Otter vs Fireflies vs Fathom: Best AI Meeting Notes Tool for Freelancers?

Client calls are part of freelance life. So is forgetting what the client said about the deadline. AI note-takers join your call, write a transcript and give you a summary.

Otter, Fireflies and Fathom all have a free plan. So which one should a freelancer start with, and is it worth paying?

We used only the official pricing and help pages of each company. We did not run our own tests.

Prices checked on 1 November 2026. All prices are in US dollars, per user, before tax. Plans change often, so check the official pages before you pay.

Quick comparison table

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Yearly prices are shown as a monthly amount but are paid up front for the year. Prices in euros or pounds, and local taxes, may differ.

What each tool costs

Otter

Otter’s free plan is called Basic. It gives you 300 transcription minutes a month, with a limit of 30 minutes per conversation. You can import only 3 audio or video files in total, and you see your 25 most recent conversations.

Otter Pro costs $16.99 a month if you pay monthly, or $8.33 a month if you pay for a year. Pro gives you 1,200 minutes a month, up to 90 minutes per meeting, and 10 file imports a month. Unused minutes do not roll over.

Otter also has a Business plan for teams, at $30 a month (monthly) or $19.99 a month (yearly).

Fireflies

The Fireflies Free plan lists “unlimited transcription”. There is a catch. Fireflies’ help center says that for users who signed up on or after 1 September 2026, unlimited transcripts only work if you turn on Auto-join. With Auto-join off, you are limited to 3 meeting transcriptions. The free plan also includes limited AI summaries, 400 minutes of storage for your team and 20 AI credits.

Fireflies Pro costs $18 a month if you pay monthly, or $10 a month if you pay yearly. Pro adds unlimited AI summaries, 8,000 minutes of storage per seat, video recording, downloads and integrations with other apps. The recording limit is 2 hours per meeting on both Free and Pro.

Fathom

Fathom Free has unlimited recordings, storage and transcription. The limit is on the AI: you get advanced summaries for your first 5 calls each month. After that, only the General/Enhanced summary template is available.

Fathom Premium is the plan for one person. It costs $20 a month if you pay monthly, or $16 a month if you pay yearly. Premium adds unlimited advanced summaries, AI action items, AI follow-up emails and Ask Fathom, a chat that answers questions about your calls. You can also rename the meeting bot and remove the in-meeting banner.

What this means for you

Fathom has the most generous free transcription. Otter Pro on a yearly plan is the cheapest paid option here. But yearly plans lock you in, so a monthly plan may feel safer if your income goes up and down.

Not sure a paid AI plan is worth it at all? The same maths applies as in our guide: Is ChatGPT Plus worth $20 a month for freelancers?

Limits that matter for client calls

How long are your calls?

This is the first thing to check.

• Otter Basic stops at 30 minutes per conversation. A one-hour client kickoff won’t fit. Pro raises this to 90 minutes.
• Fireflies has a 2-hour recording limit on Free and Pro.
• Fathom does not list a per-call time limit on its pricing page.

If many of your calls run long, Otter’s free plan will likely feel tight.

How many calls a month?

Otter counts minutes. Fireflies limits storage (400 minutes on Free) and AI summaries. Fathom limits advanced summaries (5 a month).

So ask yourself: do you need the transcript, or the summary? For a searchable record, the free plans of Fathom and Fireflies go far. For a clean AI summary after every call, count your calls.

In-person meetings and voice notes

Otter and Fireflies both have iOS and Android apps that can record in-person conversations. Otter and Fireflies also let you upload audio or video files. Fathom’s help center says it can only record live meetings on Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams, and does not support uploaded calls.

Languages

• Otter lists AI transcription in English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese and Chinese.
• Fathom lists 38 languages.
• Fireflies lists “transcription in 100+ languages”. Its FAQ says English is the main language, and Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian and many others are in beta. Transcribing a meeting with several languages in the same call is listed only on the Business plan and up.

Working in Portuguese, for example? Otter’s list does not include it. Test Fathom or Fireflies with a real call first.

