I compared 6 Gong alternatives for teams that only need basic meeting notes: here's my pick for 2026

Only need transcripts, summaries and action items? I compared Circleback, Otter, Fireflies, Fathom, tl;dv and Granola as Gong alternatives. My pick.

By Priya Raman. Published , updated . 5 minute read

Quick verdict

Circleback

my pick for basic notes on a free plan with unlimited meetings and members

  • Keep Gongif your team runs forecasting, call scoring or coaching inside it
  • Otter.aibest for live transcripts and the cheapest Pro plan
  • Fireflies.aibest for integration breadth and a bot-free Chrome extension
  • Fathombest simple free plan for solo users
  • tl;dvbest for unlimited free video recordings
  • Granolabest for solo users who never want a bot and like typing their own notes

Basic notes means four things: a transcript with speaker names, a summary, action items, and a way to share them. Gong covers those inside a much larger revenue product with forecasting and call scoring. If your team mostly opens the summary and closes the tab, a lighter tool does the job.

My pick is Circleback. Its free plan has unlimited meetings and members, speaker-labeled transcripts, notes and assigned action items, and it records with a bot, without one on desktop, or in person on mobile.

I compared them on transcripts, action items, capture options, free plan limits and price.

Tool Free plan Capture Paid from
Circleback Unlimited meetings Bot, desktop, mobile $15 annual
Otter.ai 300 minutes a month Bot, bot-free desktop $8.33 annual
Fireflies.ai 400 minutes storage Bot, Chrome extension $10 annual
Fathom Unlimited recordings Bot, Mac beta $16 annual
tl;dv Unlimited recordings Bot, desktop $18 annual
Granola 30 days history Bot-free only $14 monthly

Gong (the baseline)

Gong sells Gong Forecast for AI-guided forecasts and Gong Enable, which scores calls automatically and turns past calls into role-play. Its conversation intelligence page says it records and transcribes every sales call, meeting and email, then surfaces deal risks and coaching opportunities. Pricing is a custom proposal: per-user licenses plus a platform fee. If you use those revenue features, Gong wins and you should keep it.

1. Circleback

Circleback turns conversations into speaker-labeled transcripts, notes, assigned action items, automations and searchable context.

Key features:

  • Bot on Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and Webex; bot-free desktop app on macOS and Windows
  • Speaker labels with every recording method
  • Action items in one shared task list, assigned to the responsible person when that is clear
  • Slack, Linear and Share meeting automations on Free; API, MCP and CLI on every plan

Pros:

  • Unlimited meetings and members on Free
  • Bot, bot-free desktop and mobile in one tool
  • Follow-ups reach Slack and Linear without paying

Cons:

  • On Free, meetings older than 30 days are locked (not deleted); recordings are kept 1 year
  • CRM automations need Pro, and Pipedrive has no native integration (it connects through Zapier, Make or the webhook step)
  • Paid plans cost more than Otter Pro

Pricing: Free; Pro $15 per user per month billed annually ($18 monthly). Details on the Circleback pricing page.

Best for: teams that want basic notes for everyone, with follow-ups routed automatically.

2. Otter.ai

Otter transcribes every meeting, writes summaries with decisions and action items, and assigns next steps automatically. Its live transcription helps if you follow along on screen.

Pros: cheapest Pro plan here; bot-free desktop app on Mac and Windows.

Cons: the free Basic plan on Otter pricing has 300 monthly transcription minutes, a 30-minute limit per conversation, and the 25 most recent conversations.

Pricing: Basic free; Pro $8.33 per user per month billed annually ($16.99 monthly).

Best for: teams that want live transcripts at a low price.

3. Fireflies.ai

Fireflies transcribes, summarizes and searches team conversations, with action items after every meeting. Its bot joins when you invite fred@fireflies.ai or lets it auto-join calendar meetings.

Pros: records on Zoom, Meet, Teams and 10+ more platforms; Chrome extension records without the bot; lists Salesforce, HubSpot and Pipedrive.

Cons: Fireflies pricing shows limited AI summaries and 400 minutes of storage per team on Free, and integrations on paid tiers.

Pricing: Free; Pro $10 per seat per month billed annually ($18 monthly).

Best for: teams that need the widest set of platforms and integrations.

4. Fathom

Fathom captures notes with a bot or without one. Fathom pricing lists unlimited recordings and transcriptions, instant AI summaries, and clips, playlists and search on the individual Free plan.

Pros: a simple, generous free plan for one person.

Cons: AI action items are on Premium; bot-free capture is a Mac beta.

Pricing: Free; Premium $16 per user per month billed annually ($20 monthly).

Best for: solo users who want free recordings and summaries.

5. tl;dv

tl;dv calls itself an AI notetaker built for team collaboration. The Free plan on tl;dv pricing lists unlimited video recordings and AI notes for 10 meetings.

Pros: unlimited free recordings; desktop app records with or without a bot.

Cons: action item assignment is on Pro; AI notes past 10 meetings need a paid plan.

Pricing: Free; Pro $18 per seat per month billed annually ($29 monthly).

Best for: teams that want to record everything for free.

6. Granola

Granola never joins your call. It transcribes in the background from your computer audio and works with Zoom, Google Meet, Teams and every other meeting app. You write as much or as little as you like, and Granola uses the meeting context to write the notes, which stay private until you share them.

Pros: no bot at all; speaker tagging on every plan per Granola pricing.

Cons: Basic keeps 30 days of history, the same window as Circleback Free; no saved audio or video.

Pricing: Basic free; Business $14 per user per month, billed monthly.

Best for: individuals who like typing their own notes.

How to choose

  • You use forecasting, call scoring or deal risk signals: keep Gong.
  • A whole team needs notes for free: Circleback, with unlimited meetings and members.
  • Lowest paid price: Otter Pro.
  • Most integrations: Fireflies.
  • Just you, free: Fathom, or Granola if you never want a bot.

FAQ

Is there a free Gong alternative for basic meeting notes?

Yes. Circleback, Otter, Fireflies, Fathom, tl;dv and Granola all have free plans. Limits differ: Otter caps Basic conversations at 30 minutes, tl;dv Free includes AI notes for 10 meetings, Granola Basic keeps 30 days of history, and Circleback Free locks meetings older than 30 days (recordings are kept 1 year).

Which Gong alternative would I pick for a team?

Circleback. Free covers unlimited meetings and members, assigns action items, and sends them to Slack or Linear.

Can I get meeting notes without a bot joining the call?

Yes. Granola is bot-free only. Circleback and Otter have desktop apps that record without a bot, Fathom has a bot-free Mac beta, and Fireflies uses a Chrome extension.

When should I keep Gong?

Keep Gong if you use Gong Forecast, Gong Enable or its deal risk signals. If you only need notes, a lighter tool covers it.

Other situations