# 8 Best No-Bot Meeting Note Takers in 2026 (Compared & Reviewed)

> Best no-bot meeting note takers in 2026, compared on privacy and price: 1. Granola 2. Voibe Work 3. Quill 4. Jamie 5. Krisp 6. Anarlog 7. Bluedot 8. Tactiq

- URL: https://www.getvoibe.com/resources/best-no-bot-meeting-note-takers/
- Author: Ayush
- Published: 2026-09-26 · Updated: 2026-10-29

## TL;DR: The Best No-Bot Meeting Note Takers in 2026

A meeting bot is the fifth face in a four-person call. Clients ask who it is, and the platforms have started screening it out: since spring 2026, Google Meet sends join requests it flags for a closer look to a second queue where the default is to deny entry ([Google Workspace Updates](https://workspaceupdates.googleblog.com/2026/02/safeguarded-guest-admit-flow-in-google-meet.html)), and Microsoft Teams labels third-party bots in the lobby ([BleepingComputer](https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/microsoft-teams-will-tag-third-party-bots-in-meeting-lobbies/)).

No-bot note takers fix that. They listen from your own computer, so nothing joins the call.

But taking the bot out only answers one question: _who is in the call_. It doesn't answer where the transcript goes, who keeps it, or whether it trains an AI model. That matters, because training on user data is the AI industry's default: a [Stanford study](https://hai.stanford.edu/news/be-careful-what-you-tell-your-ai-chatbot) of six major US AI developers found that all six train on their users' chats by default ([AIES 2025 paper](https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.05382)). That's where these apps really differ.

I've used every tool on this list on my own calls, and Fathom's bot before that. I also went through each one's pricing, security and data-training pages. Here's how the best no-bot meeting note takers rank in 2026 ([how we ranked them](#how-we-ranked-these-no-bot-note-takers)):

1. **Granola**: best overall. The most polished app, on every platform. Notes live in Granola's cloud and train its models by default.
2. **Voibe Work**: best for privacy, and the best value. Audio deleted after processing, notes saved on your computer, never used to train AI, on Mac and Windows. It includes a dictation app too, for $149 a year.
3. **Quill Meetings**: best fully local option on Mac and Windows. Free local transcription.
4. **Jamie**: best for EU data residency. Never trains on your data.
5. **Krisp**: best if you also want noise cancellation. Cheapest paid plan at $8 a month.
6. **Anarlog** (formerly Hyprnote): best open-source pick, with a Linux app.
7. **Bluedot**: widest platform coverage, including video recording.
8. **Tactiq**: best free Chrome extension for Google Meet.

### Key takeaways

| Tool | Best for | Where notes live | Cheapest paid plan |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **[Granola](https://www.granola.ai/pricing)** | Best overall: polish, every platform | Granola's cloud (US) | $14/mo |
| **[Voibe Work](https://www.getvoibe.com/)** | Privacy, dictation + meetings | On your computer | $19/mo or $149/yr |
| **[Quill Meetings](https://www.quillmeetings.com/)** | Fully local, Mac + Windows | On your computer | $6.99/mo (annual) |
| **[Jamie](https://www.meetjamie.ai/)** | EU data residency | Jamie's cloud (EU) | €21/mo (annual) |
| **[Krisp](https://www.getvoibe.com/resources/krisp-alternatives/)** | Noise cancellation + notes | Krisp's cloud (US) | $8/mo (annual) |

> **Key takeaway:** No-bot note takers all keep the bot out of your call. The difference is where your notes end up: on your own computer (Voibe Work, Quill, Anarlog) or on the vendor's servers (Granola, Jamie, Krisp, Bluedot, Tactiq). Voibe Work also includes a full dictation app in the same $149-a-year price.

## Why People Are Dropping Meeting Bots

Bot-based note takers like Otter, Fireflies and Fathom send a participant into your call. That worked for a few years. Here's why people are moving away from it.

### 1. The bot is visible, and people notice

A client, patient or candidate sees an extra tile called "Notetaker". Some ask what it is. Some just talk less. For legal, medical and financial calls, that's the opposite of what you want.

### 2. Platforms and IT teams now screen bots out

A bot has to be admitted like any other guest, and the platforms have started making that harder:

- **Google Meet** added a second join queue for requests the host should look at more closely, and the default action there is to deny entry (rolled out from March 24, 2026; [Google Workspace Updates](https://workspaceupdates.googleblog.com/2026/02/safeguarded-guest-admit-flow-in-google-meet.html)).
- **Microsoft Teams** now tags third-party bots in the lobby, and organisers have to admit them separately ([BleepingComputer](https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/microsoft-teams-will-tag-third-party-bots-in-meeting-lobbies/)).
- **Universities are blocking them.** Morgan State blocked third-party AI note-taking bots from its Zoom meetings in June 2026, naming Fireflies, Otter, Read.ai and MeetGeek ([Morgan State IT](https://www.morgan.edu/information-technology/security/ai-meeting-note-taking-tools)). Eastern Washington University blocked Read.ai and Otter after complaints about them "appearing in Zoom and Teams meetings without the consent of all participants" ([EWU IT](https://support.ewu.edu/support/solutions/articles/10000099209-Availability-of-Read-ai-and-Otter-ai)).

I've lived this with Fathom. It's convenient: it joins every meeting on its own, and I get a transcript and the same summary format for every call, a lot of it for free. But Google Meet or Zoom sometimes won't let it in, or the host won't admit it, and those meetings have no notes. If the bot doesn't get in, you get nothing.

### 3. A bot doesn't settle consent

The visible bot was supposed to count as notice. Otter's lawsuit tests that. In [Brewer v. Otter.ai](https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/71118721/brewer-v-otterai-inc/), filed in August 2025, a participant who never signed up for Otter says he was recorded without consent and his words were used to train Otter's AI ([NPR](https://www.npr.org/2025/08/15/g-s1-83087/otter-ai-transcription-class-action-lawsuit)).

On August 13, 2026, the court let the wiretap and California privacy claims go forward, while dismissing others ([order](https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/us-dis-crt-n-d-cal/322025.html)). That's not a verdict, but it keeps the question open. Our [Otter safety review](https://www.getvoibe.com/resources/is-otter-safe/) covers the case.

### 4. The recording lives on someone else's server

A bot records the call on the vendor's side. The recording and transcript stay in the vendor's cloud until someone deletes them.

No-bot tools fix the first two problems. They don't automatically fix the last two.

## How a No-Bot Note Taker Hears Your Meeting

A no-bot note taker captures the meeting from your own device instead of joining it. There are three ways to do that:

1. **Desktop app reading system audio.** The app records your microphone and the sound coming out of your computer. It works with any meeting app: Zoom, Teams, Meet, Webex, Slack huddles. Voibe Work, Granola, Quill, Jamie, Anarlog and Bluedot's desktop app work this way.
2. **Virtual microphone and speaker.** You pick the app's virtual mic and speaker inside Zoom or Teams, and it listens to both. Krisp works this way.
3. **Browser extension.** A Chrome extension reads the meeting in your browser tab. For Zoom, Tactiq reads live captions, so the host has to turn captions on. Tactiq and Bluedot's extension work this way.

Desktop apps are the most flexible: they work in any meeting app and don't need captions. Browser extensions are the lightest to install but only cover calls you join in the browser.

