TL;DR
The best meeting notes software in 2026 depends on your priorities. For privacy and local processing, Meetily leads with open-source AI meeting assistant capabilities that work offline. For enterprise integrations, Fireflies and Otter.ai offer robust cloud features. This guide compares 8 top AI meeting assistants across features, pricing, and privacy to help you choose the right meeting AI for your needs.
Meeting notes software has evolved dramatically. What started as simple transcription tools has grown into sophisticated AI meeting assistants that capture, summarize, and analyze every conversation.
But with dozens of options available, choosing the right meeting AI for your team isn't straightforward. Do you need cloud convenience or local privacy? Bot-based recording or invisible capture? Enterprise features or simple functionality?
This comprehensive comparison covers the best meeting notes software in 2026, analyzing each AI meeting assistant across the metrics that actually matter.
What Is Meeting Notes Software?
Meeting notes software uses AI to automatically capture, transcribe, and summarize meetings. Modern AI meeting assistants go beyond simple recording to provide:
- Automatic transcription - Speech-to-text conversion in real-time
- Speaker identification - Who said what during the meeting
- AI summaries - Key points extracted automatically
- Action item detection - Tasks identified and assigned
- Searchable archives - Find any meeting by keyword
The best meeting AI tools integrate with your calendar, video platforms, and productivity apps to create a seamless workflow.
AI Meeting Assistant vs Meeting Recorder
A meeting recorder simply captures audio/video. An AI meeting assistant goes further - transcribing, summarizing, identifying action items, and integrating with your workflow. Most tools in this guide are full AI meeting assistants, not just recorders.
Best Meeting Notes Software in 2026
1. Meetily (Best for Privacy & Local AI)
Starting Price: Free (open source) | Pro from $29 one-time
Meetily is an AI powered meeting assistant that runs entirely on your local machine. No cloud uploads, no meeting bots, no subscriptions - just private, AI-enhanced meeting notes.
What Sets It Apart:
- 100% local processing - meetings never leave your computer
- Bot-free recording (invisible to other participants)
- Works offline after initial setup
- Open source (MIT license)
- AI transcription using Whisper or Parakeet engines
- Automatic summaries and action items
- Cross-platform: Windows, macOS, Linux
Best For: Teams that handle sensitive information, compliance-focused organizations, and anyone who values data sovereignty over cloud convenience.
Limitations: No mobile app, collaboration requires file sharing (no cloud sync), requires decent hardware for real-time transcription.
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The privacy-first AI meeting assistant that works offline.
2. Otter.ai (Best for Real-Time Collaboration)
Starting Price: Free tier | Pro from $16.99/month
Otter.ai pioneered the AI meeting notes space and remains a strong contender for real-time collaboration.
What Sets It Apart:
- Real-time transcription during meetings
- Live collaboration on notes
- OtterPilot bot joins meetings automatically
- Good speaker identification
- Integrates with Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams
Best For: Teams that need real-time collaboration during meetings and don't have strict privacy requirements.
Limitations: All data stored on Otter's cloud servers, visible bot joins meetings, free tier has monthly limits, US-based servers may cause GDPR issues.
3. Fireflies.ai (Best for CRM Integration)
Starting Price: Free tier | Pro from $18/month
Fireflies.ai focuses heavily on sales and CRM integrations, making it ideal for revenue teams.
What Sets It Apart:
- Deep CRM integrations (Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive)
- AI-powered conversation intelligence
- Call sentiment analysis
- Topic and keyword tracking
- Automatic meeting summaries pushed to CRM
Best For: Sales teams that need meeting intelligence piped directly into their CRM without manual data entry.
Limitations: Visible "Fireflies.ai Notetaker" bot joins all meetings, cloud-only (no local option), learning curve for advanced features.
4. Granola (Best for Mac Users)
Starting Price: Free (25 meetings lifetime) | Individual from $18/month
Granola offers a clean, Mac-native meeting notes experience with AI enhancement and bot-free recording.
What Sets It Apart:
- Bot-free - listens to device audio, no meeting bot
- Beautiful Mac-native interface
- Combines your manual notes with AI transcription
- Built-in AI chat assistant (Cmd+J)
- Note templates for sales, interviews, stand-ups
- 90-95% transcription accuracy
Best For: Mac users who want a lightweight, bot-free meeting AI that enhances rather than replaces their note-taking style.
