I compared 6 ways to search across all your meeting transcripts: here's my pick for 2026

I compared Circleback, Fireflies, Otter, Fathom, tl;dv and Read AI on searching past meetings and asking questions across them. Here's my pick for 2026.

By Priya Raman. Published . 7 minute read

Most notetakers record well. Fewer help you find what someone said three months ago. I compared six tools on that one job: Circleback, Fireflies.ai, Otter.ai, Fathom, tl;dv and Read AI.

I compared where search lives, whether you can ask a question in plain language, how far back it reaches and whether answers go beyond meetings. Each pick rests on the vendor's documented features and plans.

How do I search across all my meeting transcripts?

Use a tool that offers both keyword search and plain-language questions, and open the source meeting before you repeat an answer. My pick is Circleback for asking questions across meetings and connected email with cited answers. For keyword search that lands on the exact sentence, I'd pick Fireflies.ai. For a free plan that keeps your history, I'd pick Fathom.

My picks

  • Circleback: best for asking across meetings and connected email, with cited answers
  • Fireflies.ai: best for keyword search that lands on the sentence and timestamp
  • Fathom: best free plan for keeping history
  • Read AI: best if answers live in emails and messages too
  • Otter.ai: best for a low annual price with advanced search on Pro
  • tl;dv: best for global transcript search on Pro

Keyword search vs asking a question

Keyword search is for when you remember a name or a phrase. Asking a question is for when you want an answer pulled from several meetings. I want both, plus a way back to the moment so I can check the answer. In Circleback you can click any word in the transcript to move the recording to that moment, and Fireflies' Meeting Search lands on the specific sentence and timestamp.

The six tools

1. Circleback

Circleback puts your meetings and connected email behind one assistant, Ask Circleback.

  • Where search lives: Ask Circleback searches your meetings and connected Gmail or Outlook mail and gives cited answers. MCP search tools reach your meetings and transcripts from Claude, ChatGPT and other clients.
  • How far back: On Free, meetings older than 30 days are locked, not deleted, and the lock covers Ask Circleback, MCP and the API. Upgrading unlocks them.
  • Pros: Cited answers. You can highlight transcript text and share a link to that moment. Meetings imported from Fathom, Fireflies, Granola or Read AI are searchable too.
  • Cons: The Free lock, a cap of 100 MCP tool calls per hour per user, and imported meetings get no new Circleback notes or action items and don't trigger automations on their own.
  • Pricing: Free has unlimited meetings and members. Pro is $15 per user per month billed annually or $18 monthly. See the pricing page.
  • Best for: Teams that ask questions across meetings and email.

2. Fireflies.ai

Fireflies.ai pairs a search bar with AskFred, its AI assistant.

  • Where search lives: AskFred opens from the search bar at the top of the page, or with Cmd+K on Mac and Ctrl+K on Windows and Linux. It answers questions about one meeting or searches across several. Meeting Search is listed on Free.
  • How far back: Free storage is 400 minutes per team, Pro is 8,000 minutes per seat, and Business and Enterprise are unlimited.
  • Pros: Meeting Search lands on the specific sentence and timestamp.
  • Cons: The small Free storage allowance.
  • Pricing: Pro is $10 per seat per month billed annually or $18 monthly. Business is $19 annually or $29 monthly.
  • Best for: Keyword search that has to land on the exact sentence.

3. Otter.ai

Otter.ai offers AI Chat within and across meetings.

  • Where search lives: AI Chat, which is on every plan, and advanced search by speakers, date range and more on Pro and up. AI Chat is capped at 20 queries per user a month on Basic, 50 on Pro and 200 on Business.
  • How far back: Basic shows the 25 most recent conversations. Paid plans show unlimited history.
  • Pros: Chat on every plan, and filters by speaker and date range on Pro.
  • Cons: Basic's 20 queries and 25-conversation history.
  • Pricing: Basic is free. Pro is $8.33 per user per month billed annually or $16.99 monthly.
  • Best for: Individuals who want a low-cost paid plan with speaker and date filters.

4. Fathom

Fathom combines search across calls with Ask Fathom.

  • Where search lives: Attendee and keyword search, with search across calls listed on Free and global search across calls on Team. Ask Fathom answers questions about a single call, and account-wide Ask Fathom, a beta feature, covers all your calls.
  • How far back: Recordings and call storage are unlimited on every plan. Paid plans list unlimited lookback for your own calls in account-wide Ask Fathom, and team-call lookback depends on the plan tier.
  • Pros: Unlimited recordings and call storage on Free.
  • Cons: Ask Fathom is marked Limited use on Free, and the account-wide version is a beta.
  • Pricing: Free. Paid plans start at $15 per user per month.
  • Best for: Solo users who want free storage for every call.