**Other people in the call can't see any of these.** That's the point, and it's also why consent matters. See the consent section below.

## No Bot Is Half the Answer: Where Do Your Notes End Up?

Once the bot is gone, four questions separate these tools:

1. **Is the audio kept?** Most no-bot tools delete it after transcription. Granola, Jamie, Voibe Work and Fireflies' desktop mode all say so. Bluedot and Krisp can keep recordings in their cloud.
2. **Where do the transcript and summary live?** On your computer (Voibe Work, Quill, Anarlog) or on the vendor's servers (Granola, Jamie, Krisp, Bluedot, Tactiq, Notion).
3. **Is your data used to train AI?** Granola trains on anonymised data by default on its Free and Business plans. Jamie, Bluedot, Quill and Voibe say they never train on your meetings.
4. **Which AI companies see it?** Granola names OpenAI and Anthropic for summaries. Notion names six AI sub-processors. Voibe uses only open-source models on zero-retention providers.

A vendor can't leak or subpoena notes it doesn't hold. That's why the second question matters most for confidential calls. For the retention side, see [zero data retention, explained](https://www.getvoibe.com/resources/zero-data-retention/).

## What to Look For in a No-Bot Meeting Note Taker

1. **Where notes are stored.** On your device, in the vendor's cloud, or in a region you choose. This decides who can be asked to hand them over.
2. **Training default.** "Opt-out" means your data trains models until you find the setting. "Never" means there's no setting to find.
3. **Platforms.** Most tools cover Mac. Fewer cover Windows, and only some capture in-person meetings on a phone.
4. **Speaker labels.** Knowing who agreed to what is half the value of meeting notes. Check it works on your meeting app, not just on Zoom.
5. **Consent tools.** Does the app remind you to tell people, or post a notice in the chat? None of them can get consent for you.
6. **Export on every plan.** Can you get every note and transcript out without upgrading? Granola now keeps full API access for paid plans ([what changed](https://www.getvoibe.com/resources/granola-encrypted-notes/)).
7. **Price per year, not per month.** Several tools quote annual rates as monthly prices. Compare the yearly total.
8. **What else it does.** Some tools add dictation (Voibe, Wispr Flow) or noise cancellation (Krisp). If you'd pay for that anyway, it changes the math.

## How We Ranked These No-Bot Note Takers

Voibe Work is ours, so read this list knowing that. It's also why I've been strict about where it ranks.

I've used every tool on this list on my own calls, and I used Fathom's bot before switching to no-bot capture. Hands-on use tells you how an app feels day to day, so I also read each tool's pricing, security, privacy and data-training pages, checked current App Store, Chrome Web Store and Product Hunt ratings, and scored privacy with our [AI Privacy Tracker](https://www.getvoibe.com/resources/ai-privacy-tracker/#meetings).

Each tool was judged on five things, in this order:

1. **Does it catch every meeting?** Dropping the bot removes the admission problem, but the app still has to start and record correctly every time.
2. **What happens to your notes.** Where they're stored, for how long, and whether they train AI by default.
3. **What a year costs**, not the monthly sticker price.
4. **Platforms**: Mac, Windows, phones, and in-person meetings.
5. **What reviewers say** on the App Store, Chrome Web Store and Product Hunt.

Granola ranks first on polish, platforms and reviews. Voibe Work ranks second: it wins on privacy and price, but its meeting notes are new and it has no phone app, so it records in-person meetings only through your computer's mic. If privacy is what you're choosing on, start with number two.

## No-Bot Meeting Note Takers Compared

| App | Capture | Platforms | Audio kept? | Notes stored | Trains on your data? | Rating |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **Granola** | Desktop app | Mac, Windows, iOS, Android | No, deleted after transcription | Granola cloud, AWS US | Yes by default (Free, Business) | [4.96/5 App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/granola-ai-meeting-notes/id6739429409) (13,712) |
| **Voibe Work** | Desktop app | Mac, Windows | No, deleted after processing | On your computer | Never | [4.8/5 Product Hunt](https://www.producthunt.com/products/voibe/reviews) (Voibe app, 6 reviews) |
| **Quill Meetings** | Desktop app | Mac, Windows, iOS, Android | Stays on your computer | On your computer (optional encrypted sync) | No | [4.56/5 App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/quill-meetings-ai-notetaker/id6472243238) (9) |
| **Jamie** | Desktop app | Mac, Windows, iPhone | No, deleted after transcription | Jamie cloud, EU | Never | [4.89/5 App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ai-meeting-note-taker-jamie/id6747801435) (241) |
| **Krisp** | Virtual mic | Mac, Windows, iOS, Android | In Krisp cloud if you opt in | Krisp cloud, US | No | [4.75/5 App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/krisp-ai-meeting-note-taker/id6740535865) (265) |
| **Anarlog** | Desktop app | Mac, Windows, Linux | On your device | On your device (sync opt-in) | No | [4.8/5 Product Hunt](https://www.producthunt.com/products/hyprnote) (5) |
| **Bluedot** | Extension or desktop app | Chrome, Mac, Windows, iOS, Android | Yes, in Bluedot cloud | Bluedot cloud (AWS), EU option | Never | [4.7/5 Chrome Web Store](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/bluedot-ai-notetaker-meet/aeeninnnlhgaojlolnbpljadhbionlal) (200) |
| **Tactiq** | Chrome/Edge extension | Chrome, Edge, Mac beta (Zoom) | No recording needed | Tactiq cloud | Not stated (uses OpenAI API, which doesn't train) | [4.8/5 Chrome Web Store](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/tactiq-ai-note-taker-for/fggkaccpbmombhnjkjokndojfgagejfb) (4.3K) |

## No-Bot Meeting Note Taker Pricing: What a Year Costs

Prices are per user, on each tool's cheapest paid plan with unlimited or near-unlimited meetings. Where a tool offers annual billing, the annual price is used. For bot-based tools too, see [what every AI meeting note taker costs](https://www.getvoibe.com/resources/ai-meeting-note-taker-pricing/).

| App | Plan | Monthly billing | Per year | Free option |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Quill Meetings | Lite (16 h/mo of AI notes) | $7.99 | $83.88 | Free local transcription, unlimited |
| Krisp | Core | $16 | $96 | 7-day trial only |
| Tactiq | Pro | $12 | $96 | 10 transcripts a month |
| **Voibe Work** | Work | $19 | **$149** (or $399 lifetime) | 7-day trial, no card |
| Anarlog | Pro | $14 | $140 | Free, on-device |
| Granola | Business | $14 | $168 (no annual plan) | Free, 30-day history |
| Bluedot | Basic (1-hour cap per recording) | $18 | $168 | 5 meetings, lifetime |
| Jamie | Plus (20 notes a month) | €25 | €252 | 10 notes a month |

### Voibe Work vs the others, pre-calculated

- **vs Granola Business:** Granola only bills Business monthly, so a year is $168. Voibe Work's annual plan is $149: **$19 (11.3%) less**, with dictation included.
- **vs Bluedot Basic:** $149 vs $168 a year, also **$19 less**, without Bluedot's 1-hour cap per recording.
- **vs Anarlog Pro:** $149 vs $140 a year, so Voibe Work is **$9 (6.4%) more**. Anarlog's free tier runs on your computer; its dictation and cloud features need Pro.
- **vs Krisp Core and Tactiq Pro:** both are $96 a year, **$53 less than Voibe Work**. Neither keeps notes off the vendor's cloud.
- **vs Quill Lite:** $83.88 a year, **$65.12 less than Voibe Work**, with a 16-hour monthly cap on AI notes.
- **Lifetime:** Voibe Work's $399 lifetime seat equals 28.5 months of Granola Business. Over three years, Granola Business costs $504, so lifetime saves **$105 (20.8%)**.

