Stay on Krisp if noise cancellation is the reason you pay. If you want the meeting notes without a bot joining, choose MeetGeek or Fathom: both record bot-free and both have a free plan. Choose Otter for 300 free transcription minutes a month and bot-free recording from its desktop app. Choose Fireflies if transcription volume matters most: it is unlimited even on free.
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Krisp does two jobs. It removes background noise on both sides of a call, in any meeting app, and it takes bot-free meeting notes. Core costs $16 a user a month on monthly billing, $8 if you pay for a year, and there is no permanent free plan, only a 7-day trial.
Start with the honest part: nothing else in our database removes noise the way Krisp does. If that is why you use it, stay. If what you really use is the notes, the four tools below do that job, three of them with a permanent free plan.
The picks that stand out
MeetGeek
The free plan includes bot-free recording and AI summaries, with three hours of transcription a month. Pro is $15.99 a month on monthly billing, a little under Krisp Core, but capped at 20 hours of transcription a month. It does not remove background noise.
Fathom
The core product is free, it captures with or without a bot joining the call, and it syncs to a CRM. Premium is $20 a month on monthly billing. It covers fewer languages than some rivals and is not a full transcription archive.
Otter.ai
Basic is free with 300 transcription minutes a month, and the desktop app records without a bot. Pro is $16.99 a user a month on monthly billing. Its own limitation matters here: accuracy drops in noisy audio, which is exactly what Krisp fixes.
Fireflies.ai
Transcription is unlimited on every plan, including free, in 100+ languages. The free plan stores only 400 minutes per team, and Pro is $18 a user a month on monthly billing against $10 billed yearly.
At a glance
| Criterion |  Krisp | MeetGeek | Fathom | Otter.ai | Fireflies.ai |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Used mainly for | Removing background noise on calls, meeting transcription | Meeting transcription, automatic summaries and action items | Meeting notes, CRM sync | Meeting transcription, action items | Meeting transcription, AI meeting summaries |
| Entry price | $16.00/mo · Core | $15.99/mo · Pro | $20.00/mo · Premium | $16.99/mo · Pro | $18.00/mo · Pro |
| Free plan | ✕No | ✓Yes | ✓Yes | ✓Yes | ✓Yes |
| Free trial | ✓Yes | ✓Yes | ✓Yes | ✕No | ✕No |
| Works on | Windows, macOS, Web | Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Chrome | Web, macOS | Web, iOS, Android | Web, Chrome, iOS, Android |
| Documented integrations | Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Slack Huddles | Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Zapier, Make, n8n | HubSpot, Salesforce, Slack | Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Salesforce | Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Slack, HubSpot, Salesforce |
| Setup | Easy: minutes | Easy: minutes | Easy: minutes | Easy: minutes | Easy: minutes |
| Main limitation | No permanent free plan, only a 7-day trial | Pro is capped at 20 hours of transcription a month; unlimited starts at Business | Fewer languages than some rivals | Accuracy drops in noisy audio | Free plan stores only 400 minutes per team, so the archive fills fast |
| Our evidence level | Vendor documented | Vendor documented | Vendor documented | Vendor documented | Vendor documented |
| Try it | Try Krisp ↗ | Try MeetGeek ↗Partner link | Try Fathom ↗ | Try Otter.ai ↗ | Try Fireflies.ai ↗ |
Every cell comes from the tool's record, built from its official documentation and pricing page. The integrations listed are the ones the vendor documents, not tested by us.
Decide which half of Krisp you use
Krisp's noise cancellation and its meeting notes are separate jobs that happen to share a subscription. If people on your calls hear a café, a dog or a keyboard, that is noise cancellation, and none of these alternatives does it. If you mostly open Krisp afterwards to read the summary, you are paying for a notetaker, and notetakers have free plans.
Bot-free is no longer rare
Krisp's notes do not put a bot in the call. MeetGeek, Fathom and Otter's desktop app can record without one too. Fireflies joins the major platforms without a desktop app; check how it appears in your meetings before telling a client nothing will join.
Noisy audio hurts every transcript
Transcription accuracy depends on what the microphone hears. Otter's record names this limitation directly. If your calls are noisy, a notetaker on its own will give you worse notes than Krisp did, that is the case for keeping Krisp, or for fixing the microphone first.
Noise, notes or both
Krisp sells two things; the alternatives only replace one of them.
- Noise is the problem: none of the alternatives removes background noise on both sides of a call. Krisp Core is $96 a year on yearly billing.
- Notes are the problem: Fathom's free plan and MeetGeek's free plan both record without a bot; MeetGeek's covers three hours a month.
- You need both: Krisp Core already includes bot-free notes, so adding a second note-taker usually pays twice for the same thing.
When to stay on Krisp
If you sell or consult over video from noisy places, Krisp's noise removal is the feature you are paying for, and the notes come with it. Switching to a free notetaker saves $16 a month and costs you the thing your clients actually notice.
Pricing side by side
Krisp Core · in dollars
MeetGeek Pro · in dollars
Otter.ai Pro · in dollars
Fireflies.ai Pro · in dollars
Each tool's paid entry plan multiplied by the number of seats, free plan and tax excluded. One currency for all: the bars share a scale and compare directly. Prices read on the official pages (25.10.2026).
| Tool | Verified price | Billing condition | Free | Checked | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Krisp | $16.00/mo · Core | $8 per user/month billed annually; $16/mo monthly | No | 25.10.2026 | Visit ↗ |
| MeetGeek | $15.99/mo · Pro | $15.99 per user/month billed monthly; $9.99 per user/month billed yearly | Yes | 25.10.2026 | Visit ↗Partner link |
| Fathom | $20.00/mo · Premium | $16/mo billed annually; $20/mo billed monthly | Yes | 25.10.2026 | Visit ↗ |
| Otter.ai | $16.99/mo · Pro | $8.33/user/mo billed annually; $16.99/user/mo billed monthly | Yes | 25.10.2026 | Visit ↗ |
| 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 | 25.10.2026 | Visit ↗ |
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free alternative to Krisp?
For meeting notes, yes: MeetGeek, Fathom, Otter and Fireflies all have permanent free plans. For noise cancellation, none of the tools in our database replaces Krisp, which itself has no permanent free plan, only a 7-day trial.
What is Krisp used for?
Two things: removing background noise on both sides of a call in any meeting app, and taking bot-free meeting notes and transcripts in English plus 15 more languages.
How much does Krisp cost?
Core is $16 a user a month on monthly billing, or $8 a month billed yearly. Advanced is $30 monthly or $15 billed yearly. There is a 7-day trial and no permanent free plan.
Which Krisp alternative records without a bot?
MeetGeek on its free plan, Fathom, and Otter through its desktop app. Check how each one records on your meeting platform before relying on it with clients.
Recently at these tools
September 2026 update: Desktop App 2.0 records calls on Mac and Windows without a bot joining the meeting, including Slack Huddles, WhatsApp calls and in-person conversations, and brings past meetings and AI Chat into the app; a OneNote integration is added. Source ↗
Read on each vendor's official changelog, not tested by us.