Zoom meetings happen, decisions get made, and then the details start to fade.
A transcript fixes that, but getting one from Zoom depends on your plan, your account settings, and whether the meeting is live or already recorded.
There are four ways to transcribe Zoom meetings in 2026.
Two are built into Zoom (cloud recording transcription and AI Companion), one uses dedicated meeting transcription software, and one handles recordings after the fact.
If you're on Zoom's free plan, native transcription isn't available to you at all, but free third-party options exist. If you're searching for Zoom transcription free options, Fireflies offers a free plan that works with any Zoom account, including free ones.
Here's how each method works and which one fits your situation.
Does Zoom Have Built-In Transcription?
Yes, but only on paid Zoom Workplace plans (Pro, Business, Enterprise). Free plan users are locked out of cloud recording entirely, which means no native transcription option.
Before going further, it helps to understand three Zoom features that often get confused:
- Live captions are real-time text overlays during the meeting, designed for accessibility. They disappear when the meeting ends and support 46+ languages.
- Full live transcript panel is a side panel that shows a running text log during the meeting. It's visible to participants who enable it.
- Cloud recording transcript is a downloadable VTT file generated after the meeting ends. It requires cloud recording to be enabled and only supports 19 languages.
These are separate features with different requirements.
The methods below focus on the cloud recording transcript (Method 1) and AI Companion summary (Method 2), which are the two options that produce a usable post-meeting document.
Which Zoom plans include transcription?
- Pro ($14.16/user/month, billed annually) includes cloud recording, AI Companion, and 10GB cloud storage
- Business ($18.33/user/month, billed annually, 10-user minimum) adds SSO and 300 participant capacity
- Enterprise has custom pricing with unlimited cloud storage
The free plan does not include cloud recording or transcription. AI Companion is included at no extra cost with all paid Zoom Workplace plans as of 2025. It is not a separate add-on.
What does the admin need to enable?
Account-level settings must be turned on before users can access transcription. Go to Account Management > Account Settings > Recording and enable cloud recording and audio transcript. Users will not see transcription options until an admin has toggled these on.
Method 1: Zoom Cloud Recording Transcription (Native)
Zoom's native cloud recording transcription generates a downloadable text file alongside your cloud recording. It produces a timestamped, speaker-labeled transcript saved as a VTT file in the Zoom web portal.
How to enable cloud recording transcription in Zoom
- Sign in to your Zoom admin account.
- Go to Account Settings > Recording tab.
- Enable Cloud Recording.
- In the advanced cloud recording settings, check "Create audio transcript."
- Click Save.
From this point on, every cloud-recorded meeting will automatically generate a transcript.
Where to find and download your Zoom transcript
- After your meeting ends, go to Recordings in your Zoom web portal.
- Find the meeting in your cloud recordings list.
- Click the meeting to expand it. You'll see the video, audio, and a transcript file (VTT format).
- Click Download to save the transcript to your device.
Transcripts can take up to 24 hours to process, though most finish within an hour.
Limitations of Zoom's native cloud transcription
This method gives you a raw transcript, but that's where it stops.
There's no AI summary, no action item extraction, and no way to push transcripts to a CRM, Slack, or project management tool. Transcripts are stored only in Zoom's portal and can only be exported as VTT files.
Cloud recording is required, so local recordings won't generate a transcript.
Language support is limited to approximately 19 languages for cloud recording transcripts, compared to 46+ for live captions.
And the entire feature is restricted to paid plans, meaning free Zoom users have no access.
Method 2: Zoom AI Companion (Native AI Notes)
Zoom AI Companion transcription works differently from cloud recording. AI Companion is Zoom's built-in AI assistant, included at no extra cost with all paid Zoom Workplace plans.
It's a separate feature from cloud recording transcription: AI Companion generates a meeting summary with action items and key decisions without requiring a cloud recording to be enabled.
How to enable and use Zoom AI Companion
- Ask your Zoom admin to enable AI Companion in account settings (or check it yourself under Settings > AI Companion).
