Best AI Note-Taking Apps in 2026: Otter vs Notion vs Obsidian and More

Taking notes during a meeting while actually participating in that meeting never worked well. Something always got missed.

AI note-taking apps fix this problem completely. They record, transcribe, summarize, and organize while you focus on the actual conversation. Some join meetings automatically so you do not even need to remember to start them.

But the category has exploded with options. Meeting transcription apps, general note-taking with AI features, personal knowledge management systems. Each serves different needs.

Here is what actually matters when choosing.

Two Different Categories

AI note-taking tools split into two distinct types:

Meeting-Focused Tools Apps like Otter and Fireflies specialize in capturing spoken conversations. They join meetings, transcribe in real-time, identify speakers, and generate summaries. If your primary need is meeting notes, these are purpose-built for it.

General Note-Taking with AI Apps like Notion and Obsidian handle all kinds of notes - meeting notes, project documentation, personal thoughts, research. AI features enhance the writing and organization process rather than focusing on transcription.

Some people need both types. Others need only one. Understanding which category fits your workflow matters more than chasing the "best" app.

Best Meeting Transcription Apps

Otter.ai

Otter set the standard for AI meeting transcription. It joins calls, transcribes in real-time, and generates summaries automatically.

What It Does Well:

• Real-time transcription during meetings
• Speaker identification after initial setup
• Live collaboration - team members can edit and comment as conversation happens
• AI-generated summaries and action items
• Works with Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams

Free Plan: 300 minutes of transcription monthly. Enough for light meeting loads, tight for heavy schedules.

Paid Plans: Pro starts at $10/month with 1200 minutes. Business adds team features at $20/month.

Best For: Individuals and small teams who primarily need meeting transcription.

Limitations:

• Only supports English, French, and Spanish
• Integrations are limited compared to Fireflies
• Less effective with heavy accents or poor audio

Fireflies.ai

Fireflies positions itself as the meeting intelligence platform. Beyond transcription, it offers analytics and deep integrations.

What It Does Well:

• Transcription in 60+ languages
• Sentiment analysis of conversations
• Action item extraction
• CRM integration (Salesforce, HubSpot)
• 50+ app integrations
• Works with more platforms (including WebEx, GoToMeeting, Dialpad)

Free Plan: 3 transcription credits (about 120 minutes) plus 800 minutes storage.

Paid Plans: Pro at $10/month. Business adds advanced analytics at $19/month.

Why Choose Fireflies Over Otter:

• Need non-English transcription
• Want CRM integration
• Manage large teams and need admin controls
• Care about meeting analytics and sentiment

Otter vs Fireflies Comparison

Other Meeting Transcription Options

Grain Captures video highlights alongside transcription. Tag specific moments and share clips. Good for sales teams who review call recordings.

Avoma Combines meeting transcription with revenue intelligence. Built for sales teams tracking deals through conversations.

Fathom Free meeting assistant focused on simplicity. Records, transcribes, and highlights key moments without overwhelming features.

Best General Note-Taking with AI

Notion AI

Notion transformed from a note-taking app into a workspace platform. Notion AI adds powerful assistance throughout.

AI Capabilities:

• Write and edit text with AI assistance
• Summarize long documents
• Generate outlines and brainstorm ideas
• Translate content
• Extract action items from meeting notes
• Answer questions about your workspace content

New in 2026: Notion released an AI meeting assistant that joins Zoom, Teams, and Google Meet calls. It transcribes conversations and adds notes directly to your Notion workspace.

Pricing: Notion is free for personal use with limited blocks. Plus at $12/month adds unlimited blocks. AI features require Plus or higher plans, with AI capabilities fully included at Business tier ($24/month).

Best For:

• Teams collaborating on documents and projects
• People who want notes, tasks, and wikis in one place
• Anyone already using Notion who wants AI enhancement

For a deeper dive, see our Notion AI guide.

Obsidian

Obsidian takes the opposite approach from Notion. Notes live as local markdown files on your device, not in the cloud.

Core Philosophy:

• Your data stays on your computer
• Plain text files work forever
• Links between notes create a knowledge graph
• Community plugins extend functionality infinitely

AI Through Plugins: Obsidian itself does not include AI, but community plugins add powerful capabilities:

• Smart Compose for AI writing assistance
• Text Generator for content expansion
• Copilot for chat-based interaction with your notes
• Various LLM integrations (local or cloud-based)

Why Choose Obsidian:

• Privacy matters - notes never leave your device unless you choose
• You want ownership of your data in portable formats
• Building a personal knowledge base over years
• Technical comfort with plugins and customization

Pricing: Free for personal use. Sync ($5/month) and Publish ($10/month) are optional add-ons.

