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The best Google Meet recorders

The best Google Meet recorder for most people is Callbox: a Chrome extension that records the call with no bot, names each speaker, and saves the audio and transcript to your own Google Drive, host or not. Google Meet's own recording needs a paid Workspace plan and saves to the organizer's Drive.

Updated . Callbox makes this guide and ranks itself first where it fits; every fact about another product links to its source, checked on .

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Can Google Meet record a meeting on its own?

Yes, on some plans. Google Meet records on paid Google Workspace editions such as Business Standard and Business Plus, on Workspace Individual, and with a Google One plan of 2 TB or more. A Workspace administrator must turn recording on, and the recording goes to the meeting organizer's Google Drive, in a "Google Meet" folder.[1]

Hosts can record by default; other people in the call can record only in some cases, and no one can record a meeting whose host can't. A Chrome extension records the call from your own tab, so it needs neither the host nor a Workspace plan.[1]

At a glance

The best Google Meet recorders compared
RankProductBest forPaid plans from
1CallboxMeet calls in your own Drive, with speaker names, as host or guestPro: $29 a month, or $290 a year
2Tactiqa live Meet transcript from captions, when text is enoughPro: $12 a month, or $96 a year billed yearly[4][7]
3Fireflies.aiMeet summaries, with its bot-free Meet extensionPro: $18 a seat a month, or $10 a seat a month billed yearly ($120 a year)[15][17][21]
4Bluedota bot-free Meet extension with summaries, in Chrome, Edge, Brave or ArcBasic: $18 a user a month, or $14 a user a month billed yearly[30]
5Otter.aia live Meet transcript on a free planPro: $16.99 a user a month, or $8.33 a user a month billed yearly[38]
6Read AIMeet reports, with Google Meet native recordingPro: $19.75 a user a month, or $15 a user a month billed yearly[57][58]
7GranolaMeet notes from a desktop appBusiness: $14 a user a month, billed monthly only[62][69][70][71]
8Fathomfree Meet video recording with a botPremium: $20 a user a month, or $16 a month billed yearly[73]
9tl;dvMeet video with a bot, and AI notesPro: $29 a seat a month, or $216 a seat a year, which is $18 a month[91][83][92][82][90]

How we ranked them

  1. It records Google Meet whether or not you are the host, with no admin setting
  2. Whether a bot joins the call
  3. What it keeps: audio, video or only text, and the names of the speakers
  4. Where the recording goes, and whether it stays yours
  5. What one person and a team pay, from each vendor's pricing page

The ranking

  1. 1. Callbox

    Best for Meet calls in your own Drive, with speaker names, as host or guest

    Callbox's Chrome extension records the Meet call in your tab and your microphone with one click, so no bot joins and no admin setting is needed. It names each speaker from the call's tiles, and saves the audio and a Google Doc transcript to your own Google Drive, in a project folder chosen by who was invited.

    Bot in the call
    None: it records from your own Chrome tab, so nobody new joins the call
    The recording itself
    An audio file you play and download; the video too, on paid plans
    Where recordings are kept
    Your own Google Drive: the audio and a Google Doc transcript, a folder per project
    Transcription
    25 European languages on Callbox's engine, 99 with your own key; speaker names in Meet and Teams
    Free plan
    Unlimited recordings, saved to Google Drive; 5 hours of transcription a month, subject to availability
    Paid plans from
    Pro: $29 a month, or $290 a year
    See Callbox pricing

  2. 2. Tactiq

    Best for a live Meet transcript from captions, when text is enough

    Tactiq's extension turns Google Meet's captions into a live transcript with no bot, then writes summaries and action items. It keeps no audio, and it can save Google Doc copies of the transcripts to one Drive folder.[2][3][4][5]

    Bot in the call
    None: no bot joins; Tactiq can notify attendees in chat, and its plan list keeps notice controls for paid plans[3][6][7]
    The recording itself
    None: Tactiq "does not record or store the audio from your meetings"[3]
    Where recordings are kept
    Text in Tactiq's cloud, on Google Cloud; optional Google Doc copies in one Drive folder, no audio[8][5]
    Transcription
    From the call's captions in the browser, from system audio in the Mac app; more than 30 languages[2][9][10]
    Free plan
    10 meeting credits and 5 AI credits a month; archiving frees credits; with none left, new transcripts are preview only[11][12]
    Paid plans from
    Pro: $12 a month, or $96 a year billed yearly[4][7]
    Callbox vs Tactiq

