Comparison guide
Meeting notes tools compared: entry prices, free tiers and capture styles
Eight AI meeting-notes tools side by side: what the entry plan costs, whether the free tier is real, and how each tool captures the call. Every figure was read from official vendor pages on 2026-10-27, with the exact source linked per tool.
- Tools compared8
- Lowest checked entryGranola, US$14 per user per month
- Standing free tier confirmed5 of 8
- Pricing checked2026-10-27
How we compare: the ten checks
Every figure in this guide comes from the vendor's own pages, read against the same ten checks. The matrix below fills each check from those pages; where a page does not state something, the cell says so rather than guessing.
- Entry priceThe lowest paid tier, monthly-billed as the vendor displays it.
- Billing unitPer user, per recorder seat or flat. The unit decides the real team cost.
- Free tier termsA standing free tier is not a trial. A trial ends; a free tier does not.
- Entry plan allowanceThe minutes, recordings or features included at the entry price.
- AI add-onsExtras such as AI credits billed on top of the seat price.
- Capture styleA bot joins the call, or the tool captures device audio with no bot.
- Meeting platformsThe call services the vendor says it supports.
- Team seat modelWhether viewers and collaborators ride free.
- Export and sharingHow notes and summaries leave the tool.
- Checked dateEvery figure carries the day it was read from the source.
The matrix: eight tools, the same checks
| Tool | Entry price (monthly-billed) | Billing unit | Free tier | Capture style | Pricing checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avoma | US$29 | Per recorder seat | No free plan; 14-day trial, no card | Not stated | 2026-10-27 |
| Fathom | US$19 | Per user | Not stated | Not stated | 2026-10-27 |
| Fireflies | US$18 | Per seat | Standing free tier | Not stated | 2026-10-27 |
| Granola | US$14 | Per user | Standing free tier | Bot-free (device audio) | 2026-10-27 |
| Krisp | US$16 | Per user | Trial only | Bot-free; optional bot mode | 2026-10-27 |
| Otter.ai | US$16.99 | Per user | Standing free tier | Not stated | 2026-10-27 |
| Read AI | US$19.75 | Per user | Standing free tier | Not stated | 2026-10-27 |
| tl;dv | EUR-priced page | Per user | Standing free tier | Markets "no bot required" | 2026-10-27 |
Alphabetical, not a ranking. Prices are the monthly-billed view as displayed on each vendor's page on 2026-10-27; annual-billed equivalents are lower for most vendors and appear on each tool's page. tl;dv prices in EUR, so no monthly US dollar figure is claimed.
Free tiers are not trials
- Standing free tier confirmed: Otter, Fireflies, Read AI, Granola and tl;dv.
- Fathom's pricing page title indicates a free tier, but its terms were not captured on 2026-10-27, so it is not claimed here.
- Avoma has no free plan, but viewer and collaborator seats are free and there is a 14-day trial of the full Organization plan, no card required.
- Krisp has no free tier for the Meeting AI line; a time-limited trial only.
Bot vs bot-free capture
- Granola captures device audio instead of joining the meeting as a bot.
- Krisp is a bot-free note-taker with an optional 'Record with bot' mode.
- tl;dv markets 'NO BOT REQUIRED' capture alongside Zoom, Google Meet and Teams support.
- The records for Otter, Fathom, Fireflies, Avoma and Read AI do not settle the capture route, so it is not claimed for them either way.
Seat models change the team maths
- Avoma charges per recorder seat; viewer and collaborator seats are free. A team where only some people record pays less than a per-user price suggests.
- The other seven tools charge per user as displayed, so the per-seat figures are not directly comparable across the two models.
- Fireflies meters AI credits for AskFred and AI apps on top of the seat price; the consumption rates are not stated on the pages checked.
Common questions
Which meeting-notes tool has the lowest entry price?
Granola at US$14 per user per month is the lowest monthly-billed entry figure captured on 2026-10-27. Krisp (US$16), Otter (US$16.99) and Fireflies (US$18) sit close behind. Listing is not a recommendation.
Which meeting-notes tools have a proper free tier?
Otter, Fireflies, Read AI, Granola and tl;dv have standing free tiers confirmed on official pages checked 2026-10-27. Avoma and Krisp offer time-limited trials instead. A trial ends; a free tier does not.
What does bot-free capture mean?
Most meeting tools join the call as a visible bot participant. Bot-free tools capture the device's audio instead, so no extra participant appears in the meeting. Granola works this way, Krisp is bot-free with an optional bot mode, and tl;dv markets "no bot required" capture.
Is per-seat pricing the same as per-user pricing?
No. Avoma charges per recorder seat and lets viewers and collaborators in free, while most of the others charge per user. For a team where only some people record, the seat model can cost less than the sticker prices suggest.
Does tl;dv have a US dollar price?
The vendor prices in EUR. No monthly US dollar figure was captured on 2026-10-27, so none is claimed here; tl;dv's tool page shows what was captured.
How fresh are these prices?
Every figure was read from the vendor's official pricing page on 2026-10-27, and each tool's record links the exact page used. Vendors can change prices and terms at any time.
Sources
- Otter pricing (accessed 2026-10-27)
- Fathom pricing (accessed 2026-10-27)
- Fireflies pricing (accessed 2026-10-27)
- Avoma pricing (accessed 2026-10-27)
- Read AI pricing (accessed 2026-10-27)
- Granola pricing (accessed 2026-10-27)
- Krisp pricing (accessed 2026-10-27)
- tl;dv pricing (accessed 2026-10-27)
Figures carry the date they were read from the vendor's own page. Listing a tool is not a recommendation, and no ratings or rankings are asserted.
Tools in this guide
Full records, with per-field sources and check dates, on each tool page.