Finding the perfect free Zoom note taker can save hours of manual transcription and ensure you never miss important meeting details. After testing 15+ tools, I found that Otter.ai, Fireflies.ai, and Fathom offer the most reliable free plans for Zoom meeting transcription and note-taking.
Quick Comparison: Top 7 Free Zoom Note Takers
Here are the best free options ranked by overall value and feature completeness:
- Otter.ai - 600 monthly minutes, excellent accuracy
- Fireflies.ai - 800 minutes storage, unlimited recording
- Fathom - Unlimited recordings, 7-day retention
- Zoom Built-in Captions - Basic transcription included
- Sembly.ai - 40 minutes monthly, advanced summaries
- Grain - 3 free recordings monthly
- tl;dv - 20 free recordings monthly
1. Otter.ai - Best Overall Free Option
Otter.ai provides the most generous free plan with exceptional transcription accuracy and user-friendly features that make it ideal for regular Zoom users.
What You Get Free
- 600 monthly transcription minutes (10 hours)
- Real-time transcription during meetings
- Basic speaker identification
- Search functionality within transcripts
- 3 transcript exports per month
- 40-minute maximum per recording session
Setup Process
- Create free account at otter.ai
- Install Zoom Otter Bot from Zoom Marketplace
- Invite bot to meetings or enable auto-join
- Access transcripts in Otter dashboard post-meeting
Best For
Students, freelancers, and small teams who need reliable transcription with basic editing capabilities.
2. Fireflies.ai - Most Storage Space
Fireflies.ai offers 800 minutes of storage and unlimited recording length, making it perfect for longer meetings and webinars.
Free Plan Features
- 800 minutes of transcript storage
- Unlimited meeting length (no 40-minute cap)
- Basic AI meeting summaries
- Search across all stored transcripts
- Speaker identification
- Integration with 50+ apps
Setup Steps
- Sign up at fireflies.ai
- Connect your calendar (Google/Outlook)
- Add Fireflies.ai bot to Zoom meetings
- Bot automatically joins and records meetings
- Review transcripts and summaries in dashboard
Limitations
- Storage limit means older transcripts get deleted
- Limited advanced AI features on free plan
- No CRM integrations in free tier
3. Fathom - Unlimited Recordings
Fathom provides completely unlimited recording capabilities with no monthly minute restrictions, though transcripts are only stored for 7 days.
Free Plan Benefits
- Unlimited meeting recordings
- No monthly minute caps
- Automatic meeting summaries
- Action items extraction
- 7-day transcript retention
- Zoom integration
How to Use Fathom
- Create account at fathom.video
- Install Fathom app and browser extension
- Connect Zoom account
- Start recording with one click during meetings
- Access transcripts within 7-day window
Ideal Use Case
Heavy meeting users who need immediate access but do not require long-term transcript storage.
4. Zoom Built-in Live Captions
Zoom includes free live captions for all meetings, though accuracy and features are limited compared to dedicated AI tools.
Built-in Features
- Real-time captions during meetings
- Basic transcription accuracy
- No setup required (built into Zoom)
- Works on all Zoom plans
- No external apps needed
Enable Live Captions
- Start or join Zoom meeting
- Click Live Transcript button in toolbar
- Enable Show Captions for real-time display
- Download transcript after meeting ends
Limitations
- Lower accuracy than dedicated AI tools
- No speaker identification
- No meeting summaries or insights
- Basic formatting only
5. Sembly.ai - Advanced Free Summaries
Sembly.ai offers sophisticated AI meeting analysis with only 40 monthly minutes, making it best for occasional high-value meetings.
Free Plan Highlights
- 40 minutes monthly transcription
- Advanced AI meeting summaries
- Action items and decisions extraction
- Speaker insights and analytics
- Integration with Slack and Teams
Setup Process
- Register at sembly.ai
- Connect calendar and Zoom
- Sembly bot joins meetings automatically
- Receive detailed summaries via email
Best For
Professionals who attend few but important meetings requiring detailed analysis and follow-up.
6. Grain - Video-First Note Taking
Grain focuses on video highlights and snippets with 3 free recording sessions monthly, perfect for visual meeting reviews.
Free Features
- 3 meeting recordings per month