps (2025)

As of Sept 2025, the pricing for AI note-taking tools varies widely, with free plans offering different limits on transcription minutes, meetings, and AI-powered features, while paid plans start from as low as $7/month and go up to $47/month depending on the tool and plan tier.

Final Verdict: Which App For Note Taking Wins in 2025?

After weeks of testing, one thing is clear: there’s no single “best” AI note taking app for everyone. Each tool has its strengths—Fireflies for team collaboration, Fathom for sales, Supernormal for startups, and Jamie for quick summaries. But if you’re looking for a privacy-first, distraction-free experience, Krisp takes the crown.

Unlike bot-based tools, Krisp works quietly in the background, delivering accurate transcripts, record meetings, clean meeting summaries, and even removing background noise so you can focus. It’s GDPR-compliant, secure, and built for professionals who want AI-powered productivity without compromise.

With Krisp, you’ll stop worrying about missed details, messy notes, or noisy environments. Instead, you’ll get crystal-clear transcripts, structured action items, and smarter collaboration all in real time.

FAQs About AI Note Taking Apps

The post 10 Best AI Note-Taking Apps for Meetings in 2025 (Hands-On Reviews) appeared first on Krisp.

Zoom offers built-in transcription features, but they come with accuracy limitations and restricted access based on plan type. If you need precise, AI-powered transcriptions with real-time captions and smart summaries, Krisp provides a more efficient alternative.

In this guide, we’ll explore:

• How to enable Zoom’s native transcription
• How to transcribe live meetings and recordings using Krisp
• A comparison of Krisp vs. Zoom transcription features
• Best practices for more accurate transcripts

What is Zoom Transcription?

Zoom transcription is the process of converting spoken words from a Zoom meeting into text, either in real-time or after the meeting ends. It helps participants capture discussions, review key points, and create accurate meeting records. 

Zoom offers two types of transcription:

1. Live transcription – Displays captions in real-time during a meeting.
2. Post-meeting transcription – Generates a transcript after the meeting from a recorded session.

Both transcription methods are available within Zoom, but they come with limitations in accuracy, availability, and usability. AI-powered tools like Krisp provide a more reliable and efficient alternative.

How to Enable Zoom Native Transcription?

If you’re using a Zoom Pro, Business, or Enterprise plan, you can turn on Zoom’s built-in live transcription with just a few clicks. Here’s how:

1. Sign in to your Zoom account at zoom.us.
2. Go to Settings > Meeting > In Meeting (Advanced).
3. Scroll down and find “Automated captions” – toggle it on.
4. (Optional) Enable “Full transcript” if you want a running transcript alongside the captions.
5. When you start a meeting, click “Live Transcript” in the toolbar and select “Enable”.

How to Transcribe a Zoom Meeting for Free with Krisp

Transcribing a Zoom meeting with Krisp’s AI Meeting Assistant is a simple and efficient way to capture accurate meeting notes. Follow these steps to enable real-time transcription and post-meeting summaries effortlessly.

Step 1: Set Up Krisp for Zoom

• Download and install Krisp on your computer.
• Sign in to your Krisp account.
• In Zoom’s audio settings, set Krisp as the microphone and speaker to enable noise cancellation and clear transcription.

Step 2: Start a Zoom Meeting with Krisp Transcription

• Open Zoom and start your meeting as usual.
• In Krisp, click on the Transcript feature to enable it before or during the meeting.
• Once enabled, Krisp will start transcribing the meeting in real-time and capturing important details.

Step 3: View and Access  Transcription

• As the meeting progresses, Krisp will generate real-time text transcripts available for review after the meeting.
• Transcriptions are automatically organized and saved for post-meeting review.
• You can view the transcript after the meeting ends.

Step 4: Get an AI-generated Summary

• After the meeting, Krisp can generate a meeting summary highlighting key discussion points.
• The summary includes action items, decisions, and main topics, making it easy to review.
• You can edit and refine the transcript if needed.

Step 5: Save, Share, and Export the Transcript

• Download or export the transcript in text format for documentation.
• Share the transcript with your team or use it for reference.
• Search and highlight key moments within the text.

How to Transcribe Zoom Recordings 

Transcribing a Zoom recording can help you extract key points, review discussions, or share meeting notes with others. With Krisp, you can upload your audio or video file and get a full transcript in just a few steps. 

1. Log in to Krisp and go to the AI Meeting Assistant section.
2. Click “Upload recording” and choose your Zoom audio or video file (supports MP4, M4A, and MP3).
3. Krisp will process the file and generate a full transcript using AI.
4. Once the transcription is ready, you’ll see speaker labels and an optional summary.
5. You can then edit, search, and export the transcript as needed.

This method works well for any recorded Zoom meeting, even if Krisp wasn’t active during the live session and you were not the host. 

Krisp Transcription vs. Zoom Native Transcription

Feature	Zoom Built-in Transcription	Krisp AI Transcription
Live transcription	Yes (Paid Plans)	Yes (Higher Accuracy)
Post-meeting transcripts	Requires Cloud Recording	Works for live & recorded meetings
Speaker identification	No	Yes
Noise cancellation	No	Yes
Automatic summaries	No	Yes