AI note-takers join your calls, transcribe everything and write a summary with action items. They can save hours each week, and all three of the tools below can be used for free. The question is how far the free plan goes. We checked their pricing pages on October 25, 2026.
Otter.ai: 300 free minutes a month
Otter’s free plan includes 300 transcription minutes a month. That is five hours, which covers a few meetings a week. If you are in meetings most days, you will need Pro, which raises the allowance to 1,200 minutes per user. Otter.ai in detail.
Fireflies.ai: unlimited transcription, limited summaries
Fireflies calls its free plan “free forever” and lists unlimited transcription, but with limited AI summaries and 20 AI credits. So you get every word written down, but fewer of the automatic summaries that make note-takers useful. Pro, from $10 per seat a month billed yearly ($18 monthly), unlocks unlimited summaries. Fireflies.ai in detail.
Notion: great for notes, AI only as a trial
Notion’s free plan is excellent for keeping notes, and a single user can add as many pages as they like. But Notion AI is only a limited trial on the free plan, and its AI agents cost $10 per 1,000 credits after the free try. Use Notion to store and organise notes; do not rely on its AI for free. Notion in detail.
Which should you choose?
- A few meetings a week: Otter’s 300 minutes are probably enough.
- Many meetings, you mainly want transcripts: Fireflies’ unlimited transcription is hard to beat for free.
- You want everything in one workspace: Notion for notes, plus a separate free transcriber.
Before you invite a bot to your meetings
- Tell people. Let participants know the call is being recorded and transcribed; in many places, recording rules require it.
- Check your company’s policy. Confidential meetings may not be allowed in third-party tools. See how to use AI at work without getting into trouble.
- Review summaries. AI can mishear names and numbers; check action items before you send them.
See all AI productivity tools.
Sources
- Otter.ai pricing — Otter.ai
- Fireflies.ai pricing — Fireflies.ai
- Notion pricing — Notion