## 1. Granola: Best Overall No-Bot Note Taker

[Granola](https://www.granola.ai/pricing) is the app most people mean when they say "no-bot note taker". It raised $125 million at a $1.5 billion valuation in March 2026, and it's on Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android and Apple Watch.

You type your own rough notes during the call, and Granola fills them out from the transcript afterwards. People love that workflow.

It's our top pick for most people on polish, platforms and reviews. It isn't the top pick on privacy, and the catches below are real.

### What stands out

- The best-known notepad workflow in the category
- Speaker tags with participant names on Google Meet, Zoom and Teams (desktop)
- Chat across all your meetings, Recipes (saved prompts) and 30+ languages
- Integrations with Slack, Notion, HubSpot, Attio and Zapier on Business, plus MCP and an API
- SOC 2 Type II. A BAA on Enterprise only

### Pricing

- Basic: free, but only the last 30 days of notes are visible
- Business: $14/user/month, billed monthly only ($168/yr)
- Enterprise: $35/user/month

### Where it falls short

- **Notes live in Granola's cloud.** A "US-hosted AWS Virtual Private Cloud", kept "indefinitely unless you or your admin configures a retention policy" ([Granola security FAQ](https://docs.granola.ai/help-center/consent-security-privacy/security-privacy-data-faqs)).
- **Training is on by default.** "By default on Free and Business plans, anonymised data may be used for Granola's own model improvements." Each Business user has to opt out separately, and only Enterprise turns it off by default.
- **Closed AI vendors.** Granola names Deepgram and AssemblyAI for transcription and OpenAI and Anthropic for summaries.
- **A pending lawsuit.** [Chamberlain v. Granola](https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73698016/chamberlain-v-granola-inc/) (filed July 30, 2026) alleges the invisible capture is wiretapping. Our [Granola lawsuit explainer](https://www.getvoibe.com/resources/granola-lawsuit/) covers it.
- **Open share links.** The Verge reported in April 2026 that Granola notes were viewable by anyone with the link by default. Changing the default doesn't update notes you've already shared.
- **Locked-down local notes.** In 2026 Granola encrypted the local cache that Obsidian and Claude integrations used to read, and put its API on paid plans; the free plan's MCP covers only 30 days. See [Granola encrypted your meeting notes](https://www.getvoibe.com/resources/granola-encrypted-notes/).

Granola is good. It solves most of the problems I had with Fathom's bot. But I'm wary of trusting it with my meeting data, especially after it locked up notes people thought they had on their own Mac. That's also the general feeling among the Granola users I've talked to: they see the value, but they worry about what happens to their notes on Granola's servers, starting with whether those notes are used to train AI.

**Our privacy score: 31 out of 100** for Granola's Free and Business tier (41 for Enterprise). It scores 10 of 25 on training, 13 on retention, 3 on on-device processing and 5 on track record. The [AI Privacy Tracker](https://www.getvoibe.com/resources/ai-privacy-tracker/#qa-granola) has the sources for each score.

Granola is rated [4.96/5 on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/granola-ai-meeting-notes/id6739429409) from 13,712 ratings and [4.8/5 on Product Hunt](https://www.producthunt.com/products/granola/reviews) from 56 reviews.

### Granola Basic is free. What Voibe Work's $149 a year buys

- **If basic notes are enough:** Basic costs nothing. If 30 days of visible notes covers you, it's the cheaper pick.
- **Monthly vs annual:** Business is $14 a month, $5 less than Voibe Work's $19. Over a year, Voibe Work's annual plan is $19 (11.3%) less.
- **Dictation in the same plan:** Granola Basic plus Wispr Flow Pro is $144 a year. Voibe Work is $5 (3.5%) more for both, with no 30-day limit.
- **Notes on your computer:** not in Granola's US cloud, and never used for training.

Want something like Granola without the cloud? See our [Granola alternatives](https://www.getvoibe.com/resources/granola-alternatives/) list.

Before you commit, read [our Granola safety audit](https://www.getvoibe.com/resources/is-granola-safe/) (training is on by default on Free and Business) and the plan detail in our [Granola pricing breakdown](https://www.getvoibe.com/resources/granola-pricing/).

## 2. Voibe Work: Best No-Bot Note Taker for Privacy and Value

Voibe Work is the meeting-notes plan from Voibe, the app we build. It launched in September 2026 and includes everything in Voibe's dictation app. Why we built it without a bot, and what happens to a meeting inside it, is in [our Voibe Work launch post](https://www.getvoibe.com/resources/voibe-work-meeting-notes-no-bot/).

It's second here, behind Granola, because Granola runs on every platform, phones included, and has years of polish, while Voibe Work's meeting notes are new and run on Mac and Windows only, with no phone app. On privacy, though, it answers all four questions the same way: no bot, audio deleted, notes on your computer, never used for training. And it comes with a full dictation app.

### Why I use it

I'm biased: we build Voibe. But after using everything on this list, and Fathom's bot before that, Voibe Work is the balance I wanted. Nothing joins the call, so there's no bot for a host to turn away. It's private: the audio is deleted, the notes stay on my Mac, and nothing trains on them. And it's cheap enough to treat as a utility, not a big software decision. Count the dictation app in, and it's a no-brainer bundle.

### A no-bot note taker and a dictation app for one price

Every Voibe Work seat includes Voibe's dictation app: hold a key, speak, and clean text lands in Word, Outlook, Slack or any other app on your Mac or Windows PC. It's the job people buy Wispr Flow for.

Put another way, Voibe Work is Granola and Wispr Flow in one plan. Bought separately, Granola Business ($168 a year, billed monthly only) and Wispr Flow Pro ($144 a year) cost $312. Voibe Work is $149 a year, **$163 (52.2%) less**, or $399 once for lifetime access.

| Bundle | Per year | Meetings and dictation | Pay once? |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| **Voibe Work** | **$149** | Unlimited dictation and meetings | Yes, $399 |
| [Monologue Pro](https://www.monologue.to/pricing) | $144 | Unlimited dictation and notes; Mac and Apple devices | No |
| [Wispr Flow Pro](https://wisprflow.ai/pricing) | $144 | Unlimited dictation; unlimited Notetaker needs Growth + Notetaker ($312) | No |
| [Anarlog Pro](https://anarlog.so/pricing) | $140 | Meeting notepad plus system-wide dictation | No |
| [OpenWhispr Business](https://openwhispr.com/pricing) | $160 | Unlimited meetings (the $80 Pro plan caps them at 20 hours a month) | No |
| Granola Business + Wispr Flow Pro | $312 | Two apps, two subscriptions | No |

Of every dictation-plus-meetings bundle we priced, Voibe Work is the only one you can buy once. On annual price it costs $5 (3.5%) more than Monologue Pro ($144, Mac and Apple devices only) and less than every other uncapped option. For anyone who writes and meets on a Mac or Windows PC, it's the best deal on the market right now.

