Best AI notetaker for recruiting interviews (2026): 6 tools compared

Interview notes have a different job from ordinary meeting notes. They have to keep the interviewer and the candidate apart, follow the same structure for every candidate, and reach the candidate record in your applicant tracking system (ATS). I compared six AI notetakers on capture for video calls and phone screens, structured notes, ATS routes and price. My picks rest on each vendor's documented features, plans and prices.

What is the best AI notetaker for recruiting interviews?

Winner: Circleback, for teams that share one notetaker between recruiting and everyone else. It captures with a bot or with no bot, structures interview notes with custom insights, and has a native Ashby route through Ask Circleback. Its weak spot is ATS breadth: Greenhouse and Lever have no built-in integration, and Fireflies.ai covers more ATS tools.

My picks:

• Circleback: best for hiring teams that share a notetaker with the rest of the company
• Fireflies.ai: best for built-in sync to Greenhouse, Lever and Ashby
• Metaview: best for recruiting-only teams that want an interview-specific platform
• tl;dv: best for Greenhouse teams that want a free start
• Fathom: best free plan for a solo recruiter
• Otter.ai: lowest paid price of the five tools that publish one

What should an AI notetaker capture in a job interview?

Six things decided my picks:

1. Speaker labels that keep interviewer and candidate apart. Without them, a transcript of a two person call is hard to scan for what the candidate said.
2. The same structure every time. Candidates are only comparable when each interview produces the same fields, for example motivation, evidence for must-have skills, concerns and compensation expectations.
3. A route to the candidate record. Notes that stay in the notetaker get copied by hand. Look for a named ATS integration, then check what it writes: notes, transcripts, summaries or only a link.
4. Capture that works for phone screens. Phone screens are a common first round, so ask how the tool records a call: a dialer integration, a desktop app that picks up your computer's mic, or an imported recording.
5. A clear way to tell candidates. A bot shows up in the participant list. A bot-free app does not, so the notice has to come from you.
6. A tool the rest of the company can share. Hiring managers and interviewers run other meetings too, and one shared tool beats paying for two.

Best AI notetakers for recruiters, reviewed one by one

1. Circleback: best for hiring teams that share a notetaker with the company

Circleback turns conversations into speaker-labeled transcripts, notes, assigned action items, automations and searchable context. It is built for anyone who runs meetings across tech, recruiting, sales and general business, so recruiters, hiring managers and the rest of the company can use the same tool.

ATS route: Ashby, through an Ask Circleback connector. Ashby is not an automation step, so nothing syncs on its own. After an interview you can ask Circleback to add the debrief as a candidate note and move the application to another stage. It can also read candidates, interviews, interview plans, submitted feedback and job pipelines, create candidates and consider a candidate for a job. It cannot edit or delete candidates or notes, submit feedback or schedule interviews. Ashby's docs say its MCP server is in open beta, that an Org Admin has to switch it on first, and that the note tool drafts a note for you to confirm before saving.

Greenhouse and Lever have no built-in integration.

Phone screens: There is no dialer integration. The desktop app records calls on your computer with no bot, and it detects when an app starts using the mic, so calls on apps such as RingCentral are captured like any other call. For a call on a regular phone, import the recording, because the mobile app does not record phone-call audio directly. An uploaded audio or video file (up to 2 GB) is processed like a live meeting, with notes, action items and insights.

Key features:

• Bot for Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and Webex, with calendar auto-join and Internal and External choices
• Bot-free desktop app for Mac and Windows with no bot and no visible participant in the call, which still saves the meeting video and audio
• Mobile app for on-site interviews, which records audio only
• Custom insights that start from a template or from scratch, with custom fields to structure the output, shown in the meeting's Insights tab and on an Insights page across meetings
• Automation conditions on tags, meeting title, participants, invitee emails and domains, or number of invitees, so an interview insight runs only on interviews
• Ask Circleback, which searches meetings and connected email with cited answers
• API, MCP and CLI on every plan, and 100+ transcription languages

