AI Note Taker
Bot-Free AI Note Taker
Most AI note takers send a bot into your call to record it. MinutesAI doesn’t — it’s bot-free. Paste a transcript you already have and get a clean summary, the decisions, and action items, with no bot, no account, and nothing stored.
Processed by z.ai to write your notes — not stored on our servers. How we handle your data
Summary, action items & decisions in seconds — your text is never saved.
Reading your meeting and writing the notes…
Which AI note takers don’t use a bot?
Granola, Jamie and Tactiq never send a bot into your call: Granola and Jamie capture the audio on your own device, and Tactiq’s Chrome extension transcribes the call live. Krisp records without a bot too, with a bot as an option. Fathom (in beta, Mac only), Otter, Fireflies, tl;dv, Read.ai and Notta (beta) now pair the bot that joins as a participant with a bot-free desktop app. MinutesAI takes a different route: it doesn’t capture the meeting at all — it turns a transcript you already have into notes.
Bot-free isn’t the same as local, though: most of these tools still keep your transcripts — and often the recordings — in their own cloud. The table shows where each one processes and stores your meetings, and what its free plan actually includes.
Checked against each vendor’s own website — the pages linked under each name, never third-party roundups. Plans and features change often, so follow the links for current terms.
| Tool | Joins the meeting as a bot? | Records audio or video? | Where it’s processed / what’s stored | Free plan | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MinutesAI (this site) How it works · Privacy | No — nothing joins the call. You paste or upload a transcript your meeting tool already made. | No. It never hears the meeting; it reads transcript text (.txt, .vtt or .srt). | Your transcript is sent to our AI provider, z.ai, only to write the notes, and isn’t stored on our servers (a hashed daily counter enforces the free limit). | Free, no account: up to 5 summaries a day; transcripts up to 90,000 characters. | Any web browser — nothing to install. Takes Zoom, Google Meet and Teams transcripts, or any text. |
| Granola Pricing · Security | No. You start it yourself; it never adds a bot to the call. | Transcribes your mic and meeting audio, but doesn’t keep the audio — only the transcript and your notes. | Transcripts and notes stored in a US-hosted AWS cloud; uses third-party transcription and AI providers. | Basic ($0): AI meeting notes and bot-free capture, with 30 days of meeting history. | Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android and Apple Watch; works with Zoom, Meet, Teams and other meeting apps. |
| Jamie Product · Pricing | No. It runs on your device; no bot joins. | Captures the meeting audio to transcribe it, then deletes the audio. | Storage and processing stay in the EEA, Switzerland and the UK; audio isn’t stored. | Free (€0): 10 AI notes a month, meetings up to 30 minutes. | Mac, Windows and iPhone; Zoom, Teams, Google Meet or any online platform, plus in-person meetings. |
| Tactiq Product · Pricing | No. Its Chrome extension transcribes the call live without a bot joining. | No audio recorded or stored — it saves the live transcript as text. | Transcripts saved as text you can share and export; no audio kept. | Free: 10 transcripts and 5 AI credits a month. | Chrome extension for Google Meet, Zoom and Teams; native Mac app. |
| Krisp Pricing · Meeting assistant · System requirements | Records from your device with no bot; a “record with bot” option is also listed on its plans. | Audio or video — you can switch between them. | Stored in your Krisp account (10 GB on the Core plan); on-device transcription and recording only on Enterprise. | No ongoing free plan listed — a 7-day free trial, no card needed. | Mac and Windows (not Linux or Chrome OS), plus a mobile app; Zoom, Google Meet, Teams and other apps. |
| Fathom Pricing · Supported devices · What’s new | Your choice: its bot joins, or the desktop app captures without one — bot-free is in beta, Mac only, with Windows “coming soon”. | Bot: full video and audio. Bot-free: audio + transcript or transcript only; bot-free video is a limited beta for Zoom. | Recordings, transcripts and summaries kept in your Fathom account, with unlimited storage. | Free forever: unlimited recordings and transcription, instant AI call summaries, bot or bot-free (beta) capture. | Zoom, Google Meet and Teams (bot-free also Slack Huddles); records on Mac and Windows — not mobile, Linux or Chromebook. |
| Otter.ai Pricing · Desktop app | Both: its notetaker joins Zoom, Teams and Google Meet; the desktop app records without a bot. | Audio with a live transcript; video replay for Zoom and Meet only on Enterprise. | Conversations kept in your Otter account; on the free plan, history covers the 25 most recent. | Basic: 300 transcription minutes a month, 30 minutes per conversation, 3 lifetime file imports. | Web, Mac and Windows app, iOS and Android, Chrome extension. |
| Fireflies.ai Pricing · Desktop app | Both: its notetaker bot joins; the desktop app and the Chrome extension (Google Meet) record without one. | Audio on the free plan; meeting video on paid plans (720p–1080p). | Meetings stored in your Fireflies account — 400 minutes of storage per team on the free plan. | Free forever: unlimited transcription for shared bot meetings, the Chrome extension and mobile app; limited AI summaries; 2-hour recording limit. | Zoom, Google Meet, Teams and more; web, Mac and Windows app, iOS and Android, Chrome extension. |
| tl;dv Pricing · Desktop app · Bot-free guide | Both: its bot records Zoom, Google Meet and Teams calls; the desktop app records system audio with no bot. | Bot: video and transcript. Desktop (no bot): audio only. | Recordings kept in your tl;dv library; hosted and stored in the EU. | Free: unlimited video recordings and transcription (30+ languages); AI notes on 10 meetings and 10 Ask AI queries. | Mac and Windows desktop app, iOS and Android; Zoom, Google Meet, Teams. |
| Read.ai Pricing · Desktop app | Both: Read Assistant joins Zoom, Teams or Meet; the desktop app records without a bot. | Transcribes meetings; full audio/video recording with playback only on Enterprise plans. | Meeting reports and transcripts kept in your Read account. | Free: 5 meeting transcripts and reports a month, meetings up to 1 hour. | Windows, macOS, iOS and Android apps; Zoom, Teams, Google Meet. |
| Notta Pricing · Notta Desktop · Privacy Mode | Both: Notta Bot joins as a visible participant; Notta Desktop (beta) records from your device with no bot. | Desktop: audio. Bot mode can also record the meeting video. | Notta’s cloud workspace by default; Notta Desktop’s Privacy Mode transcribes and stores on your computer. | Free: 120 transcription minutes a month, up to 3 minutes per conversation, 10 AI summaries a month. | Web, Mac and Windows (desktop beta), iOS and Android, Chrome extension; the desktop app works with 40+ meeting apps, including Zoom, Meet and Teams. |
Why a bot-free note taker?