- Join a Zoom meeting.
- During the meeting, you can click the AI Companion icon to ask questions like "catch me up" if you joined late.
- After the meeting, AI Companion sends a summary to the host with key points, action items, and suggested next steps.
AI Companion notifies all participants when AI features are active, which is relevant for GDPR-aware teams.
What AI Companion captures
Zoom AI notes include a meeting summary organized by topics, extracted action items with owners, chapter markers, and the ability to ask in-meeting questions. Note that a full downloadable raw transcript still requires cloud recording to be enabled separately.
Limitations of Zoom AI Companion
AI Companion works only within Zoom. If your team also uses Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, or other platforms, you'll need a separate solution for those calls. There are no CRM or Slack integrations, no cross-meeting search, and limited summary customization.
Admin must enable AI Companion per organization. Real user reviews from 2025 and 2026 have also flagged accuracy inconsistencies, particularly with technical terminology and fast-paced discussions.
Not on a paid Zoom plan? Fireflies transcribes Zoom meetings for free. No Zoom license required, no admin setup.
Method 3: Fireflies (Full AI Notetaker)
If you need meeting transcription software that works regardless of your Zoom plan, integrates with your CRM and Slack, supports 100+ languages, and works across Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and other video conferencing tools, Fireflies covers all of that in a single tool.
How to connect Fireflies to Zoom
- Sign up at fireflies.ai and connect your Google or Outlook calendar.
- Fireflies will auto-join Zoom meetings from your calendar based on your settings. Choose which meetings to join: all meetings, only ones you own, only meetings with teammates, or only when you manually invite [email protected].
- For a meeting already in progress, go to your Fireflies Dashboard > Capture > Add to live meeting > paste the Zoom link > click Start Capturing.
- Admit the Fireflies AI Notetaker when it requests to join.
- After the meeting, find your transcript and summary in the Fireflies dashboard under My Meetings. A recap email is sent automatically.
Note: Fireflies joins as a visible participant in the call. For most teams, this is a non-issue.
For meetings where a visible bot is a concern, Fireflies also offers a Desktop App that captures system audio without joining as a participant.
What Fireflies captures during a Zoom meeting
Every meeting generates a full transcript with speaker identification, an AI summary organized by topics and decisions, and automatically extracted action items.
Video recording and sentiment analysis are available on Business plans and above. You can also use AskFred to ask questions about the transcript.
Fireflies integrates with Salesforce, HubSpot, Slack, Notion, Asana, and 100+ other tools, so meeting notes and action items flow into your existing workflow automatically.
It also works across Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and other platforms, so you only need one tool for all your calls.
Transcription accuracy reaches 99% for English and 95% for other languages, with support for 100+ languages and automatic language detection.
What the output looks like
Here's a sample of what Fireflies delivers after a product review call:
Fireflies free plan
The free plan gives you access to core features at no cost, including unlimited transcription and 400 minutes of meeting storage per team This is a direct advantage over Zoom, which locks out transcription entirely on its free plan.
Paid plans start at $10/user/month and unlock expanded storage and advanced features.
Method 4: How to Transcribe a Recorded Zoom Meeting
Sometimes you need zoom recording transcription from a file that already exists.
Maybe you forgot to enable transcription, inherited a recording from a colleague, or need to revisit a call from weeks ago. Zoom AI Companion cannot transcribe existing recordings after the fact. Fireflies can.
How to upload a Zoom recording to Fireflies
- Download your Zoom recording from the Zoom web portal (cloud recordings) or from your local device.
- Log in to your Fireflies dashboard.
- Click Uploads on the left navigation bar.
- Select your recording file. Fireflies supports MP3, MP4, M4A, and WAV formats.
- Wait a few minutes for processing. You'll receive the transcript and AI summary directly in your dashboard, plus an email notification when it's ready.
This method works for any audio or video file, not just Zoom recordings.
If you have recordings from in-person meetings, phone calls, or other platforms, you can upload those too.
