Method: We checked each provider's official pricing, feature, help and security pages on July 16, 2026. Prices, free allowances and language support can change. Confirm the final terms on the provider's checkout or contract page.
Limit: Transcript output varies with microphones, speakers, accents, terminology, language and meeting conditions. We do not claim that one product is universally the most accurate.
Disclosure: This article contains no affiliate links at publication. Any future affiliate link will be labelled near the link and handled under our Affiliate Disclosure.
Conclusion: choose by meeting workflow, language and data controls—not only free minutes
Otter.ai
A candidate for teams that want Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet capture with AI chat and meeting workflows in the same service.
Fireflies.ai
A candidate for teams comparing 100+ languages, multiple meeting services and CRM or workflow integrations.
Notta
A candidate for Japanese pricing, web meetings, imported files and device recording in one workspace.
tl;dv
A candidate for testing Zoom, Teams and Google Meet recording and transcription on a free plan, with multi-meeting insights available.
Fathom
A candidate for individuals starting with free unlimited recordings, storage and transcripts before adding advanced summaries or team features.
Comparison table
| Tool | Meeting platforms and capture | Free plan and pricing structure | Verified product points | Data-protection point to review |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Otter.ai | Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet; auto-join plus desktop, Chrome and mobile capture. | Basic: free, 300 monthly minutes. Pro: $16.99 monthly or $8.33/user/month billed annually. Business: $30 monthly or $19.99/user/month billed annually. | Live transcription, speaker identification, AI Chat, meeting templates and Business administration/analytics. | Official help states AWS US West storage and AES-256 server-side encryption for S3 data. |
| Fireflies.ai | Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and other services; meeting bot, Chrome, desktop and mobile. | Free includes unlimited transcription and AI summaries with 400 storage minutes/team. Annual pricing: Pro $10, Business $19, Enterprise $39/seat/month. | 100+ languages, search, AskFred, action items, and Business conversation and team analytics. | Fireflies states meeting content is not used for internal or external AI training; AES-256 at rest and TLS 1.2+ in transit. |
| Notta | Zoom, Teams, Google Meet, Webex, recording, file import and Chrome extension. | Japan page: Free 120 minutes/month and 3 minutes/recording. Premium JPY 1,185/month equivalent on annual billing with 1,800 minutes. Business JPY 2,508/month equivalent with unlimited transcription. | Speaker identification, AI summaries, translation, custom vocabulary, team and CRM integrations. | Official security pages describe encrypted stored data, domestic backup data centers in Japan, ISO 27001 and SOC 2. |
| tl;dv | Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet; meeting bot or bot-free device capture. | A Free Forever plan is available for recording, transcription and AI notes. Check the current official pricing screen for paid-plan prices. | 30+ languages, AI summaries, multi-meeting insights, CRM updates and 6,000+ integrations are advertised. | tl;dv states customer data is not used for AI training and lists SOC 2, GDPR and EU hosting/storage. |
| Fathom | Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams; bot and desktop bot-free capture. | Individual Free includes unlimited recordings, storage and transcripts in 38 languages. Five advanced summaries/month; paid individual and team plans are available. | Meeting summaries, action items, Ask Fathom and CRM/Zapier integrations. | AI subprocessors cannot train on customer data. Fathom may use de-identified data to improve proprietary AI unless the customer opts out; data is stored in the US. |
Prices reflect official information available at the review date and can vary by tax, currency, region, billing period, promotion and contract.
What we compared
- Meeting coverage: Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Webex, in-person recording and file import.
- Free limits: transcription time, storage, summary allowances, meeting limits and downloads.
- Capture method: visible meeting bot, auto-join, browser extension, desktop and mobile capture.
- Sharing and integrations: search, CRM, Slack, task systems and calendars.
- Data controls: storage location, encryption, AI training, retention, deletion and administration.
Product details
1. Otter.ai: meeting capture and AI workflows
Otter's official pricing page includes Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet, live transcription, speaker identification and 300 monthly minutes in the free Basic plan. Pro adds 1,200 in-app recording minutes and advanced export/search; Business expands meeting duration, imports and administration.
Verified strengths
- AI Chat during and across meetings
- Desktop, Chrome and mobile capture options
- Business activity logs and usage analytics
Check before adopting
- Basic is limited to 300 minutes/month
- Pro allows up to 90 minutes/meeting; Business up to four hours
- Official help identifies US West as the storage region
2. Fireflies.ai: languages and workflow integrations
Fireflies records meetings across Zoom, Google Meet, Teams and other services and advertises transcription in more than 100 languages. Free includes unlimited transcription and AI summaries, but storage is limited to 400 minutes per team.
