Get an AI Summary of a Zoom Recording
Zoom does have its own AI summary. The catch is when you can get it. It runs during the call. Only the host or a co-host can start it, from the controls inside the meeting. It needs a licensed user on Zoom Workplace Pro or a higher plan. And it covers only the part of the call while it was switched on. (Zoom spells this out on its meeting summary help page.)
So the usual situation looks like this. The call is over, nobody pressed the button, and you have an MP4 and no notes. Or you were on a free Basic account. Local recording works there, since Zoom offers it to free Basic accounts and paid plans in the Zoom desktop app. The summary doesn’t.
That’s the gap this fills. Upload the Zoom recording, or paste a link to it, and a few minutes later you have a transcript, an AI summary, the decisions and the action items. It doesn’t matter which Zoom plan you’re on or who hosted, and no bot ever joins a call.
8,958 meetings were recorded on ScreenApp in the last 90 days.
A Transcript With Speakers
The whole call as text, with speaker identification, in 100+ languages.
Decisions and Action Items
AI notes with action items with an owner and deadline, and decisions listed separately.
Chapters to Jump Between
The meeting split into chapters with timestamps, so you go straight to the part you need.
Questions Instead of Rewatching
Use AI chat with any recording to ask what was agreed, instead of reading the transcript again.
Export the notes as PDF, DOCX, TXT, SRT and VTT. The free plan covers 2 transcriptions of recordings up to 45 minutes each.
If you want a bot to join and record Zoom calls automatically from your calendar, that is a separate tool: see the Zoom bot. For the transcript itself, with timestamps and speaker labels, see the Zoom transcript generator.
Zoom’s Own Summary or This Tool?
| Zoom AI Companion meeting summary | ScreenApp | |
|---|---|---|
| When it works | During the call, while it’s switched on | Any time after, from the recording |
| Who can start it | Only the host or a co-host | Anyone who has the recording |
| Zoom plan needed | Needs a licensed user on Zoom Workplace Pro or a higher plan | Any, including free Basic |
| What it covers | It covers only the part of the call while it was switched on | The whole recording you upload |
| Breakout rooms | Meeting Summary is not available within breakout rooms | Covered, if they’re in the recording |
| After the summary | Read it in Zoom | Search the transcript, ask questions, export |
Sources, checked 2026-09-12: Zoom meeting summary help
If you host on a Pro plan and remember to switch it on, Zoom’s summary is already paid for, so use it.
This tool is for everything else: you were a guest, you’re on a free account, the host forgot, the important part happened in a breakout room, or you want a transcript you can search and question months later.
What You Get Back
Here is the kind of list the AI notes give you from a one-hour planning call, each line tied to its moment in the recording.
| Time | From the meeting | Type |
|---|---|---|
| 00:00 | Budget review | Chapter |
| 04:12 | Launch moves to the second week of March | Decision |
| 11:38 | Sam sends the revised budget by Friday | Action item |
| 27:50 | Alex books the design review for Tuesday | Action item |
| 41:05 | The vendor contract stays with the current supplier | Decision |
The meeting and notes are made up for this example. Real results depend on your recording.
Check Any Note Before You Send It
Click the Timestamp
Every line links to its moment.
Hear Who Said It
Confirm the owner and the date.
Fix It and Share
Correct a misheard name first.
In ScreenApp, clicking a moment in the transcript jumps the player to that point in the recording. Transcript edits cover transcript corrections, line removal and speaker reassignment saved to the recording.
How to Summarize a Zoom Recording
- Add the recording. Upload the MP4 that Zoom saved to your computer, or paste a link if the recording sits in Zoom’s cloud or somewhere like Google Drive.
- Wait a few minutes. It transcribes the audio, labels the speakers and pulls out the summary, decisions and action items.
- Read, ask and share. Search the transcript, jump to a chapter, or ask a question about the meeting. Then export it or share a link.
One limit to plan around: the free plan covers 2 transcriptions of recordings up to 45 minutes each. A 45-minute stand-up fits. A 90-minute quarterly review doesn’t, so try a shorter call first.
Accuracy depends on the recording’s audio. A clear one-on-one call transcribes better than a large call with several people talking over each other. See how we measure accuracy.
