We spend a third of our lives at work, and these days, it feels like most of that time is spent staring at a Google Meet window. I recently sat through a two-hour strategy call, nodding along, feeling completely on the same page as everyone else. Then, ten minutes after hanging up, I realized I couldn't remember the exact deadline for the Q3 deliverable. Instant panic.
We’ve all been there. Relying on your memory is a gamble, and frantic typing usually means you aren't actually listening. You need a backup brain.
The demand for good meeting docs has exploded now that remote work is the standard. Google Meet is great, but let's be honest: its built-in recording features leave a lot to be desired if you want to actually use that data later. This is where AI notetakers for Google Meet come into play, bridging the gap between a live conversation and actionable records. I’ve dug through the noise to find the tools that are actually worth your time this year.
Table of Contents
- TL;DR: The Cheat Sheet
- What to Look For (Don't just buy the first one)
- Fireflies AI
- tl;dv
- Otter AI
- Read AI
- Fathom
- Hyprnote
- Sembly AI
- Tactiq
- Notable Mentions
- FAQs
- Final Thoughts
TL;DR
In a rush? Here is the bottom line. If you don't want to read the deep dive, here is the quick list of who these tools are actually for.
- Fireflies AI: The power-user choice. Best for teams who live in their CRM and want a searchable database of every conversation.
- tl;dv: Best for product teams and researchers who care more about video clips than text documents.
- Otter AI: The classic choice. Best if you need to see a live transcript scrolling while people talk.
- Read AI: Best for managers who want stats on meeting "health" and engagement scores.
- Fathom: Best for freelancers and sales reps who want a great free version with zero setup.
- Hyprnote: Best for Mac users who care deeply about privacy and local processing.
- Sembly AI: Best for project managers who need the AI to write the follow-up emails and project plans for them.
- Tactiq: Best for people who hate bots joining their calls and prefer a browser extension.
Comparison Table
What to Consider When Looking for AI Notetakers
Before you commit to a subscription, you should know that these tools aren't all the same. I tested them based on how they fit into a real workday, not just a feature checklist. When you're looking for AI notetakers for google meet, how the tool fits your existing workflow matters just as much as the transcript quality.
- The "Bot" Factor: Does the tool send a virtual participant into the room (which announces it is recording), or does it live in your browser? Bots usually get better audio, but extensions feel less intrusive.
- Can it understand you?: In a global market, handling accents and switching languages is non-negotiable. You need a tool that doesn't fall apart when someone speaks quickly or has an accent.
- Is the summary actually useful?: A wall of text is useless. A summary needs to be actionable. The best tools can tell the difference between casual chitchat and a million-dollar decision.
- Privacy & Security: We are talking about sensitive business strategy here. I checked if these tools are SOC 2 / GDPR compliant, and more importantly, if they use your private meetings to train their public AI models (big red flag).
- Does it play nice with others?: Does the notetaker talk to Salesforce, HubSpot, or Slack? The goal is to stop manually copying and pasting notes.
1. Fireflies AI
Best For: Deep Integration and the Knowledge Search
Fireflies AI is consistently one of the heavy hitters in this space, especially for teams. It excels at turning a messy conversation into structured data. It doesn't just transcribe; it analyzes. It’s designed for people who need to be able to search for "that thing we said about the budget three months ago" and find it instantly. As far as AI notetakers for google meet go, Fireflies offers the most robust "searchable memory" for long-term projects.
Standout Features
- AskFred: An AI chatbot that essentially lets you "chat" with your meeting. You can ask it to find specific info so you don't have to read the whole transcript.
- Video & Audio: Captures the visuals and the sound.
- Smart Search: You can filter your transcript by sentiment (when were people angry?) or specific topics.
- Global Support: Translates and transcribes in over 100 languages.
The Good
- Integrations are top-tier (Slack, Zapier, CRMs).
- AskFred makes the data interactive.
- Search capabilities are arguably the best in class.
- They don't train their AI on your data.
The Bad
- The bot has to join the meeting to record unless you use the google chrome extension or their upcoming desktop app.
