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Best Free AI Meeting Recorders of 2026

Updated · 5 picks · live pricing · affiliate disclosure

Auto-joins any meeting platform with 5,000+ app integrations; Free 800 storage minutes per seat.

BEST OVERALL6.6/10$12/yr more

Fireflies.ai

Auto-joins any meeting platform with 5,000+ app integrations; Free 800 storage minutes per seat.

Free 800 storage minutes per seat; cancel anytime

How it stacks up

  • Free 800 min/seat

    vs Fathom unlimited

  • 5,000+ integrations

    vs Otter Free 300 min

  • Pro $18 upgrade

    vs Read.ai 5 meetings

#2
Otter.ai6.4/10

From $16.99/mo

View
#3
Read.ai6.1/10

From $19.75/mo

View

All picks at a glance

#PickBest forStartingScore
1Fireflies.aiBest free with broad integrations, 5,000+ apps$18.00/mo6.6/10
2Otter.aiBest free mainstream brand, 5M users with CRM integration$16.99/mo6.4/10
3Read.aiBest free engagement analytics, sentiment and talk-time on 5 meetings$19.75/mo6.1/10
4GrainBest free for sales clips, video clip-sharing on 20 meetings$19.00/mo5.9/10
5Fathom (AI Meeting Notes)Best free unlimited, genuinely unlimited recordings forever$19.00/mo5.7/10

Quick pick by use case

If you only have thirty seconds, find your situation below and skip to that pick.

Compare all 5 picks

Top spec
#1Fireflies.ai6.6/10$18.00/mo$120.00/yr$12/yr moreFree 800 min/seat
#2Otter.ai6.4/10$16.99/mo$100.00/yrSave $0.12/yrFree 300 min/mo
#3Read.ai6.1/10$19.75/mo$180.00/yr$33/yr moreFree 5 meetings/mo
#4Grain5.9/10$19.00/mo$228.00/yr$24/yr moreFree 20 meetings/mo
#5Fathom (AI Meeting Notes)5.7/10$20.00/mo$192.00/yr$36/yr moreFree unlimited recordings
#1

Fireflies.ai

6.6/10$12/yr more

Best free with broad integrations, 5,000+ apps

Auto-joins any meeting platform with 5,000+ app integrations; Free 800 storage minutes per seat.

PlanMonthlyAnnualWhat you get
FreeFreeUnlimited transcription with 800 storage minutes a seat, limited AI summaries, and 100+ languages
Pro$18.00/mo$120.00/yr$18 monthly ($10 annual) per seat with unlimited summaries, 8,000 storage minutes, and 20 AI credits
Business$29.00/mo$228.00/yr$29 monthly ($19 annual) per seat with unlimited storage, video recording, and conversation intelligence
Enterprise$39.00/mo$468.00/yr$39 monthly per seat with rules engine, SSO, SCIM, HIPAA compliance, and a dedicated account manager

Fireflies.ai is the broad-integrations free pick and the right call for teams that want to wire meeting transcripts into many existing tools. The wedge for free readers: 5,000-plus app integrations covering Slack, Salesforce, HubSpot, Notion, Asana, and most common SaaS, plus auto-join across any meeting platform. Free covers 800 storage minutes per seat with the integration breadth intact.

Free covers 800 storage minutes per seat with auto-join, AI summaries, and action items. Pro is the upgrade tier at eighteen dollars monthly with unlimited transcription, video recording, and CRM sync. Business adds advanced analytics and admin controls. Enterprise covers HIPAA compliance launched in 2025.

The trade-off versus Fathom is the cap; Fireflies Free 800 minutes is generous but capped where Fathom is unlimited. The trade-off versus Otter is brand recognition; Fireflies is younger than Otter's 2016 founding. For free readers who care about wiring meeting notes into many tools, Fireflies is the right call.

