An AI note taker for Zoom listens to your meeting and gives you a summary, decisions and action items when the call ends, so you can focus on the conversation instead of typing. You have three options: Zoom’s own AI features, a separate note-taker app that joins your calls, or a free do-it-yourself method. This guide shows when to use each one.
Quick answer
- You have a paid Zoom plan: start with Zoom’s built-in meeting summary. Zoom says AI meeting summaries are included with eligible paid plans at no extra cost.
- You also use Teams or Google Meet: a separate note taker (Otter, Fireflies, Fathom, tl;dv, Read.ai) works across all of them.
- You are on a free plan: record or transcribe the meeting another way and paste the transcript into a free AI assistant (method 3 below).
Option 1: Zoom’s built-in meeting summary
Zoom’s AI features (formerly branded AI Companion) can create a meeting summary with next steps after a call. On eligible paid accounts:
- Sign in at zoom.us and open Settings. Find the AI meeting summary setting and turn it on. On company accounts, your admin may need to enable it first.
- During a meeting, the host clicks the AI Companion or Summary button in the meeting controls to start the summary. Participants see a notice that it is on.
- After the meeting, the summary appears in your Zoom app and web portal, and the host can share it by email with participants.
Good for: teams that run most meetings on Zoom and want no extra apps. Watch out for: button names and menus change often, so if you cannot find the setting, search Zoom’s help for “meeting summary”.
Option 2: A note-taker app that joins your Zoom calls
Apps such as Otter, Fireflies, Fathom, tl;dv and Read.ai connect to your calendar and send a bot that joins the meeting as a participant. When the call ends you get a transcript, summary, action items and often a searchable recording.
| Choose an app if… | Stick with Zoom’s built-in summary if… |
|---|---|
| You also meet on Teams or Google Meet | Almost all your meetings are on Zoom |
| You want a searchable library of every call | A summary per meeting is enough |
| You need CRM integration (sales calls) | You do not want another account with your data |
| You are on a free Zoom plan | Your company already pays for Zoom |
Most of these apps have free plans with monthly limits on minutes or meetings. Check each tool’s pricing page for the current limits before you rely on one.
Option 3: The free method for any plan
- Get a transcript. Use a note-taker app’s free plan, your phone’s built-in recorder transcription, or another transcription tool. See how to transcribe a meeting with AI for free.
- Paste it into a free AI assistant (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Copilot) with this prompt:
“Summarize this Zoom meeting transcript. Give me: 1) a 5-line summary, 2) decisions made, 3) action items as a table with owner and due date, 4) open questions. Use only what is in the transcript.”
Then check names and numbers before you send it. AI often mishears both.
Tips for better Zoom AI notes
- Say names and owners out loud: “Sara will send the quote by Thursday” gives the AI a clear action item.
- Recap at the end: a 30-second summary from the host improves every AI summary.
- Use headsets: clear audio means fewer transcription mistakes, especially with accents and Arabic–English mixing.
- Tell people: announce that AI notes are on. Recording and transcription consent rules differ by country and company.
Comparing all tools across platforms? See our main guide to the best AI meeting note takers.
FAQ
Does Zoom have a built-in AI note taker?
Yes. Zoom’s AI features can create a meeting summary with next steps. Zoom says AI meeting summaries are included with eligible paid plans at no extra cost; the host turns them on in settings or during the meeting.
Is there a free AI note taker for Zoom?
Several note-taker apps such as Otter, Fireflies, Fathom and tl;dv offer free plans with limits. You can also paste a meeting transcript into a free AI assistant and ask for a summary.
Do other people know when an AI note taker is in my Zoom meeting?
Zoom shows a notice when its AI summary is on, and third-party note takers join as a visible participant. It is still good practice to tell everyone at the start.
Which is the best AI note taker for Zoom?
If you only use Zoom and pay for it, the built-in summary is the simplest. If you use several meeting platforms or need a searchable library of calls, choose a separate app.