- Video recording is reserved for the pricier plans.
- The interface is currently English-only.
My Take
- Integration: 5/5
- Accuracy: 4.8/5
- Actionability: 5/5
- Privacy: 5/5
- Overall Rating: 5/5
What Users Are Saying
The community feedback generally calls Fireflies a "quality of life" upgrade. Users like Ken S. on G2 mention that the suggested deliverables help them stay on top of tasks. Charlotte S. noted a common benefit: the ability to actually pay attention to the client rather than scribbling notes.
Some users have pointed out that the free plan has limits if you don't let the bot join every call, and non-English teams might find the UI navigation a bit tricky. But with high ratings across the board, it's a powerhouse.
Source: G2 reviews
Pricing
Free tier available; paid plans start around $10/user/month.
2. tl;dv
Best For: "Time Saving" and Video Clips
tl;dv (Too Long; Didn't View) goes hard on the video aspect. It is a favorite for product teams and user researchers who need to see a user's face when they react to a feature. It’s also great for sales coaching, letting you clip specific moments to share with the team.
Standout Features
- Highlight Reels: Make little movie clips of your meetings to share.
- Multi-Meeting Intelligence: It can spot trends across a bunch of different calls.
- Sales Coaching: Offers tips on how to handle objections.
- Language Detection: Identifies languages automatically.
The Good
- Very generous free plan (unlimited recording).
- Supports 30+ languages.
- Making clips is super easy and intuitive.
The Bad
- No mobile app (browser only), which is a pain if you're on the go.
- Storing all that video takes up space.
- The interface can feel a little busy for some.
My Take
- Integration: 4.5/5
- Accuracy: 4.5/5
- Actionability: 4.7/5
- Privacy: 4.5/5
- Overall Rating: 4.8/5
What Users Are Saying
People love the timestamp feature—being able to mark a moment in real-time is huge for researchers. It's also popular in Europe because of its strict adherence to GDPR. The biggest gripe? The lack of a mobile app.
Source: G2 Reviews
Pricing
Free forever plan available; Pro plans for the fancy automation stuff.
3. Otter AI
Best For: Real-Time Transcription
Otter is the veteran in the room. It’s famous for "OtterPilot" and the ability to see the words appear on the screen as people say them. If you are a visual learner or need accessibility support, seeing that live text stream is a game changer.
Standout Features
- OtterPilot: Auto-joins, records audio, and grabs slides.
- Live Transcript: Watch the conversation happen in text format.
- Slide Capture: If someone shares a screen, Otter grabs the image and puts it in the notes.
- Collaboration: You can comment on the transcript like a Google Doc.
The Good
- Slide capture is a unique feature that adds great context.
- Real-time collaboration is smooth.
- Good speaker identification (it knows who is talking).
The Bad
- Language support is limited compared to other AI notetakers for google meet.
- The free plan has gotten tighter on limits recently.
- No video playback on the cheaper tiers.
My Take
- Integration: 4.5/5
- Accuracy: 4.6/5
- Actionability: 4.5/5
- Privacy: 4/5
- Overall Rating: 4.7/5
What Users Are Saying
Users love the live transcription for keeping up with fast talkers. The "Channels" feature is also great for organizing teams. However, long-time users have been vocal about frustration with recent pricing changes and the reduction of minutes in the free plan.
Source: G2 Reviews
Pricing
Free basic plan; Business plans start from $19.99/user/month.
4. Read AI
Best For: Meeting "Wellness" Scores
Read AI takes a different angle: it wants to tell you if your meeting sucked. It provides "health" metrics and engagement scores alongside the notes. It sits as a side-by-side add-on in Google Meet and gives you a report card after the call.
Standout Features
- Meeting Wellness Score: Tells you if people were engaged or bored.
- AR/Video Highlights: Visual overlays of stats.
- Copilot: Ask questions about the meeting while it's happening.
- Topic Tracking: Auto-splits the call into chapters.
The Good
- Engagement scores can actually help improve company culture.