### The safest way to record confidential meetings

If your calls include client, patient or deal information that you don't want used to train AI models, Voibe's zero-retention cloud is the best way we know to record them. Meeting audio is processed by open-source models on zero-retention providers and deleted as soon as processing completes. No OpenAI, Google, Anthropic or Microsoft model is in the audio path, and the notes are saved on your computer, not on Voibe's servers.

Handing sensitive client conversations to the big AI companies is a hard sell when [Stanford researchers](https://hai.stanford.edu/news/be-careful-what-you-tell-your-ai-chatbot) found all six major US developers train on their users' chats by default. With Voibe there's nothing on our side to train on. A BAA is available on request, and you still need to tell everyone you're taking notes.

### How it handles a meeting

1. **Meeting audio** is captured on your Mac or Windows PC. Nothing joins the call.
2. **The transcript and summary** are written by open-source models on zero-retention cloud providers.
3. **The audio is deleted** the moment processing completes.
4. **Your notes** are saved on your computer, not on Voibe's servers.

Transcription runs on open-source models on zero-retention providers. No closed AI lab like OpenAI or Google sees the audio, and Voibe publishes which providers it uses on its [cloud privacy page](https://www.getvoibe.com/cloud-ai-privacy/).

### What you get

- Notes from Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, Webex, Slack huddles or any other meeting app on your Mac or Windows PC, and from in-person meetings through your computer's mic
- AI summaries with a template for each kind of meeting, from client intake to investment committee
- Chat with your meetings: ask what was agreed or who owns what. Chat runs on the same zero-retention cloud and nothing you ask is stored
- [Meeting MCP](https://www.getvoibe.com/resources/voibe-meeting-mcp/) (optional): let Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or Claude Code read your meeting titles, summaries and transcripts, and ask across all your meetings. Your dictation is never shared. What an AI app reads goes to the company behind it, for example Anthropic for Claude, not through Voibe's servers, and one switch stops every app
- One-click copy and PDF export of transcripts and summaries
- A reminder to tell everyone you're taking notes when recording starts
- Voibe's dictation app on Mac and Windows: type with your voice in any app. See [our Voibe review](https://www.getvoibe.com/resources/voibe-review/)

### Pricing

- **Voibe Work:** $19 per seat per month, $149 per year, or $399 once for lifetime access
- **Voibe Dictation only:** $9.90 per month, $99 per year, or $199 lifetime
- **Voibe Free:** $0 forever for dictation with limited words on one device (no meeting notes)
- 7-day free trial of every Voibe Work feature, no credit card, no automatic charge
- 30-day money-back guarantee

Voibe Work's $149 a year is $19 less than a year of Granola Business ($168) on its own, before counting the dictation app.

### Where it falls short

- **No mobile app.** It records in-person meetings through your Mac or PC's mic, but not on a phone, so a meeting away from your computer isn't covered.
- **Needs an internet connection.** Meeting audio is processed in Voibe's zero-retention cloud, not on your computer. Only dictation has a fully offline mode, on Apple Silicon Macs.
- **New.** No CRM integrations or shared team workspaces are listed yet.
- **Notes live on one computer.** Great for privacy, but you back them up and share them yourself (PDF export helps).

### Best for

Lawyers, clinicians, advisors and anyone whose calls are confidential and who works on a Mac or Windows PC. Also anyone paying separately for dictation and meeting notes. For a worked example, see [how one financial planner uses it for client reviews](https://www.getvoibe.com/resources/how-a-financial-planner-takes-meeting-notes/).

[Try Voibe Work free for 7 days →](https://voibe.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/releases/current/voibe.dmg) Every feature, no credit card.

## 3. Quill Meetings: Best Local-Transcription Note Taker for Mac and Windows

[Quill Meetings](https://www.quillmeetings.com/) records and transcribes on your computer. Its FAQ is blunt: "Quill records and transcribes on your computer. Your audio never leaves it."

It's aimed at investors, funds and advisors, and it's the closest match to Voibe Work's storage model, and it goes a step further: transcription itself runs on your computer.

### What stands out

- Free, unlimited local transcription with speaker identification
- Mac and Windows apps, plus iOS and Android companions
- Optional end-to-end encrypted sync of transcripts and notes. Audio never syncs
- "Quill does not use your meeting data to train AI models." SOC 2 Type II certified
- Bring your own AI model (Anthropic, OpenAI, Ollama and others), or air-gapped deployment on Enterprise

### Pricing

- Free: local transcription, unlimited recordings
- Lite: $7.99/mo, or $6.99/mo billed annually ($83.88/yr), 16 hours of AI meetings a month
- Unlimited: $19.99/mo, or $16.99/mo annually
- Teams: $15/seat/mo, or $12 annually, 5-seat minimum

Source: [Quill pricing](https://www.quillmeetings.com/pricing).

### Where it falls short

AI summaries need a paid plan, and Lite caps them at 16 hours a month. It transcribes 29 languages. Its App Store rating is 4.56/5 from only 9 ratings, so there's little independent feedback yet.

### Cheaper than Voibe Work. What the extra $65.12 buys

- **Privacy isn't the reason to switch:** Quill already keeps meeting audio on your computer. The case for Voibe Work is everything else below.
- **No 16-hour cap:** Lite limits AI meetings to 16 hours a month. Quill Unlimited is $203.88 a year, and Voibe Work is $54.88 (26.9%) less.
- **Dictation in the same plan:** Quill Lite plus Wispr Flow Pro is $227.88 a year. Voibe Work does both for $78.88 (34.6%) less.
- **Lower risk to try:** a 7-day trial with no card, then a 30-day money-back guarantee. We found no refund policy for Quill.

### Best for

Mac and Windows users who want the audio itself never to leave their machine.

Already on Quill and hitting its limits? Its Mac app needs Apple Silicon, and AI notes go to a cloud model by default unless you bring your own key or a local model. Our [Quill Meetings alternatives](https://www.getvoibe.com/resources/quill-meetings-alternatives/) guide ranks nine replacements, local-first ones included.

## 4. Jamie: Best No-Bot Note Taker for EU Data Residency

[Jamie](https://www.meetjamie.ai/) is a desktop and phone note taker for high-stakes meetings, from private equity to law. It's the strongest pick if your data has to stay in Europe.

From its [security page](https://www.meetjamie.ai/security): "Audio deleted after transcription." "Storage and processing stay within the EEA, Switzerland, and the UK." And: "Your data is never used for training of models, not by us or any of the model providers."

- Mac, Windows and iPhone; captures in-person meetings from the phone
- Speaker recognition on every plan
- ISO 27001 certified and GDPR compliant; SOC 2 Type II is listed as pending

### Pricing (euros only)

- Free: 10 AI notes a month, 30-minute cap
- Plus: €25/mo, or €21/mo annually, 20 notes a month
- Pro: €47/mo, or €39/mo annually, unlimited notes
- Team: €39/seat/mo, or €33 annually

I tried Jamie myself. It's a cool app, but I found it confusing to use. It sometimes missed meetings, and sometimes I couldn't tell whether it was recording correctly. There are some rough edges, but overall it's alright.

Jamie's catch is the price and the limits. Plus caps you at 20 notes a month, so unlimited meetings start at €468 a year on Pro. Notes live in Jamie's cloud, not on your machine. Rated [4.89/5 on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ai-meeting-note-taker-jamie/id6747801435) (241 ratings) and [5.0/5 on Product Hunt](https://www.producthunt.com/products/jamie) (26 reviews).