Pros

  • 5,000-plus app integrations covering Slack, Salesforce, HubSpot, Notion, Asana
  • Auto-joins any meeting platform (Zoom, Meet, Teams, Webex) without setup
  • Free 800 storage minutes per seat with integration breadth intact
  • AI summaries and action items on the free tier
  • Pro upgrade at eighteen dollars monthly for unlimited transcription

Cons

  • Free 800-minute cap per seat triggers upgrade for daily-use teams
  • Younger brand than Otter (2016 founding) at this stage
Free 800 min/seat5,000+ integrationsPro $18 upgradeFree 800 storage minutes per seat; cancel anytime

Best for: Free teams that wire meeting notes into many existing tools (Slack, Salesforce, HubSpot, Notion) and accept the 800-minute storage cap as the trade-off.

Accuracy
8
Summaries
9
Workflow
9
Value
9
Support
8
#2

Otter.ai

6.4/10Save $0.12/yr

Best free mainstream brand, 5M users with CRM integration

Around 5 million users since 2016 with Otter Assistant auto-joining Zoom, Meet, and Teams; Free 300 minutes monthly.

PlanMonthlyAnnualWhat you get
BasicFreeFree with 300 transcription minutes a month, 30 minutes per meeting, and basic AI summaries
Pro$16.99/mo$100.00/yr$16.99 monthly ($8.33 annual) for 1,200 minutes a month, 90-minute meetings, and CRM sync
Business$30.00/mo$240.00/yr$30 monthly ($19.99 annual) per user with unlimited meetings, advanced AI workflows, and admin controls
EnterpriseCustomCustomCustom pricing with custom AI workflows, Otter API + webhooks, custom CRM/dialer, and SSO

Otter.ai is the mainstream brand-reference free pick and the largest community among catalog AI meeting recorders. Around 5 million users since 2016. The wedge for free readers: brand recognition and mature ecosystem with 300 monthly transcription minutes plus auto-join across Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams. The 30-minute meeting cap on free is tight for long meetings but covers most standup and 1:1 use cases.

Free covers 300 transcription minutes monthly with a 30-minute meeting cap and auto-join across Zoom, Meet, and Teams. Pro is the upgrade tier at sixteen dollars ninety-nine cents monthly (or eight dollars thirty-three cents annual) with 1,200 minutes plus a 90-minute meeting cap plus CRM sync to HubSpot and Salesforce. Business adds unlimited transcription plus advanced AI workflows.

The trade-off versus Fathom is the cap; Otter Free is 300 minutes monthly where Fathom is unlimited. The trade-off versus Fireflies is integration breadth; Otter has fewer integrations than Fireflies. For free mainstream readers who want the brand-reference vendor and accept the 300-minute cap as the trade-off, Otter is the friction-free path.

Pros

  • Around 5 million users since 2016; the brand reference for AI meeting transcription
  • Otter Assistant auto-joins Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams without setup
  • Free 300 transcription minutes monthly with auto-join across major platforms
  • Live transcription during the meeting plus searchable archive after
  • Mobile native iOS and Android apps for on-the-go meetings

Cons

  • Free tier 300-minute cap is tight for daily meeting use; 30-minute cap penalizes workshops
  • Voice-first heritage means video recording lands at Business tier and above
Free 300 min/mo30-min meeting capPro $16.99 upgradeFree Basic tier 300 min/mo; cancel anytime

Best for: Free mainstream readers who want the brand-reference vendor with mature CRM integration and accept the 300-minute monthly cap as the trade-off.

Accuracy
8
Summaries
9
Workflow
9
Value
8
Support
8
#3

Read.ai

6.1/10$33/yr more

Best free engagement analytics, sentiment and talk-time on 5 meetings

Engagement analytics for sentiment, attention, and talk-time; Free 5 meetings monthly with full features.

