Best AI Note Taking Apps for Meetings (2025 Comparison)
We tested the top AI note taking apps and AI meeting notes tools in 2025. Here's what actually works for Zoom, Google Meet, and Teams—and why real-time help beats after-the-fact summaries.
Markus Kellermann · Co-founder
January 6, 2026 · 8 min read
The Problem with Most AI Note Taking Apps
I used to think AI note taking apps would solve my meeting problems.
After weeks of running back-to-back calls on Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams with clients, I'd end up with perfect transcripts, clean summaries, and beautiful action items. But I still froze when tough questions came up. I still forgot critical context mid-conversation. And I still left meetings wishing I'd said something better.
The truth? Most AI note taking apps solve the wrong problem. They help you remember what happened after the call ends. But they don't help you when you're under pressure and need the right words right now.
That's what led me to test every major AI meeting notes app in 2025, looking for something that actually helps during the meeting, not just after.
What I Tested (and What I Learned)
Over the past six months, I've used eight different AI note taking apps across hundreds of calls on Zoom, Google Meet, and Teams. Some were great at transcription. Others excelled at summaries. But almost all of them shared the same limitation: they work after the call, not during.
Here's what I learned: there are two types of AI meeting tools, and most people confuse them:
Type 1: AI Note Taking Apps — Tools that transcribe, summarize, and analyze your meetings after they end. Think Otter, Fireflies, Fathom.
Type 2: Real-Time Meeting Assistants — Tools that help you during the call with suggestions, reminders, and context. This category barely existed until recently.
Most articles about "best note taking apps" only cover Type 1. But if you've ever frozen in a meeting or struggled to respond under pressure, you need to know about both.
Best AI Note Taking Apps (After-the-Fact Tools)
Let's start with the traditional category: tools that document your meetings after they happen.
1. Otter.ai
What it does: Transcribes Zoom calls in real-time and generates summaries with action items.
Pros:
- Highly accurate transcription
- Good search functionality across past meetings
- Integrates directly with Zoom
- Free tier available
Cons:
- Bot joins your meeting (visible to everyone)
- No real-time help during the call
- Can miss context in fast-moving conversations
- Summaries arrive after the meeting ends
Best for: Teams who need searchable meeting archives and don't mind visible bots.
Pricing: Free for 300 minutes/month, paid plans start at $16.99/month.
2. Fireflies.ai
What it does: Records, transcribes, and analyzes Zoom meetings with AI-powered insights.
Pros:
- Deep integrations with CRM and project management tools
- Good conversation analytics (talk time, sentiment, etc.)
- Automatic CRM updates
- Team collaboration features
Cons:
- Bot joins your meeting
- Heavy focus on sales/analytics, less on personal help
- No assistance during the actual call
- Can feel overwhelming with features
Best for: Sales teams who need meeting data pushed to their CRM automatically.
Pricing: Free tier available, paid plans start at $10/user/month.
3. Fathom
What it does: AI note-taker built specifically for Zoom with fast summaries and highlights.
Pros:
- Very fast summaries (often ready before the meeting ends)
- Clean, simple interface
- Good at pulling out action items and key moments
- Free for individuals
Cons:
- Bot joins the meeting
- No real-time guidance
- Limited to Zoom and a few other platforms
- Summaries don't help when you're struggling mid-call
Best for: Solo professionals who want quick summaries without complexity.
Pricing: Free for individuals, team plans start at $29/month.
4. Grain
What it does: Records Zoom calls and creates shareable video clips with AI-generated notes.
Pros:
- Great for creating highlight reels from meetings
- Good for training and onboarding (clip and share key moments)
- Solid transcription and search
- Works well for customer research
Cons:
- Bot joins your meeting
- Video-focused (heavy files, slower processing)
- No help during live conversations
- More expensive than alternatives
Best for: Product teams doing user research who need to clip and share meeting moments.
Pricing: Starts at $19/user/month.
Comparison Table: Best AI Note Taking Apps for Meetings
| Tool | Transcription Quality | Real-Time Help | Bot Visibility | Best For | Starting Price |
| Otter.ai | Excellent | None | Visible bot | Meeting archives | $16.99/mo |
| Fireflies.ai | Very Good | None | Visible bot | Sales teams + CRM | $10/user/mo |
| Fathom | Very Good | None | Visible bot | Solo users | Free |
| Grain | Good | None | Visible bot | User research | $19/user/mo |
The Missing Piece: Real-Time Meeting Assistance
Here's what I realized after testing all these tools: they're great at documentation. But none of them help when you're in the middle of a tough client call and can't remember what was discussed last week.
They don't help when:
- A prospect asks an objection you didn't prepare for
- You forget a critical detail from a previous conversation
- You freeze under pressure and struggle to phrase your response
- You need to sound confident but don't know what to say next
That's the gap between AI note takers (after) and real-time meeting assistants (during).
Convo: AI Meeting Notes in Real-Time
This is where Convo is different. Instead of summarizing after the call, Convo gives you real-time AI meeting notes and suggestions while you're still talking.
How it works:
- Open Convo on your Mac alongside your Zoom, Google Meet, or Teams call
- Click "Listen" — Convo transcribes locally (no bot joins)
- See AI meeting notes and suggestions on your screen in real-time as the conversation flows
- Use, adapt, or ignore — you stay in control
Convo doesn't record your meeting or send a bot. It sits on your screen, listens locally on your device, and shows you short, usable AI-powered suggestions you can say right now.
Example: Sales Call Scenario
Imagine you're on a Zoom call with a potential client. They ask: "How does your pricing compare to [competitor]?"