- Integrates right into Google Calendar.
- Transcription is solid.
The Bad
- It can be aggressive about auto-joining calls, which annoys some people.
- Sentiment analysis can sometimes miss the nuance (sarcasm is hard for AI).
- Video playback is gated behind Enterprise plans.
My Take
- Integration: 4.7/5
- Accuracy: 4.5/5
- Actionability: 4.5/5
- Privacy: 4.5/5
- Overall Rating: 4.6/5
What Users Are Saying
It's polarized. People who want the data love the "Wellness" insights. However, there are quite a few complaints on Reddit about the tool auto-joining meetings of non-users, which feels invasive to some. The sentiment analysis is cool but can sometimes be a bit "tone-deaf."
Source: G2 Reviews
Pricing
Free service for the Notetaker add-on; tiered pricing for advanced features.
5. Fathom
Best For: Individuals Who Want "Zero Overhead"
Fathom is the "set it and forget it" tool. It is incredibly popular with freelancers and sales reps because it is easy, it is free for individuals, and it syncs highlights to your CRM instantly. It remains one of the most reliable AI notetakers for google meet on the market today.
Standout Features
- Instant Sync: Push a highlight to Slack or Salesforce instantly.
- Ask Fathom: Search history with AI.
- Auto-Summaries: You get the summary the second you hang up.
- Zero-Setup: You can be running in 2 minutes.
The Good
- The free version for individuals is genuinely useful.
- CRM syncing saves so much data entry time.
- Very simple workflow.
The Bad
- Advanced team features cost money.
- Summaries can feel a bit formal/stiff.
- Some people really dislike the colorful/dark mode aesthetic.
My Take
- Integration: 4.8/5
- Accuracy: 4.7/5
- Actionability: 4.6/5
- Privacy: 4.8/5
- Overall Rating: 4.8/5
What Users Are Saying
Users love the reliability. It's often described as "Notepad with a built-in mic." It doesn't have the deepest AI personality, but it works every time. Some users have noted issues with timestamps drifting on really long calls.
Source: G2 Reviews
Pricing
Robust free version; Team edition pricing varies.
6. Hyprnote
Best For: The Privacy Conscious (Local Processing)
Hyprnote is for the people who don't trust the cloud. It processes data locally on your device. It doesn't invite a bot to your call; it just listens to your system audio and does the math on your own chip.
Standout Features
- Local Processing: Data stays on your laptop.
- System Audio Capture: No bot required.
- Offline Mode: Works without internet.
The Good
- Zero chance of a cloud data leak.
- No vendor lock-in.
- Less intrusive than a bot.
The Bad
- Mac only right now.
- No video recording.
- Fewer fancy integrations than cloud-based AI notetakers for google meet.
My Take
- Integration: 3.5/5
- Accuracy: 4.2/5
- Actionability: 4.0/5
- Privacy: 5/5
- Overall Rating: 4.4/5
What Users Are Saying
It's gaining ground with developers and privacy advocates. The lack of Windows support stops it from going mainstream, but for Mac users, the "local-first" approach is a huge selling point.
Source: G2 Reviews
Pricing
Free core features; Pro upgrade ~$8/month.
7. Sembly AI
Best For: Project Managers
Sembly focuses on the "after-meeting" work. It frames itself as a professional agent that writes your project plans for you. It can even attend meetings on your behalf when you are double-booked (the "Meeting Proxy" feature).
Standout Features
- AI Artifacts: Creates actual documents, not just notes.
- Task Extraction: Very good at figuring out who needs to do what.
- Meeting Proxy: Attends calls for you and sends a recap.
The Good
- Generates actual deliverables.
- "Task" extraction is highly accurate.
- Great for Agile teams.
The Bad
- Steeper learning curve than the others.
- Bot presence is required.
- Can feel like "overkill" for a simple catch-up call.
