Bluedot review

What Bluedot is

Most well-known note takers work by sending a bot into the meeting. Bluedot takes the other route: it records what your browser or computer is already playing and hearing. Start a recording from the Chrome extension or desktop app, and afterwards Bluedot produces a transcript, AI notes using templates for different meeting types (sales, Q&A, customer check-ins and so on), action items and a draft follow-up. Recordings, transcripts and notes are stored in your Bluedot workspace in the cloud, where you can share, comment, clip and chat with an AI across meetings.

Because nothing joins the call, Bluedot says you don't need to be the host, and it works with Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Webex, Slack huddles and phone calls. Mobile apps (and an Apple Watch app) cover in-person conversations.

Key features

• Bot-free recording from a Chrome extension or the Mac and Windows desktop app; Bluedot says it doesn't ask for calendar access to work.
• Audio and video. Basic is audio only; Pro and Business record video too.
• AI notes and templates, with custom note templates on Pro.
• AI chat across meetings to find what was said and decided.
• File upload for MP4, MP3, M4A and other formats; Zoom and Google Drive imports on Pro.
• Integrations: Slack, Notion, Zapier and Make on every plan; CRM and ATS sync (Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, Greenhouse and others) on Business; webhooks and an MCP server.
• Languages: 100+ for transcription and summaries, Bluedot says.

Pricing

Prices below are per user per month, in US dollars, as of October 2026, from Bluedot's pricing page, which defaults to annual billing. Bluedot says it only charges for users who record meetings.

Note the 1-hour cap per recording on Basic: longer meetings need Pro.

Strengths

• No bot in the call. Nobody sees a notetaker join, and you can record meetings you don't host. This is the main reason people choose Bluedot.
• Works with almost anything. Recording the browser or desktop means it isn't limited to the platforms a bot supports.
• A clear training promise. Bluedot says customer data is never used to train or improve AI models.
• Many languages. 100+ languages for transcripts and summaries.
• Pay only for recorders. Teammates who just read notes don't need a paid seat.

Weaknesses

• The free plan is a trial. Five meetings in total is enough to judge it, not to use it.
• Basic has real limits. Audio only, and recordings stop at an hour.
• You have to start it. Without a bot on your calendar, capture relies on the extension or app being ready when the call starts, and the extension route needs the call to run in Chrome.
• Consent is on you. Without a bot announcing itself, the people you meet won't automatically know they're being recorded, so you need to tell them.
• Still cloud-based. Bot-free doesn't mean local: recordings and transcripts are processed and stored on Bluedot's servers (AWS).

Privacy and security

Bluedot's security page says it holds a SOC 2 Type II report covering security, availability and confidentiality; maintains GDPR-aligned controls, offers a Data Processing Agreement and supports EU data residency; and encrypts data with AES-256 at rest and TLS in transit. It says customer data is never used to train AI models and that AI providers don't store or retain data after generating results. Deleted data is removed immediately with backups cleared within 30 days, and data is deleted automatically 3 months after you stop using Bluedot. Admins can set custom retention. The page makes no HIPAA claim.

Recording laws in some places require everyone's consent. With a bot-free tool, nothing tells participants for you, so say so at the start of the call.

Platforms

• Chrome extension.
• Desktop app for Mac and Windows.
• Mobile: iOS and Android, plus an Apple Watch app.
• Meeting apps: Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Webex, Slack huddles, phone calls and in-person.

Bot-free versus bot-based: the trade-off

Bot-based note takers like Otter, Fireflies and Fathom join the call as a participant. That makes them visible, which some people find off-putting and some organizations block, but it also means everyone in the meeting can see that recording is happening. It also lets them record calls automatically from your calendar.

Bot-free tools like Bluedot record from your side of the call. Nothing appears in the participant list, you don't need the host's permission inside the meeting app, and it works with platforms a bot can't join. The cost is that you have to start capture yourself, and that telling everyone they're being recorded becomes your job. Neither approach is more private by itself: in both cases the recording is uploaded to the vendor's cloud for transcription and AI notes. Our guide to AI note takers without a bot compares the bot-free options in more detail.

Who it suits, and who it doesn't

• Good fit: consultants, recruiters and salespeople who join other people's meetings and can't (or won't) add a bot.
• Good fit: teams working in languages other than English, and recruiters who want notes in their ATS.
• Poor fit: anyone who wants a free plan for ongoing use.
• Poor fit: people who need recordings kept on their own computer rather than in the cloud.

Alternatives

• Fathom: unlimited free recordings, with a bot (bot-free beta on Mac).
• Otter.ai: bot by default, with a botless desktop app and 300 free minutes a month.
• Fireflies.ai: unlimited free transcription and deep integrations.
• Read AI: meeting reports plus email and chat summaries.
• Hark (made by us): also bot-free, but recording and transcription happen on your own Windows, Mac or Linux computer, with no limits and no cost; AI notes are $12 per month. It recognises voices across meetings. Unlike Bluedot it transcribes English only, records audio and screenshots but not video, has no mobile app or CRM sync, and on a Mac records the microphone only.

More options: AI note takers without a bot, Granola alternatives and the best AI note takers.

Bottom line

Bluedot is one of the more complete bot-free note takers, with strong language support and a clear stance on AI training. Budget for Pro if your meetings run past an hour or you want video, and remember that bot-free puts the job of telling people they're being recorded on you.