TL;DR / Key Takeaways
- Granola, Jamie and Superlist never use a bot; Krisp, Circleback and tl;dv offer a bot-free mode next to a bot.
- Bot-free capture records your device's audio, so there is no video recording.
- Circleback has the strongest free plan: unlimited meetings with 30 days of history.
- Krisp Core at $8 a month (annual) is the cheapest paid bot-free option.
- No bot does not remove recording-consent duties; several tools leave the notice off by default.
Short answer: if you want meeting notes without a bot sitting in the call, use Granola (no bot at all, free plan keeps 30 days of notes, Business $14 a user a month), Krisp (no bot by default, $8 a month on annual billing), Circleback (a bot-free desktop mode next to its bot, free plan with unlimited meetings) or Superlist (notes become a to-do list; unlimited notes on its Super plan, $249 a year). Most bot-based tools now have a bot-free mode too, but it is usually audio-only or a beta. Updated November 2, 2026.
How we checked: capture method, plans and privacy claims come from each vendor's own pricing, help-center and security pages, read November 2, 2026. Compliance claims are the vendors' own; we did not audit them, and we did not test transcript accuracy. For the general roundup with bot-based tools, see our Otter.ai alternatives guide.
How bot-free note takers work
A meeting bot joins Zoom, Google Meet or Teams as a participant and records the call from the inside. A bot-free tool records your computer's audio instead: what comes out of your speakers and goes into your microphone. Nothing new appears in the participant list, and it works the same on any call app, including phone calls and in-person meetings on a laptop or phone.
The trade-offs are real, and most comparison pages skip them:
- Audio only. Without a bot there is no video recording. tl;dv says so outright: its desktop app records audio, and video still needs the bot.
- Your machine has to be in the meeting. A bot can attend a meeting you skip; a bot-free tool only hears calls you are on.
- No bot does not mean nobody needs to know. Recording-consent rules still apply to you. Otter's help center tells desktop-app users to get consent themselves, and Granola's in-call consent message is off until you switch it on.
Bot-free note takers at a glance
| Tool | How it captures | Free plan | Cheapest paid | Stated compliance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Granola | Device audio only, never a bot; desktop and mobile apps | Notes kept 30 days | Business $14/user/month | SOC 2 Type 2 |
| Krisp | Device audio by default, optional bot | 7-day trial, no free plan | Core $8/month annual ($16 monthly) | SOC 2 Type II |
| Circleback | Bot, or bot-free desktop app | Unlimited meetings, 30-day history | Pro $15/user/month annual ($18 monthly) | SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA with BAA |
| Superlist | Mac audio (macOS 14+) or iPhone mic | Not stated; unlimited notes need Super | Super $249/year (shown as $21/month) | Not stated |
| Jamie | On-device app, no bot | 10 notes a month, 30-minute cap | Paid plans priced in euros | SOC 2 Type II pending |
| Bluedot | Chrome extension or desktop app | 5 meetings, lifetime | See its pricing page | SOC 2 Type II |
| tl;dv | Bot, or desktop app (audio only) | Unlimited meetings | Pro EUR 18/seat/month annual | SOC 2, GDPR, EU hosting |
Granola: the default pick
Granola is built around the notes you type yourself: you jot a few lines during the call and it fills them out from the transcript afterwards. It never adds a bot and does not store the audio, only the transcript and notes. The free plan keeps notes for 30 days; Business is $14 a user a month and adds HubSpot, Notion, Zapier and the API (Slack is on every plan; Salesforce needs Enterprise at $35). Its help center lists 31 languages on desktop and 17 on mobile. Granola trains on anonymized data unless you opt out; on Enterprise that is off by default.
Krisp: if you also want noise cancellation
Krisp started as noise cancellation and added meeting notes on top. It captures device audio by default and can send a bot if you prefer. Core is $8 a month on annual billing ($16 monthly) and includes HubSpot, Slack, Notion, Zapier, an API and MCP; Salesforce needs Advanced ($15 annual). It transcribes 16 languages. There is no free plan, only a 7-day trial. One caveat from its own pages: the "no voice data visible to Krisp servers" claim sits next to on-device transcription that only covers English.
Circleback: both modes, strongest free plan
Circleback offers two modes: a bot that posts a pinned notice in the chat (it cannot be turned off), or a desktop app that shows nothing to other participants. The free plan has unlimited meetings with 30 days of history and already includes the API, MCP and CLI access. Pro at $15 a user a month on annual billing ($18 monthly) adds HubSpot, Salesforce, Notion and webhooks inside its automations, which push notes and action items into other tools after each call. Circleback states it does not use customer data to train models, and offers HIPAA with a BAA.
Superlist: when notes should become tasks
Superlist is a to-do and project app first. Its meeting notes listen to your Mac's audio (macOS 14 or later) or your iPhone's microphone, and each meeting lands as a list with its next actions. Unlimited meeting notes come with the Super plan, $249 a year (shown as $21 a month); the pricing page does not list meeting notes on the $5 Basic plan. Its help center still mentions a Pro tier with 30 meetings a month that the pricing page no longer shows, so check the current limits before you buy. Superlist does not state a SOC 2 report or a training policy on the pages we read.
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Bot tools with a bot-free mode
- Otter.ai: the bot is always visible, but the desktop app records without one. Free plan: 300 minutes a month, 30 minutes per conversation.
- Fathom: bot-free capture is a Mac beta; the free plan records unlimited meetings.
- Fireflies: a Chrome extension records without the bot, on every plan.
- Read.ai: bot by default, bot-free through its desktop and mobile apps.
- tl;dv: bot-free desktop app, audio only.
The built-in options are not bots, but they are not invisible either. Google Meet's "Take notes for me" notifies everyone in the call and needs Workspace Business Standard or higher. Zoom's assistant (now called ZoomMate) gives free accounts summaries for three hosted meetings a month.
Which one to choose
- Nobody should ever see a bot: Granola.
- Free, and you want the option of a bot later: Circleback, with unlimited meetings on the free plan.
- Cheapest paid plan: Krisp Core at $8 a month on annual billing, with noise cancellation included.
- Your meetings should end as a task list: Superlist.
- You need video, not just audio: a bot. Bot-free capture is audio-only; see our Otter.ai alternatives guide.
Training on your data: Circleback, Bluedot, Jamie and tl;dv say they do not train on your meetings; Granola trains on anonymized data with an opt-out; Krisp and Superlist do not say on the pages we read. Check this before you record client calls.
Frequently asked questions
Which AI note taker does not join the meeting as a bot?
Granola, Jamie and Superlist never use a bot: they record your computer's audio. Krisp, Circleback and tl;dv offer a bot-free mode alongside a bot, and Otter, Fathom, Fireflies and Read.ai have bot-free desktop or browser options.
Do the other people in the meeting know a bot-free note taker is recording?
Not unless you tell them or turn on a notice. Granola can post a consent message in Zoom and Meet chat, but it is off by default; Circleback's desktop mode shows nothing to participants. Recording-consent rules still apply to you.
Is there a free AI note taker without a bot?
Yes. Granola's free plan keeps notes for 30 days, Circleback's free plan has unlimited meetings and the vendor offers a bot-free desktop app, and Jamie gives 10 notes a month. Krisp has only a 7-day trial.
Can a bot-free note taker record video?
Generally no. Bot-free tools capture your device's audio, so you get a transcript and notes but no video. tl;dv states this directly: its desktop app is audio-only and video recording needs the bot.