tl;dv Alternatives: 7 AI Note Takers Compared for 2026
November 9, 2026
tl;dv is one of the most generous AI note takers around, so the best tl;dv alternative depends on what it can't do for you. Its Free Forever plan covers unlimited recordings, and it records with or without a bot. People usually switch because they need a mobile app for in-person meetings, a live transcript, on-device transcription, deeper team analytics, or simply a different way of taking notes.
Match your reason to a tool:
- You need in-person and phone-call notes: Notta, Fireflies, Otter or Granola, which all have mobile apps
- You want on-device transcription or live translation: Notta
- You want team meeting memory inside Claude or ChatGPT: Grain
- You want a free plan that's just as loose: Fathom
- You want a live transcript you can follow during the call: Otter
- You'd rather write your own notes and let AI fill them in: Granola
Quick comparison
| Tool | Bot in the call? | Mobile app | Free option | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| tl;dv | Bot, or desktop app with no bot | Not yet | Free Forever plan | EU-hosted data, CRM updates |
| Fireflies | Bot, or Chrome extension without it | iOS and Android | Unlimited transcription, limited summaries | 100+ languages, integrations |
| Notta | Bot or bot-free recorder | Web and mobile apps | 120 minutes a month | Translation, on-device transcription |
| Grain | Bot, or device audio with no bot | Records in-person meetings | Free for individuals | Team memory in Claude and ChatGPT |
| Fathom | Bot | iPhone app | Unlimited recordings | Simple free notes |
| Otter | Bot, or desktop app | iOS and Android | 300 minutes a month | Live transcripts |
| Granola | Never; uses device audio | iOS and Android | Yes, 30-day history | Private notes you write yourself |
| Read AI | Bot, plus apps | iOS and Android | 5 meetings a month | Notes plus email and chat context |
What tl;dv does well, and where it falls short
Fair's fair. Per tl;dv's homepage, the free plan includes unlimited recordings and transcriptions in 30+ languages, AI summaries, and CRM and workflow integrations. Paid plans are priced per seat, in euros. It logs call notes and CRM outcomes after each call, drafts follow-up emails, and offers AI sales coaching. It also says data is hosted and stored in the EU, and that it never uses recordings to train AI.
Bot-free recording is real, too. tl;dv's Google Meet page explains that you can use the Chrome extension and let a bot join, or use the desktop app to capture from your device with no bot in the call.
The gaps show up in a few places:
| Gap | What tl;dv says today |
|---|---|
| In-person meetings | It doesn't have a native mobile app yet; mobile works only through auto-recording of Meet, Zoom and Teams calls |
| Live transcript | Its homepage pitches the recording, transcript and summary you get as soon as the call ends |
| Local processing | Data is EU-hosted and tl;dv partners with Anthropic for its AI; privately hosted AI is on request |
| Note-taking style | Fully automatic; there's no notepad where you steer the summary |
If none of that matters to you, tl;dv is hard to beat on value. Stay.
If you need in-person and phone-call notes
This is the most common reason to leave tl;dv, because it has no native mobile app.
Notta
Notta is the closest like-for-like swap with a mobile story. It records through a bot that joins your call or a bot-free recorder on your device, and its pricing page lists on-device transcription where nothing leaves your device. It also does real-time and bilingual translation, transcribes files and YouTube links, and sells Notta Memo, a stick-on device for recording phone calls and meetings.
The catch is the free plan. Per Notta's pricing page, it includes 120 transcription minutes a month but only up to 3 minutes per conversation, so treat it as a trial rather than a free tool.
Fireflies
Fireflies has desktop, Android and iOS apps, plus a Chrome extension that records without the Fireflies bot. It transcribes in 100+ languages. The free plan has unlimited transcription but limited AI summaries and storage, and paid plans are per seat. For more options in this category, see our Fireflies alternatives guide.
Otter
Otter records through a Mac or Windows desktop app, iOS and Android apps, a Chrome extension or its meeting bot. Its live transcript is still its signature feature. The free Basic plan includes 300 monthly transcription minutes. If you're weighing Otter against others, our Otter.ai alternatives guide covers that.
If you want team meeting memory: Grain
tl;dv's multi-meeting insights answer questions across calls inside tl;dv. Grain takes a different route. Its pricing page says it's free forever for individuals, with Pro for longer meetings and full history, and Business for shared workspace meeting memory in Claude, ChatGPT and Grain. So your team can ask about past calls from the AI chat it already uses.
Grain records on any platform with or without a bot: it can transcribe your computer's audio with no bot in the call, or send its bot when you want video. It says it also records Slack huddles and in-person meetings. Grain says it never trains AI on your meeting data on any plan, and it doesn't require annual contracts. Its pitch leans toward sales and customer success teams, with team performance insights and coaching.
If you want something simpler or more private
Fathom
Fathom is the obvious pick if you love tl;dv's free plan and want an equally loose one. Its free plan includes unlimited recordings and instant call summaries, free forever. Fathom is now part of Superhuman, the company formerly known as Grammarly. Our Fathom alternatives guide covers what that change means.
Granola
Granola never sends a bot. It uses your computer audio, works with Zoom, Meet, Teams and every other meeting app, and runs on macOS, Windows, iOS and Android. You type rough notes and Granola fills them in from the transcript, so the summary follows what you thought mattered. The free plan keeps 30 days of meeting history.
Read AI
Read AI is broader than tl;dv: it summarizes email and messages as well as meetings, and its iOS and Android apps capture in-person meetings. It works as a Claude connector, a ChatGPT app and an MCP server. The trade-off is a tight free plan of 5 meetings a month. If you're coming from the other direction, our Read AI alternatives guide covers why people leave it.
How to choose a tl;dv alternative
- Name the gap. Mobile, live transcript, on-device processing, team memory or note style. Each points to a different tool.
- Check where your data lives. tl;dv's EU hosting is a real advantage. If you need it, confirm the alternative offers regional hosting on the plan you'd buy.
- Compare free plans honestly. Fathom is as loose as tl;dv. Notta, Otter and Read AI cap minutes, conversation length or meetings.
- Test CRM sync on real calls. tl;dv's CRM logging is a core feature; make sure your replacement maps fields the same way.
- Plan for consent. With bot-free recorders, nobody is told automatically. Say you're taking AI notes.
Where Taku fits
Meeting notes are only half the job. The follow-up report, the proposal draft or the weekly recap built from those notes usually still means copying things between tools. Taku is an AI-native desktop workspace where you can mirror an AI app or workflow someone already built for that next step, run it on your own notes, and keep it for next week. Taku is in Beta, and the Mac app is available now.
FAQ
What is the best free tl;dv alternative?
Fathom, whose free plan also includes unlimited recordings. Granola is a good free pick if you want no bot, though history is limited to 30 days. Fireflies' free plan has unlimited transcription but limited summaries.
Does tl;dv have a mobile app?
Not yet. tl;dv says it doesn't have a native mobile app, though it can auto-record Google Meet, Zoom and Teams calls you join from iOS or Android. For in-person meetings, look at Notta, Fireflies, Otter, Granola or Read AI.
Can tl;dv record without a bot?
Yes. Its desktop app captures meetings from your device with no bot added to the call. The Chrome extension uses a bot.
tl;dv vs Fireflies: which is better?
tl;dv is better if you want EU-hosted data and a free plan with unlimited recordings. Fireflies is better if you need mobile apps, 100+ languages, or audio and video file uploads.
Is tl;dv GDPR compliant?
tl;dv says it is GDPR compliant and SOC 2 certified, with data hosted and stored in the EU and never used to train AI.