Pros:

• One notetaker for recruiters, hiring managers and the rest of the company
• Bot, bot-free desktop and mobile capture in one tool, with video and audio kept
• A native Ashby route that can write a candidate note and move an application stage
• Every recording method separates speakers, and bot recordings get real participant names

Cons:

• Fewer native integrations than Fireflies.ai, and Greenhouse and Lever have no built-in integration
• The Ashby route runs through Ask, so someone asks for the note instead of it syncing on its own
• Desktop and mobile speaker names can stay "Participant N"
• Free has limited automations, and Free meetings older than 30 days are locked (not deleted) until you upgrade

Pricing: Free plan with unlimited meetings and members. Paid plans start at $15 per user per month billed annually ($18 monthly). See Circleback pricing.

Best for: hiring teams that share a notetaker with sales, product and everyone else, and teams that run Ashby.

2. Fireflies.ai: best for built-in sync to Greenhouse, Lever and Ashby

Fireflies.ai has the widest ATS coverage of the five general-purpose notetakers I compared. Its integration directory has an Applicant Tracking System category with Greenhouse, Lever and Ashby, plus Loxo, Gem and Workable.

ATS route: Fireflies says its Greenhouse integration syncs meeting notes, transcripts and action items to Greenhouse and creates a candidate profile when none exists. The Lever integration syncs interview summaries and transcripts to existing candidates and creates a candidate when no profile is found. The Ashby integration logs meeting notes to candidate profiles, with controls for candidate creation and mapping. An Ashby Admin creates an API key with Candidate Read/Write scopes to connect it, and Integration Rules for choosing which meetings trigger a sync are listed for Business and Enterprise plans.

Phone screens: Dialer integrations cover OpenPhone, Zoom Phone, RingCentral and Aircall. It also takes uploaded audio and video files, and it has a desktop app, mobile apps and a Chrome extension. The pricing table lists recording with the Chrome extension without the Fireflies bot.

Key features:

• Transcription in 100+ languages
• AI summaries with action items and customized summaries
• AskFred assistant and meeting search
• API access
• SOC 2 Type II and GDPR compliance listed on the pricing page

Pros:

• Dedicated Greenhouse, Lever and Ashby integrations
• Dialer integrations for phone screens
• 100+ transcription languages

Cons:

• The Free plan has limited AI summaries and 400 minutes of storage per team
• Video recording is a paid feature
• Choosing which meetings sync to Ashby needs Business or Enterprise

Pricing: Free forever. Pro is $10 per seat per month billed annually, Business is $19, and Enterprise is $39 on annual billing only.

Best for: recruiters on Greenhouse, Lever or Ashby who want notes written to the candidate record.

3. Metaview: best for recruiting-only teams that want an interview-specific platform

Metaview is an AI recruiting platform, and its notetaker is one of several agents next to sourcing and application review. It records interview audio, video and code for technical interviews, and each of the three can be turned off.

ATS route: Its ATS list includes Ashby, Greenhouse, Lever, Workable, Gem and SmartRecruiters. It also connects to Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Zoom and Webex, and to scheduling tools such as Calendly and GoodTime.

Phone screens: Candidates join interviews as normal, by phone or video, and the pricing FAQ says Metaview works with phone tools.

Candidate notice: Candidates are informed automatically through touchpoints you control and configure, and they can opt out of recording at any time with one click. Any admin can customize the bot name.

Key features:

• Interview audio, video and code recording, each switchable
• SOC 2 Type II, GDPR and CCPA compliance, with 256-bit encryption
• 50+ languages
• Default retention of two years, adjustable to match your company policy

Pros:

• Built for interviews rather than adapted to them
• ATS list that covers the main recruiting systems
• Candidate opt-out in one click

Cons:

• A recruiting platform first, so it is not the notetaker the rest of the company shares
• It bills for the agents you use, so the notetaker's cost depends on which agents you turn on
• Data is hosted in the AWS UK environment
• 50+ languages, against 100+ for Circleback and Fireflies.ai

Pricing: Metaview bills for the agents you use. A full platform plan has custom pricing.

