Free · Productivity · 6 of 7 tools · updated Oct 17, 2026
Free AI tools for meeting notes & transcription
Granola is the strongest tool for meeting notes & transcription you can use without paying, at 27/100. What you get for nothing: Individual $18/mo. 6 of the 7 tools tracked for this job have a free tier, an open-source licence, or are free outright. It is also the top-ranked tool for this job overall, free or not.
Same evidence score as the ranking — GitHub stars, Hacker News mentions, release activity, free access — recomputed nightly, never sold. See all 7 tools for meeting notes & transcription.
Top 3
evidence / 100
+ No bot joins the call, and the final notes combine your own jottings with what was actually said.
− Desktop-only capture means it cannot record a meeting you join from another device, and the free tier is a small trial.
+ The free plan has no recording limit, and summaries are ready seconds after the call ends.
− Requires a desktop app and a visible bot in the meeting; advanced summary templates and CRM sync are paid.
+ Works with any call app by sitting between your mic and the app, so background noise disappears on every platform.
− Free tier limits noise-cancellation minutes, and the always-running audio driver occasionally conflicts with other audio software.
All 6, side by side
| Tool | Score | Pricing | What you get free | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Granola | 27 | Free tier | Individual $18/mo | mac, windows, ios |
| Fathom | 20 | Free tier | Free plan with unlimited recordings; paid Premium tiers | web, mac, windows |
| Krisp | 16 | Free tier | Pro from $8/mo | mac, windows, ios |
 Fireflies.ai | 11 | Free tier | Pro from $10/mo billed annually | web, ios, android, chrome-extension |
 Otter.ai | 11 | Free tier | Pro from $8.33/mo billed annually | web, ios, android, chrome-extension |
 tl;dv | 11 | Free tier | no limits published | web, mac, windows, chrome-extension |
A free tier counts, and so does an open-source licence you can self-host — both are in the table, so a tool that is only free for a trial is not here.
Head to head: Granola vs Fathom Granola vs Krisp Fathom vs Krisp