PlanMonthlyAnnualWhat you get
FreeFree5 meetings a month free with summaries, transcription, search, meeting coach, and 20+ languages
Pro$19.75/mo$180.00/yr$19.75 monthly ($15 annual) per user with unlimited transcripts, priority processing, and premium integrations
Enterprise$29.75/mo$270.00/yr$29.75 monthly ($22.50 annual) per user with audio + video playback, video highlights, and premium support
Enterprise+$39.75/mo$357.00/yr$39.75 monthly ($29.75 annual) per user with HIPAA, SSO/SAML, custom data retention; 10-license minimum

Read.ai is the engagement-analytics free pick and the right call for teams that want signal beyond transcription. The wedge for free readers: sentiment analysis, attention metrics, and talk-time analytics on five free meetings monthly. No other catalog pick ships engagement analytics on a free tier with this depth.

Free covers 5 meetings monthly with engagement analytics, sentiment, attention, and talk-time analysis plus AI summaries. Pro is the upgrade tier at nineteen dollars seventy-five cents monthly with unlimited meetings and full engagement analytics. Enterprise+ launched Q1 2026 covers HIPAA compliance for regulated industries.

The trade-off versus Fathom is the cap; Read.ai Free 5 meetings is restrictive where Fathom is unlimited. The trade-off versus Fireflies is integration breadth; Read.ai ships fewer integrations than Fireflies. For free readers evaluating engagement analytics for sales coaching or facilitation training, Read.ai Free is the right call.

Pros

  • Engagement analytics (sentiment, attention, talk-time) on the free tier
  • Free 5 meetings monthly with full feature access
  • AI summaries with engagement metrics for follow-up coaching
  • Pro upgrade at nineteen dollars seventy-five cents monthly for unlimited meetings
  • Enterprise+ HIPAA compliance launched Q1 2026 for regulated industries

Cons

  • Free 5-meeting cap is restrictive for daily-use evaluation
  • Fewer integrations than Fireflies (5,000-plus app integrations elsewhere)
Free 5 meetings/moEngagement analytics includedPro $19.75 upgradeFree 5 meetings monthly; cancel anytime

Best for: Free readers evaluating engagement analytics (sentiment, attention, talk-time) for sales coaching or facilitation training and accept the 5-meeting cap.

Accuracy
8
Summaries
8
Workflow
9
Value
8
Support
8
#4

Grain

5.9/10$24/yr more

Best free for sales clips, video clip-sharing on 20 meetings

Video clip-sharing for revenue teams; Free 20 meetings monthly with shareable highlights.

PlanMonthlyAnnualWhat you get
FreeFreeView team meetings and try AI notes with up to 20 meetings included; limited recording for evaluation
Starter$19.00/mo$228.00/yr$19 per seat a month annual with unlimited meetings, custom AI prompts, and transcript downloads
BusinessFree$0.00/yrCustom pricing adding AI coaching, custom AI follow-up emails, and team interaction insights for revenue teams
EnterpriseCustomCustomCustom pricing with SSO, custom data retention, dedicated CSM, and revenue-intelligence integrations

Grain is the sales-clip-sharing free pick and the right call for revenue teams that want shareable video highlights. The wedge for free readers: video clip-sharing on twenty free meetings monthly with shareable highlights. No other catalog pick offers video clip-sharing for sales teams on a free tier.

Free covers 20 meetings monthly with video clip-sharing, AI summaries, and basic CRM sync. Starter is the upgrade tier at nineteen dollars per seat monthly with unlimited meetings, video clip-sharing, and full CRM sync. Business adds team workspace and advanced sharing controls. Most free sales evaluators stay on Free during evaluation; Starter is the upgrade when meeting volume passes twenty monthly.

The trade-off versus Fathom is the cap; Grain Free 20 meetings is restrictive where Fathom is unlimited. The trade-off versus Fireflies is integration breadth; Grain ships fewer integrations than Fireflies's 5,000-plus. For free sales teams evaluating clip-sharing for deal coaching, Grain Free is the right call.