## 5. Krisp: Best No-Bot Note Taker With Noise Cancellation

[Krisp](https://www.getvoibe.com/resources/krisp-alternatives/) started as a noise-cancellation app and added a bot-free note taker. It installs a virtual microphone and speaker, so you pick "Krisp Microphone" and "Krisp Speaker" in Zoom or Teams.

Transcripts are made on your computer: "Krisp uses in-house speech to text technology on the end user's device" ([Krisp security](https://krisp.ai/security-for-ai-meeting-assistant/)). Summaries are written by Microsoft Azure, and transcripts, recordings and summaries are stored in Krisp's US cloud once you opt in.

- Mac, Windows, iOS, Android and a browser extension
- Works in any voice app, including phone dialers
- In-person meeting notes
- Speaker labels, SOC 2 Type II, and Krisp says customer data is never used for training

### Pricing

- Core: $16/user/mo, or $8 annually ($96/yr)
- Advanced: $30/user/mo, or $15 annually
- No free plan any more: a 7-day trial only

The catch: data is stored in the US only, fully on-device recording is Enterprise-only, and you have to switch mics in each meeting app. Rated [4.75/5 on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/krisp-ai-meeting-note-taker/id6740535865) (265) and [4.8/5 on Product Hunt](https://www.producthunt.com/products/krisp) (45).

### Cheaper than Voibe Work. What the extra $53 buys

- **Dictation in the same plan:** Krisp Core plus Wispr Flow Pro is $240 a year. Voibe Work is $91 (37.9%) less.
- **Where summaries are made:** Krisp generates its summaries on Microsoft Azure. Voibe Work uses open-source models on zero-retention providers and saves notes on your computer.
- **Lifetime, for 5+ years:** $399 once (currently offered) passes Krisp Core after about 4.2 years. Over 5 years it's $81 (16.9%) less, at today's prices.

## 6. Anarlog (Formerly Hyprnote): Best Open-Source No-Bot Note Taker

[Anarlog](https://anarlog.so/) is the open-source meeting notepad that started as Hyprnote. The name changed twice: Hyprnote became Char, then Anarlog. char.com is now a different app.

It listens to your device audio, can transcribe on your machine, and keeps notes in a local SQLite database. Cloud sync is off by default. The community app is MIT-licensed ([GitHub](https://github.com/fastrepl/anarlog)).

- macOS, Windows and Linux (the only native Linux app here); mobile due in October
- Free: unlimited on-device transcription, bring your own AI keys
- Pro: $14/mo or $140/yr, with system-wide dictation, cloud transcription, better speaker identification and encrypted sync

The catch: the free plan only has manual speaker labels, and hosted Pro sends audio to Deepgram, Soniox or AssemblyAI and summaries to Claude. Setting up local models is more work than a polished app. Rated [4.8/5 on Product Hunt](https://www.producthunt.com/products/hyprnote) from 5 reviews. For more open-source options, see our [open-source dictation roundup](https://www.getvoibe.com/resources/best-open-source-wispr-flow-alternatives/).

### Cheaper than Voibe Work. What the extra $9 buys

- **If you like setting things up:** Anarlog Free costs nothing and transcribes on your computer. Voibe Work doesn't beat that on price.
- **Any Mac, no setup:** Anarlog's on-device transcription needs Apple Silicon and macOS 15 or later. Voibe Work covers Intel Macs and Windows, with no keys or local models.
- **Lifetime, for 4 years:** $399 once (currently offered) is $161 (28.8%) less than four years of Pro ($560), at today's prices.

## 7. Bluedot: Best No-Bot Note Taker for Video and Every Platform

[Bluedot](https://www.bluedothq.com/) captures meetings through a Chrome extension or a desktop app, and can record video. It covers Chrome, Mac, Windows, iOS, Android and Apple Watch. It now also offers an optional bot.

Bluedot says "Customer data is never used to train or improve AI models" and supports EU data residency ([Bluedot security](https://www.bluedothq.com/security)). Recordings, transcripts and notes are stored in its AWS cloud.

- Free: 5 meetings, for life
- Basic: $18/user/mo, or $14 annually, audio only, 1 hour max per recording
- Pro: $25/user/mo, or $20 annually, with video and no time cap
- Business: $39/user/mo, or $32 annually, with CRM and SSO

The catch: everything lives in the cloud, and if you cancel you lose your recordings after one month. Rated [4.7/5 on the Chrome Web Store](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/bluedot-ai-notetaker-meet/aeeninnnlhgaojlolnbpljadhbionlal) (200 ratings) and [4.72/5 on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/bluedot-ai-note-taker/id6754837598) (236).

### Basic is $1 a month cheaper. What Voibe Work's extra dollar buys

- **Annual billing flips it:** Basic is $168 a year billed annually, so Voibe Work's $149 is $19 less.
- **No length cap:** Basic stops each recording at 1 hour. Bluedot Pro removes the cap for $240 a year; Voibe Work has none and is $91 (37.9%) less.
- **Notes you keep:** Bluedot deletes recordings a month after you cancel. Voibe Work saves notes on your computer.
- **Lower risk to try:** a 30-day money-back guarantee. Bluedot says payments are non-refundable.

Switching away from Bluedot? Export first: Bluedot deletes your recordings after you cancel. Our [Bluedot alternatives](https://www.getvoibe.com/resources/bluedot-alternatives/) guide has the switching checklist and nine replacements.

## 8. Tactiq: Best Free No-Bot Chrome Extension

[Tactiq](https://tactiq.io/) is a Chrome and Edge extension that live-transcribes Google Meet, Zoom and Teams in the browser. It has 1,000,000 users and a [4.8/5 rating](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/tactiq-ai-note-taker-for/fggkaccpbmombhnjkjokndojfgagejfb) from 4.3K ratings on the Chrome Web Store.

For Zoom, it reads live captions: the host has to turn on automated captions, and you have to join in Chrome or Edge, not the Zoom app ([Tactiq help](https://help.tactiq.io/en/articles/9530151-how-to-use-tactiq-with-zoom)). A beta Mac app covers Zoom desktop calls.

- Free: 10 transcripts a month
- Pro: $12/mo, or $8 annually ($96/yr)
- Team: $20/user/mo, or $16.67 annually

The catch: browser meetings only, no in-person capture, and AI features run on OpenAI's API ([Tactiq privacy center](https://tactiq.io/privacy/privacy-center)). Transcripts are kept in Tactiq's cloud unless you send them elsewhere.

### Cheaper than Voibe Work. What the extra $53 buys

- **If 10 transcripts a month is enough:** Tactiq Free costs nothing and is the cheaper pick.
- **Beyond the browser:** Voibe Work records any meeting app on your Mac or Windows PC. It also records in-person meetings through your Mac or PC's mic.
- **Dictation in the same plan:** Tactiq Pro plus Wispr Flow Pro is $240 a year. Voibe Work is $91 (37.9%) less.
- **Where the AI runs:** Tactiq uses OpenAI's API and keeps transcripts in its cloud. Voibe Work uses open-source models on zero-retention providers.

## Other No-Bot Note Takers Worth Knowing

### Notion AI Meeting Notes

Built into the Notion desktop app on Mac and Windows. It captures system audio and your mic, and the notes land straight in your Notion pages. It needs Notion's Business plan ($20 per member per month billed annually). Audio goes to AI sub-processors including OpenAI, Anthropic and AssemblyAI, and Notion says speaker labels aren't reliable in group meetings ([Notion help](https://www.notion.com/help/ai-meeting-notes)).

