Most meeting tools send a bot into your call. The website is fully featured without installing — browser recording is microphone-only (no system or meeting audio). For mic plus system audio, use the desktop apps on Windows, macOS, or Linux, or capture on iOS or Android — no bot joining the call. Your own notes and whiteboard photos stay at the top, with the transcript, speaker names, summary, and action items beside them.
![SummitScribe Windows app in dark theme, Notes view for the demo meeting Northwind migration sync [fixture]: section navigation, My notes, AI Summary, and Key takeaways; demo data only.](/marketing/overview-dark.avif)
Other tools transcribe. These are not in Otter, Fireflies, Fathom, tl;dv, or Granola
Rich text plus photos of the board and the slides sit beside the AI transcript. The bots bury that under generated cards. Granola enhances typed notes — it does not keep whiteboard photos as first-class meeting records.
Notes, photos, transcript, and AI details stay on this device. Record when the network drops and sync when you reconnect. The others need the cloud to keep the meeting.
Turn a long lecture into flashcards, mind maps, and an Anki deck. 36 meeting templates cover the rest.
Starter handles the long room. Linux capture records both sides of the call, in the same product.
Record on your iPhone or Android, type full notes on Windows, macOS, or Linux, and snap whiteboard photos on your phone — same live meeting. Most AI note takers only show a phone recording on your computer after you stop.
One-tap capture in person or on a call, or upload audio from Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams. No bot joins the call.
Two-to-four-hour sessions are a primary goal, including on Starter. Reliable capture, segmented audio, and structured notes that still make sense the next day.
Flashcards, mind maps, and Anki export for lectures. 36 meeting templates, from kickoff to negotiation.
One recording, many reads: project charter, battle card, risk register, email drafter, and role-based views. Folders keep the library usable.
Installable Android app for on-the-go capture. Microphone by default; optional meeting or system audio when the platform allows. Not every meeting app allows that capture — when it does not, we keep the microphone only.
Installable iPhone app for on-the-go capture. Microphone by default; optional meeting audio through Screen Recording when you need the other side of the call. Not every meeting app allows that capture — when it does not, we keep the microphone only.
Desktop apps on Windows, macOS, and Linux record your microphone and system or meeting audio (duplex). No bot joins.
Memory search looks across all your past meetings. Ask a question, and the answer draws on the transcript and your notes.
Connect from Account settings, pick a page or section, and send a meeting — or auto-push after AI finishes. Pages follow the same template sections as the PDF. Your notes stay first.
Save a named 5-second to 10-minute highlight from the Audio tab or transcript. Copy a private link or download the clip. Clips are audio only.
SummitScribe names the speakers, gives each takeaway an owner, and keeps the full audio in the cloud, synced to the transcript.
SummitScribe will never join your call as a participant. Capture stays on your phone, computer, or an upload you choose. Clients do not see a mystery attendee, and nothing trains a model on your recordings. Privacy policy
Sensitive rooms, no recording bot, notes and exhibits you wrote yourself.
Capture when the network is gone. Keep offline until you can sync.
Long lectures become flashcards, mind maps, and a transcript you can study.
AI fills the gaps. It does not replace your record.
Features and prices next to the tools people usually compare us with, checked against each provider's homepage. Last updated 2026-09-02
| Feature | SummitScribe | Otter.ai | Fireflies.ai | tl;dv | Fathom | Granola |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheapest paid, monthly | $15/mo | $16.99/mo $8.33/mo annual · 90 min max | $18/mo $10/mo annual · 2-hr max | $29/mo $18/mo annual | $20/mo $16/mo annual | $14/mo Unlimited history |
| Free tier | 4 hr/mo | 5 hr/mo + 20 AI/mo | Unlimited | Unlimited + 10 AI summaries/mo | Unlimited + 5 AI summaries/mo | Unlimited |
| Hour cap, all paid tiers | 12 / 24 / 40 / 80 hr | — | No hour cap | No hour cap | No hour cap | No hour cap |
| Bot-free capture | Yes | Required | Optional | Optional | Optional | Yes |
| Your notes, photos, and handouts first | — | — | — | — | ||
| Keep offline | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 2–4 hour meetings on cheapest paid | — | — | ||||
| Linux capture | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Transcription | ||||||
| Speaker identification | — | |||||
| Exports | Docx, PDF, Markdown | Docx, PDF | Docx, PDF | Docx, PDF | Docx, PDF | — |
| Android app | — | — | — | |||
| Windows app | — | — | — | |||
| Cross-meeting search | ||||||
| Study mode | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Meeting templates | 36 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Native send to Notion / OneNote | Notion, OneNote | — | Notion, OneNote | Notion | — | Notion |
Native send means a first-party connector, not Zapier. Granola and tl;dv send to Notion; Fireflies sends to Notion and OneNote. Otter and Fathom do not list a native OneNote send. Pricing and feature data from each provider's public homepage. Verify before purchasing.
No bot joins the call. Your notes stay first. SummitScribe does not train AI models on your recordings, transcripts, notes, or photos. Zero data retention (ZDR) is enabled. Details in our Privacy Policy.