  3. 3. Fireflies.ai

    Best for Meet summaries, with its bot-free Meet extension

    The Fireflies Chrome extension records Google Meet without a bot; elsewhere, and by default, Fireflies.ai Notetaker joins as a visible participant. It writes summaries on every plan, limited on Free, keeps calls in its own cloud and can sync copies to Google Drive.[13][14][15][16]

    Bot in the call
    Yes, by default: Fireflies.ai Notetaker joins as a visible participant; no bot on its Meet extension or desktop app[13][14]
    The recording itself
    Audio, and video when the bot joins (720p on Pro and Business, 1080p on Enterprise); downloads on Pro and up[15][13]
    Where recordings are kept
    Fireflies' cloud: 400 minutes in total on Free, 8,000 a seat on Pro; copies can sync to Google Drive[17][16]
    Transcription
    100+ languages, English primary and the rest in beta; meetings that mix languages on Business and up[18][15]
    Free plan
    New accounts: 3 meeting transcriptions, unlimited with Auto Join on; 400 minutes stored in total; 2 hours a meeting; no downloads[19][20][15]
    Paid plans from
    Pro: $18 a seat a month, or $10 a seat a month billed yearly ($120 a year)[15][17][21]
    Callbox vs Fireflies.ai

  4. 4. Bluedot

    Best for a bot-free Meet extension with summaries, in Chrome, Edge, Brave or Arc

    Bluedot's extension records Meet with nothing in the participant list, in Chrome, Edge, Brave or Arc, and names the speakers in Meet. It writes summaries and action items. It keeps calls in its own cloud, and Google Drive only imports into Bluedot.[22][23][24][25][26]

    Bot in the call
    Optional: a calendar bot joins Zoom and Meet as "[Your name]'s AI NoteTaker"; the extension records without one[27][28][29][22]
    The recording itself
    Video and audio on Pro and up, audio only on Basic; downloads as .webm, or MP4 after a small edit[30][31][32]
    Where recordings are kept
    Bluedot's cloud on AWS, in the EU by default; Google Drive only imports, with no export to it[25][33][26]
    Transcription
    Over 100 languages, auto-detected; speaker names in Meet and Teams, and in Zoom only with the desktop app[34][23]
    Free plan
    5 meetings for the life of the account, then view and share only; Chrome extension, desktop and mobile apps, Slack, Notion, Zapier and Make[30][35]
    Paid plans from
    Basic: $18 a user a month, or $14 a user a month billed yearly[30]
    Callbox vs Bluedot

  5. 5. Otter.ai

    Best for a live Meet transcript on a free plan

    Otter's Chrome extension can record a Google Meet call on your device with one click, or send Otter Notetaker to join it. Otter shows a live transcript on every plan, the free one included, and its free plan stops each transcript at 30 minutes.[36][37][38][39]

    Bot in the call
    Yes: Otter Notetaker joins Zoom, Meet and Teams as a participant. The desktop app records without it[37][40]
    The recording itself
    The audio, exported as mp3 on every plan; video replay for Zoom and Meet only on Enterprise[38][41]
    Where recordings are kept
    Otter's storage on AWS in the US; Google Drive export by hand, one conversation at a time, or automatic on Enterprise[42][43]
    Transcription
    English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese and Chinese, one per conversation; learns voices[44][45][46]
    Free plan
    Basic, with up to 300 minutes a month, 30 minutes per transcript, 3 imports in total and your 25 most recent conversations[39]
    Paid plans from
    Pro: $16.99 a user a month, or $8.33 a user a month billed yearly[38]
    Callbox vs Otter.ai

  6. 6. Read AI

    Best for Meet reports, with Google Meet native recording

    Read AI can record Meet without its bot through Google Meet native recording, after someone in the meeting approves a consent dialog; otherwise its bot joins. Its Chrome extension does not record: it spots your meetings and prompts you to add the bot.[47][48][49]