Getting notes into your other tools

• Otter Pro lists Zapier plus Salesforce and HubSpot.
• Fireflies Pro lists integrations with 40+ apps, including CRMs and Slack. The free plan doesn’t include them.
• Fathom includes CRM sync (HubSpot, Salesforce, Close) for up to 3 users per email domain, plus a personal-use Zapier integration, on both Free and Premium. Its pricing page also lists Claude and ChatGPT integrations.

If you send notes into a project tool or your invoicing app, this matters. For the money side, see our list of the best AI invoicing tools for freelancers.

Recording calls: tell people first

An AI note-taker records what everyone says. Before you use one:

• Tell your client. Say at the start of the call that a note-taker is recording. Better still, put it in the meeting invite.
• Ask if they mind. Some clients will say no. That’s fine. Take notes by hand that day.
• Check your local rules. Recording laws are different in each country, and sometimes in each state. Some places require everyone on the call to agree. We are not lawyers, so check the rules where you and your client live.

Never record a call your client asked you not to record.

Which tool fits which freelancer?

Based on published plans and features, not on our own tests.

Freelancers with a few short calls a month

Lean: start free with any of them. Otter Basic (300 minutes) may be enough if your calls are under 30 minutes. If your calls run longer, start with Fathom Free.

Consultants and coaches with many long calls

Lean: Fathom Free, then Premium if you want unlimited summaries. Unlimited free transcription is a strong start. Pay only when the 5-summary limit gets in your way.

Writers, journalists and podcasters

Lean: Otter or Fireflies. You probably need to upload interviews, and both support uploads. Fathom records live calls.

Freelancers who work in several languages

Lean: test Fathom and Fireflies first. Otter lists six languages. Fathom lists 38, and Fireflies lists over 100 (many in beta). Try a real call in your language before you pay.

Budget-first freelancers

Lean: Fathom Free, or Otter Pro yearly if you need uploads. At $8.33 a month (paid yearly), Otter Pro is the cheapest paid plan here. Only pay up front if you’ll use it all year.

FAQ

Which AI note-taker has the best free plan for freelancers?

It depends on your calls. Fathom Free has the most free transcription. Otter Basic suits short calls (30 minutes max). Fireflies Free needs Auto-join on for unlimited transcripts. (Checked on 1 November 2026.)

Which one is cheapest if I pay?

On yearly billing, Otter Pro is listed at $8.33 a month, Fireflies Pro at $10 and Fathom Premium at $16. On monthly billing, it’s $16.99, $18 and $20. All US prices before tax.

Do I need to tell my client that I am recording?

Yes, always tell them. In many places the law also requires consent, and rules differ by country, so check the ones that apply to you.

Can these tools record in-person meetings?

Otter and Fireflies have mobile apps that can record in person. Fathom’s help center says it records live Zoom, Google Meet and Teams calls.

The bottom line

All three have a free plan. The real difference is in the limits. Otter counts minutes and cuts free calls at 30 minutes. Fireflies offers unlimited free transcripts if you turn on Auto-join, but limits storage and summaries. Fathom gives unlimited free transcription but limits advanced AI summaries.

Our advice: look at last month’s client calls. How many? How long? Any recordings to upload? Pick the free plan that fits, and upgrade only when a limit gets in your way. And always tell your client before you hit record.

Thinking about your whole AI budget? Compare it with your other subscriptions in our guide to Claude Pro vs ChatGPT Plus.

This article has no affiliate links. We have not tested these tools ourselves; all facts come from the official pages listed below.

Meeting notes are only one part of office work. For email, calendars and documents, see our AI tools for office admin.

Sources

Checked on 1 November 2026:

• Otter pricing: https://otter.ai/pricing
• Fireflies pricing: https://fireflies.ai/pricing
• Fireflies help center, “Unlock Unlimited Transcriptions on the Fireflies Free Plan”: https://guide.fireflies.ai/hc/en-us/articles/21617190473617-How-to-get-unlimited-meeting-transcripts-on-Fireflies-ai-s-Free-plan
• Fathom pricing: https://www.fathom.ai/pricing
• Fathom help center, “Free vs. Premium for Individuals: What’s the Difference?”: https://help.fathom.video/en/articles/5290881
• Fathom help center, FAQs (uploads and supported platforms): https://help.fathom.video/en/categories/72000