Top 12 Meeting Recorder Apps 2026: Free Plans and Pricing
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Every app on this list will record a meeting. That isn’t the hard part anymore. The things that actually separate them are three questions you only think to ask after signing up: does a bot join the call, how much does the free plan really cover, and what does it cost once you’re past it.
So that’s what this comparison is built around. We went back to each vendor’s own pricing page in November 2026, kept the 12 apps that genuinely record and transcribe meetings, and dropped six from earlier versions of this list that don’t. The ones that went, and why, are near the end.
Quick Picks
- ScreenApp. Bot or bot-free, your choice per meeting. Free for 2 transcriptions, up to 45 min each, then $19 a month billed annually.
- Fathom. The most generous free plan here: Unlimited recordings and transcriptions.
- Granola. How it records: no bot, it captures audio from your device. Free plan keeps 30 days of meeting history.
- Otter.ai. The best known, with a 300-minute free month.
- Your meeting app’s own recorder. Free if you’re already on the right Zoom, Meet or Teams plan, but only the host gets the button.
| App | How it records | Free plan | Paid from |
|---|---|---|---|
| ScreenApp | Bot, or a Chrome extension with no bot | 2 transcriptions, up to 45 min each | $19/mo annual |
| Otter.ai | Bot, or desktop app records without a bot joining the call | 300 min/mo, 30 min per conversation | $8.33/mo annual |
| Fireflies.ai | Bot, or a Chrome extension recording without the Fireflies bot | 400 min storage | $10/mo annual |
| Fathom | Choice of bot recording or bot-free capture on Mac (beta) | Unlimited recordings and transcriptions | $16/mo annual |
| Granola | No bot, records device audio | 30 days of meeting history | $14/user/mo |
| Grain | No bot | 20 meetings | Check grain.com |
| Read.ai | Bot, or bot-free desktop and mobile apps | 5 meetings/mo | $15/mo annual |
| Tactiq | No bot joins the call | 10 transcripts/mo | $8/mo annual |
| Loom | Screen and camera, no bot | 25 videos, 5 min each | $18/mo annual |
| Zoom | Built into the call | Local recording on free Basic accounts and paid plans in the Zoom desktop app | AI summary needs Pro or higher |
| Google Meet | Built into the call | None on free Gmail | Paid Workspace or Google One 2 TB |
| Microsoft Teams | Built into the call | Depends on your organization's license | Part of Microsoft 365 |
Sources, checked 2026-11-10: ScreenApp pricing, Fathom pricing, Granola pricing, Otter pricing, Otter meeting assistant, Fireflies pricing, grain.com/pricing, read.ai/pricing, tactiq.io/pricing, Tactiq plan guide, Loom pricing, Zoom local recording help
Prices are what each vendor’s pricing page showed in November 2026, per user. Most figures link to the page we took them from.
How to Choose
Start with the bot question, because it decides more than any feature list.
It Joins the Call
A bot joins as a participant. Everyone sees it, and it records even when you forget, as long as the host lets it in. It also changes the room. Some clients ask what it is, some companies block outside bots outright, and a first sales call with "Notetaker" in the participant list starts on the wrong foot.
It Records From Your Computer
Bot-free recorders (Granola, Grain, Tactiq, ScreenApp's extension, Loom) capture audio from your own computer instead. Nothing joins. The catch is that you have to be in the meeting, and nobody is told you're recording unless you tell them, which you should.
Then check whether your meeting app already does it. Zoom records locally even on a free account, but its AI summary needs a licensed user on Zoom Workplace Pro or a higher plan. Google Meet only records on paid Google Workspace editions such as Business Standard and Business Plus, Workspace Individual, and Google One plans with 2 TB or more, and only the host, or someone the host's meeting settings allow can press the button. If you’re a guest in other people’s meetings, built-in recorders are mostly out of reach, which is why most people end up here.
Last, read the free plan properly. “Free” ranges from Unlimited recordings and transcriptions on Fathom to 10 transcripts a month on Tactiq. If you have five recurring meetings a week, that difference is the whole decision.
Narrow 12 Apps to Two in Three Questions
Bot or No Bot?
Decide what the room will accept.
Host or Guest?
Guests rarely get the built-in recorder.
Meetings a Week?
Count them against each free plan.
Then try the two that are left on a real meeting. Every app here has a free plan or trial.
We built ScreenApp, and it’s first on this list. Take that with a pinch of salt and try two or three of the others. The free plans make that easy.
For bot-free tools only, see our bot-free AI meeting recorders guide. For a deeper look at the AI note side, there’s the AI meeting notetakers comparison.
1. ScreenApp
ScreenApp is a web-based meeting recorder that gives you both ways in. A meeting bot for Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams joins from Google Calendar and Microsoft Outlook calendars, or a Chrome extension that records tab, screen, mic and camera records your own tab with no bot in the call. That choice per meeting is the main reason to pick it over a bot-only tool.
After the call you get AI-powered transcription with speaker identification, video summarization, automatic AI notetaking with action items with an owner and deadline, and decisions listed separately, and Ask AI, where you type a question about the meeting instead of rewatching it.