    Bot in the call
    Yes: "read.ai meeting notes" joins Zoom, Teams and Meet as a participant; on Meet, Read AI can record without it[48][50][47]
    The recording itself
    Playback and MP4 downloads on Enterprise and Enterprise+ only; Free recordings deleted after 180 days[51][52]
    Where recordings are kept
    Read AI's cloud, on AWS in Northern Virginia; a text-only Google Doc per meeting can go to your Drive[53][54]
    Transcription
    Up to 36 languages; speaker names when the bot records, none from the desktop or phone apps[55][56]
    Free plan
    5 meeting transcripts a month, counting reports others share with you; meetings up to 1 hour; no uploads or playback; recordings deleted after 180 days[57][58][51]
    Paid plans from
    Pro: $19.75 a user a month, or $15 a user a month billed yearly[57][58]
    Callbox vs Read AI

  7. 7. Granola

    Best for Meet notes from a desktop app

    Granola records Meet from its Mac or Windows app, which captures your computer's sound, and names the speakers in Google Meet. It writes notes from what you type and the transcript, and keeps no audio.[59][60][61]

    Bot in the call
    None: the desktop app captures audio from your computer, so no bot joins the call[59]
    The recording itself
    None kept: no recording to play or download; the phone apps cache audio only until it is transcribed[59][62][63]
    Where recordings are kept
    Granola's AWS servers in the US, no EU or UK residency; to Drive only as text, via Zapier on paid plans[64][65][66][67]
    Transcription
    31 languages on desktop, 17 on mobile, no daily limit; speaker names in Meet and the Zoom and Teams apps[68][69][60]
    Free plan
    Basic: no daily transcription limit; the app shows the last 30 days of notes; chat with the Auto model only; no API[62][69]
    Paid plans from
    Business: $14 a user a month, billed monthly only[62][69][70][71]
    Callbox vs Granola

  8. 8. Fathom

    Best for free Meet video recording with a bot

    Fathom's notetaker joins Google Meet as "NAME's Fathom Notetaker" and records video on every plan, the free one included. Its bot-free recorder is rolling out only in its Mac app.[72][73][74]

    Bot in the call
    Yes: "NAME's Fathom Notetaker" joins; bot-free in the Mac 3.0 app, in rollout, and a limited Teams alpha on Windows[72][74]
    The recording itself
    Video with the bot on every plan, downloaded as MP4; an MP3 audio download is "available soon"[73][75]
    Where recordings are kept
    Fathom's own cloud, with all data stored in the United States; no native Google Drive integration[76][77]
    Transcription
    38 languages with no hour cap on any plan; the bot-free Mac app does English and 19 more[78][73][74]
    Free plan
    Unlimited recordings, transcription and storage for 1 user; advanced summaries for 5 calls a month; no action items or team features[73][79]
    Paid plans from
    Premium: $20 a user a month, or $16 a month billed yearly[73]
    Callbox vs Fathom

  9. 9. tl;dv

    Best for Meet video with a bot, and AI notes

    tl;dv's Chrome extension works only in Google Meet, and clicking it invites tl;dv's bot, which Meet may show highlighted in red as a potential security risk. With the bot it records video. Free recordings are kept for 3 months.[80][81][82]

    Bot in the call
    Yes by default: a bot named after you, such as "Grace's AI Notetaker", joins as a visible participant[83][84]
    The recording itself
    Video with the bot, audio only without it; downloads need Pro, Free recordings only in the 4 weeks before deletion[81][85][82]
    Where recordings are kept
    tl;dv's cloud in Europe; Free recordings kept 3 months, paid ones until you delete the account[86][87]
    Transcription
    Over 30 languages; multi-language calls and custom vocabulary on Business; no live transcript[88][83][89]
    Free plan
    40 recordings a week; full AI notes on your first 10 meetings only; kept 3 months, downloadable in the last 4 weeks[82][86][90]
    Paid plans from
    Pro: $29 a seat a month, or $216 a seat a year, which is $18 a month[91][83][92][82][90]
    Callbox vs tl;dv

How do you record a Google Meet call if you are not the host?

With an extension that records your own tab. Google Meet's own recording lets people other than the host record only in some cases, such as a co-host from outside the host's organization, and Google says that even with permission, "you can't record a meeting if the host doesn't have them."[1]

Callbox records the Meet call you hear in your Chrome tab and your microphone, so the host does not need to allow anything. The recording goes to your own Drive, not the organizer's. Tell the other people in the call that you are recording.

Does a Google Meet recorder need a bot?

