Best of · Updated October 2026
The best AI meeting assistant for how you work
The best AI meeting assistant is usually the one built into your meeting platform if everyone uses the same one (Copilot in Teams, AI Companion in Zoom, Gemini in Meet). If your calls span several apps, a cross-platform assistant like Otter, Fireflies, Granola or Hark gives you one place for every meeting, and Hark keeps the recording on your own computer.
What a good meeting assistant should do
"AI meeting assistant" covers a lot of ground. It helps to split the job into three moments:
- During the meeting: a live transcript, live notes, and the ability to ask "what was decided about the budget?" without interrupting.
- Right after: a summary with decisions and action items, ideally with the right names next to each point.
- Weeks later: search across meetings, and a way to ask questions about everything you've discussed with a client or team.
Then there are practical questions: does a bot appear in the call, where does your audio go, and does it work with every meeting app you use?
AI meeting assistants at a glance
| Assistant | Works in | During the meeting | How it hears the meeting | Price (Oct 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft 365 Copilot | Teams | Private questions, recap after | Built in | $30/user/month yearly (enterprise) |
| Zoom AI Companion | Zoom | Questions, summary after | Built in | Included with eligible paid plans |
| Gemini "Take notes for me" | Google Meet | Takes notes into a Google Doc | Built in | Part of paid Workspace / Google AI plans |
| Otter.ai | Zoom, Teams, Meet, in person | Live transcript, AI chat | Bot or desktop app | Free plan; Pro $16.99 |
| Fireflies.ai | Most meeting apps | Transcript, AskFred chat | Bot or desktop app | Free plan; Pro $18 |
| Fathom | Zoom, Teams, Meet | Records; summary right after | Bot (bot-free Mac beta) | Free plan; Premium $16-$20 |
| Granola | Any app on Mac/Windows | Your notes + AI chat | Device audio, no bot | Free plan; Business $14 |
| Hark | Any app on Windows/Mac/Linux | Live transcript, live AI notes, questions | Records your computer, no bot | Free; AI $12/month |
Paid prices are per user per month billed monthly unless noted. Check each vendor for current pricing.
Built-in assistants: use them if you're the host
Microsoft 365 Copilot in Teams
Copilot lets each licensed person ask private questions during a Teams meeting: who said what, where people agree or disagree, and suggested follow-ups. Afterwards, intelligent recap gives AI notes, tasks and chapters. By default it needs transcription to be running. It costs $30 per user per month billed yearly for enterprise, with a Copilot Business option for smaller companies at $21 (as of October 2026). It's the most capable choice for an all-Microsoft company.
Zoom AI Companion
AI Companion writes meeting summaries, answers questions in the meeting, and helps with follow-ups. It's included with eligible paid Zoom plans, and the free Basic plan gets a small monthly allowance. It only works in meetings where the host has it switched on.
Gemini in Google Meet
"Take notes for me" creates a Google Doc with a summary, action items and the full transcript. It's available on Business Standard and higher Workspace plans and on consumer Google AI Pro and Ultra, and since August 2026 it also works for in-person meetings.
Cross-platform assistants: one tool for every meeting
Hark: a private assistant that never joins the call
Hark records your microphone and your computer's audio, so it works in Zoom, Teams, Meet, Webex, Slack huddles and anything else, without a bot. Transcription runs on your computer, and Hark learns voices so each line is labelled with a real name.
With a subscription ($12/month, after a 2-day preview), the live assistant panel takes notes as the meeting runs and answers questions about what was just said. Afterwards Claude writes meeting notes in your chosen style and proofreads names using your "Names & terms" list. Only the transcript text is sent to Claude; the audio stays put.
If you already pay for Claude, Hark's free MCP connection lets Claude Desktop or Claude Code read your meetings and even the live transcript, so Claude itself becomes your meeting assistant.
Limits: English only, no mobile app, no calendar integration, and Mac records the microphone only.
Otter.ai
Otter gives a live transcript you can follow on your laptop or phone, an AI chat to ask about the meeting, and summaries. It joins as a bot or records from its desktop app. The free plan has 300 minutes a month.
Fireflies.ai
Fireflies is the assistant for teams that want meetings to flow into other tools, with a wide set of integrations and more than 100 languages. Its AskFred chat answers questions about meetings.
Fathom and Granola
Fathom offers unlimited free recordings with instant summaries, a strong pick for individuals on Zoom, Meet and Teams. Granola is bot-free and works like a notepad: your rough notes plus the transcript become clean notes, and it can prepare a brief before external meetings.
A meeting assistant that stays on your computer
Hark records any meeting app with no bot, transcribes locally and learns who's speaking. Free forever, with a 2-day preview of live AI notes.
How to choose
- List where your meetings happen. One platform, and you're the host? Try its built-in assistant first.
- Decide how you feel about bots. Some clients ask to remove note-taker bots. Desktop recorders avoid that, but you still need to tell people.
- Check where audio goes. Cloud tools upload it; Hark transcribes on your computer.
- Check languages. Hark is English only; Fireflies and Jamie handle many languages.
- Try two for a week. Use both in real meetings and compare the notes.
Recording laws vary, and some places require everyone's consent, so always say you're recording. For more options, see the best AI note takers, our list for Microsoft Teams, or how to get meeting notes in Claude.
Related
- Best AI note takers An honest roundup of AI note takers, with what each does best.
- Best free AI note takers What the free plans of popular AI note takers really include.
- Best AI note takers for Microsoft Teams Options for Teams meetings, from Copilot to desktop recorders.
- Best meeting notes apps Apps for taking, organizing and sharing meeting notes.
- Otter.ai alternatives Why people switch from Otter and what to use instead.
- Granola alternatives Bot-free note takers like Granola, on Windows, Mac and Linux.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best AI meeting assistant? +
If your company already pays for Microsoft 365 Copilot, Zoom or Google Workspace, the assistant built into that platform is the easiest start. For a tool that works across every meeting app, Otter, Fireflies, Fathom and Granola are popular cloud choices, and Hark is a private option that records and transcribes on your own computer. The best one is the one that fits where your meetings happen and how sensitive they are.
What does an AI meeting assistant do? +
An AI meeting assistant records or listens to a meeting, transcribes it, and uses a language model to write notes, decisions and action items. Many can also answer questions while the meeting is running, such as "what did I miss?", and let you search past meetings afterwards. Some go further with follow-up emails or CRM updates.
Can an AI meeting assistant work without joining the call? +
Yes. Desktop assistants such as Hark, Granola, Krisp and Jamie record audio from your computer instead of joining as a participant, and Otter, Fireflies and Read.ai have desktop apps that can do the same. Built-in assistants like Copilot and Zoom AI Companion also work without a separate bot because they are part of the meeting platform.
Can I use Claude as a meeting assistant? +
Yes. Hark connects to Claude Desktop and Claude Code through a local MCP server, so your own Claude subscription can read your meeting transcripts, the live transcript of the meeting you are in, and your people list. You can then ask Claude for summaries, follow-ups or anything else. That connection is free in Hark.
Is it legal to use an AI meeting assistant? +
Using one is legal in most places, but recording laws vary, and some require everyone on the call to agree to be recorded. Tell participants when you are recording, especially with tools that do not show a bot in the meeting. Check your employer's policy too.
Record, transcribe and remember every meeting
Hark records your calls on your own computer, transcribes them privately, and learns who is speaking. Free forever, with a 2-day preview of AI meeting notes.