Works on
Web app, Chrome extension, Mac (Apple silicon) and Windows apps, iOS and Android apps
Price
Free for 2 transcriptions of recordings up to 45 minutes each. Pro $19/mo annual ($30 monthly), Max $34/mo annual
Pros
- Bot and bot-free in one account
- Screen and camera recording as well as audio
- Transcripts in 100+ languages
- Ask questions across a recording
Cons
- The free plan is small (two transcriptions)
- Recordings on Pro cap at 2 hours
- The bot doesn't join Webex
2. Otter.ai
Otter.ai is the name most people already know. Its bot joins your calls, there’s live transcription in the Otter app, plus live notes and captioning for Google Meet and Zoom, and its desktop app records without a bot joining the call for when you’d rather not send it.
The free plan is where you notice the limits: 300 minutes a month, and each conversation stops at 30 minutes. A standard one-hour meeting doesn’t fit. You also get only 3 lifetime audio/video file imports, so it’s not the tool for a backlog of old recordings.
Works on
Web, desktop, iOS and Android
Price
Free plan as above. Pro $8.33/mo annual, $16.99 monthly
Pros
- Live transcript during the call
- Integrations with Salesforce and HubSpot
- Mature mobile apps
Cons
- 30-minute cap per free conversation
- Transcription in 6 languages only (English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, and Chinese)
3. Fireflies.ai
Fireflies.ai is a bot first, with a Chrome extension recording without the Fireflies bot for the calls where you don’t want one. It transcribes in 100+ languages, which matters more than people expect if half your calls aren’t in English.
The free plan is measured in storage, 400 minutes, plus 20 AI credits a month. Video recording needs the Pro plan, so free users get audio and the transcript.
Works on
Web, Chrome extension, mobile
Price
Pro $10/mo annual ($18 monthly), Business $19/mo annual
Pros
- Wide language coverage
- Integrations with Salesforce, HubSpot, and others
- Action items included
Cons
- Storage-based free plan fills up
- No video on free
- AI features metered by credits
4. Fathom
Fathom has the free plan to beat: Unlimited recordings and transcriptions. If you mostly need notes from your own Zoom, Meet and Teams calls and don’t want to pay, start here.
How it records: Choice of bot recording or bot-free capture on Mac (beta). On Windows, that means the bot.
Works on
Web, desktop
Price
Free plan as above. Premium $16/mo annual
Pros
- Generous free tier
- Integrations with Salesforce, HubSpot, and others
- Action items included
Cons
- Bot-free capture is Mac-only and in beta, so most people will be sending a bot
5. Granola
Granola never joins the call. It runs on your computer or phone, listens to the device audio, and turns your own rough notes into a full write-up after the meeting. For people who hate bots, it’s the default answer right now.
The free plan’s limit is time, not meetings: you see 30 days of meeting history, so older notes drop out of view unless you pay.
Works on
Desktop, iOS, Android
Price
Free plan as above. Business $14 per user a month
Pros
- Nothing joins the call
- Works with any meeting app
- Notes start from what you typed
Cons
- No video recording
- You must be in the meeting
- History limit on free
6. Zoom’s Built-in Recorder
Zoom records on its own, and local recording works on free Basic accounts and paid plans in the Zoom desktop app. That covers the video. The AI part is where plans bite: the meeting summary needs a licensed user on Zoom Workplace Pro or a higher plan, only the host or a co-host can start it, and it covers only the part of the call while it was switched on.
If you’re on free Zoom, you can record for nothing and then upload the file to a tool like our Zoom AI summary for the notes.
Works on
Built into Zoom
Price
Recording free on Basic. AI summary on Pro and above
Pros
- Nothing to install
- Everyone in the call is told
- Cloud recordings sit next to the meeting
Cons
- Guests can't record without host permission
- AI summary only during the call
- Local recordings get no transcript
7. Google Meet’s Recorder
Google Meet records only on paid Google Workspace editions such as Business Standard and Business Plus, Workspace Individual, and Google One plans with 2 TB or more, and only the host, or someone the host's meeting settings allow can start it. The file goes to the organizer's Google Drive, and everyone in the call gets a notification when a recording starts or stops. A single recording stops after 8 hours.
On free Gmail there’s no Record button at all. That’s why the Google Meet recording extension and the bot-free tools above exist.
Works on
Built into Meet
Price
Included with eligible paid Workspace and Google One plans
Pros
- Nothing to install
- Saves straight to Drive
- Participants are notified automatically
Cons
- No recording on free accounts
- Guests can't record
- AI notes only on Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Standard or Enterprise Plus
8. Microsoft Teams’ Recorder
Microsoft Teams records and transcribes inside the meeting when your organization’s license and IT policy allow it. After the call, the transcript downloads as .docx or .vtt, but by default only the organizer and co-organizers can download it.
If you live in Teams at work, the built-in recorder is usually enough. Guests from other companies are the ones left without a transcript.