### Wispr Flow Notetaker

Wispr Flow, the dictation app, now includes a bot-free notetaker on Mac and Windows. The free plan has limited Notetaker access, Pro ($15 a month, or $12 billed annually) adds longer Notetaker history, and unlimited Notetaker access needs the Growth plan with the Notetaker add-on ($33 a month, or $26 billed annually) ([Wispr pricing](https://wisprflow.ai/pricing)). Our [Wispr Flow pricing](https://www.getvoibe.com/resources/wispr-flow-pricing/) breakdown shows what that $312 a year buys against Pro's $144. Pro is $5 a year cheaper than Voibe Work.

Wispr says meeting audio is "stored only temporarily on your device and, in some cases, in secure cloud storage", and that you can opt out of model training ([Wispr Notetaker](https://wisprflow.ai/notetaker)). Its help center adds two things the Notetaker page doesn't: transcripts and summaries are stored in Wispr's US cloud with no setting to turn that off, and the training setting is on by default for Free and Pro. We compare it line by line in [Wispr Flow Notetaker vs Voibe Work](https://www.getvoibe.com/resources/wispr-flow-notetaker-vs-voibe-work/); our [Wispr Flow review](https://www.getvoibe.com/resources/wispr-flow-review/) covers the dictation side.

### Laxis

Laxis bundles meeting notes with a voice keyboard for dictation. Its desktop app records on Mac and Windows with no bot, its Chrome extension works from the meeting's own captions, and an optional bot is available. Premium is $9.99 a month billed yearly ($119.88), with 2,000 minutes shared between meetings and dictation. Its privacy policy, dated July 17, 2020, names no AI vendor and doesn't address training. We compare it with nine other options in our [Laxis alternatives](https://www.getvoibe.com/resources/laxis-alternatives/) guide.

Premium is $29.12 a year less than Voibe Work, but Laxis Business, its uncapped plan, costs $239.88: $90.88 more.

### Meetily

An open-source (MIT) app that transcribes 100% locally with Whisper or Parakeet. Community edition is free; Pro is $120 a year per device and adds speaker diarization. Mac builds are Apple Silicon only ([GitHub](https://github.com/Zackriya-Solutions/meetily)). That's $29 less than Voibe Work, whose one seat covers Intel Macs and Windows.

### Bot tools that added a no-bot mode

Most bot tools now record from your computer too. If your team already pays for one, check this mode before switching:

- **Otter**: a Mac and Windows desktop app records "without a bot in the meeting" ([Otter](https://otter.ai/desktop)). Otter still trains its own models on de-identified audio and transcripts. Pro is $99.96 a year, $49.04 less than Voibe Work.
- **Fireflies**: the desktop app records system audio, "does not save audio or video files", and labels speakers as Speaker 1 and Speaker 2 (Fireflies' help center). Pro is $29 a year cheaper than Voibe Work. Our [Fireflies pricing breakdown](https://www.getvoibe.com/resources/fireflies-pricing/) covers its storage caps and AI credits, and [Is Fireflies safe?](https://www.getvoibe.com/resources/is-fireflies-safe/) covers where the notes live.
- **Fathom**: bot-free capture is a Mac-only beta, included on the free plan ([Fathom pricing](https://www.fathom.ai/pricing)).
- **Fellow, Circleback, Read AI and tl;dv** all have desktop modes ([Fellow](https://help.fellow.ai/en/articles/12015496-desktop-botless-recording), [Circleback](https://support.circleback.ai/en/articles/10460578-record-meetings-with-the-desktop-app), [Read AI](https://www.getvoibe.com/resources/is-read-ai-safe/), [tl;dv](https://intercom.help/tldv/en/articles/14433337-recording-without-a-bot)). tl;dv's is audio only. If you're leaving Read AI, our [Read AI alternatives guide](https://www.getvoibe.com/resources/read-ai-alternatives/) ranks the bot-free options.

### The note takers already built into Zoom, Teams and Meet

If every call happens in one platform, its own assistant needs no bot and no extra app:

- **Zoom:** meeting summaries are included on paid plans (Pro is $14.16/user/mo billed annually), and free accounts get summaries for 3 hosted meetings a month ([Zoom pricing](https://zoom.us/pricing)). Zoom's My Notes also transcribes other platforms' calls from your computer. Zoom says it doesn't use your meeting content to train AI.
- **Microsoft Teams:** intelligent recap needs a Teams Premium or Microsoft 365 Copilot license, with transcription turned on ([Microsoft Learn](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/intelligent-recap-calls-meetings)). Microsoft 365 Copilot is $30 per user per month, paid yearly.
- **Google Meet:** Gemini's "Take notes for me" shows everyone a pencil icon and saves notes to the organiser's Drive ([Google help](https://support.google.com/meet/answer/14754931)). From September 21, 2026 it's on by default for Business Standard and Plus meetings with 3 or more guests ([Google](https://knowledge.workspace.google.com/admin/meet/upcoming-changes-to-automatic-note-taking)).

The catch: each one only covers its own platform, and the host's plan decides whether it runs. If you're a guest in a client's Teams call, their settings apply, not yours.

If you're an RIA or broker-dealer rep, bot-free capture is only half the question; our ranking of the [best AI meeting note takers for financial advisors](https://www.getvoibe.com/resources/best-ai-meeting-note-taker-for-financial-advisors/) also covers what your firm has to archive under SEC Rule 204-2 and FINRA Rule 4511.

Deal teams at banks, private equity firms and funds face confidentiality and archiving questions instead, covered in our [best AI meeting note takers for finance teams](https://www.getvoibe.com/resources/best-ai-meeting-note-taker-for-finance/). Health systems that ban meeting bots also need a BAA, which our [AI meeting note takers for healthcare](https://www.getvoibe.com/resources/best-ai-meeting-note-taker-for-healthcare/) ranks plan by plan. Nonprofits can compare every vendor's nonprofit discount in [AI meeting note takers for nonprofits](https://www.getvoibe.com/resources/best-ai-meeting-note-taker-for-nonprofits/).

Fathom joins the call as a bot by default and its bot-free capture runs on Macs only, so it sits outside this list; our [Fathom alternatives guide](https://www.getvoibe.com/resources/fathom-alternatives/) covers the no-bot options for people moving off it, and [Is Fathom safe?](https://www.getvoibe.com/resources/is-fathom-safe/) explains where Fathom keeps your recordings.

Don't mind a bot in the call? Our ranking of the [best AI meeting note takers](https://www.getvoibe.com/resources/best-ai-meeting-note-takers/) includes the bot-based tools too, compared on where notes live, training defaults and what a year costs.

## Bot-Free Doesn't Mean Consent-Free

A no-bot note taker is invisible by design. That makes consent your job, not the app's.

About a dozen US states, including California, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Washington, require everyone in a private conversation to agree to a recording. [Justia keeps a 50-state survey](https://www.justia.com/50-state-surveys/recording-phone-calls-and-conversations/). If one person on the call is in one of those states, plan for everyone's consent. Our [state-by-state recording consent guide](https://www.getvoibe.com/resources/ai-notetaker-recording-consent-laws/) lists the rule for all 50 states and DC.

