--- title: "I compared 5 AI note takers from capture to assigned action items: here's my pick for 2026" description: "I compared how Circleback, Fireflies, Otter, Fathom and tl;dv capture a meeting, assign action items and send follow-ups to your tools. My pick." canonical: "https://meetingnotesguide.com/circleback-meeting-walkthrough" last_updated: "2026-10-17" --- # I compared 5 AI note takers from capture to assigned action items: here's my pick for 2026 Every AI note taker gives you a transcript. The real gap is what happens next: whether each action item has an owner, and whether it reaches Slack, Linear or your CRM without someone copying it over. My pick is Circleback. It assigns action items to the responsible person, collects them in one shared task list, and routes them to Slack and Linear on the free plan and to CRMs on Pro. It also captures with a bot, without a bot on desktop, and in person on mobile, all in one tool. ## Quick verdict - **Circleback:** my pick for assigned action items that reach your tools - **Fireflies.ai:** best for deep CRM sync, including Pipedrive - **Otter.ai:** best for live transcripts and the cheapest Pro plan - **Fathom:** best free plan for solo users who mostly need recordings - **tl;dv:** best for unlimited free recordings, with assignment on Pro I compared them on capture options, action items, where follow-up work can go, and price. | Tool | Capture | Action items | Paid from | |---|---|---|---| | Circleback | Bot, desktop, mobile | Assigned, shared list | $15 annual | | Fireflies.ai | Bot, Chrome, desktop | After every meeting | $10 annual | | Otter.ai | Bot, bot-free desktop | Assigned automatically | $8.33 annual | | Fathom | Bot, Mac beta | Premium and up | $16 annual | | tl;dv | Bot, desktop | Assignment on Pro | $18 annual | ## 1. Circleback Circleback turns each meeting into a speaker-labeled transcript, notes and action items assigned to the people responsible, then sends that work to other tools with automations. **Key features:** - **Capture:** bot on Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and Webex; bot-free desktop app on macOS and Windows; mobile and Apple Watch for in-person meetings; audio and video imports - **Notes:** 100+ transcription languages, with notes in the language you choose; bot-free recordings keep speaker labels - **Action items:** assigned when the conversation makes the owner clear, gathered in one shared task list - **Automations:** Slack, Linear and Share meeting on Free; HubSpot, Salesforce, Attio, Notion, monday.com, Zapier and webhooks on Pro and up, with conditions on tags, title or participants - **Later:** Ask Circleback searches meetings and connected email with cited answers; API, MCP and CLI on every plan **Pros:** - Unlimited meetings and members on Free - Action items route to Slack and Linear without paying - Bot, bot-free desktop and mobile in one workspace **Cons:** - CRM automations need Pro - The HubSpot step logs meetings and tasks on contacts or deals but doesn't edit record fields - No native Pipedrive step; connect it through Zapier, Make or the webhook step on Pro - On Free, meetings older than 30 days are locked, and recordings are kept 1 year - Paid plans cost more than Otter Pro **Pricing:** Free; Pro $15 per user per month billed annually ($18 monthly); Business $25; Enterprise $35. See [Circleback pricing](https://circleback.ai/pricing). **Best for:** teams that want follow-up work to land in Slack, Linear or a CRM automatically. ## 2. Fireflies.ai Fireflies transcribes and summarizes meetings and lists action items after every one. Its CRM sync goes further than most. **Key features:** bot on Zoom, Meet, Teams and 10+ platforms; Chrome extension recording without the bot; Salesforce logging under Leads, Contacts or Opportunities, with tasks for action items; HubSpot sync to contacts, companies and deals. **Pros:** can create new Salesforce leads or HubSpot contacts; lists Pipedrive. **Cons:** integrations start on paid tiers; Free has limited AI summaries and 400 minutes of storage per team. **Pricing:** Free; Pro $10 per seat per month billed annually ($18 monthly). **Best for:** sales teams that want CRM records created from meetings. ## 3. Otter.ai Otter writes summaries with decisions and action items and assigns next steps automatically. Live transcription helps if you follow along on screen. **Key features:** bot or bot-free desktop app on Mac and Windows; Salesforce and HubSpot sync on Pro and up. **Pros:** cheapest Pro plan here; a live transcript the whole team can follow. **Cons:** Basic caps conversations at 30 minutes and 300 monthly minutes; API and webhooks are Enterprise. **Pricing:** Basic free; Pro $8.33 per user per month billed annually ($16.99 monthly). **Best for:** teams on a budget that want live transcripts. ## 4. Fathom Fathom captures Zoom, Google Meet, Teams and Slack Huddles meetings, with unlimited recordings and transcriptions on its free plan. **Key features:** instant summaries; clips and playlists; CRM sync that logs an AI summary on the contact, account or opportunity. **Pros:** simple, generous free plan for one person. **Cons:** AI action items start on Premium; bot-free capture is a Mac beta; no uploaded calls. **Pricing:** Free; Premium $16 per user per month billed annually ($20 monthly). **Best for:** solo users who mostly want recordings and summaries. ## 5. tl;dv tl;dv records with a bot on Zoom, Meet and Teams, or from its desktop app with or without a bot. **Key features:** HubSpot and Salesforce workflows that can update fields; Free with unlimited recordings and transcripts. **Pros:** unlimited free recordings. **Cons:** action item assignment is on Pro; Free AI notes cover only the first 10 meetings; team workflows need Business. **Pricing:** Free; Pro $18 per seat per month billed annually ($29 monthly). **Best for:** teams that want to record everything for free and upgrade for notes. ## How to choose - **Owners and routing on a free plan:** Circleback, with Slack and Linear automations on Free. - **CRM records created or fields updated:** Fireflies or tl;dv. - **Lowest paid price:** Otter Pro. - **Solo, free, recordings first:** Fathom. - **In-person meetings:** Circleback records on mobile and Apple Watch, so the same workspace covers calls and rooms. ## FAQ ### Which AI meeting tools automatically assign action items? Circleback and Otter both assign action items automatically. Circleback assigns each one to the responsible person when the conversation makes it clear and gathers them in one shared task list. Fathom and tl;dv put action items or assignment on paid plans. ### Can I run this whole flow on a free plan? Yes, with Circleback. Free is free forever and includes unlimited meetings and members, plus Slack, Linear and Share meeting automations. CRM automations such as HubSpot need Pro. ### Do I need a bot in the call? No. Circleback and Otter have desktop apps that record without a bot, Fireflies has a Chrome extension, and Fathom has a bot-free Mac beta. ### Does Circleback work for in-person meetings? Yes. Record on the mobile app or Apple Watch, or import audio and video files. ### What security does Circleback offer? Circleback is SOC 2 Type II, encrypts data at rest and in transit, and does not train on customer data. SSO, SCIM and HIPAA with a BAA are Enterprise only.