Transcribe Remote Meetings for a Distributed Team
A remote or distributed team runs on calls that not everyone can join live, across time zones that rarely line up. ScreenApp turns a Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams call into a transcript with speaker labels, so a teammate who was asleep during the call reads it instead of asking someone to recap it the next morning.
13,238 meetings were transcribed on ScreenApp in the last 90 days. Async review also means whoever runs the call doesn’t have to write the notes: the transcript and the AI summary are ready by the time the next person logs on.
What you get:
- A transcript with speaker identification, in 99 languages
- AI chat with any recording, so a teammate who missed the call can ask what was decided instead of reading the whole thing
- AI notes: action items with an owner and deadline, and decisions listed separately
- team workspaces and share links, so the rest of a spread-out team can read it without pinging whoever ran the call
- Export as PDF, DOCX, TXT, SRT and VTT
- Free plan: one recording of up to 45 minutes, with AI chat on it
How to Transcribe a Remote Meeting
- Connect the bot, or your calendar: Add the meeting bot for Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams to the call, or connect Google Calendar and Microsoft Calendar so it joins every scheduled meeting on its own, whichever time zone it falls in. It joins as a visible participant, the same way any other meeting bot does.
- Or upload a recording you already have: If the call ran on a platform the bot doesn’t join, such as Webex, or someone already recorded it another way, upload the audio or video file (MP4, WebM, MOV, AVI, MKV, WMV, and FLV) and it transcribes the same way. The Chrome extension for meetings captures a call without a bot joining at all.
- Read, search, and export async: The transcript, with speaker labels, is ready a few minutes after the call ends and sits in the team’s library for whoever logs on next. Search it, ask AI chat with any recording a question, or export as PDF, DOCX, TXT, SRT and VTT.
Accuracy depends on the audio each remote participant sends, so a call with a weak connection or several people talking over each other has more gaps than a clear one-on-one call. See how we measure accuracy.
Remote Transcription vs Other Apps
| Feature | ScreenApp | Otter.ai | Fathom | Fireflies.ai |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan | one recording, up to 45 min | 300 min/month | Unlimited recordings and transcriptions | 400 min storage, 20 AI credits/month |
| Platforms | meeting bot for Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams | Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet | Google Meet, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams | Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams |
| Bot-free option | Chrome extension that records tab, screen, mic and camera | desktop app records without a bot joining the call | Choice of bot-free (in beta) or bot recording | Chrome extension recording without the Fireflies bot |
| AI notes | Included | Included, automatically assigned | Included | Included |
| Paid plan | $19/month annual | $8.33/month annual | $16/month annual | $19/month annual |
Sources, checked 2026-09-12: screenapp.io/pricing, screenapp.io/help/how-many-minutes-can-i-record, github.com/screenappai/meeting-bot, otter.ai/pricing, fathom.ai/pricing, guide.fireflies.ai/articles/4027724828-learn-about-the-fireflies-free-plan, otter.ai/otterpilot, fathom.ai, fireflies.ai/integrations, screenapp.io/chrome, fireflies.ai/pricing, otter.ai, fathom.ai, fireflies.ai, guide.fireflies.ai/articles/2063312779-fireflies-business-tier-pricing-and-features
- vs Otter.ai: Otter’s free plan is capped at 300 minutes a month, and its bot joins Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet. ScreenApp’s free plan is one recording of up to 45 minutes with AI chat included, so a small distributed team can try it without a monthly clock resetting.
- vs Fathom: Fathom’s free plan states Unlimited recordings and transcriptions and its bot works on Google Meet, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams. Its paid plan is $16 a month billed annually.
- vs Fireflies.ai: Fireflies joins Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams and offers Chrome extension recording without the Fireflies bot as an alternative to the bot. Its Business plan starts at $19 a month billed annually.
Who Uses Remote Transcription
Distributed engineering teams spread across time zones use the transcript so someone in a later shift reads what was decided instead of waiting for a live handoff meeting.
Remote-first companies keep a written record of all-hands and team calls, so a new hire working from a different country catches up by reading instead of scheduling a repeat.
Async-first project managers pull the AI notes and action items into a written update instead of holding a status call that half the remote team would have to stay up late for.
Freelancers and contractors working with a remote client transcribe kickoff and check-in calls so the scope and deadlines discussed are on record, not just remembered.
Support and customer success teams working remote shifts transcribe client calls so the next shift reads the transcript before following up, without needing the person who took the call to still be online.
FAQ
How do I transcribe a remote meeting for free?
Connect the meeting bot for Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams before the call, or upload a recording afterward. The free plan covers one recording of up to 45 minutes, with AI chat on it, and no registration is required to try it.
Does the transcript help a team that’s spread across time zones?
Yes. The transcript, AI summary, and action items are ready a few minutes after the call ends, so a teammate in a different time zone reads them instead of waiting for a live recap or watching the whole recording back.
Can remote team members access the transcript without joining the call live?
Yes. team workspaces and share links means anyone on the team can open the transcript, search it, or ask AI chat with any recording a question about it, whether or not they were on the call.
Does the bot join Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams automatically?
Yes. Connect Google Calendar and Microsoft Calendar and the meeting bot for Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams joins every scheduled call on those three platforms at its start time, without anyone opening the meeting themselves.
Can I transcribe a remote call on a platform the bot doesn’t join?
Yes. The bot only joins Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams. For any other platform, use the Chrome extension that records tab, screen, mic and camera to record your own screen and tab audio, or upload a recording made another way, and it transcribes the same way.
Can I transcribe a batch of remote calls at once?
Yes. bulk upload of multiple files lets a team upload and process several recordings together instead of one at a time.
Does it identify who is speaking on a remote call?
Yes, speaker identification separates each participant automatically, even when everyone is calling in from a different location. You can rename a label afterward: click a speaker label to rename it, match it to a team member, or reassign a single segment.
Are remote meeting recordings private?
Recordings are encrypted in transit and stored with AES-256, on SOC 2 Type 2 infrastructure, and are not used to train AI models. Security controls are published on the trust center.