Limitations: Free tier is only 25 meetings total (lifetime, not monthly), cloud-based processing despite local capture, model training opt-out requires Enterprise tier ($35+/month), limited to 10+ languages.
5. Fathom (Best Free Option with Generous Limits)
Starting Price: Free (unlimited recordings) | Premium from $15-19/month
Fathom offers genuinely unlimited free recording and transcription, making it the most accessible meeting assistant ai.
What Sets It Apart:
- Unlimited free recording, transcription, and storage (truly unlimited, not a trial)
- AI highlights and video clips of key moments
- 5 AI summaries per month on free tier (unlimited on Premium)
- 30-day Premium trial for new users
- Clean, modern interface
Best For: Individuals and small teams who need robust meeting notes ai without paying, and don't have strict privacy requirements.
Limitations: Cloud-only processing, bot joins meetings (visible to participants), AI summaries limited to 5/month on free tier, advanced features require Premium upgrade after trial.
6. Microsoft Copilot (Best for Microsoft 365 Users)
Starting Price: Included with Microsoft 365 Copilot ($30/user/month)
Microsoft Copilot integrates AI meeting assistance directly into Teams.
What Sets It Apart:
- Native Teams integration (no external bot)
- Uses existing Microsoft 365 data
- AI summaries directly in Teams
- Integrates with Outlook calendar
- Enterprise security and compliance
Best For: Organizations already invested in Microsoft 365 ecosystem who want AI meeting without additional vendors.
Limitations: Expensive as add-on, only works in Teams (not Zoom/Meet), requires Microsoft 365 subscription, limited customization.
7. Zoom AI Companion (Best for Zoom-First Teams)
Starting Price: Included with paid Zoom plans | Standalone $10/month | Cross-platform $12/user/month
Zoom's AI Companion 3.0 (released December 2025) has evolved into a sophisticated meeting assistant with agentic AI capabilities.
What Sets It Apart:
- Native Zoom integration (no external bot)
- Real-time AI note-taking during meetings
- Meeting summaries with smart chapters
- Web interface at ai.zoom.us
- Cross-platform support now available (Teams, Meet, WebEx coming)
- Federated AI using Zoom + OpenAI + Anthropic models
Best For: Teams that primarily use Zoom and want AI meeting features without managing another tool.
Limitations: Summaries sometimes misinterpret context (user reports), cannot learn company-specific terminology, cross-platform requires $12/month add-on, data processed on Zoom's servers.
8. Read AI (Best for Analytics - With Caveats)
Starting Price: Free tier | Enterprise from $25/user/month
Read AI focuses on meeting analytics and engagement metrics, but comes with significant privacy concerns.
What Sets It Apart:
- Meeting engagement scores and "Meeting Score" for participants
- Speaker talk-time and participation analysis
- Attention metrics and sentiment tracking
- Cross-platform (Zoom, Teams, Meet)
- 20+ language support
Best For: Team leads who want data-driven meeting insights and don't have strict privacy requirements.
Critical Limitations:
- Banned by universities: Chapman University and University of Washington have blocked Read AI
- Auto-joins meetings: Users report it joins without explicit consent after calendar sync
- Privacy concerns: 84% 1-star reviews on TrustPilot; some users call it "malware"
- Bot visible to all participants
- Analytics can feel intrusive to team members
University Bans on Meeting AI
Some organizations have banned meeting AI tools that upload data to external servers. Chapman University notably banned Read AI over privacy concerns. If you work in education, healthcare, or government, verify your meeting notes software complies with institutional policies.
How Do AI Meeting Assistants Compare?
| Feature | MeetilyRecommended | Otter.ai | Fireflies | Fathom |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Local ProcessingAI runs on your device | ||||
| Works OfflineNo internet required | ||||
| Bot-Free RecordingInvisible to participants | ||||
| Free TierUsable without payment | ||||
| Real-Time TranscriptionLive captions/notes | ||||
| CRM IntegrationsSalesforce, HubSpot, etc. | ||||
| GDPR CompliantEU data residency | ||||
| Open SourceAuditable code |
How to Choose the Right Meeting Notes Software
Consider Your Privacy Requirements
The biggest differentiator in meeting AI is where your data goes:
| Requirement | Recommended Tool |
|---|---|
| Data must stay local | Meetily |
| GDPR/HIPAA compliance | Meetily or self-hosted |
| Cloud is acceptable | Otter.ai, Fireflies, Fathom |
| Enterprise with Microsoft | Microsoft Copilot |
| Zoom-only organization | Zoom AI Companion |
Why Privacy Matters for Meeting AI
Meeting recordings contain sensitive information: business strategies, client details, personnel discussions. Cloud meeting AI tools upload all of this to third-party servers. Even with encryption, you're trusting vendors with your most confidential conversations.
