Transcription tools turn speech into text you can search, quote and repurpose. For people who make content on their own they do two different jobs: turning a podcast or video into a transcript and subtitles, and taking notes on calls with clients, guests or collaborators so you can stay in the conversation. Some tools do both; most lean one way.
The free plans here are unusually useful, but each one caps something different: minutes per month, minutes per recording, how long notes are kept, or how many AI summaries you get. Those caps decide which tool fits, so each section below starts with them. Plans and terms were read from each tool's own pricing page on 4 Nov 2026, and user scores come from Trustpilot the same day.
Quick picks
- Best free meeting notes: Fathom, with unlimited recordings and summaries free, and a 4.8 Trustpilot score from 291 reviews.
- Free transcription with the most room: Fireflies.ai, unlimited transcription on its free plan with 400 minutes of storage.
- Transcripts and subtitles for published content: Sonix, pay as you go at $10 an hour of audio, rated 4.4.
- Notes without a bot joining the call: Granola, free with 30 days of history.
- Cleaner audio on calls: Krisp, which bundles noise cancellation with its note taker, from $8/mo billed yearly.
How these tools were compared
This guide is built from what each company publishes and what its customers report. For every tool it checks the free allowance and its cap, the first paid plan monthly and yearly, whether unused minutes carry over, the refund or guarantee terms, and the Trustpilot score with the themes in recent reviews.
Compare at a glance
| Tool | Free plan | First paid plan | Main cap | Trustpilot |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fireflies.ai | Unlimited transcription, 400 min storage | $18/mo ($10 yearly) | Storage and AI credits | 4.5 (887) |
| Otter.ai | 300 min/month, 30 min per conversation | $16.99/mo ($8.33 yearly) | Minutes, no rollover | 4.4 (852) |
| Fathom | Unlimited recordings and summaries | $20/mo ($16 yearly) | Team features | 4.8 (291) |
| Granola | 30 days of history | $14/mo | History length | Too few reviews |
| Tactiq | 10 transcripts/month | $8/mo, yearly | Transcripts and AI credits | Too few reviews |
| Krisp | 7-day trial | $16/mo ($8 yearly) | Trial only | 3.0 (412) |
| Notta | 120 min/month, 3 min per recording | $8.17/mo, yearly | 3 minute recordings | Rating removed |
| Rev | 45 AI min/month | $29.99/mo ($25.49 yearly) | Minutes | 3.9 (6,333) |
| Sonix | 30 min trial | $10 per hour, or $25/mo | Hours | 4.4 (1,124) |
| Happy Scribe | 10 min trial | $17/mo ($8.50 yearly) | Minutes | Too few reviews |
AI meeting notes
These join or listen to your calls, then write a summary with action items. Some send a bot into the meeting; others record from your own device so nobody sees a bot.
Fireflies.ai
from $18/mo
Free plan: Unlimited transcription, 400 min storage
Fireflies.ai transcribes, summarizes and searches your calls, identifies speakers and works in more than 100 languages. The free plan includes unlimited transcription with 400 minutes of storage per team and 20 AI credits. Pro is $18/mo, or $10/mo billed yearly, with 8,000 minutes of storage. You must cancel at least 24 hours before the period ends to avoid the next charge.
On Trustpilot, Fireflies.ai scores 4.5 from 887 reviews. Reviewers praise accurate transcripts, action items and summaries that save hours of note-taking.
Pick it if you have regular calls and want transcripts and summaries free before deciding on storage.
Fathom
from $20/mo
Free plan: Unlimited recordings and summaries
Fathom records and summarizes meetings, with a choice of a bot or bot-free capture, and an assistant you can ask about past calls. The free plan gives unlimited recordings and instant summaries. Premium is $20/mo ($16/mo yearly), and paid plans come with a 90-day guarantee.
On Trustpilot, Fathom scores 4.8 from 291 reviews. Reviewers praise the easy app, how well it works with video-call platforms and accurate notes with action items.
Pick it if you want good meeting notes for free and only pay when you need team features.
Otter.ai
from $16.99/mo
Free plan: 300 min/month, 30 min per conversation
Otter.ai transcribes meetings live in six languages, can send an agent to join your calls, and lets you search across meetings. The free Basic plan gives 300 minutes a month, but each conversation stops at 30 minutes, and unused minutes do not roll over. Pro is $16.99/mo ($8.33/mo yearly) for 1,200 minutes and 90 minutes per conversation. Its terms say fees are non-refundable.
On Trustpilot, Otter.ai scores 4.4 from 852 reviews. Reviewers praise responsive support and say it saves time on daily notes.
