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How to choose an AI meeting notes app
Choose by four things: whether a bot joins your calls or recording stays on your device, what you pay for the hours you actually record, what the company says about training AI on your meetings, and whether the to-dos go anywhere after the summary. The table below lists what five products say on their own pages.
Checked 12 October 2026. Competitor details come from their own pages, linked below.
| How it records | No bot joins the call. Timo records on your own device. |
|---|---|
| Price | Then $8 a month for 100 hours of recording |
| Privacy | Notes are private unless you share them. Your content is not used to train AI models. |
Five products, from their own pages
| Product | Free option | Cheapest paid plan for one person | Can record without a bot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Timo | 30-day trial with no card; no permanent free tier | $8 a month for 100 hours of recording | Yes, always |
| Otter [1] [2] [3] | Basic: 300 transcription minutes a month | Pro: $16.99 per user per month billed monthly, $8.33 billed annually | Yes, with the desktop app; an agent can also join calls |
| Fireflies [4] [5] [6] | Free plan with limited AI summaries and 400 minutes of storage | Pro: $18 per seat per month billed monthly, $10 billed annually | Yes, with the Chrome extension or desktop app; a bot can also join |
| Granola [7] [8] [9] | Basic: $0 with limited meeting history | Business: $14 per user per month | Yes; it uses your computer audio |
| Fathom [10] [11] [12] | Free plan with unlimited recordings and transcriptions | Premium: $20 per user per month billed monthly, $16 billed annually | On Mac; a notetaker can also join calls |
Each product's row comes only from its own pricing and product pages, linked under Sources. Prices are list prices in US dollars as shown on those pages; promotions are excluded. We make Timo, so weigh this page accordingly and check the sources yourself.
1. A bot in the call, or recording on your device
Some note takers send a bot that joins the meeting as a participant; others record on your own computer or phone. A bot can attend meetings you skip. Recording on your device keeps the participant list clean but needs you, or your device, to be there.
2. The price of the hours you actually record
Plans are priced per user, per seat or by minutes. Work out what you record in a month and compare the cost of those hours, and whether you'd pay monthly or annually.
3. What happens to your meetings
Read each company's own statement on using your recordings to train AI, and how long audio is kept. The wording differs a lot between products.
4. Whether the to-dos go anywhere
A summary is only useful if the follow-ups happen. Check whether action items stay in a document or become tasks with dates on your calendar.
Is Timo the right fit?
Timo fits when
- You want no bot, a single low plan and to-dos that land on your calendar.
Look elsewhere when
- You need a recorder for meetings you don't attend, team analytics or CRM sync.
Try it on your next meeting
No card required. Then $8 a month for 100 hours of recording.
Start your 30 free daysAlso: Add Timo to Chrome · Join the iPhone beta · All the facts
Questions
Which AI meeting note taker doesn't use a bot?
Timo never uses a bot. Otter, Fireflies, Granola and Fathom each list a way to record without a bot on their own pages, with differences by app and platform; see the table and sources.
What's the cheapest option for one person?
It depends on how much you record. Compare the cost of your real monthly hours using each product's own pricing page.
Is this comparison neutral?
We make Timo, so it isn't. Every competitor detail links to that company's own page with the date we checked it.
Sources
- Otter Basic plan limits: Otter pricing, checked 12 October 2026
- Otter Pro price: Otter pricing, checked 12 October 2026
- Otter agent and bot-free desktop recording: Otter home page, checked 12 October 2026
- Fireflies free plan: Fireflies pricing, checked 12 October 2026
- Fireflies Pro price: Fireflies pricing, checked 12 October 2026
- Fireflies bot and bot-free capture: Fireflies desktop, checked 12 October 2026
- Granola Basic plan: Granola pricing, checked 12 October 2026
- Granola Business price: Granola pricing, checked 12 October 2026
- Granola uses computer audio: Granola home page, checked 12 October 2026
- Fathom free plan: Fathom pricing, checked 12 October 2026
- Fathom Premium price: Fathom pricing, checked 12 October 2026
- Fathom notetaker and Mac bot-free capture: Fathom overview, checked 12 October 2026