Meeting assistants record, transcribe and summarize calls so nobody has to. For small teams, the difference between tools is usually not accuracy — it's where the notes go, what the free tier allows, and how much setup your team will actually do.
The two names you'll meet most are Otter and Fathom. They approach the same problem differently: Otter is a transcription-first tool with a long history; Fathom is summary-first with strong CRM sync and a free core product.
For small teams that sell or consult over calls, Fathom's free core product and CRM sync make it the default starting point. If you want a generous free transcription tier and don't need CRM sync, Otter is the strong alternative. Both are worth testing free before paying for anything.
The picks that stand out
Otter.ai
Historically a generous free tier with automatic capture from Zoom, Meet and Teams. Strong for teams that want full transcripts.
Fathom
Free core product, clean summaries and direct CRM sync — built for sales and consulting conversations.
Fireflies.ai
Transcription is unlimited even on the free plan, and search works across every call rather than one at a time. The catch is storage: the free tier keeps only 400 minutes per team, so the archive fills before the transcription limit does.
What actually matters
Three things decide the winner for your team: where notes land (CRM, Slack, email), how much free usage you get before paying, and whether your team will adopt it. Adoption beats features — a simpler tool your team actually opens beats a powerful one they don't.
Accuracy expectations
Transcripts degrade in noisy rooms, with heavy accents and overlapping speech. Treat transcripts as a starting record, not a perfect document. Summaries are generated by AI and should be skimmed for errors before they're forwarded to clients.
Krisp solves the problem underneath all three
Every assistant on this page degrades on bad audio, and none of them fixes the audio. Krisp does one thing — it removes background noise from the call itself — and it is the only tool here with no free plan, so it is a paid decision from day one. Worth it if you take client calls from a noisy room several times a week; not worth it from a quiet home office, where you would be buying a solution to a problem you do not have.
Recording is a decision you make with the room
None of these tools asks the other participants for permission, and in several jurisdictions that permission is not optional. The assistant joins, the transcript exists, and the awkward part is retroactive. Say it at the top of the call, every time, and give people a way to decline. It costs eight seconds and it removes the one scenario that turns a useful note-taker into a problem with a client. Whatever the law where you sit, a recording nobody was told about is a trust question before it is a legal one.
A transcript is not a follow-up
This is the mistake that makes the whole category look useless. A summary forwarded to five people is not a decision, an owner or a date, and nobody reads a wall of text they were already present for. The tools produce a record; the value only appears when someone turns that record into two lines of what happens next and who has it. Teams that get this right send the actions and keep the transcript searchable in the background. Teams that do not have simply automated the production of unread documents.
Pricing side by side
| Tool | Verified price | Billing condition | Free | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Otter.ai | $16.99/mo · Pro | $8.33/user/mo billed annually; $16.99/user/mo billed monthly | Yes | 12.09.2026 |
| Fathom | $20.00/mo · Premium | $16/mo billed annually; $20/mo billed monthly | Yes | 12.09.2026 |
| Fireflies.ai | $18.00/mo · Pro | $18 per user/month billed monthly; $10 per user/month billed annually (Fireflies advertises up to 44% off) | Yes | 07.08.2026 |
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free AI meeting assistant?
Yes. Fathom's core product is free for individuals, and Otter offers a free tier with a monthly minute cap. Test both before paying.
Which meeting assistant syncs to a CRM?
Fathom historically syncs to HubSpot and Salesforce among others, which makes it popular with sales teams and consultants. Check current integrations on the vendor's site.
Do I have to tell people I am recording?
Assume yes. Rules vary by country and by state, and none of these tools handles consent for you — they join and transcribe. Announcing it at the start of the call costs seconds, and it is the difference between a useful record and a conversation you would rather not have with a client afterwards.
How does Fireflies.ai differ from Otter.ai?
Both transcribe and summarise, and both publish a free tier with caps. The practical difference is where the output is meant to land: Fireflies leans toward pushing notes into the other tools a team already uses, Otter toward being the place the transcript lives. Check current integrations on the vendor's own site before deciding, as both change often.