A meeting bot is an extra participant that joins to record the call. That’s fine for routine internal meetings — but a lot of the time it isn’t.
- Sensitive or client calls where a recording bot would be awkward or not allowed.
- Companies and clients that block third-party bots from joining meetings.
- A call you joined from someone else’s account, where you can’t add a bot.
- A transcript a teammate forwarded to you after the fact — there’s no call to join.
With MinutesAI, bot-free doesn’t mean fewer notes — the notes come from a transcript instead of a recorder in the room.
How bot-free notes work
- Get your transcript Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom can each produce a transcript of a meeting. Open it and copy the text.
- Paste it in Drop the transcript into the box above — no account, no bot, no extension.
- Summarize Click once to get a summary, the decisions, and action items with owners.
- Copy or export Copy the notes as Markdown or download a .md file for Notion, Docs, or your CRM.
Bot recorders vs. bot-free
| Feature | MinutesAI | Bot recorders |
|---|---|---|
| Joins your meeting | No bot | Bot or app records live |
| Account to start | No — paste and go | Usually required |
| Good for sensitive calls | Yes — nothing joins or is stored | Depends on the vendor’s policy |
| Works on a forwarded transcript | Yes | No — they need the call or its recording |
| Price | Free (daily limit) | Free tier + paid plans |
Reflects the general approach of bot-based note takers as of June 2026. Always check a vendor’s data policy.
Related tools
Frequently asked questions
What is a bot-free AI note taker?
It’s an AI note taker that does not send a bot to join and record your meeting. Bot-free recorders such as Granola or Jamie capture the audio on your own device instead; MinutesAI goes a step further and works from a transcript you already have — you paste it in and get a summary, decisions, and action items.
Which AI note takers don’t join the call as a bot?
Granola, Jamie and Tactiq never do — they capture the meeting from your own device or browser. Krisp records without a bot and offers one as an option. Fathom (bot-free is in beta, Mac only), Otter, Fireflies, tl;dv, Read.ai and Notta offer a bot-free desktop app alongside their meeting bot. MinutesAI doesn’t capture the call at all: you paste a transcript you already have. We checked each vendor’s own site on 26 September 2026.
How does it take notes without a bot?
It summarizes the transcript your meeting tool already produced. Google Meet, Teams, and Zoom can each generate a transcript; you copy it, paste it here, and the notes are generated from that text.
Why avoid a meeting bot?
Some calls are sensitive, some clients don’t want an extra participant recording, and some companies don’t allow third-party bots. A bot-free, paste-based tool sidesteps all of that.
Is it really free, and is anything stored?
Yes — free with no signup and a per-device daily limit. Your transcript is used only to generate the notes and is not stored on our servers.
Can I get bot-free meeting notes for free?
Yes. MinutesAI is free with no account — up to 5 summaries a day — and never joins the call. Among the recorders, Granola’s free Basic plan includes bot-free capture with 30 days of history, Jamie’s free plan covers 10 AI notes a month for meetings up to 30 minutes, Tactiq’s free plan gives 10 transcripts a month, and Fathom’s free plan includes its bot-free beta on Mac. Krisp has a 7-day free trial rather than a free plan.
Is a bot-free note taker more private than a meeting bot?
Not automatically. Bot-free only means nothing joins the call — most bot-free apps still send your audio or transcript to their cloud. What differs is what they keep: Granola and Jamie delete the audio after transcription, Tactiq saves only the text, Notta Desktop has a local Privacy Mode, and Krisp offers on-device processing on its Enterprise plan. MinutesAI never hears the audio; the transcript you paste goes to its AI provider only to write the notes and isn’t stored on its servers.
Do I still need consent if no bot joins the call?
That depends on where you and the other participants are, not on whether a bot is visible. A bot-free recorder removes the extra name from the call, not the recording rules — Fireflies and Notta both tell desktop users they are responsible for notifying participants. MinutesAI records nothing: it works from a transcript your meeting tool already made.
Can I still use a bot recorder as well?
Yes. Many people use a bot recorder for routine internal calls and a bot-free tool like MinutesAI for sensitive calls or transcripts forwarded to them.