Updated: July 2026
The best AI meeting notes apps for Mac in 2026 are Granola for a polished notes-plus-transcript workflow, Fathom for the most generous free plan, and Fireflies for a searchable archive of every meeting. If you want fully on-device capture with no bot joining your calls, Soya is the strongest privacy-first free option, and Krisp is best if you also need noise cancellation. The right choice depends on whether you care most about privacy, price, integrations, or audio quality.
The most important axis here is bot-based versus bot-free. Bot-based tools send a notetaker to join your call as a visible participant; bot-free tools capture audio locally on your Mac. Soya is made by BlendPixel, the publisher of this site. Every other fact below is verified against each vendor's own pricing page, linked inline.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Price | Free tier | Bot or bot-free | Standout feature | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Granola | Free; Business $14/user/mo | Yes (limited history) | Bot-free | Merges your rough notes with the transcript | Staying present while notes write themselves |
| Otter.ai | Free; Pro from $8.33/user/mo | Yes (300 min/mo) | Bot by default, bot-free option | Real-time live transcription | Real-time transcription with broad integrations |
| Fathom | Free; Premium $16/user/mo | Yes (unlimited recordings) | Bot; bot-free beta on Mac | Unlimited free recordings and summaries | Individuals who want a no-cap free recorder |
| Fireflies.ai | Free; Pro from $10/seat/mo | Yes (400 min storage) | Bot | Searchable, queryable meeting archive | Teams that need a searchable meeting library |
| Krisp | 7-day trial; Core from $8/user/mo | Trial only | Bot-free | Two-way AI noise cancellation plus notes | Noisy environments needing clean audio and notes |
| Soya | Free; Pro $9/mo or $90/yr | Yes (unlimited local history) | Bot-free (on-device) | On-device capture, no bot, no cloud upload | Privacy-first Mac users who want notes, not a bot |
Granola
Granola is a Mac-first AI notepad that captures audio locally and merges your own rough notes with the transcript into a clean write-up when the meeting ends. It has a free Basic plan with limited meeting history, a Business plan at $14 per user per month, and an Enterprise plan at $35 per user. Because it is bot-free, nothing joins your call as a visible participant. Best for people who want to stay present in meetings, jot sparse notes, and get a polished AI write-up afterward. Source: granola.ai/pricing.
Otter.ai
Otter.ai is a web, Mac, Windows, and mobile tool known for real-time live transcription with automated summaries and action items across Zoom, Teams, and Google Meet. Its free Basic plan includes 300 transcription minutes per month, and paid plans start at $8.33 per user per month billed annually. It is bot-based by default (its assistant joins calls) with a bot-free recording option in the desktop app. Best for teams that want real-time transcription, broad integrations, and a generous free tier. Source: otter.ai/pricing.
Fathom
Fathom is a web-based AI meeting recorder with an unusually generous free plan: unlimited recordings, transcriptions, and AI summaries at no cost. Paid individual plans start at $16 per user per month, and team plans add CRM integrations like HubSpot and Salesforce. It is bot-based by default, with a bot-free capture option in beta on Mac. Best for individuals who want a fully featured, no-cap free recorder, and sales teams that need CRM sync on paid tiers. Source: fathom.video/pricing.
Fireflies.ai
Fireflies.ai sends its notetaker bot to join calls and builds a searchable, queryable archive of every meeting you can question with its AskFred assistant. The free plan is free forever with unlimited transcription and AI summaries plus 400 minutes of storage, and paid plans start at $10 per seat per month billed annually. It has one of the widest integration sets in the category. Best for teams that want a searchable meeting library and deep CRM, Slack, and Zapier integrations. Source: fireflies.ai/pricing.
Krisp
Krisp is a Mac and Windows tool that works as a virtual audio layer, so it is bot-free and processes audio on-device. Its standout is two-way AI noise cancellation that removes background noise from both sides of a call, combined with transcription and AI meeting notes. There is no permanent free tier, only a 7-day free trial, and paid plans start at $8 per user per month billed annually. Best for anyone in a noisy environment who needs clean audio alongside meeting notes. Source: krisp.ai/pricing.
Soya
Soya is a macOS app from BlendPixel that records and transcribes meetings entirely on-device, with no bot joining the call and no audio uploaded to the cloud. You jot rough notes during the meeting and Soya merges them with the transcript into a clean write-up with decisions and action items. It is free with unlimited local history, and Soya Pro is $9 per month or $90 per year, adding AI follow-ups, Notion and Slack export, branded PDF export, and custom templates. It requires Apple Silicon; Windows is on the roadmap. Best for privacy-first Mac users who want a simple jot-and-write-up workflow without any bot or cloud dependency. Source: blendpixel.com/products/soya.
FAQ
What is the best AI meeting notes app that does not use a bot?
Soya and Granola both capture audio locally with no bot joining the call. Soya is fully on-device with unlimited free local history and no cloud upload. Krisp is also bot-free but has no permanent free tier.
Which AI meeting notes app has the best free plan?
Fathom offers unlimited free recordings, transcriptions, and AI summaries. Soya is free with unlimited local meeting history and on-device processing. Otter's free plan includes 300 transcription minutes per month.
What is the difference between a bot-based and a bot-free meeting notes app?
A bot-based app sends a notetaker to join your call as a visible participant, which everyone on the call can see. A bot-free app captures audio locally on your device, so nothing joins the meeting. Granola, Krisp, and Soya are bot-free; Fireflies, Fathom, and Otter are bot-based by default.
Which AI meeting notes app is most private?
Soya processes everything on-device, does not upload your audio to the cloud, and does not use your meetings to train models. Bot-free local tools generally keep more data on your machine than cloud services that record and store transcripts remotely.
Does Granola or Soya work on Windows?
Both are Mac-first. Granola also references a Windows version. Soya is macOS only on Apple Silicon for now, with Windows on the roadmap. Otter, Fathom, and Fireflies work across web and Windows.
Which meeting notes app includes noise cancellation?
Krisp is the only tool here with real-time two-way AI noise cancellation, which removes background noise from both your side and the other side of the call, combined with transcription and AI notes.