Pros

  • Video clip-sharing on the free tier (uniquely sales-focused)
  • Free 20 meetings monthly with shareable highlights and AI summaries
  • Basic CRM sync on free for HubSpot and Salesforce
  • Starter upgrade at nineteen dollars per seat for unlimited meetings
  • Sales-coaching specialist for revenue teams

Cons

  • Free 20-meeting cap triggers upgrade quickly for daily-use sales teams
  • Fewer integrations than Fireflies (5,000-plus app integrations elsewhere)
Free 20 meetings/moVideo clip-sharingStarter $19/seat upgradeFree 20 meetings monthly; cancel anytime

Best for: Free sales teams evaluating video clip-sharing for deal coaching and accept the 20-meeting cap as the trade-off.

Accuracy
8
Summaries
8
Workflow
9
Value
8
Support
8
#5

Fathom (AI Meeting Notes)

5.7/10$36/yr more

Best free unlimited, genuinely unlimited recordings forever

Genuinely unlimited free recordings plus transcripts plus AI summaries forever.

PlanMonthlyAnnualWhat you get
FreeFreeUnlimited recordings, transcriptions, AI summaries, clips, and search forever; the most generous free tier in the category
Premium$20.00/mo$192.00/yr$20 monthly ($16 annual) for individuals adding advanced summaries, AI action items, and a meeting assistant
Team$19.00/mo$180.00/yr$19 monthly ($15 annual) per user with global search, team playlists, comments, folders, keyword alerts, and SSO
Business$34.00/mo$300.00/yr$34 monthly ($25 annual) per user adding CRM field sync, Deal View, AI scorecards, and custom data retention

Fathom is the genuinely-unlimited free pick and the most generous free tier in the category. The wedge for free readers: unlimited recordings, unlimited transcripts, and unlimited AI summaries on the free plan with no time cap, no meeting count cap, and no monthly minutes cap. No other catalog pick offers this. The free-tier ceiling is functionally a paid-tier feature elsewhere.

Free covers unlimited recordings, unlimited transcripts, unlimited AI summaries, and unlimited storage. Premium is the upgrade tier at twenty dollars monthly with advanced summaries and team workspace features. Team Edition adds team-management features at the next tier. Most free solo users stay on Free indefinitely; Premium is the upgrade when advanced summary types or team workflows matter.

The trade-off versus Otter is brand recognition; Fathom is newer than Otter's 2016 founding. The trade-off versus Fireflies is integration breadth; Fathom ships fewer integrations than Fireflies's 5,000-plus. For free solo users running daily meetings, Fathom is the right call.

Pros

  • Genuinely unlimited recordings, transcripts, and AI summaries on the free tier
  • No time cap, no meeting count cap, no monthly minutes cap on free
  • Premium upgrade at twenty dollars monthly for advanced summaries
  • Native Zoom marketplace app for reliable Zoom integration
  • The most generous free tier in the AI meeting recorder category

Cons

  • Newer brand than Otter (2016 founding); narrower mainstream recognition
  • Fewer integrations than Fireflies (5,000-plus app integrations on Fireflies)
Free unlimited recordingsPremium $20/mo upgradeNative Zoom appFree unlimited forever; cancel anytime

Best for: Free solo users running daily meetings who want unlimited recordings without a cap and accept newer brand recognition as the trade-off.

Accuracy
8
Summaries
9
Workflow
9
Value
10
Support
8

How we picked

Each pick gets a transparent composite score from price, features, free-tier availability, and editor fit. Pricing flows from our live database, so when a vendor changes prices the score updates here too.

We weight price at 40 percent, features at 30, free tier at 15, fit at 15. Fathom leads because the genuinely-unlimited free tier is the strongest free-forever defensibility in the category. See the parent /best/meeting-recorders guide for paid-only Granola and multilingual Sembly excluded from this lens.

We don't claim "30,000 hours of testing." Our methodology is the formula above plus the editor's published verdict for each pick. Verifiable, auditable, and updated when the underlying data changes.

Why trust Subrupt

We're a subscription tracker first, a buying guide second. Every claim on this page is something you can check.

