Best AI Meeting Assistants: Otter vs Fireflies vs Fathom vs Granola
Otter, Fireflies, Fathom and Granola compared: how they join meetings, summary quality, integrations and which to choose.
Quick picks
- Otter.ai: long-standing live transcription with a strong free plan.
- Fireflies.ai: a meeting bot with search across all your calls and many integrations.
- Fathom: fast, clean summaries; popular for its generous free tier.
- Granola: no bot in the call: it listens on your computer and improves your own notes.
AI meeting assistants record, transcribe and summarise your calls, then pull out decisions and action items. Used well, they mean nobody has to be the note-taker and nothing gets lost between the meeting and the follow-up. They differ mainly in how they join (a visible bot vs. on-device), how good their summaries are, and where the notes go afterwards.
Otter.aiVerifiedMeetings · Free plan · from $8.33/userAI meeting notes and transcription
How they compare
| Otter.ai |  Fireflies.ai | |
| Pricing | Free plan · from $8.33/user | Free plan · from $10/seat |
| Free to start | Yes | Yes |
| Best for | AI Meeting Assistants | AI Meeting Assistants |
| Works on | Web, Android, API | Web, Android, Chrome extension |
 Fathom |  Granola | |
| Pricing | Free plan · from $19/month | from $14/user |
| Free to start | Yes | No |
| Best for | AI Meeting Assistants | AI Meeting Assistants |
| Works on | Web, Slack, macOS | Web, Android, API |
Bot in the call, or on your device?
Most assistants join Zoom, Google Meet or Teams as a participant (“Notetaker is recording”). That’s transparent and works even if you’re not at your computer, but some guests find it off-putting. On-device tools such as Granola capture audio from your computer instead, with no extra participant, and combine it with the notes you type.
Always get consent. Recording rules differ by country and state. Tell participants you’re recording and transcribing, and follow your company’s policy, whichever kind of tool you use.
What to look for
- Summary quality. Run the same real meeting through two tools and compare the action items.
- Where notes go. CRM, Notion, Slack, email: automatic sync saves the most time.
- Search across meetings. “What did we agree with Acme about pricing?” is where these tools pay off.
- Languages. Check transcription quality in the languages your team speaks.
- Security and admin. Data retention, SSO and who can see which recordings.
Our recommendation
Verdict
Start with Fathom or Otter on the free plan to see how much time you save. Sales and customer teams that want every call searchable and synced to the CRM usually end up on Fireflies or a similar team plan. If a bot in the call is a problem, try Granola.
Frequently asked questions
Are AI meeting notes accurate?
Transcripts are very good in clear audio and common languages, weaker with crosstalk, accents or jargon. Summaries are usually right on topics and decisions; double-check numbers and owners.
Can I use them for in-person meetings?
Yes. Most have a mobile app or desktop recorder for meetings in a room.
Is there a free option?
Several have free plans with limits on minutes or features. See each tool’s card above for current pricing.