Consider Your Platform Needs
Not all meeting assistant ai tools support every platform:
| Tool | Zoom | Teams | Google Meet | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meetily | Yes | Yes | Yes | Any (system audio) |
| Otter.ai | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Fireflies | Yes | Yes | Yes | Webex, Slack |
| Fathom | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Granola | Yes | Yes | Yes | Limited |
| Copilot | No | Yes | No | No |
| Zoom AI | Yes | No | No | No |
Consider Your Budget
Meeting notes software pricing varies dramatically:
| Budget | Best Options |
|---|---|
| $0 (Free) | Meetily (open source, unlimited), Fathom (unlimited recordings, 5 AI summaries/mo) |
| $10-20/mo (annual) | Otter Pro ($8-10/mo), Fireflies Pro ($10/mo), Fathom Premium ($15-19/mo) |
| $15-20/mo (monthly) | Otter Pro ($17/mo), Fireflies Pro ($18/mo), Granola ($18/mo) |
| $25-30/mo | Read AI Enterprise ($25/mo), Microsoft Copilot ($30/mo add-on) |
| One-time | Meetily Pro ($29 one-time, no subscription) |
Consider Your Workflow
Different tools excel at different workflows:
- Sales teams: Fireflies (CRM integration)
- Legal/Healthcare: Meetily (HIPAA-friendly local processing)
- Startups: Fathom (free) or Meetily (open source)
- Enterprise Microsoft shops: Microsoft Copilot
- Remote-first teams: Otter.ai (real-time collaboration)
- Solo professionals: Granola (Mac) or Meetily (any platform)
Meeting AI Trends in 2026
Local AI Is Growing
The release of efficient local AI models (Whisper, Parakeet) has made on-device meeting transcription practical. Tools like Meetily can now match cloud accuracy while keeping data completely private.
Bot Fatigue Is Real
Users are increasingly annoyed by visible "Notetaker" bots joining their meetings. Bot-free alternatives like Meetily and platform-native options (Copilot, Zoom AI) are gaining popularity.
Integration Depth Matters
Basic transcription is commoditized. The differentiator is now integration depth - how well does your meeting AI connect to CRM, project management, and productivity tools?
Compliance Concerns Are Rising
With organizations like Chapman University banning meeting AI tools, compliance and data sovereignty are becoming purchase criteria, not afterthoughts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Key Takeaways
- 1Meetily is best for privacy-first teams needing local AI meeting assistant capabilities
- 2Fathom offers the most generous free tier with unlimited transcription
- 3Fireflies excels at CRM integration for sales teams
- 4Microsoft Copilot and Zoom AI are best for single-platform organizations
- 5Bot fatigue is driving adoption of bot-free alternatives like Meetily
- 6Local AI processing now matches cloud accuracy for meeting transcription
- 7Compliance requirements increasingly favor local processing over cloud
Conclusion
The best meeting notes software in 2026 isn't one-size-fits-all. Your choice should balance privacy requirements, platform needs, budget, and workflow integration.
For privacy-conscious teams, Meetily's local AI approach offers something no cloud tool can match: complete data sovereignty with zero compromise on features.
For sales teams, Fireflies' deep CRM integration saves hours of manual data entry.
For budget-conscious individuals, Fathom's unlimited free tier is unbeatable.
For enterprise Microsoft shops, Copilot's native Teams integration minimizes friction.
The meeting AI landscape is maturing rapidly. Tools that seemed cutting-edge two years ago now face competition from local AI alternatives, platform-native options, and increasingly sophisticated open-source projects.
Choose based on what matters most to your organization. And if privacy is anywhere on your list of priorities, seriously consider whether cloud-based meeting AI is worth the trade-off.
Try Meetily - The Privacy-First AI Meeting Assistant
Free, open source meeting notes software that runs 100% locally. No cloud, no bots, no compromise.
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