5. tl;dv

tl;dv adds global transcript search on Pro and a multi-meeting Ask AI.

  • Where search lives: Global transcript search starts on Pro. Multi-meeting Ask AI runs up to 5 queries on Free and Pro and is unlimited on Business and Enterprise.
  • How far back: Recordings on the Free plan are stored for 3 months.
  • Pros: Unlimited recordings and transcripts on Free.
  • Cons: The 5-query limit on multi-meeting Ask AI and the 3-month storage on Free.
  • Pricing: Free plan, with global transcript search on Pro.
  • Best for: Teams that will pay for unlimited multi-meeting questions on Business.

6. Read AI

Read AI describes its AI search as connecting meetings, emails, messages and more.

  • Where search lives: Ask Read, with search included on Free. Its MCP server has a search tool that finds meetings by what was discussed.
  • How far back: Free covers 5 meetings per month with summaries, transcription and search. MCP search reaches back roughly 12 months, and the MCP server is in open beta.
  • Pros: Search that reaches emails and messages as well as meetings.
  • Cons: 5 meetings per month on Free, and MCP search stops at about 12 months.
  • Pricing: Free. Pro is $15 per user per month billed annually or $19.75 monthly.
  • Best for: People whose answers live in email and chat as well as meetings.

Side by side

Tool Keyword search Ask a question Free plan limit Search scope
Circleback In-app meetings and moments, plus MCP Ask Circleback Older than 30 days locked Meetings and connected email
Fireflies.ai Meeting search AskFred 400 minutes storage per team Meetings
Otter.ai Advanced search on Pro AI Chat 25 most recent conversations Conversations
Fathom Attendee and keyword search Ask Fathom Unlimited call storage Calls
tl;dv Global search on Pro Ask AI Recordings kept 3 months Meetings
Read AI Search included Ask Read 5 meetings per month Meetings, emails, messages

Asking from Claude or ChatGPT

Circleback's MCP server works with Claude, ChatGPT, Claude Code, Cursor, Codex and Raycast, on every plan. SearchMeetings filters by keyword, date range, tags, attendee and domain. SearchTranscripts returns matches with timestamps, and GetTranscriptsForMeetings returns a full transcript with speaker labels. MCP can also create and update action items and tags and share meetings. Read AI's MCP server also has a search tool.

Tips for better searches

  • Start with a name or a phrase, then narrow by date or attendee.
  • Ask one question at a time and name the project, customer or date range.
  • Open the cited meeting, or jump to the moment in the transcript, before you repeat an answer.
  • Keep old meetings in one place. Circleback imports directly from Fathom, Fireflies, Granola and Read AI, and you can upload any audio or video file.

How to choose

  • I'd pick Circleback if I want to ask questions across meetings and connected email.
  • I'd pick Fireflies if I search by keyword and need the exact sentence and timestamp.
  • I'd pick Fathom if a free plan has to keep every call, and Read AI if answers also live in emails and messages.
  • I'd pick Otter or tl;dv if I want a paid plan with advanced or global search.

FAQ

Can I search meetings my teammates recorded?

Yes, on tools built for teams. Fathom's Team plan lists global search across calls, and account-wide Ask Fathom covers team calls with a lookback window that depends on the plan tier. Circleback can also share meetings with teammates automatically by participant, domain, title or tag.

How far back can I search on a free plan?

Fathom's free plan keeps the most, with unlimited recordings and call storage. Circleback's Free locks meetings older than 30 days, Otter's Basic shows the 25 most recent conversations, tl;dv's Free stores recordings for 3 months, Fireflies' Free gives 400 minutes of storage per team and Read AI's Free covers 5 meetings per month.

Can I search old meetings from another notetaker?

Yes, if you import them. Circleback imports directly from Fathom, Fireflies, Granola and Read AI, and imported meetings are searchable in Ask Circleback. They keep their original notes and transcript but get no new Circleback notes or action items. Automations don't run on them automatically, though you can run one by hand if the import brought its notes over.

Can an AI assistant search my email as well as my meetings?

Yes. Circleback searches connected Gmail or Outlook Mail alongside your meetings, and Read AI describes search that connects meetings, emails, messages and more.

Other situations