With traditional AI note takers:
- The question gets transcribed
- After the call, you get a summary noting "pricing question asked"
- You're on your own in the moment
With Convo:
- The question gets transcribed in real-time
- Convo instantly suggests: "Our pricing reflects the value of [key differentiator]. Would it help to see a breakdown?"
- You adapt the suggestion to your style and respond confidently
- No awkward pause, no stumbling
When to Use AI Note Taking Apps vs Real-Time Meeting Assistants
Here's my practical guide:
Use traditional AI note taking apps (Otter, Fireflies, Fathom) when:
- You need searchable meeting archives
- You want automatic CRM updates
- You're doing user research and need video clips
- You don't mind visible meeting bots
- Documentation is more important than live performance
Use real-time AI meeting notes tools (Convo) when:
- You freeze under pressure in meetings on Zoom, Meet, or Teams
- You forget context from past conversations
- You want to sound more confident and prepared
- Privacy matters (no bots, no recordings)
- You need help during the call, not after
Use both when:
- You're in high-stakes sales roles
- You want confidence during the call AND documentation after
- You run important client meetings frequently
What About Privacy?
This is critical. Most AI note takers for Zoom work by:
- Joining your meeting as a visible bot
- Recording the audio (and sometimes video)
- Uploading it to their servers
- Processing it in the cloud
- Sending you a summary
This means:
- Other participants see "Otter Bot" or "Fireflies Notetaker" in the meeting
- Your conversation is stored on external servers
- You need to trust their data handling
- Some participants may be uncomfortable with bots
Convo works differently:
- No bot joins your Zoom call
- Audio is processed locally on your Mac
- Nothing is recorded or uploaded without your consent
- Completely invisible to other participants
If privacy matters to you or your clients, this is a major difference.
Pricing Comparison: What You Actually Pay
| Tool | Free Tier | Individual Plan | Team Plan | Key Limitation |
| Otter.ai | 300 min/mo | $16.99/mo | $30/user/mo | Bot visible |
| Fireflies.ai | 800 min/mo | $10/mo | $19/user/mo | Bot visible |
| Fathom | Unlimited | Free | $29/mo | Bot visible |
| Grain | None | $19/user/mo | Custom | Bot visible, video-heavy |
| Convo | 7-day trial | $20/mo | Custom | Real-time only (no transcripts stored) |
Here's What Actually Works Best
After testing everything for six months, I realized something: most people are solving the wrong problem.
Traditional AI note-takers only help you after the call ends. But the moment that matters most is during the conversation—when a tough question catches you off guard, when you can't remember what a client said last week, or when you need the perfect response and your mind goes blank.
That's where Convo is different. It's the only tool that helps you before, during, and after every call:
Before the call: Convo shows you context from past conversations with the same person—what you discussed, what they care about, pending issues. You walk in prepared instead of scrambling through old notes.
During the call: When you freeze or struggle to respond, Convo gives you intelligent suggestions in 2-3 seconds. It's like having a brilliant colleague whispering the perfect response in your ear.
After the call: You get automatic meeting summaries, action items, and searchable transcripts—just like Otter or Fireflies, but without the visible bot or cloud recordings.
My honest recommendation:
Start with Convo. It's $20/month and covers the entire meeting workflow. Most people don't need anything else.
Only add a traditional note-taker if you need specific integrations (like automatic CRM updates with Fireflies, or video clips with Grain). But for 80% of professionals, Convo is the complete solution—and it's the only one that actually helps you during the moments that matter most.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best AI note taking app for meetings? The best AI note taking app depends on your needs. For after-meeting documentation, Otter.ai and Fireflies are excellent. For real-time help during calls, Convo provides live AI meeting notes and suggestions as you talk.
Do AI note taking apps work with Zoom, Google Meet, and Teams? Yes. Most AI note taking apps (Otter, Fireflies, Fathom, Convo) work with Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams. Some require installing bots while others like Convo run locally on your device.
Will participants know I'm using an AI note taking app? With traditional tools (Otter, Fireflies, Fathom), yes — a bot joins the meeting and everyone can see it. With Convo, no — it runs locally on your device and is invisible to others.
Can I use AI note taking apps for free? Yes. Fathom is free for individuals. Otter offers 300 minutes/month free. Fireflies has a free tier with 800 minutes. Convo offers a 7-day free trial.
What's better: AI note takers or AI meeting notes apps? These terms are often used interchangeably. However, some tools focus on transcription only (note takers), while others provide real-time AI meeting notes with suggestions during calls (like Convo).
How accurate are AI note taking apps? Modern AI note taking apps achieve 90-95% accuracy in good audio conditions. Accuracy drops with background noise, multiple speakers talking over each other, or strong accents.
Can AI note taking apps automatically send summaries to my team? Yes. Tools like Fireflies, Otter, and Fathom can automatically share meeting notes via email or Slack after meetings end.
The Bottom Line
The best AI note taking app for meetings in 2025 depends on what you actually need:
If you need meeting documentation and archives: Use Otter, Fireflies, or Fathom. They're excellent AI note takers for transcription, summaries, and searchable meeting history across Zoom, Google Meet, and Teams.
If you need real-time AI meeting notes during calls: Use Convo. It's built for the moments when you freeze, forget context, or need confidence under pressure—right when you're talking.
If you need both: Use a traditional AI note taking app for documentation and Convo for live assistance. They solve different problems.
The biggest mistake? Assuming AI note taking apps will help you during the call. They won't. They help you remember what happened after it's over.
If you want to perform better in the moment, you need a real-time AI meeting notes tool — not one that summarizes afterward.
The best AI note taking app for real-time meeting help. Works with Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and any other meeting platform on your Mac.