Meeting note-takers differ most on what the free plan allows. One caps transcription minutes, another lists unlimited recordings. Both approaches are reasonable; they suit different meeting habits.
Before you choose, check whether a bot joins your calls, which calendar and video platforms you use, and who in your organisation must consent to recording.
Freelancers, consultants and small teams who hold client or team calls and want a transcript, a summary and a list of actions without typing notes live.
Documented plan details, listed alphabetically. Free-plan availability does not mean every feature is included. Compare confirmed free plans across categories.
Scroll sideways in the table to compare prices and tradeoffs.
| Tool | Free plan | Paid entry price | Main tradeoff |
|---|---|---|---|
| FathomChecked 20 Oct 2026 | Unlimited recordings and transcriptions | From $15/user/mo (currency not named), billed annually, or $19 (currency not named) month-to-month | Team and Business plans have a 2-user minimum, and the page leaves some "limited use" items unclear. |
| Fireflies.aiChecked 20 Oct 2026 | Unlimited transcription (asterisked on the page); limited AI summaries; 400 minutes of storage per team; 20 AI credits | From $10/seat/mo (currency not named), billed annually, or $18 (currency not named) month-to-month | The free plan has 400 minutes of storage per team and limited AI summaries, and AI credits are small allowances (20 to 50). |
| Otter.aiChecked 20 Oct 2026 | 300 monthly transcription minutes; 3 lifetime imports; 30 minutes per conversation; 25 conversations kept; 20 AI Chat queries per month | From $8.33/user/mo, billed annually, or $16.99 month-to-month | Basic keeps only the 25 most recent conversations and allows 3 lifetime file imports. |
Meeting notes
Meeting recorder whose free plan lists unlimited recordings and transcripts.
Best for: Freelancers and sales teams who want unlimited free call recording
Meeting notes
Meeting bot and Chrome extension with unlimited transcription listed on every plan.
Best for: Teams recording many meetings that want unlimited transcription on paid seats
Meeting notes
Meeting transcription with a free plan capped at 300 minutes a month.
Best for: Individuals who want a free transcription plan with every limit itemised
Chosen from published plan details. Not hands-on tested, and not influenced by affiliate status.
Free plans here are built differently. One lists unlimited recordings and transcriptions; another caps minutes a month, minutes per conversation and lifetime imports; a third lists unlimited transcription with an unexplained footnote and limited AI summaries. Match the limit to your longest call, not an average one.
Counted from our records of the 3 tools here: 3 have a confirmed free plan, 0 offer only a free trial, 3 price per seat, 0 meter credits or usage, and 2 show prices without naming the currency.
We have not verified any vendor's data handling and do not give legal advice. See the privacy review checklist.
Go deeper: Choosing a meeting note-taker on a free plan (guide); From call to a follow-up you can trust (guide); Why is my AI summary inaccurate? (guide); Turn a meeting into a reviewed follow-up (workflow); Otter.ai vs Fathom: free plans and paid tiers compared (comparison);cost planner.
Minutes per month, maximum length per conversation and history retention decide whether free is workable.
Some tiers have a two-user minimum. Multiply the per-user price by your actual headcount.
Chat queries and summaries are sometimes capped per user per month.
Recording tools capture other people's speech. Read each vendor's data terms and tell participants.
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Illustrative workflows for meetings, follow-ups, product photos, marketing video and team documents, with the free-plan limits that matter at each step.
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Turn a client call into a checked follow-up email: free-plan limits for three recorders, a reusable prompt, a checklist and fixes for a wrong summary.
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How to turn per-seat prices into a real yearly cost, with worked examples from USD-confirmed pricing pages and the minimum-seat and commitment traps to check.
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How Otter.ai and Fathom draw the free-plan line differently, and what to check before you rely on either.
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