Pick it if your calls are short; the 30 minute cap rules out long interviews on the free plan.
Granola
Granola is a notepad for back-to-back meetings that captures audio from your device, with no bot joining, and turns your rough notes into full ones. The free plan keeps 30 days of history; Business is $14/mo for unlimited history and integrations with Notion and HubSpot. Trustpilot has too few reviews for a score.
Pick it if you dislike bots in calls and take notes yourself anyway.
Tactiq
Tactiq transcribes Google Meet, Zoom and Teams calls in real time without a bot, with one-click summaries. The free plan allows 10 transcripts and 5 AI credits a month; Pro is $8/mo billed yearly for unlimited transcripts. One credit covers one AI action, such as a summary.
Pick it if you want a lightweight browser add-on for a few calls a week.
Krisp
Krisp started as noise cancellation and now adds bot-free recording, transcription and summaries. There is no permanent free plan, only a 7-day trial. Pro is $16/mo, or $8/mo billed yearly, and noise cancellation is included on every plan.
On Trustpilot, Krisp scores 3.0 from 412 reviews. Some reviewers say it does the job but is heavy on resources; others found it hard to uninstall.
Pick it if background noise is your main problem and notes are a bonus.
Notta
from $8.17/mo billed yearly
Free plan: 120 transcription minutes per month
Notta records meetings by bot or on your device and transcribes and translates in 58 languages. The free plan gives 120 minutes a month but stops each recording at 3 minutes, and free exports include only the first 3 minutes. Pro is $8.17/mo billed yearly ($97.99 a year).
Trustpilot has removed Notta's rating for a breach of its guidelines, and recent reviewers report being charged after they cancelled a free trial. If you try it, note the trial end date.
Transcription and subtitles
For turning finished recordings into transcripts and subtitle files you can publish.
Sonix
from $25/mo
Trial: 30 minutes of free transcription
Sonix transcribes in more than 54 languages, identifies speakers, creates frame-accurate captions and lets you edit audio by editing the text. You can pay as you go at $10 an hour of audio, charged by the second, or take Core at $25/mo for 5 hours. The free trial includes 30 minutes.
On Trustpilot, Sonix scores 4.4 from 1,124 reviews. Reviewers call it fast and close to word-perfect, including subtitle files, while noting AI still misses names.
Pick it if you publish a podcast or video now and then and prefer paying per hour.
Rev
from $29.99/mo
Free plan: 45 English-only AI minutes a month
Rev offers AI transcription and captions, plus human transcription at 99% accuracy if a file must be exact. The free plan gives 45 AI minutes a month. Essentials is $29.99/mo ($25.49/mo yearly) for 5,000 minutes per user; one-off AI transcription starts at $0.25 a minute and human transcription at $1.99 a minute. You can cancel any time.
On Trustpilot, Rev scores 3.9 from 6,333 reviews. Reviews are mixed; one recurring complaint is renewal charges arriving without a reminder.
Pick it when a transcript must be checked by a person, such as quotes for an article.
Happy Scribe
Happy Scribe transcribes and subtitles in more than 150 languages, can burn subtitles into video and also offers a meeting note taker. The free tier is a 10-minute trial. Basic is $17/mo ($8.50/mo yearly) for 120 minutes, with 45 minutes per recording; extra minutes cost $0.20 each. Trustpilot has too few reviews for a reliable score.
Pick it if you subtitle videos in several languages.
What to check before you commit
- Caps per recording. Otter's free plan stops at 30 minutes, Notta's at 3, Happy Scribe's Basic at 45.
- Bot or no bot. Granola, Tactiq, Krisp and Fathom can record without a visible bot, which matters on client calls.
- Rollover. Otter states that unused minutes do not roll over.
- Cancelling. Fireflies needs 24 hours' notice before renewal; recent Notta and Rev reviewers report unexpected charges.
- Refunds. Otter's fees are non-refundable; Fathom offers a 90-day guarantee on paid plans.
Which one should you pick?
- You want free meeting notes: Fathom, or Fireflies.ai for transcripts.
- You hate bots on calls: Granola.
- You publish podcasts or videos: Sonix, pay as you go.
- You need exact quotes: Rev with human transcription.
- You subtitle in many languages: Happy Scribe.
How this guide was put together
The tool list comes from the guides that rank highest for transcription, meeting notes and subtitles, plus tools that run partner programs. Plans, limits and terms come from each tool's own pricing and terms pages, read on 4 Nov 2026. User ratings and review themes come from each tool's Trustpilot page, read the same day; they reflect what reviewers chose to post, not a survey of all users.