By use case

Best free unlimited

Fathom (AI Meeting Notes)

Read the full review →

Best free mainstream brand

Otter.ai

Read the full review →

Best free with broad integrations

Fireflies.ai

Read the full review →

Best free engagement analytics

Read.ai

Read the full review →

Best free for sales clips

Grain

Read the full review →

How to choose your Free AI Meeting Recorder

Genuinely-unlimited vs cap-based free tiers

Most 'best free meeting recorder' lists conflate two genuinely different paths. Genuinely-unlimited free covers Fathom (unlimited recordings, transcripts, and AI summaries forever; the most generous free tier in the category). Cap-based free covers Otter Basic (300 minutes monthly with 30-minute meeting cap), Fireflies Free (800 storage minutes per seat), Read.ai Free (5 meetings monthly), and Grain Free (20 meetings monthly). The reader who searches 'best free meeting recorder' and wants daily unlimited use picks Fathom. The reader evaluating a specific feature (CRM integration on Otter, integration breadth on Fireflies, engagement analytics on Read.ai, video clip-sharing on Grain) picks the matching free tier and accepts the cap.

Cap thresholds and where they bite

Each cap-based free tier has a different ceiling and reader regret lives where the cap bites first. Otter Free 300 minutes monthly with 30-minute meeting cap bites at five hours of meetings or any single workshop. Fireflies Free 800 storage minutes per seat bites at around thirteen hours of meetings per month per seat. Read.ai Free 5 meetings monthly bites quickly for any active sales or product team. Grain Free 20 meetings monthly bites for daily-use sales teams. The honest sequencing: solo evaluators run all four cap-based free tiers in parallel during evaluation; production-bound teams hit the upgrade trigger within weeks based on which dimension grows fastest.

Out-of-catalog free meeting recorders

Free meeting recorder lists frequently include projects we do not yet catalog. tl;dv ships unlimited video, transcripts, and AI summaries on a Free Forever plan with no time limit. Krisp ships unlimited transcription on its free plan with no monthly cap. Meetily is a privacy-first meeting recorder running entirely on the local machine with no cloud uploads. Jamie covers Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet without requiring a bot. From our catalog Fathom is the genuinely-unlimited pick; Otter, Fireflies, Read.ai, and Grain are the cap-based picks. Readers who specifically need tl;dv, Krisp, Meetily, or Jamie should evaluate those projects directly.

Auto-join across Zoom, Meet, and Teams

All five catalog picks support auto-join across major meeting platforms but the integration depth varies. Fireflies auto-joins any meeting platform with the broadest auto-join coverage. Otter Assistant auto-joins Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams natively. Fathom is a Zoom marketplace app with native Zoom integration plus Meet and Teams support. Read.ai supports Zoom, Teams, Meet, and in-person meetings. Grain auto-joins Zoom, Meet, and Teams. For teams running mixed meeting platforms, Fireflies has the broadest auto-join. For Zoom-heavy teams, Fathom's native Zoom marketplace app is the most reliable connection.

When to upgrade to a paid tier (cross-link to parent)

Free paths cover most starter projects but each pick has a clear upgrade trigger. Fathom Free outgrows when advanced summary types or team workflows matter; Premium at twenty dollars monthly. Otter Free outgrows past 300 minutes; Pro at sixteen dollars ninety-nine cents monthly. Fireflies Free outgrows past 800 storage minutes; Pro at eighteen dollars monthly. Read.ai Free outgrows past 5 meetings; Pro at nineteen dollars seventy-five cents monthly. Grain Free outgrows past 20 meetings; Starter at nineteen dollars per seat. At any of those triggers, see [our /best/meeting-recorders guide](/best/meeting-recorders) for the broader paid lineup including Granola macOS-native and Sembly multilingual depth excluded from this lens.

Frequently asked questions

Is Fathom really free or limited free trial?

Genuinely free forever. Fathom Free covers unlimited recordings, unlimited transcripts, unlimited AI summaries, and unlimited storage with no time cap, no meeting count cap, and no monthly minutes cap. Premium upgrade at twenty dollars monthly adds advanced summary types and team workspace features. The free tier is functionally a paid-tier feature elsewhere; this is the most generous free tier in the AI meeting recorder category by a wide margin.