My Take
- Integration: 4.5/5
- Accuracy: 4.4/5
- Actionability: 4.8/5
- Privacy: 4.5/5
- Overall Rating: 4.5/5
What Users Are Saying
Project managers love it for turning chaotic brainstorming into structured to-do lists. However, some casual users find the setup a bit complex compared to "plug and play" alternatives.
Source: G2 Reviews
Pricing
Tiered pricing (Personal, Professional, Team).
8. Tactiq
Best For: Browser Extension Lovers
Tactiq is for people who want the notes but don't want a third-party bot barging into the call. It lives in your browser as a Chrome Extension, putting the transcript in a side panel.
Standout Features
- Browser Extension: No software to install.
- Live Side Panel: View transcriptions inside Meet.
- One-Click Actions: Highlight stuff while people are talking.
- Direct Export: Saves straight to Google Docs.
The Good
- No bot required (way less intrusive).
- Keeps everything in the Google ecosystem.
The Bad
- If your browser tab crashes, the notes stop.
- Transcription accuracy isn't as high as the bot tools.
- No video recording.
- You have to switch languages manually.
My Take
- Integration: 4.8/5
- Accuracy: 4.3/5
- Actionability: 4.2/5
- Privacy: 4.0/5
- Overall Rating: 4.3/5
What Users Are Saying
Tactiq is praised for being subtle. It doesn't announce itself. However, accuracy is the main complaint compared to bot-based competitors. If you need a perfect transcript, this might struggle, but for general notes, it works.
Source: G2 Reviews
Pricing
Free tier available; Pro plans for higher limits.
Notable Mentions
Sometimes the best tool isn't a dedicated notetaker, but something adjacent. Here are a few others worth a look.
- Krisp: It's a noise-cancellation app first, but they added transcription. Great if you work in a loud coffee shop.
- Gong: The heavyweight. It costs a fortune ($5k+), but for enterprise sales teams, it's the gold standard.
- Zoom (Native AI): If you switch between Meet and Zoom, know that Zoom's built-in AI is getting better, though it locks you into their platform.
- Microsoft Teams: Similar to Zoom, Teams has native transcription, but you'll likely need a third-party tool if you bounce between Google and Microsoft.
FAQs
Do I have to let a bot join my meeting?
Usually, yes. Tools like Fireflies AI and Otter AI send a bot to capture the best audio quality. If you want a more subtle experience, browser-based AI notetakers for google meet like Tactiq are your best bet. You can read more on how to transcribe Google Meet here.
How accurate are these things really?
The top-tier tools (Fireflies, tl;dv, Fathom) are usually above 90% accuracy if your audio is clear. If you have a bad mic, heavy background noise, or everyone talks at once, accuracy drops. Bots generally hear better than browser extensions.
Can they handle multiple languages?
It varies. tl;dv and Read AI are good at auto-detecting languages. Others, like Fireflies, support a ton of languages but you might need to tell it which one to listen for before the call starts.
Is my meeting data safe?
This is the big question. Look for SOC 2 compliance. Also, check if they use your data to train their models. Fireflies AI and Hyprnote (local processing) are strong on privacy. Be careful with free tools that don't have a clear business model—you might be the product.
What's the catch with the free plans?
Limits. Usually, you get capped on how many minutes you can record, or how far back you can search your history. Video playback is also often a paid feature.
Final Thoughts
Choosing an AI notetaker isn't just about getting a transcript; it's about what happens to that info after the call.
- Integration is key: If the notes stay stuck in the app, they are useless.
- Privacy matters: Don't let your IP train public models.
- Actionability wins: You need summaries that actually tell you what to do next.
Finding the right AI notetakers for google meet is pretty much required for modern work. While there are plenty of good options, Fireflies AI stands out because it solves the real problem: data silos. Most tools just record. Fireflies.ai builds a knowledge base.
With AskFred, you can literally chat with your past meetings to find answers. Plus, the integrations mean the data goes where you work (Salesforce, Slack, etc.) automatically. If you're still on the fence, check out this comparison of the best AI note taking app to see the breakdown.
If you want to turn your conversations into an actual competitive advantage, Fireflies.ai is the way to go for 2026.
