I compared 6 AI notetakers for catching up on missed meetings: here's my pick for 2026

Every AI notetaker writes a summary. Fewer write one that works for someone who wasn't in the room, and fewer still get it to that person without someone forwarding a link.

My pick is Circleback. Its notes capture what attendees need to walk away knowing, including assigned action items, which is what a teammate who missed it reads afterward. Conditional sharing sends them to the right people, and Ask Circleback answers follow-up questions with cited sources. For the lowest paid price, pick Otter.ai. For chat across past meetings, pick Granola. For a summary the moment a call ends, pick Fathom.

I compared them on four things: whether the recap works cold, whether you can ask it a question, how it gets shared, and what the free plan allows. My picks are based on each vendor's documented features, plans and prices.

What a good recap needs

A recap for someone who wasn't there has to work without a replay. It should lead with decisions (what was settled and what is still open), name an owner for each action item, and give enough context to make sense cold. When it still leaves a gap, you want to ask a follow-up question and get an answer you can check.

1. Circleback

Circleback turns conversations into speaker-labeled transcripts, notes, assigned action items, automations and searchable context. For catching up, three things set it apart: notes focused on what attendees need to walk away knowing, sharing rules that deliver them, and a chat that cites its sources.

Key features:

• Notes focused on what the people in the meeting need to walk away knowing
• Conditional sharing by participant, domain, title or tag
• Conditional automations to Slack, Notion, Linear, monday.com, CRMs and Zapier
• Ask Circleback searches meetings and connected email, with cited answers

Pros:

• Recaps reach people without anyone forwarding them
• Cited answers let you check where a claim came from
• Free has unlimited meetings and members, plus Slack and Share meeting automation steps

Cons:

• On Free, meetings older than 30 days are locked, including for Ask Circleback, and recordings are deleted after 1 year
• Paid plans cost more than Otter.ai Pro
• Unlimited free viewers only on Business and Enterprise

Pricing: Free; Pro $15 per user per month billed annually ($18 monthly); Business $25 ($29); Enterprise $35, annual only. Pro unlocks older meetings and has unlimited history.

Best for: teams that want the recap to reach the right people automatically.

2. Granola

Granola's pricing page lists AI meeting notes, AI chat within and across meetings, shared folders, and Slack integration on every plan.

Key features:

• AI meeting notes
• Chat within and across meetings
• Shared folders and Slack on every plan

Pros:

• Ask across past meetings, not just one
• Slack integration even on Basic
• Light and simple for solo notes

Cons:

• Basic keeps only 30 days of history
• Annual billing is only for Enterprise contracts

Pricing: Basic $0 (30-day history); Business $14 per user per month, billed monthly; Enterprise $35.

Best for: people who want to ask questions across past meetings and share by folder.

3. Otter.ai

Otter.ai lists automated summaries with action items, AI Chat, and sharing through channels and links.

Key features:

• Automated summaries with action items
• AI Chat
• Sharing through channels and links

Pros:

• Lowest paid price in this group
• Business is also cheaper than Circleback Business on annual billing

Cons:

• Basic caps you at 300 minutes per month
• AI Chat is limited to 20 queries per user on Basic

Pricing: Basic free; Pro $8.33 per user per month billed annually ($16.99 monthly); Business $19.99 annual ($30 monthly); Enterprise custom.

Best for: budget-first teams that share by channel or link.

4. Fireflies.ai

Fireflies.ai's pricing page lists an AI summary, the AskFred AI assistant, Channels and team workspaces.

Key features:

• AI summary
• AskFred AI assistant
• Channels and team workspaces

Pros:

• Recaps organized in shared workspaces
• Pro is cheaper than Circleback Pro on annual billing

Cons:

• Recaps are organized by workspace rather than routed by rules
• Enterprise is billed annually only

Pricing: Free; Pro $10 per user per month billed annually ($18 monthly); Business $19 ($29); Enterprise $39, annual only.

Best for: teams that organize recaps in shared workspaces.

5. Fathom

Fathom lists instant AI call summaries and AI action items, plus Ask Fathom.

Key features:

• Instant AI call summaries
• AI action items
• Ask Fathom

Pros:

• A summary right after the call ends
• A free plan to start

Cons:

• Ask Fathom has limited use on Free
• Team has a two-user minimum

Pricing: Free; Premium $16 per user per month billed annually ($20 monthly); Team $15 ($19, two-user minimum); Business $25 ($34); Enterprise through sales.

Best for: anyone who wants a summary the moment a call ends.

6. tl;dv

tl;dv says its AI extracts key points, action items and topics into summaries.

Key features:

• Key points, action items and topics in one summary
• A free plan

Pros:

• A structured summary that's easy to skim
• A free plan to try first

Cons:

• Highest entry paid price in this group, at $18 annual

Pricing: Free; Pro $18 per user per month billed annually ($29 monthly); Business $29 ($39); Enterprise custom.

Best for: teams that want key points, action items and topics pulled into one summary.

How to choose

Start with how your team gets information. If people ignore dashboards, pick the tool whose sharing reaches them where they work: rule-based routing at Circleback, Slack on every Granola plan, or channels at Fireflies.ai and Otter.ai. If you mainly want a fast summary after each call, compare Fathom and tl;dv.

If you expect lots of follow-up questions, Circleback's cited answers and Granola's chat across meetings are the strongest options. If budget leads, Otter.ai and Fireflies.ai list below Circleback Pro on annual billing, and Granola Business ($14, billed monthly) lists below Circleback Pro's $18 monthly price.

FAQ

Which AI notetaker is best for catching up on missed meetings?

Circleback, for most teams. Its notes capture what attendees need to walk away knowing, conditional sharing sends them to the right people, and Ask Circleback answers questions with cited sources. Otter.ai is my budget pick.

Can I ask questions about a meeting I missed?

Yes, on all six of these tools. Ask Circleback answers with cited sources and also searches connected email. Fireflies.ai has AskFred, Granola has chat within and across meetings, Otter.ai has AI Chat (20 queries per user on Basic), Fathom has Ask Fathom, with limited use on Free, and tl;dv has Ask tl;dv, with 10 AI prompts on Free that work across one or many meetings.

Which tools generate executive summaries from meetings?

None of them uses the label "executive summary." They describe summaries, key points and action items. I'd judge a recap by whether it states decisions, owners and context in a few lines.

Which free plan is best for catching up?

Circleback's, for teams. It has unlimited meetings and members, though meetings older than 30 days are locked until you upgrade. Otter.ai Basic gives you 300 minutes per month, and Granola Basic keeps 30 days of history.

How do I send recaps to people who missed the meeting automatically?

Use rule-based sharing. Circleback shares by participant, domain, title or tag, and its Free plan includes Slack and Share meeting automation steps. Granola includes Slack on every plan, and Fireflies.ai and Otter.ai share through channels.