Best for: teams that only need interview notes and want a tool made for hiring.

4. tl;dv: best for Greenhouse teams that want a free start

tl;dv records Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams. For Google Meet it offers a Chrome extension bot, or a desktop app that captures without a bot.

ATS route: Greenhouse. tl;dv says it records interviews and pushes summaries, feedback and recording links into Greenhouse for team calibration.

Phone screens: The plan table lists caller integrations.

Structured notes: Pro adds custom AI notes templates and AI action item assignment. The plan table also lists recording consent settings and GDPR and consent management.

Pros:

• Free plan with unlimited video recordings and transcription in 30+ languages
• MCP server, API and webhooks on Pro
• A named Greenhouse integration

Cons:

• The Free plan includes AI notes for up to 10 meetings
• Its $18 per seat entry price for paid plans is higher than Fireflies.ai, Circleback, Fathom or Otter.ai
• 30+ languages, against 100+ for Circleback and Fireflies.ai

Pricing: Free. Pro is $18 per seat per month billed annually, Business is $29, and Enterprise is custom.

Best for: Greenhouse teams that want to start on a free plan.

5. Fathom: best free plan for a solo recruiter

Fathom has a free plan with unlimited recordings and transcription, instant AI call summaries, clips, playlists and search across calls. Its pricing page lists a choice of bot-free or bot capture, and marks bot-free as a beta feature for Mac. Its bot joins Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams.

ATS route: The integrations page names HubSpot, Salesforce, Slack, Asana, Notion, Zapier and Make, plus a public API and MCP, and Claude and ChatGPT integrations on every plan.

Structured notes: Premium adds advanced summaries with over 15 expert templates such as BANT and Sandler. Business adds custom summaries, coaching metrics and AI scorecards.

Pros:

• Free plan with unlimited recordings and transcription
• Account-wide Ask Fathom in beta for searching across your calls
• Claude and ChatGPT integrations on every plan

Cons:

• Bot-free capture is a Mac beta
• The named summary templates are sales frameworks, and custom summaries are a Business feature
• The Team plan has a two user minimum

Pricing: Free forever. Premium is $16 per user per month on annual billing, Team is $15 (two user minimum), and Business is $25.

Best for: a solo recruiter who wants a free plan with unlimited recordings and transcription.

6. Otter.ai: best for low-cost live transcription

Otter.ai lists live transcription, speaker identification, AI chat within and across meetings, and iOS and Android apps. It joins Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet. The Basic plan lists an Otter MCP server.

ATS route: The pricing page names Salesforce, HubSpot and Zapier integrations on Pro, and custom integrations (CRM, dialers) on Enterprise.

Phone screens: Dialers appear under Enterprise custom integrations. Uploaded recordings are capped at 3 lifetime imports on Basic and 10 per month on Pro.

Structured notes: Pro adds advanced meeting templates. Business adds custom AI workflows.

Pros:

• Lowest paid price of the five tools that publish one
• Live transcription
• Free Basic plan with 300 monthly transcription minutes

Cons:

• A conversation is capped at 30 minutes on Basic and 90 minutes on Pro, so a 45 minute interview does not fit on Basic
• The pricing table lists AI transcription in English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese and Chinese
• Its pricing table lists a recording disclaimer email and Microsoft Teams recording permission capture among its admin features

Pricing: Basic is free. Pro is $8.33 per user per month on the annual plan ($16.99 monthly), Business is $19.99 on the annual plan, and Enterprise is by demo.

Best for: individuals who want live transcription at the lowest paid price. I'd skip it for ATS-driven hiring.

AI notetakers for recruiting compared: ATS routes, phone screens, structured notes and price

Prices are per user per month on annual billing.

How do I set up an AI notetaker for interviews?