This isn't hypothetical. [Chamberlain v. Granola](https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/73698016/chamberlain-v-granola-inc/) was brought by a meeting participant, not a Granola user. She says she never knew Granola was running.

### What each app does to help

- **Voibe Work** reminds you to tell everyone when recording starts.
- **Granola** can post a chat notice and add a video watermark, but both are off until you turn them on. Only Enterprise admins can enforce them.
- **Notion** can play a consent message, and workspace owners can require it.
- **Fireflies' desktop mode** offers a chat message (Mac only), an audio message and a camera watermark.

### A disclosure script that takes five seconds

Say it at the start, or put it in the invite:

> "Quick note: I'm using an AI note taker that transcribes this call so I can focus. It doesn't join as a bot. Is everyone okay with that?"

If anyone says no, turn it off and take notes by hand or by dictation afterwards. This is general information, not legal advice.

> **Warning:** No app can get consent for you. Tell everyone on the call, every time, and check the rules where each participant is located.

## How to Choose a No-Bot Meeting Note Taker

### 1. Must your notes stay off the vendor's servers?

- **Yes, on Mac or Windows** → Voibe Work.
- **Yes, and the audio must never leave your computer** → Quill Meetings (Mac and Windows).
- **Yes, and you want open source or Linux** → Anarlog.
- **No** → question 2.

### 2. Must the data stay in the EU?

- **Yes** → Jamie, or Bluedot with EU residency.
- **No** → question 3.

### 3. Do you meet only in the browser?

- **Yes, and you want free** → Tactiq.
- **No** → question 4.

### 4. Do you also want dictation or noise cancellation?

- **Dictation** → Voibe Work or Wispr Flow Notetaker (both on Mac and Windows).
- **Noise cancellation** → Krisp.
- **Neither, and you want every platform** → Granola or Bluedot. Turn off training in Granola's settings.

## Best No-Bot Note Taker for Your Situation

| Situation | Best choice | Why |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Lawyer on Mac or Windows taking client calls | **Voibe Work** | Notes saved on your computer, never trained on, BAA on request (see our [AI note takers for lawyers](https://www.getvoibe.com/resources/best-ai-meeting-note-taker-for-lawyers/)) |
| Therapist or clinician on Mac or Windows | **Voibe Work** | Audio deleted after processing; notes not kept on Voibe's servers (therapy-specific tools compared in our [AI note takers for therapists](https://www.getvoibe.com/resources/best-ai-meeting-note-taker-for-therapists/)) |
| Financial advisor who wants transcription on the device | **Quill Meetings** | Local transcription on Mac or Windows, SOC 2 Type II |
| Team in Germany or France | **Jamie** | EU-only storage and processing, ISO 27001 |
| Founder in back-to-back calls on every device | **Granola** | Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android; turn off training |
| Sales rep who wants video clips | **Bluedot** | Video recording without a bot, CRM on Business |
| Remote worker in a noisy home | **Krisp** | Noise cancellation and notes in one app |
| Google Workspace user on a budget | **Tactiq** | Free Chrome extension, 10 transcripts a month |
| Developer on Linux | **Anarlog** | Native Linux app, MIT-licensed, local database |
| Writer who dictates and takes meetings | **Voibe Work** | Dictation and meeting notes in one plan |
| Team already living in Notion | **Notion AI Meeting Notes** | Notes land in your workspace; needs the Business plan |
| Running user interviews or customer discovery | **Voibe Work** or a research tool | No bot tile for participants to react to; compare both in [AI note takers for user interviews](https://www.getvoibe.com/resources/best-ai-note-taker-for-user-interviews/) |
| Already paying for Fireflies, Fellow or Circleback | **Their desktop mode** | Same tool, no bot |

## Frequently Asked Questions About No-Bot Meeting Note Takers

### No-Bot Basics

**What is a no-bot meeting note taker?**

A no-bot meeting note taker is an app that records and transcribes a meeting from your own computer, using your microphone and system audio, instead of sending a bot to join the call. Nothing appears in the participant list. Voibe Work, Granola, Quill Meetings, Jamie, Krisp and Anarlog all work this way.

**Which AI note takers don't join the meeting as a bot?**

Voibe Work, Granola, Quill Meetings, Jamie, Krisp, Anarlog, Bluedot, Tactiq, Notion AI Meeting Notes, Wispr Flow Notetaker and Meetily all work without a bot. Fellow, Circleback and Fireflies also offer a desktop mode that records without their bot.

**Do no-bot note takers work for in-person meetings?**

Some do. Jamie, Krisp, Bluedot, Quill and Granola capture in-person meetings, usually through a phone app. Voibe Work records in-person meetings through your Mac or PC's mic, with the same deletion and on-your-computer storage as calls, but has no phone app. Since October 2026 one Voibe Work meeting can run up to 4 hours, so a half-day workshop fits in one recording ([the October update](https://www.getvoibe.com/resources/voibe-free-plan-meeting-notes-windows/)). Tactiq only works in the browser.

**Why do meeting bots miss meetings?**

A meeting bot joins as a guest, so someone has to admit it. Hosts can decline it, Google Meet sends some join requests to a second queue where the default is to deny entry, and Microsoft Teams tags third-party bots in the lobby so organisers admit them separately (what that means for each tool: [AI note takers for Microsoft Teams](https://www.getvoibe.com/resources/best-ai-note-taker-for-microsoft-teams/)). If the bot isn't let in, that meeting has no notes. A no-bot note taker records from your own computer, so there's nothing to admit.

### Privacy and Consent

**Are no-bot note takers more private than meeting bots?**

Not automatically. A no-bot tool keeps the bot out of the call, but the transcript can still be stored on the vendor's servers and used for training. Voibe Work, Quill and Anarlog keep notes on your computer. Granola, Krisp, Bluedot and Tactiq store them in the vendor's cloud.

**Is it legal to use a no-bot note taker without telling people?**

It depends on where participants are. About a dozen US states, including California, Florida and Illinois, require everyone's consent to record a private conversation. The safest habit is to tell everyone at the start of every call. Voibe Work reminds you to do this when recording starts. This is general information, not legal advice.

**Which no-bot note takers train AI on your meetings?**

Granola uses anonymised data for its own model improvements by default on its Free and Business plans, until each user opts out. Jamie, Bluedot, Quill, Krisp and Voibe Work say they don't train on your meeting data. Wispr Flow lets you opt out of training.

**Where does Voibe Work store meeting notes?**

On your computer. Meeting audio is processed by open-source models on zero-retention cloud providers and deleted as soon as processing completes. The transcript and summary are saved on your Mac or Windows PC, not on Voibe's servers, and are never used to train AI.

### Pricing

**What is the cheapest no-bot meeting note taker?**

Tactiq and Quill have free plans: Tactiq allows 10 transcripts a month, and Quill offers unlimited local transcription. Among paid plans, Quill Lite is $83.88 a year, and Krisp Core and Tactiq Pro are $96 a year when billed annually.

**How much does Voibe Work cost?**

Voibe Work costs $19 per seat per month, $149 per year, or $399 once for lifetime access. It includes Voibe's dictation app. There's a 7-day free trial with no credit card and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

**Which no-bot note taker includes a dictation app?**

Voibe Work includes Voibe's dictation app on Mac and Windows in the same $149-a-year plan, with unlimited dictation and meetings. Monologue, Wispr Flow, Anarlog and OpenWhispr also bundle dictation with meeting notes, at $144 to $312 a year for their uncapped plans, and none offers a lifetime option. Granola doesn't include dictation.

