Best AI Notetakers for Zoom and Meet

Zoom AI Companion

Zoom AI Companion is built directly into Zoom for paid account holders. It generates meeting summaries, identifies action items, and provides smart recording chapters that break long meetings into navigable sections. The companion works without any additional installation since it is part of the Zoom application itself.

The meeting summary feature produces a structured recap that captures key discussion points, decisions, and next steps. Participants can query the AI during the meeting to catch up on what was discussed or to get a quick summary of the conversation so far. The smart chapters feature is particularly useful for hour-long meetings, dividing the recording into topic-based segments that viewers can jump between.

Zoom AI Companion is included with Zoom Workplace Pro and higher plans at no additional cost. This makes it effectively free for organizations that already pay for Zoom. The limitation is that it only works within Zoom, so organizations that also use Google Meet or Teams for certain meetings will need a separate solution for those calls.

The summarization quality has improved substantially since its initial release, but it still falls short of dedicated third-party tools in areas like multi-meeting analysis, CRM integration, and advanced analytics. For basic transcription and meeting recaps within Zoom, it is a solid built-in option that requires zero setup.

Google Gemini in Meet

Google Meet includes AI-powered meeting notes and summarization through Gemini for Google Workspace Business Standard subscribers and above. The feature generates automatic meeting notes with key points, action items, and decisions. Transcription happens in real time and is available as a Google Docs document after the meeting ends.

The integration with Google Workspace is the core advantage. Meeting notes sync to Google Drive, action items can become Google Tasks or Calendar events, and the transcript is searchable through Google's standard search. For organizations that live in the Google ecosystem, this native integration eliminates the need to manage another tool and keeps all meeting documentation within the familiar Google interface.

Gemini's meeting features are still evolving. The summarization is competent for straightforward meetings but can miss nuance in complex discussions. It lacks the analytics, speaker-level metrics, and cross-meeting intelligence that dedicated tools provide. Like Zoom AI Companion, it only works within its own platform.

tl;dv for Zoom and Meet

tl;dv provides unlimited free recording with video on both Zoom and Google Meet. This combination of platform support, video recording, and zero cost makes it the strongest free option for users on these two platforms. The bot joins the meeting and records the full video feed, not just audio, with timestamps synced to the transcript.

The highlight and clip features let you mark important moments during the meeting or create clips afterward. These clips can be shared via link with anyone, even people who do not have a tl;dv account. For product teams sharing user research findings or sales teams circulating customer feedback, the ability to send a two-minute video clip with the relevant transcript segment is more effective than sharing a written summary.

tl;dv supports over 30 languages for transcription on both Zoom and Meet. The AI summaries can be customized to follow specific templates, so recurring meeting types like standups, retrospectives, or sales calls can use structured formats that capture the right information every time. Custom AI templates ensure consistency across teams and meeting types.

The free tier covers unlimited recordings and AI summaries on Zoom and Google Meet. The Pro plan adds Microsoft Teams support, CRM integrations including Salesforce and HubSpot, multi-meeting reports, and team workspace features. For Zoom and Meet users specifically, the free plan is a complete solution for individual use.

Fathom for Zoom and Meet

Fathom offers unlimited free recording, transcription, and AI summaries on both Zoom and Google Meet. The speed of summary generation is Fathom's differentiator, as meeting recaps typically appear within a minute or two of the call ending, which is faster than most competitors.

The interface is intentionally simple. Where other tools pile on analytics dashboards and configuration options, Fathom focuses on delivering a clean summary with action items, key topics, and follow-ups. The highlight feature lets you mark moments during the meeting, and these highlights appear in the summary with direct links to the relevant audio.

Fathom originated as a Zoom-first tool and its Zoom integration is particularly polished. It can auto-join scheduled meetings, capture screen shares alongside audio, and generate summaries that include references to shared content. The Google Meet integration is fully functional and provides the same core experience, though some advanced features may appear on Zoom first before rolling out to Meet.

For Zoom and Meet users who want straightforward, fast, unlimited free meeting documentation without configuring complex settings, Fathom is the most accessible option. The paid tier adds CRM integration, team workspaces, and multi-meeting analysis for users who outgrow the individual free plan.

Fireflies for Zoom and Meet

Fireflies supports both Zoom and Google Meet through its bot-based recording approach. The Fireflies Notetaker bot joins the call and captures the full audio stream. Transcripts are processed in the cloud and typically available within minutes, accompanied by AI-generated summaries, action items, and analytics.

The analytical depth on Zoom and Meet recordings matches what Fireflies provides on any platform. Speaker statistics, sentiment tracking, topic detection, and the conversational AskFred search are all available. For teams that need to analyze conversation patterns across many meetings, such as reviewing sales call performance or tracking customer satisfaction trends, Fireflies provides data that simpler tools do not capture.

Fireflies' topic tracker feature works across all Zoom and Meet recordings in your organization. You can set up trackers for competitor names, product features, pricing discussions, or any other keywords, and Fireflies will flag every meeting where those topics come up. This cross-meeting intelligence is valuable for product, marketing, and sales teams that need to aggregate insights from customer conversations.

The free tier includes limited transcription credits, while the Pro plan at approximately $10 per user per month provides unlimited transcription with full analytics. For users whose primary value is analytics and cross-meeting search rather than basic transcription, Fireflies justifies its paid plan through capabilities that free tools do not match.

Otter for Zoom and Meet

Otter's real-time transcription quality stands out on both Zoom and Google Meet. The live captions appear during the meeting with minimal delay, and speaker labels are generally accurate without manual setup. The reading experience of Otter transcripts is cleaner than most competitors, with well-formatted text that is easy to scan and reference.

OtterPilot auto-joins scheduled meetings on both platforms based on calendar integration. After the call, the transcript includes AI-generated summaries and action items. The collaborative workspace features let team members comment on, highlight, and share transcript sections, which is useful for distributed teams that need to align on outcomes asynchronously.

The free tier includes 300 monthly transcription minutes with a 30-minute per-meeting limit. This works well for users with light meeting schedules but runs out quickly for anyone who is in frequent calls. The Pro plan removes these limits for approximately $8 per month billed annually.

Choosing Between Native and Third-Party Tools

If you use only Zoom, try Zoom AI Companion first since it requires no setup and is included with paid plans. If you use only Google Meet, check whether your Workspace plan includes Gemini meeting features. For cross-platform teams that use both Zoom and Meet, a third-party tool like tl;dv or Fathom provides a unified archive with consistent functionality across both platforms.

Third-party tools generally produce better summaries, offer deeper integrations, and provide cross-meeting intelligence that platform-native options lack. The native options are convenient and free with existing subscriptions but sacrifice depth and flexibility. The best approach for most users is to start with the native option and switch to a dedicated tool when the limitations become apparent.