Bot-free AI note takersAI note takers without a bot, compared honestly.
Nine tools that take meeting notes with nothing joining your call: what each costs, what the free plan gives, and what it does while you're still talking. Sourced from their own pages.
Free for 5 meetings a month. For Windows 10 and 11.
Last updated September 29, 2026 by the ClearMeet team at ClearMakes
What is a bot-free AI note taker?
A bot-free AI note taker is an app on your computer that writes meeting notes without joining the call. It listens to your computer's sound and microphone instead. ClearMeet is one, for Windows: it writes the transcript on your PC, adds notes and action items, and gives short answers during the call. Free for 5 meetings a month.
Why do people want a note taker with no bot?
Because a bot is a stranger in the meeting. Clients ask who it is, it can join calls its owner didn't mean it to, and some companies now remove note-taking bots or ban them outright.
Reviews of bot-based tools come back to the same complaints: the bot joined a meeting by itself, stayed after its owner left, or emailed a summary of a private talk to everyone in it. Some employers have acted on it. In May 2026 a US health insurer told its agents that AI note-taking tools are not allowed in its sessions (BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina), and a university IT help page warns about bots that join meetings uninvited (UW-Madison).
A note taker on your own computer avoids the stranger. It doesn't avoid the rules: recording laws differ by place: tell people when you record or transcribe a call.
Nine bot-free note takers, side by side
They all skip the bot, but they differ in what they do during the call, what they cost, and where they run. The table uses each company's own pricing page.
| What | Cheapest paid plan | Free plan | How it hears the call | Help during the call | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ClearMeet | Pro $20 a month, or $16 a month billed yearly | 5 meetings a month, up to 2 hours each, with every feature | No bot: it hears your PC's sound and your microphone, and turns speech into text on your PC | Short answers to say, from the call and your own files; live notes and action items | Windows 10 and 11 only |
| Granola | Business $14 a month | Basic: $0, with 30 days of meeting history | No bot: it uses your computer's sound | You type notes in the call; the AI turns them into clear notes | macOS, Windows, iPhone, Android |
| Otter.ai | Pro $16.99 a month, or $8.33 a month billed yearly | 300 minutes a month, up to 30 minutes per conversation, 3 file imports in total | A note taker that joins the call, or a desktop app that records without a bot | A live transcript; live coaching in its sales agent | Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android, Chrome extension |
| Fireflies.ai | Pro $18 a month, or $10 a month billed yearly | 400 minutes of storage and 20 AI credits, once | A note taker that joins the call (Fred), or a desktop app that records your computer's sound without a bot | Live Assist in the desktop app: live notes, answers and suggestions | Windows and Mac desktop app, web, mobile |
| Cluely | Pro $19.99 a month; Pro + Undetectability $149.99 a month | Starter: limited AI responses and limited meeting notes | No bot: it never joins your meetings | Real-time answers, with a keyboard shortcut | Windows 11 and macOS |
| Krisp | Core $16 a month, or $8 a month billed yearly | No free plan; a 7-day trial | No bot: it works at the audio level on your device | A live transcript | Windows, macOS, iPhone, Android, Chrome |
| Jamie | Plus €21 a month billed yearly | 10 AI notes a month, meetings up to 30 minutes | No bot: it runs on your device | Notes after the call | Mac, Windows, iPhone |
| Tactiq | Pro $12 a month, or $8 a month billed yearly | 10 transcripts and 5 AI credits a month | No bot: a Chrome extension (and a Mac app) | A live transcript in the browser | Chrome extension, Mac app; no Windows app mentioned |
| Bluedot | Basic $18 a month, or $14 a month billed yearly | 5 meetings, in total | No bot: it never invites a bot to your meeting | Notes after the call | Chrome extension, Windows, Mac, iPhone, Android |
How do they really differ?
The big split is between notes after the call and help during it. Then come price, the free plan, and whether your computer is a Mac, a Windows PC or just a browser.
Help during the call
ClearMeet, Cluely and Fireflies' desktop app give answers while you're still talking. Granola lets you type notes that the AI turns into clear notes. Otter, Krisp and Tactiq show a live transcript. Fathom, Jamie and Bluedot focus on notes after the call.
Where the sound turns into text
ClearMeet turns speech into text on your own PC, so the audio never leaves it; only text goes to our server for notes and answers. Krisp says it works at the audio level on your device. For the others, check their privacy pages.
Where it runs
ClearMeet is Windows only, and English only for now. If you're on a Mac, or need other languages, one of the others fits better.
Which one should you pick?
Pick by what you need in the call itself. If you only want tidy notes afterwards, most of these will do; if you want help while you're talking, the list is short.
- Answers you can say during the call, on Windows: ClearMeet, Cluely or Fireflies' Live Assist.
- Notes you type, made better by AI, on Mac or Windows: Granola.
- Lots of free minutes and phone apps: Otter's free plan gives 300 minutes a month.
- Meetings in the Chrome browser only: Tactiq.
- Noise removal as well as notes: Krisp.
- Every feature free for a few meetings, and your audio kept on your PC: ClearMeet.
ClearMeet against each one
One page per tool, with the full table, who should stay with them, and how to switch.
- Otter alternativeClearMeet and Otter.ai: live answers, free plans and bots, side by side.
- Cluely alternativeLive help in your calls, compared plainly, rules included.
- Fireflies alternativeTwo desktop apps with live help: where they differ.
- Granola alternativeNotes you type, or answers you can say: which fits you.
Questions
What is a bot-free AI note taker?
A note taker that doesn't join your call as a participant. It runs on your computer and listens to the sound your computer plays and your microphone, so nobody sees an extra name in the meeting.
Is a bot-free note taker legal?
The tool is legal; how you use it is up to you. Recording and transcription laws differ by place, and some require everyone's agreement. No bot doesn't mean no need to ask: tell people when you record or transcribe.
Which bot-free note takers work on Windows?
Of the tools on this page, ClearMeet, Granola, Otter's desktop app, Fireflies' desktop app, Krisp, Jamie and Bluedot list Windows apps, and Cluely lists Windows 11. Tactiq is a Chrome extension with a Mac app.
Which one gives answers during the call?
ClearMeet, Cluely and Fireflies' Live Assist show answers during the call. Most others give a live transcript, and notes after the call. Built-in tools like Copilot in Teams and Zoom's AI also take questions in the meeting.
Read next
Try the one with answers.
Free for 5 meetings a month, with every feature. For Windows 10 and 11.