**Is Voibe Work cheaper than Granola?**

Yes, on an annual plan. Granola Business is $14 a month billed monthly only, or $168 a year. Voibe Work's annual plan is $149, which is $19 (11.3%) less; month to month, Voibe Work ($19) costs $5 more than Granola Business. Voibe Work's $399 lifetime seat saves $105 over three years compared with Granola Business. Compared with Granola Business plus Wispr Flow Pro ($312 a year), Voibe Work saves $163 a year.

### Platforms

**Is there a no-bot note taker for Windows?**

Yes. Voibe Work, Quill Meetings, Granola, Jamie, Krisp, Anarlog, Bluedot, Wispr Flow Notetaker and Notion AI Meeting Notes run on Windows. Voibe Work's meeting notes and its dictation app both run on Windows, with the notes saved on your computer.

**Is there an open-source no-bot note taker?**

Yes. Anarlog (formerly Hyprnote) and Meetily are open source under the MIT license. Both can transcribe on your own computer. Anarlog also runs on Linux.

## Final Verdict: The Best No-Bot Meeting Note Taker in 2026

Every tool here keeps the bot out of your call. Pick based on where the notes go.

- **Want the most polished app on every device?** Pick Granola, and turn off training.
- **Want notes that never sit on a vendor's server, on Mac or Windows?** Pick [Voibe Work](https://www.getvoibe.com/). $149 a year, with dictation included.
- **Want the audio itself to stay on your computer?** Pick Quill Meetings (Mac and Windows).
- **Need EU data residency?** Pick Jamie.

More reading:

- [The best Granola alternatives](https://www.getvoibe.com/resources/granola-alternatives/), compared on where your meeting data goes
- [The Granola lawsuit, explained](https://www.getvoibe.com/resources/granola-lawsuit/)
- [Otter AI alternatives](https://www.getvoibe.com/resources/otter-ai-alternatives/), if you're leaving a meeting bot
- [Dictation vs note taker vs meeting assistant](https://www.getvoibe.com/resources/dictation-vs-notetaker-vs-meeting-assistant-vs-transcription/), if you're not sure which category you need

[Try Voibe Work free for 7 days →](https://voibe.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/releases/current/voibe.dmg) No credit card. Meeting notes and dictation on Mac and Windows.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is a no-bot meeting note taker?

A no-bot meeting note taker is an app that records and transcribes a meeting from your own computer, using your microphone and system audio, instead of sending a bot to join the call. Nothing appears in the participant list. Voibe Work, Granola, Quill Meetings, Jamie, Krisp and Anarlog all work this way.

### Which AI note takers don't join the meeting as a bot?

Voibe Work, Granola, Quill Meetings, Jamie, Krisp, Anarlog, Bluedot, Tactiq, Notion AI Meeting Notes, Wispr Flow Notetaker and Meetily all work without a bot. Fellow, Circleback and Fireflies also offer a desktop mode that records without their bot.

### Do no-bot note takers work for in-person meetings?

Some do. Jamie, Krisp, Bluedot, Quill and Granola capture in-person meetings, usually through a phone app. Voibe Work records in-person meetings through your Mac or PC's mic, with the same deletion and on-your-computer storage as calls, but has no phone app. Tactiq only works in the browser.

### Why do meeting bots miss meetings?

A meeting bot joins as a guest, so someone has to admit it. Hosts can decline it, Google Meet sends some join requests to a second queue where the default is to deny entry, and Microsoft Teams tags third-party bots in the lobby so organisers admit them separately. If the bot isn't let in, that meeting has no notes. A no-bot note taker records from your own computer, so there's nothing to admit.

### Are no-bot note takers more private than meeting bots?

Not automatically. A no-bot tool keeps the bot out of the call, but the transcript can still be stored on the vendor's servers and used for training. Voibe Work, Quill and Anarlog keep notes on your computer. Granola, Krisp, Bluedot and Tactiq store them in the vendor's cloud.

### Is it legal to use a no-bot note taker without telling people?

It depends on where participants are. About a dozen US states, including California, Florida and Illinois, require everyone's consent to record a private conversation. The safest habit is to tell everyone at the start of every call. Voibe Work reminds you to do this when recording starts. This is general information, not legal advice.

### Which no-bot note takers train AI on your meetings?

Granola uses anonymised data for its own model improvements by default on its Free and Business plans, until each user opts out. Jamie, Bluedot, Quill, Krisp and Voibe Work say they don't train on your meeting data. Wispr Flow lets you opt out of training.

### Where does Voibe Work store meeting notes?

On your computer. Meeting audio is processed by open-source models on zero-retention cloud providers and deleted as soon as processing completes. The transcript and summary are saved on your Mac or Windows PC, not on Voibe's servers, and are never used to train AI.

### What is the cheapest no-bot meeting note taker?

Tactiq and Quill have free plans: Tactiq allows 10 transcripts a month, and Quill offers unlimited local transcription. Among paid plans, Quill Lite is $83.88 a year, and Krisp Core and Tactiq Pro are $96 a year when billed annually.

### How much does Voibe Work cost?

Voibe Work costs $19 per seat per month, $149 per year, or $399 once for lifetime access. It includes Voibe's dictation app. There's a 7-day free trial with no credit card and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

### Which no-bot note taker includes a dictation app?

Voibe Work includes Voibe's dictation app on Mac and Windows in the same $149-a-year plan, with unlimited dictation and meetings. Monologue, Wispr Flow, Anarlog and OpenWhispr also bundle dictation with meeting notes, at $144 to $312 a year for their uncapped plans, and none offers a lifetime option. Granola doesn't include dictation.

### Is Voibe Work cheaper than Granola?

Yes, on an annual plan. Granola Business is $14 a month billed monthly only, or $168 a year. Voibe Work's annual plan is $149, which is $19 (11.3%) less; month to month, Voibe Work ($19) costs $5 more than Granola Business. Voibe Work's $399 lifetime seat saves $105 over three years compared with Granola Business. Compared with Granola Business plus Wispr Flow Pro ($312 a year), Voibe Work saves $163 a year.

### Is there a no-bot note taker for Windows?

Yes. Voibe Work, Quill Meetings, Granola, Jamie, Krisp, Anarlog, Bluedot, Wispr Flow Notetaker and Notion AI Meeting Notes run on Windows. Voibe Work's meeting notes and its dictation app both run on Windows, with the notes saved on your computer.

### Is there an open-source no-bot note taker?

Yes. Anarlog (formerly Hyprnote) and Meetily are open source under the MIT license. Both can transcribe on your own computer. Anarlog also runs on Linux.

## Related

- [Best Granola Alternatives](https://www.getvoibe.com/resources/granola-alternatives/): Nine picks compared on privacy, price and platforms.
- [The Granola Lawsuit, Explained](https://www.getvoibe.com/resources/granola-lawsuit/): What Chamberlain v. Granola alleges about invisible capture.
- [Is Otter Safe?](https://www.getvoibe.com/resources/is-otter-safe/): The bot-based side of the consent question.
- [Zero Data Retention, Explained](https://www.getvoibe.com/resources/zero-data-retention/): What a retention promise actually covers.