What Was Vowel?
Vowel was a video conferencing tool designed to make meetings more valuable and efficient. Unlike traditional video platforms, Vowel positioned itself as a "meeting OS" that went beyond just hosting calls - it helped teams plan, host, act on, and revisit meetings with AI-powered features.
The platform combined video conferencing with built-in transcription, AI-generated summaries, collaborative agendas, and searchable meeting archives. This integrated approach aimed to solve the problem of lost meeting insights and forgotten action items.
Vowel was particularly popular with remote-first companies, executive coaches, and distributed teams who needed better ways to collaborate across time zones. The platform supported various meeting types including one-on-ones, team syncs, sales calls, and all-hands meetings.
Key Features Vowel Offered
Live Transcription
Vowel provided real-time transcription for every meeting with speaker identification. Users could bookmark key moments during calls to easily search and reference later. Transcription supported multiple languages including English, Spanish, and Chinese.
All transcripts were searchable, making it easy to find specific discussions from past meetings.
AI-Powered Summaries
Every meeting automatically generated an AI-powered summary with key takeaways, decisions made, and action items. This feature saved teams hours of manual note-taking and ensured nothing important was forgotten.
Interactive Meeting Features
Vowel made meetings more engaging with interactive features like emoji reactions, timestamped comments, bookmarks, and meeting timers. These tools helped keep meetings focused and participants engaged.
Collaborative Agendas & Notes
Teams could create shared meeting agendas with timers, mention teammates, and assign tasks directly within the platform. Notes were collaborative, allowing multiple participants to contribute in real-time.
Searchable Meeting Archives
All meetings were automatically recorded and stored in a searchable archive. Users could search by keyword or topic and jump directly to specific moments in the video timeline.
Async Meeting Sharing
Vowel supported asynchronous collaboration by allowing users to share meeting recordings or specific clips with teammates who couldn't attend. This was particularly valuable for distributed teams across different time zones.
What Happened to Vowel?
The Shutdown Story
In July 2023, Vowel announced it would be shutting down operations, giving users until July 5, 2023 to retrieve their data. The company had raised $17.8 million in funding and received positive reviews from users who praised its innovative approach to meetings.
According to the company, they had signed a term sheet with a venture capital firm who later decided not to proceed with the transaction. This unexpected development left Vowel without the funding needed to continue operations.
Timeline
- September 2021: Raised $13.5 million Series A
- Grew user base with innovative features
- July 2023: Announced shutdown
- March 2024: Team acquired by Zapier
Why Vowel Failed
- Saturated market dominated by Zoom, Teams, and Meet
- Competitors quickly integrated similar AI features
- Difficult to convert enterprise customers locked into existing ecosystems
- VC funding fell through at critical moment
The Zapier Acquisition
In March 2024, Zapier acquired Vowel's team and technology. Andrew Berman, Vowel's CEO, became Director of AI at Zapier. The Vowel technology was integrated into Zapier Central, the company's AI-powered automation platform.
While Vowel as a standalone product no longer exists, its AI meeting capabilities live on within Zapier's ecosystem.
What Vowel's Pricing Was
Before shutting down, Vowel offered a freemium pricing model with three tiers designed for different user needs.
Free
- Limited meeting duration
- Basic transcription
- Limited participant capacity
- Meeting recordings
Business
- Unlimited meeting duration
- AI-powered summaries
- Advanced search and Q&A
- Zapier integration
Enterprise
- Custom participant limits
- Admin controls
- Priority support
- Custom integrations
Vowel's Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths
- All-in-One Platform: Video conferencing with built-in transcription and AI summaries
- Innovative AI Features: Real-time action items and intelligent summaries
- Searchable Archives: Find any conversation instantly with keyword search
- Interactive Meetings: Emojis, comments, bookmarks kept participants engaged
- Intuitive interface praised as Zoom alternative
Weaknesses
- Limited Free Plan: Meeting duration and participant caps on free tier
- No Export Options: Users couldn't export transcripts or notes
- Ecosystem Lock-in: Required switching from existing video platforms
- Faced established players with massive user bases
- Now Defunct: No longer available as a standalone product
Best Vowel Alternatives in 2025
If you were a Vowel user or are looking for similar AI-powered meeting tools, here are the best alternatives available today:
1. Otter.ai
Otter.ai was one of the recommended migration paths for Vowel users. It offers real-time transcription, AI summaries, and integrations with Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams. The free tier provides 300 minutes monthly.
Free, Pro ($8.33/mo), Business ($20/mo)
Best for: Individual professionals and small teams
2. Fireflies.ai
Fireflies offers automatic meeting recording, transcription, and AI summaries across all major video platforms. It includes smart search, sentiment analytics, and integrations with 40+ tools including CRMs.
Free, Pro ($10-18/mo), Business ($19-29/mo)
Best for: Teams needing extensive integrations
3. Fathom
Fathom offers unlimited free meeting recording and transcription, making it an excellent budget-friendly option. It provides instant call summaries, searchable transcripts, and shareable clips.
Free (unlimited), Premium ($16/mo)
Best for: Users wanting free unlimited recordings
4. MeetGeek
MeetGeek provides automatic meeting notes and insights with a focus on making meetings actionable. It offers AI summaries, action item extraction, and integrations with popular productivity tools.
Free, Pro ($15/mo), Business ($29/mo)
Best for: Teams focused on meeting productivity
5. tl;dv
tl;dv focuses on creating shareable meeting highlights and clips. It offers AI transcription and summaries with a generous free tier and supports Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams.
Free, Pro ($18/mo), Business ($59/mo)
Best for: Teams sharing meeting highlights
Lessons from Vowel's Shutdown
Vowel's story offers valuable insights for anyone choosing a meeting AI tool:
1. Consider Platform Stability
Evaluate the company's funding, user base, and market position before committing to a platform.
2. Data Portability Matters
Choose tools that allow you to export your data. Vowel users had limited time to retrieve their recordings.
3. Integrated vs. Standalone Tools
Tools that work with existing platforms (Zoom, Teams, Meet) may be safer bets than complete replacements.
4. Features Aren't Everything
Vowel had innovative features but couldn't overcome market dynamics. Business viability matters as much as product quality.