Other options for transcribing recorded Zoom meetings
If you need to transcribe a Zoom recording after the fact, several upload-based services exist, but most charge per minute of audio or limit free usage significantly.
Fireflies' free plan includes upload-based transcription as part of its core features, making it one of the most accessible options for occasional users and teams alike.
Zoom Transcription Compared: Which Method Is Right for You?
Fireflies joins your Zoom meetings automatically, transcribes every word, and delivers a structured summary with action items and key decisions before your next call starts. Free plan available, no Zoom subscription needed.
FAQs
Does Zoom transcription work on the free plan?
No. Zoom's free plan does not include cloud recording, which means no native transcription. Both cloud recording transcription and AI Companion require a paid Zoom Workplace plan (Pro or above). Fireflies offers a free plan that works with any Zoom account, including free ones.
How accurate is Zoom's transcription?
Zoom does not publish official accuracy figures. University studies have benchmarked cloud recording transcription as generally reliable for clear audio in English, but accuracy drops with background noise, overlapping speakers, and non-English languages. Fireflies reports 99% accuracy for English and 95% for other languages.
How do I download a Zoom transcript?
If you're wondering how to get a transcript from a Zoom meeting, go to your Zoom web portal, click Recordings, select the meeting, and download the transcript file (VTT format). The transcript appears alongside the video and audio files for any cloud-recorded meeting with audio transcription enabled.
What is the difference between Zoom live captions and a full transcript?
Live captions are real-time text overlays during the meeting, designed for accessibility. They support 46+ languages but disappear when the meeting ends. A full transcript is a downloadable VTT file generated from a cloud recording, supporting 30+ languages. They are separate features with different purposes.
Can Fireflies transcribe Zoom meetings for free?
Yes. Fireflies' free plan includes unlimited transcription and 400 minutes of meeting storage per team. You can use the bot to join live Zoom meetings or upload existing recordings for transcription. No Zoom subscription required. Try Fireflies for free →
What is the best AI notetaker for Zoom?
Fireflies is the most complete option for Zoom users. It works on any Zoom plan (including free), supports 100+ languages, provides AI meeting notes with action items and summaries, integrates with 100+ tools including CRMs and project management platforms, and works across Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams. You can also transcribe Google Meet and other platforms using the same tool.
What is the best free transcription tool for Zoom?
Fireflies offers the most complete free plan for Zoom transcription. It works with any Zoom account (including free), supports 100+ languages, and delivers AI summaries with action items alongside the transcript.
Other free options worth considering:
- Fireflies: Unlimited transcription + 400 minutes storage, AI summary and action items, works across Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams
- Otter.ai: 300 free minutes per month, English-focused, strong mobile app for in-person recording
- tl;dv: Unlimited free recordings across Zoom, Meet, and Teams, with video highlight clips for sharing key moments
- Tactiq: 10 free transcripts per month via Chrome extension, no bot required
Fireflies is the strongest option for teams that need integrations and cross-platform support. Otter and Tactiq work well for lighter individual use.
What is Zoom AI Companion and how does it work?
Zoom AI Companion is Zoom's built-in AI assistant, included at no extra cost with all paid Zoom Workplace plans. During meetings, it can answer questions like "catch me up" for late joiners.
After meetings, it generates a structured summary with topics, action items, and suggested next steps.
It does not require cloud recording to generate a summary, but a full downloadable transcript still requires cloud recording to be enabled separately. Admin must enable AI Companion in account settings before users can access it.
Conclusion
Four methods, each for a different situation.
Zoom's cloud recording transcription gives you a basic text file if you're on a paid plan and just need a raw transcript. AI Companion adds summaries and action items without requiring a recording, but stays locked inside Zoom's ecosystem.
Fireflies works on any Zoom plan, integrates with your CRM and project management tools, supports 100+ languages, and handles meeting transcription across every major platform. And if you have an existing recording that needs transcribing, Fireflies' upload feature handles that too.
For anyone on a free Zoom account, or who needs cross-platform support and integrations, Fireflies is the answer.
