Last updated: November 13, 2026
Otter.ai and Fireflies.ai are the top AI note takers for meetings in 2027, Fathom offers the best free plan, and Granola leads for private notes without a bot joining the call. Avoma is the strongest choice for revenue teams.
AI note takers record, transcribe and summarize meetings and pull out action items. Many now push notes straight into the CRM or project tools.
AI Note Takers To Use In 2027
| Tool | Best For | Core Strength | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| Otter.ai | Individuals and teams | Reliable real-time transcripts | Meeting assistant |
| Fireflies.ai | Teams that want integrations | Searchable meeting library | Meeting assistant |
| Fathom | Free unlimited recording | Generous free plan | Meeting assistant |
| Granola | People who dislike meeting bots | Captures audio from your device | Bot-free notes |
| tl;dv | Remote teams | Multi-meeting reports and CRM notes | Meeting assistant |
| Avoma | Sales and customer success | Conversation intelligence and coaching | Revenue intelligence |
| Read AI | Managers improving meetings | Engagement analytics | Meeting assistant |
| Krisp | Noisy environments | Noise cancellation plus notes | Bot-free notes |
How We Scored
We scored tools on transcription accuracy, summary quality, platform support, bot versus bot-free capture, integrations, privacy controls and price.
The Top AI Note Takers
1. Otter.ai
Otter.ai joins Zoom, Meet and Teams calls to produce live transcripts, summaries and action items.
Its AI chat answers questions across your meeting history.
Best for: Individuals and teams. Core strength: Reliable real-time transcripts.
2. Fireflies.ai
Fireflies builds a searchable library of calls with topic trackers and sentiment.
It connects to CRMs, Slack and project tools.
Best for: Teams that want integrations. Core strength: Searchable meeting library.
3. Fathom
Fathom records and summarizes unlimited calls for free, with team and CRM features on paid plans.
Summaries arrive within seconds.
Best for: Free unlimited recording. Core strength: Generous free plan.
4. Granola
Granola listens locally and enhances the notes you type with AI.
The result reads like your own notes, only complete.
Best for: People who dislike meeting bots. Core strength: Captures audio from your device.
5. tl;dv
tl;dv records calls, summarizes in many languages and builds reports across meetings.
It syncs notes to HubSpot and Salesforce.
Best for: Remote teams. Core strength: Multi-meeting reports and CRM notes.
6. Avoma
Avoma combines notes with scheduling, deal insights and coaching.
It is a lighter alternative to enterprise call analytics suites.
Best for: Sales and customer success. Core strength: Conversation intelligence and coaching.
7. Read AI
Read AI adds talk-time and engagement analytics to summaries and can summarize email and chat too.
It helps teams run better meetings.
Best for: Managers improving meetings. Core strength: Engagement analytics.
8. Krisp
Krisp removes background noise and adds bot-free transcription across apps.
It improves call quality and documentation together.
Best for: Noisy environments. Core strength: Noise cancellation plus notes.
Make Consent A Habit
Recording laws vary by place, and many require consent from everyone on the call. Announce recording at the start of every meeting and check where recordings are stored.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best AI note taker?
Otter.ai and Fireflies.ai are the best all-round tools, Fathom is the best free option and Granola is best without a bot.
Can they update my CRM?
Yes. Fireflies, Fathom, tl;dv and Avoma push notes and fields into common CRMs.
Do they work in person?
Otter and Granola can capture in-person conversations from a laptop or phone.
Conclusion
Choose Otter or Fireflies for all-round use, Fathom for a free start and Granola for bot-free notes. Sales teams should look at Avoma.