Does Subrupt earn a commission from these free picks?

On a few. We disclose this on every /best page. Free tiers themselves have no transaction. Paid upgrades on Fathom, Otter, Fireflies, Read.ai, and Grain have plans where we earn commission only on conversion. The composite ranking weights price at 40 percent, features at 30, free tier at 15, fit at 15; none tuned by affiliate rate.

Why is Fathom ranked first over the brand-reference Otter?

Fathom wins on free-tier defensibility because the genuinely-unlimited free tier is the strongest free-forever profile in the AI meeting recorder category. Otter wins on brand recognition specifically with around 5 million users since 2016. The decision pivots on use case. Daily-meeting solo users pick Fathom unlimited. Mainstream readers who want the brand-reference vendor pick Otter and accept the 300-minute cap.

Which free pick has the deepest CRM integration?

Otter Pro at sixteen dollars ninety-nine cents includes CRM sync to HubSpot and Salesforce; the free tier has lighter CRM integration. Fireflies Free covers basic CRM sync with broader integration breadth across 5,000-plus apps. Grain Free covers basic CRM sync for sales workflows. For deep CRM autofill on a free tier, none of the five picks here ship full CRM autofill on free; the upgrade triggers when CRM workflow matters.

How does engagement analytics actually work?

Read.ai analyzes meeting audio for sentiment (positive, neutral, negative tone), attention (engaged versus distracted), and talk-time distribution. The signal is most useful for sales coaching, facilitation training, and remote-team health. Free covers 5 meetings monthly which fits coaching evaluation; Pro at nineteen dollars seventy-five cents covers unlimited meetings.

What about tl;dv, Krisp, Meetily, and Jamie?

tl;dv ships unlimited video plus transcripts plus AI summaries on Free Forever with no time limit. Krisp offers unlimited transcription on free with no monthly cap. Meetily runs locally with no cloud uploads. Jamie covers Zoom, Teams, Meet without requiring a bot. None are in our catalog yet; from our catalog Fathom is the genuinely-unlimited pick. Readers who specifically need those out-of-catalog projects should evaluate them directly.

Can I record without a visible bot in the meeting?

Granola is the catalog pick for no-bot UX with macOS-native local audio capture and intentionally minimal features. Granola is excluded from this free lineup because Granola Free is 25 one-time meetings, restrictive for ongoing free use. For ongoing free use without a bot, out-of-catalog Jamie covers Zoom, Teams, Meet without requiring a bot. From our catalog the five picks here all use a meeting bot for auto-join.

EU data residency: which free picks store meeting data in the EU?

Otter is US-based with US data residency on Free and Pro; Enterprise covers EU residency. Fireflies is US-based with multi-region cloud; HIPAA compliance covers US regulated. Read.ai is US-based with multi-region. Fathom is US-based. Grain is US-based. None of the five free picks here ship default EU data residency; for EU-resident free use, evaluate out-of-catalog picks like tl;dv (GDPR-compliant from the start) or Meetily (local-only, no cloud upload).

How often is this guide updated?

We re-review pricing and feature changes annually at minimum, with mid-year refreshes when major vendor announcements happen. Fathom Premium repriced to twenty dollars monthly in Q4 2025. Otter Pro pricing stable. Fireflies HIPAA-compliant Enterprise launched in 2025. Read.ai Enterprise+ HIPAA launched Q1 2026. Grain Starter pricing stable. The lastReviewed date reflects the most recent editorial pass.

Subrupt Editorial

The team behind subrupt.com. We track subscriptions, surface cheaper alternatives, and publish buying guides where the score formula is on the page so you can recompute it yourself. We do not claim 30,000 hours of testing. What we claim is live pricing from our database, a transparent composite score, and honest savings math against a category baseline.

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Affiliate disclosure: Subrupt earns a commission when you switch to a service through our recommendation links. This never changes the price you pay. We only recommend services where there's a real cost or feature advantage for you, and our picks are based on the data on this page, not on which programs pay the most.

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