Verified strengths
- 100+ transcription languages
- Unlimited transcription and AI summaries on Free
- Downloads and integrations on Pro; analytics on Business
Check before adopting
- Free storage capacity
- Video and advanced admin plan requirements
- Plan requirements for HIPAA and private storage
3. Notta: Japanese pricing and mixed recording sources
Notta's Japan pricing page lists 120 monthly minutes on Free, 1,800 minutes on Premium and unlimited transcription on Business. It supports Zoom, Teams, Google Meet, Webex, file imports, Chrome capture and screen recording.
Verified strengths
- JPY pricing including tax
- Transcription, translation and custom vocabulary
- Web meetings, recordings and imported files in one service
Check before adopting
- Three-minute limit per Free recording
- AI-summary allowances by plan
- Plan requirements for no-AI-training controls, SSO and logs
4. tl;dv: free recording and multi-meeting insights
tl;dv supports Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet and offers a Free Forever plan for recording, transcription and AI notes. Its official site advertises 30+ languages, multi-meeting insights, CRM updates and follow-up drafting.
Verified strengths
- Free Forever plan
- 30+ languages
- Bot and bot-free capture
Check before adopting
- Current paid pricing and AI limits
- Plan requirements for each integration
- Automatic sharing and CRM-update settings
5. Fathom: free individual use with an upgrade path
Fathom's official help states that its individual Free plan includes unlimited recording, storage and transcription in 38 languages. Free includes five advanced summaries each month; Premium adds AI action items, follow-up emails, custom summaries and Ask Fathom.
Verified strengths
- Unlimited individual recording, storage and transcripts on Free
- Zoom, Meet and Teams support
- CRM, Zapier, ChatGPT and Claude connections
Check before adopting
- Five advanced summaries/month on Free
- US data storage
- Opt-out setting for de-identified data used to improve proprietary AI
Four operating rules to set before recording
- Participant notice: explain the purpose and sharing scope before recording, transcription or AI summaries begin.
- Sensitive meetings: define separate handling for customer data, interviews, health, legal, HR and other sensitive discussions.
- Sharing controls: minimize automatic sharing, public links, organization-wide access and CRM synchronization.
- Human review: verify decisions, owners, deadlines, figures and names before treating the output as the official record.
This is general operational guidance, not legal advice. Check the laws, contracts and internal policies that apply.
Practical selection for a small business
Test real meeting volume on a free plan
For low meeting volume, use the free plans to test meeting entry, capture, transcription and sharing. Free plans differ materially in storage and AI-summary allowances even when transcription is described as unlimited.
Include in-person audio and imported files
If your workflow includes recordings outside web meetings, imported audio/video, custom vocabulary and a Japan-facing contract, review Notta's current conditions first.
Sync sales and customer meetings to a CRM
Fireflies, tl;dv, Fathom and Otter advertise CRM or automation integrations. Compare supported systems, plan requirements, synchronized fields and access permissions.
Handle confidential meetings
Review storage region, retention, deletion, AI training, administrator logs, SSO and default sharing—not only encryption and certifications.
Frequently asked questions
Can a free plan be used for business meetings?
Free plans can be suitable for trials and low-volume use, but storage, AI summaries, downloads, administration and retention controls vary by product and plan. Review the current limits before relying on a free plan.
Can an AI summary be used as the final meeting record?
It should be reviewed by a person. Confirm speakers, figures, decisions, owners and deadlines, and obtain participant approval where your process requires it.
Should participants be informed before recording?
Inform participants before recording or transcription begins and check the laws, contracts, internal policies and meeting-platform settings that apply to the meeting.
Official sources checked
- Otter.ai — PricingPlans, prices, limits and platforms
- Otter.ai — Data security and privacy policiesStorage region and encryption
- Fireflies.ai — PricingFree allowance, annual pricing, features and languages
- Fireflies.ai — Information securityAI training, encryption and compliance
- Notta — PricingPlans, limits, features and meeting platforms
- Notta — SecurityEncryption, storage and certifications
- Notta — LLM securityAI-summary processing and training
- tl;dv — PricingFree and paid plans
- tl;dv — Official sitePlatforms, languages and features
- tl;dv — Security informationAI training, hosting and encryption
- Fathom — What does Fathom cost?Free and paid plan structure
- Fathom — Free vs PremiumFree recording, storage, transcripts and summaries
- Fathom — SecurityTraining, storage and opt-out