1. Choose a capture method for each interview type. For video interviews, use a calendar bot or a bot-free desktop app. For phone screens, use a dialer integration where the tool has one (Fireflies.ai lists OpenPhone, Zoom Phone, RingCentral and Aircall), the desktop app on your computer, or an imported recording. For on-site interviews, Circleback's mobile app records audio.
2. Decide how candidates get told. Put a line in the interview invite and say it again at the start of the call. Use the tool's own controls where they exist, such as Metaview's candidate touchpoints and one-click opt-out.
3. Build one interview template. Define the same fields for every role. In Circleback, make it a custom insight with custom fields and add a tag or title condition so it runs only on interviews. In Fireflies.ai, use customized summaries.
4. Connect the ATS. Greenhouse: Fireflies.ai, tl;dv or Metaview. Lever: Fireflies.ai or Metaview. Ashby: Fireflies.ai, Metaview or Circleback through Ask Circleback.
5. Set retention for candidate data. Decide what you keep. Circleback can turn off recording storage while keeping the transcript and notes. Metaview lets you switch off audio, video or code recording and sets a default retention of two years.

Which AI notetaker should I choose for hiring?

• Pick Circleback if recruiting shares the notetaker with sales, product and the rest of the company, or if you run Ashby.
• Pick Fireflies.ai if automatic sync to Greenhouse, Lever or Ashby matters most.
• Pick Metaview if recruiting is the only use case and you want a platform made for interviews.
• Pick tl;dv if you run Greenhouse and want to start free.
• Pick Fathom if you are a solo recruiter on a free plan.
• Pick Otter.ai if price matters most and your interviews fit inside 90 minutes.

Frequently asked questions about AI notetakers for recruiting

Which AI notetaker integrates with Greenhouse?

Fireflies.ai, tl;dv and Metaview each name a Greenhouse integration. Circleback has no built-in Greenhouse integration.

Can an AI notetaker record phone screens?

Yes, and the route depends on the tool. Fireflies.ai has dialer integrations for OpenPhone, Zoom Phone, RingCentral and Aircall. Metaview says candidates join by phone or video. Circleback has no dialer integration: its desktop app records calls on your computer, and any other phone call can be imported as a recording because the mobile app does not record phone-call audio directly.

Should I tell candidates an AI notetaker is recording the interview?

Yes. Tell them in the invite and again at the start of the call. A bot shows up in the participant list. Circleback's desktop app has no bot and no visible participant, so the notice has to come from you. Metaview informs candidates automatically and lets them opt out with one click, tl;dv's plan table lists recording consent settings, and Otter's pricing table lists a recording disclaimer email.

Can Circleback add interview notes to Ashby?

Yes, through Ask Circleback. After an interview you can ask it to add the debrief as a candidate note and move the application to another stage. An automation cannot write to Ashby, so the note is added when someone asks for it. Circleback cannot edit or delete candidates or notes, submit feedback or schedule interviews, and an Ashby Org Admin has to switch on Ashby's MCP server first.

Is there a free AI notetaker for recruiters?

Yes. Circleback, Fireflies.ai, tl;dv, Fathom and Otter.ai all have free plans. Circleback's free plan has unlimited meetings and members, limited automations, and a 30 day lock on older meetings. Fathom's free plan has unlimited recordings and transcription. tl;dv's free plan has unlimited video recordings and AI notes for up to 10 meetings. Fireflies.ai's free plan has limited AI summaries and 400 minutes of storage per team. Otter's Basic plan caps a conversation at 30 minutes.

Can I move old interview recordings and notes into Circleback?

Yes. An uploaded audio or video file (up to 2 GB) is processed like a live meeting, with notes, action items and insights. Meetings imported directly from Fathom, Fireflies, Granola or Read AI keep their original notes and transcript and get no new notes or action items, and an automation can be run on them by hand if the import brought its notes over. Otter has no direct import, so Otter users upload audio or video files. On the Free plan, imports older than 30 days arrive locked.