Best For: Researchers, writers, and knowledge workers who prioritize privacy and long-term data ownership.

Notion vs Obsidian Comparison

Other Notable Options

Reflect Combines networked note-taking (like Obsidian) with AI assistance (like Notion). Cloud-based with end-to-end encryption for privacy.

Mem AI-first note-taking that organizes and surfaces relevant notes automatically. Good for people who hate organizing but want information findable.

Craft Beautiful design with solid AI features. Native Mac/iOS app with strong cross-device experience.

Best for Specific Use Cases

For Students

Top Pick: Notion AI Students benefit from Notion's structure - courses, assignments, and notes organized clearly. AI helps with studying: summarize readings, generate study guides, explain complex concepts.

Alternative: NotebookLM from Google excels at research and analysis of source materials.

For Researchers

Top Pick: Obsidian Long-term research needs portable, permanent notes. Obsidian's local markdown files and linking system builds knowledge bases that last decades. Add AI plugins for analysis without sacrificing data ownership.

For Sales Teams

Top Pick: Fireflies + CRM Integration Sales conversations drive revenue. Fireflies captures them and pushes insights directly to Salesforce or HubSpot. See sentiment trends, track action items, never lose deal context.

For Writers

Top Pick: Notion AI or Obsidian with AI Plugins Writers need both capture (ideas, research) and creation (drafting, editing). Notion AI assists throughout the writing process. Obsidian with Text Generator plugin offers similar capabilities with local control.

For Remote Teams

Top Pick: Otter or Fireflies + Notion Capture every meeting with transcription tools. Store and organize in Notion where everyone collaborates. The combination covers both synchronous and asynchronous work.

Privacy Considerations

Cloud-based note-taking raises legitimate privacy concerns.

Notion and Otter: Your notes live on their servers. Both companies have privacy policies and security measures, but your data exists outside your control. For sensitive information, consider whether cloud storage fits your risk tolerance.

Obsidian: Notes stay local unless you use their Sync service (which offers end-to-end encryption). Maximum privacy but requires managing your own backups.

Fireflies: Records meetings and stores transcripts. Verify that recording meetings complies with your organization's policies and applicable laws.

For more on AI privacy, see our AI privacy guide.

Getting Started

If You Primarily Need Meeting Notes

1. Start with Otter's free plan
2. Connect to your calendar for automatic joining
3. Test transcription quality with your typical meeting audio
4. Upgrade or try Fireflies if you need more languages or integrations

If You Want General Note-Taking with AI

1. Try Notion's free plan for personal use
2. Explore AI features (summarize, write, brainstorm)
3. If privacy concerns arise, evaluate Obsidian with plugins
4. Build your system gradually rather than migrating everything at once

If You Need Both

1. Use Fireflies or Otter for meeting capture
2. Export transcripts to Notion or Obsidian for organization
3. Some tools integrate directly (Notion + various transcription services)
4. Keep meeting notes separate from permanent knowledge base

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Over-Relying on Transcription AI transcription is good, not perfect. Important meetings deserve review of the transcript for errors. Do not share or act on AI summaries without checking accuracy.

Tool Hopping The best note system is the one you actually use. Switching tools constantly prevents building a useful archive. Pick something, commit for three months, then evaluate.

Ignoring Organization AI can transcribe everything, but mountains of unorganized notes provide little value. Build consistent organization from the start - tags, folders, or links depending on your tool.

Forgetting Consent Recording meetings requires consent in many jurisdictions. Ensure participants know when recording starts. Most AI tools announce their presence, but verify compliance with local laws.

What Comes Next

AI note-taking continues evolving rapidly:

Better Meeting Understanding Beyond transcription, AI will understand context, track decisions across meetings, and proactively surface relevant past discussions.

Cross-Tool Intelligence Your notes in Notion will inform your meeting summaries in Fireflies will connect to your tasks in ClickUp. Walls between tools will dissolve.

Voice-First Capture Speak thoughts anytime, anywhere. AI will transcribe, organize, and connect to relevant existing notes without manual effort.

The tools available today already transform how people capture and use information. Starting now builds habits and archives that compound over time.

Related Resources

• AI Meeting Notes Tools - Deeper dive on meeting transcription
• Notion AI Guide - Complete Notion AI walkthrough
• Best AI Tools for Students - Academic note-taking focus
• How to Use ChatGPT for Work - General AI productivity
• Best Free AI Tools 2026 - More free productivity tools
• AI for Beginners - Getting started with AI