Works on
Built into Teams
Price
Part of your Microsoft 365 license
Pros
- Already approved by IT
- Recordings and transcripts stay in Microsoft 365
Cons
- Controlled by admin policy
- Attendees often can't download the transcript
- Little use outside your own organization
9. Loom
Loom is on this list for one kind of meeting: the one you replace with a video. A product walkthrough, a design review you’d otherwise book 30 minutes for. It records your screen and camera, transcripts come on all Loom plans, and there’s no watermark.
It isn’t built to sit in a live call with other people. The free plan stops at 25 videos of 5 minutes each, which is fine for quick updates and useless for a real meeting.
Works on
Chrome extension, desktop, mobile
Price
Business $18/mo annual, Business + AI $24/mo
Pros
- Fastest way to send a recorded explanation
- Transcripts on every plan
- No watermark
Cons
- 5-minute free recordings
- Not a meeting note taker
- AI features cost extra
10. Grain
Grain started as a tool for clipping the good moments out of sales and customer calls, and that’s still where it fits best. There is no bot required, and it writes notes, next steps and a recap after each meeting.
The free plan covers 20 meetings. Grain’s pricing page didn’t clearly attach prices to its paid plans when we checked in November 2026, so look at grain.com before you budget for it.
Works on
Web, desktop
Price
Free for 20 meetings, paid plans on request or on grain.com
Pros
- Built for sharing call highlights
- Bot-free on every plan
Cons
- Small free allowance
- Pricing harder to pin down than the others
11. Read.ai
Read.ai joins as a bot, or records bot-free from its desktop or mobile app. Beyond notes and action items, it scores meetings on things like talk time and engagement, which some managers love and some participants find a bit much.
Works on
Web, desktop, mobile
Price
Free for 5 meetings a month. Pro $15/mo annual
Pros
- Bot or bot-free
- Meeting analytics
- Action items included
Cons
- Small free plan
- Transcription in 16 languages
- Analytics can feel intrusive
12. Tactiq
Tactiq is a Chrome extension. No bot joins the call; it reads the captions in your browser and turns them into a transcript and notes. It’s the lightest option here, with nothing to install beyond the extension.
Works on
Chrome extension
Price
Free for 10 transcripts a month. Pro $8/mo annual ($12 monthly)
Pros
- No bot
- Very quick to start
- Works in 60+ languages
Cons
- Transcript only, no video or audio file
- Browser meetings only
Dropped From This List
Earlier versions of this article included six apps that don’t record and transcribe meetings, so they’re out. In fairness to them:
- Evernote is a note-taking app. It can hold an audio note but doesn’t transcribe or join meetings.
- Rev is best known for human transcription of files you already have, not for recording meetings.
- TapeACall records phone calls on iPhone, which is a different job.
- Hi-Q MP3 Recorder is a good Android audio recorder with no transcription.
- Sonocent Audio Recorder is aimed at students taking notes from lectures.
- Luma AI builds 3D capture and AI video generation. It was listed here by mistake.
Record With ScreenApp
If you want to try the bot and the no-bot approach side by side, ScreenApp does both from one free account.
- Pick how it records. Connect your calendar for the AI meeting assistant bot, or install the Chrome extension for bot-free recording.
- Run the meeting. Nothing changes for anyone else in the call.
- Read the notes. The transcript, summary and action items are ready a few minutes after it ends.
Then ask the meeting what you need instead of rewatching it. Click a question to open ScreenApp with it ready to ask.
In ScreenApp, clicking a moment in the transcript jumps the player to that point in the recording, so you can check each answer against the recording.
FAQ
What Is the Best Meeting Recorder App?
It depends on the bot question. If a bot in the call is fine, Fathom's free plan (Unlimited recordings and transcriptions) is hard to beat. If you want no bot, Granola or a bot-free extension like ScreenApp's or Tactiq's. If you need both depending on the meeting, ScreenApp is the one that does both.
Is There a Free Meeting Recorder?
Yes, several. Fathom offers Unlimited recordings and transcriptions, Otter 300 minutes a month, Tactiq 10 transcripts a month and ScreenApp 2 transcriptions of recordings up to 45 minutes each. Zoom also records locally on a free account.
Which Meeting Recorders Work Without a Bot?
Granola, Grain and Tactiq never send one. ScreenApp, Otter, Fireflies, Fathom and Read.ai offer a bot-free mode next to their bot. Without a bot, Zoom, Meet and Teams don't announce your recording, so tell people yourself.
Can I Record a Meeting Without the Host's Permission?
Zoom, Google Meet and Teams only let the host, or people the host allows, use their built-in recorders. A recorder on your own computer doesn't need that permission, but the people in the call still need to agree. Laws differ by country and state; our guide on whether it's legal to record Zoom calls covers the basics.
What's a Good Otter.ai or Granola Alternative?
For Otter, the main reasons to switch are the 30-minute free cap and the 6-language limit: Fireflies covers 100+ languages, and ScreenApp 100+. For Granola, the usual reason is wanting the video as well as the notes, which ScreenApp records and Granola doesn't.
Do I Need a Meeting Recorder if Zoom Already Records?
Only if you need what Zoom's recorder doesn't do: record as a guest, summarize on a free account, or search transcripts across every meeting tool you use. Our best AI meeting agents guide goes further into the AI side.