Step-by-step guides live in Help
SummitScribe is an AI note taker built around the notes you take yourself. The website is fully featured without installing. You can record live in the browser (microphone only — no system or meeting audio), use desktop apps on Windows, macOS, or Linux for microphone plus system audio, capture on iPhone or Android, or upload audio from Zoom, Google Meet, or anywhere else. SummitScribe transcribes it, names the speakers, and pulls out takeaways and action items. Your own notes, photos, and handouts stay first.
No bot ever joins your call. You record in person or on a call with one tap, or upload a recording afterwards. There is no extra participant in the room, meetings stay private, and your notes never disappear into someone else's bot account.
Yes. Upload recordings from Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, or any other audio source. SummitScribe transcribes the audio, identifies who said what, and generates structured notes with takeaways and action items.
Yes. SummitScribe does not train AI models on your recordings, transcripts, notes, or photos. Data is encrypted in transit and at rest, and only you can access your meetings. Full details are in the privacy policy.
There is a free tier with 4 hours of transcription every month - no credit card required. Starter is $15 for 12 hours, Pro is $29 for 24 hours, Ridge is $49 for 40 hours, and Ultimate is $99 for 80 hours.
Yes - and that is the point. User Notes are first-class: a rich text editor with photo uploads (whiteboards, slides, paper notes) sits alongside the AI transcript and structured notes so your own record stays primary.
Yes. On the website and on desktop apps (Windows, macOS, Linux), add Word, PowerPoint, or PDF files to a meeting. SummitScribe extracts the text, folds what matters into your notes when you choose Rebuild notes with documents, and makes the content searchable. Chat and Memory can cite the file name and page or slide. Phone apps do not upload documents yet.
No. The website is fully featured without installing anything, but recording in the browser uses your microphone only — it does not capture system output or what is playing in Zoom, Meet, or Teams on that computer. For microphone plus system or meeting audio on a desktop, install the Windows, macOS, or Linux app.
Windows, macOS, and Linux each have a desktop app that records your microphone and system or meeting audio (duplex). iPhone and Android each have an installable app. Microphone is always available on phones; optional meeting or system audio depends on the platform and the other app — not every meeting application supports playback capture, and in those cases we keep the microphone only. The iPhone app can use optional meeting audio through Screen Recording. An iPhone cannot capture Webex, Zoom, or Teams while that call is on the same phone — put the meeting on a computer, or record the room.
Yes. Ask Siri to "Start a meeting in SummitScribe", add the SummitScribe Home Screen widget and tap it to start recording, or touch and hold the app icon for Start a Meeting, Open Last Meeting, and Show Meetings. While you record, the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island show the meeting. The widget and Live Activity need iOS 16.2 or later.
Yes, in Android app 0.2.28 and later. Add the SummitScribe "Start a Meeting" widget to your home screen and tap it to start recording, or touch and hold the app icon for Start a Meeting, Open Last Meeting, and Show Meetings. While you record, the notification shows the meeting title, a timer, and Open and Stop buttons.
Yes. Memory search looks across your meetings, and you can chat with a meeting using the transcript and notes as evidence.
You can record when the network drops, and Keep offline saves notes, photos, AI details, and the transcript on this device. Audio download is optional. Generating new AI still needs a connection.
SummitScribe is designed for two-to-four-hour meetings, not just short standups. Capture, upload, and notes are built around that path.
For lectures and similar templates, SummitScribe can build flashcards, practice tests, and mind maps from the meeting, with Anki export. Thirty-six templates cover kickoffs, negotiations, and more.
Yes. Connect Notion or OneNote from Account settings, pick where pages go, and send a meeting - or turn on auto-push after AI finishes. Destination pages follow the same template sections as the PDF export. Your notes stay first.
Yes. Save a named highlight between 5 seconds and 10 minutes from the Audio tab or the transcript. You get a private link and a download. Whole-meeting PDF, DOCX, and Markdown share links still exist. Video clips are not offered.
Yes. Record on your phone (iPhone or Android), open that same meeting in the Windows native app, and type full notes there. Snap whiteboard photos on the phone anytime. Use Windows native for notes — do not open the website for that meeting while the phone owns the mic (the web page can start a second capture). Leave My notes empty on the phone while you type on Windows (one notes field; last write wins). Photos are separate from notes. Notes do not live-mirror; after you Stop on the phone, reopen the Windows meeting to see Processing or Ready — and to see phone photos (the Windows photo strip does not poll during recording).
SummitScribe is for long, important conversations where your own notes matter.
Your notes come first. Rich text, photos of whiteboards and slides, and uploaded handouts (Word, PowerPoint, PDF on the website and desktop apps on Windows, macOS, and Linux) sit beside the AI transcript. The AI transcribes, names speakers, and organizes what happened; it never replaces your own record.
The most important meetings are also the most sensitive. SummitScribe is private by design: no bot joins your call, nothing trains a model on your recordings, transcripts, notes, or photos, and only you can access your meetings.
Use it in the browser — the full product works without installing; in-browser recording is microphone-only (no system or meeting audio). For mic plus system audio, use the desktop apps on Windows, macOS, or Linux, or install the apps on iPhone and Android. Keep meetings offline on this device when you need them. Send a finished meeting to Notion or OneNote when you already live in those apps.