Questions to Ask After the Meeting
The summary covers the main points. For anything more specific, ask the recording. Click a question to open ScreenApp with it ready to ask.
Each answer points back to the moment in the recording, so you can check it before you pass it on.
What It Can and Cannot Do
Good at
- Recordings after the call, on any Zoom plan
- Calls where you were a guest, not the host
- Finding the decisions and owners without a replay
- Searching and questioning old meetings
Not built for
- Live calls: it works from the recording, so use the Zoom bot to capture a call as it happens
- Long meetings on the free plan, which covers 2 transcriptions, up to 45 min each
- Clean notes from poor audio or people talking over each other
Zoom AI Summary vs Other Tools
| Feature | ScreenApp | Zoom AI Companion | Otter.ai | Fireflies.ai | Krisp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free tier | 2 transcriptions, up to 45 min each | 3 uses/month (My Notes) | 300 min/month | 400 min storage, 20 AI credits/month | 7-day trial, no ongoing free plan |
| Works from an uploaded recording | From any Zoom plan | Not stated | 3 lifetime imports on the free plan | Needs Free | Not stated |
| In-meeting summary needs a paid Zoom plan | Not applicable | a licensed user on Zoom Workplace Pro or a higher plan | Not applicable | Not applicable | Not applicable |
| Summary languages | 100+ | 30 | 6 | Not stated | Not stated |
| Action items | action items with an owner and deadline, and decisions listed separately | Not stated | Included, automatically assigned | Included | Included |
| Paid plan | $19/month annual | $8.33/month (My Notes) | $8.33/month annual | $19/month annual | $8/month annual |
Sources, checked 2026-10-09: Zoom meeting summary help, ScreenApp supported languages, ScreenApp pricing, Zoom AI note taking, Otter pricing, Fireflies pricing, Fireflies free plan guide, Krisp pricing, Fireflies upload guide, Otter home page, Fireflies home page, Krisp meeting summary
- vs Zoom AI Companion: Zoom’s own Meeting Summary runs inside the call, but it needs a licensed user on Zoom Workplace Pro or a higher plan and Meeting Summary is not available within breakout rooms. ScreenApp works from a recording you already have, on any plan, and covers meetings you did not turn the in-call summary on for.
- vs Otter.ai: Otter’s free plan caps you at 300 minutes a month, and Pro starts at $8.33 a month billed annually. ScreenApp’s free plan is 2 transcriptions of recordings up to 45 minutes each, importable from a link as well as uploaded.
- vs Fireflies.ai: Fireflies offers a Chrome extension recording without the Fireflies bot, with 400 minutes of storage and 20 AI credits a month on its free plan. Its Business plan is $19 a month billed annually.
- vs Krisp: Krisp also summarizes without a bot, but it works from your device during the call rather than from an uploaded recording, and its free option is only a 7-day trial before Core at $8 a month billed annually. ScreenApp has an ongoing free plan.
Who Uses a Zoom AI Summary Tool
Mostly people who end up holding a recording nobody summarized.
Account managers on a client’s Zoom are guests, so the summary button isn’t theirs to press. They record locally, upload the file after the call, and send the next steps the same afternoon instead of rewatching an hour of video to find them.
Managers who missed a meeting get the decisions and owners in a few minutes of reading, not a 60-minute replay.
Trainers and teachers upload recorded sessions so students or new hires can search the transcript for the one part they need.
Anyone on a free Zoom account. Recording is free there. The summary isn’t.
The same summary is available for a recording from any platform through the meeting summarizer, and for Meet recordings through the Google Meet AI summary. Looking for more meeting documentation tools? Explore the meeting recorder for automatic transcription, AI summaries, and searchable meeting libraries.
What Each Plan Does Here
Try It on One Recording
No card needed. Upload one Zoom recording and check the summary yourself. The free plan covers 2 transcriptions of recordings up to 45 minutes each and 10 AI chats a month.
Summarize Every Meeting
For a team that meets every week. Pro has 500 uploads, 50 transcriptions and 50 AI chats a month.
7 Days to Try Pro
Pro is $19 a month billed annually, with 50 transcriptions and 50 AI chats a month. Use every Pro feature for 7 days and confirm it does what you need before the first payment. The trial is for annual plans only. Trial terms: Card required. See the plans and terms.