No. Callbox, Tactiq and Bluedot record Meet from a Chrome extension with no bot, and Granola from its desktop app. Otter, Fireflies.ai and Read AI each have a bot-free way to record Meet too.[3][22][59][36][14][47]

A bot joins the call as a participant, and Meet may flag it. Google Meet may list Otter Notetaker under "With potential risks", and tl;dv says its bot may appear highlighted in red and labeled as a potential security risk.[93][80]

Questions

What is the best Google Meet recorder?

For most people, Callbox: it records Meet from your Chrome tab with no bot and no admin setting, names each speaker, and saves the audio and a transcript to your own Google Drive. If you only need text, Tactiq turns Meet's captions into a live transcript.

Can I record Google Meet for free?

Yes. Callbox Free records as many Meet calls as you want to your Google Drive and transcribes 5 hours a month, subject to availability. Google Meet's own recording needs a paid Google Workspace edition or a Google One plan with 2 TB or more.

Can I record Google Meet without being the host?

With Google Meet's own recording, only in some cases, and never when the host can't record. A Chrome extension such as Callbox records the call from your own tab, so it needs no permission from the host. Tell the other people you are recording.

Where does Google Meet save recordings?

In the meeting organizer's Google Drive, in a "Google Meet" folder with a sub-folder for each meeting. Callbox saves each recording to your own Google Drive, in a folder per project.

Does Callbox show speaker names in Google Meet?

Yes. Callbox tells you apart from the other side on every recording, and reads each speaker's name from the call's tiles in Google Meet and Microsoft Teams.

Record your next call to your Drive

Callbox records Meet, Zoom and Teams calls from your own Chrome tab, with no bot in the call, and saves each one to your Google Drive. Start on Free in a minute.

Start freeAdd to Chrome

Sources

  1. Google Meet Help: Record a video meetingsupport.google.com
  2. Tactiq Help: Install the Tactiq extensionhelp.tactiq.io
  3. Tactiq home pagetactiq.io
  4. Tactiq pricingtactiq.io
  5. Tactiq Help: Google Drive integrationhelp.tactiq.io
  6. Tactiq Help: Notify attendees you're transcribinghelp.tactiq.io
  7. Tactiq Help: Choosing a plan and pricinghelp.tactiq.io
  8. Tactiq privacy policytactiq.io
  9. Tactiq Help: The Tactiq Mac app for Zoom, Slack and Teamshelp.tactiq.io
  10. Tactiq Help: Supported languageshelp.tactiq.io
  11. Tactiq Help: What are meeting credits?help.tactiq.io
  12. Tactiq Help: How AI credits workhelp.tactiq.io
  13. Fireflies.ai Help: How Fireflies joins and records your meetingsguide.fireflies.ai
  14. Fireflies.ai Help: Record meetings without a bot on the desktop appguide.fireflies.ai
  15. Fireflies.ai pricingfireflies.ai
  16. Fireflies.ai Help: Integrate Fireflies with Google Driveguide.fireflies.ai
  17. Fireflies.ai Help: Transcription credits, storage and rate limitsguide.fireflies.ai
  18. Fireflies.ai Help: Supported languagesguide.fireflies.ai
  19. Fireflies.ai Help: Unlimited meeting transcripts on the Free planguide.fireflies.ai
  20. Fireflies.ai Help: Free plan featuresguide.fireflies.ai
  21. Fireflies.ai Help: AI creditsguide.fireflies.ai
  22. Bluedot Chrome extensionwww.bluedothq.com
  23. Bluedot Help: Speaker recognition overviewhelp.bluedothq.com
  24. Bluedot AI Note Taker on the App Storeapps.apple.com
  25. Bluedot securitywww.bluedothq.com
  26. Bluedot Help: How to connect Bluedot to Google Drivehelp.bluedothq.com
  27. Bluedot Help: How to record meetings with a bothelp.bluedothq.com
  28. Bluedot Help: Troubleshooting Zoom bot issueshelp.bluedothq.com
  29. Bluedot Help: Troubleshooting Google Meet bot issueshelp.bluedothq.com
  30. Bluedot pricingwww.bluedothq.com
  31. Bluedot Help: How to download a recordinghelp.bluedothq.com
  32. Bluedot Help: How to download a recording as an MP4 filehelp.bluedothq.com
  33. Bluedot privacy policywww.bluedothq.com
  34. Bluedot Help: How to change your default transcript languagehelp.bluedothq.com
  35. Bluedot home pagewww.bluedothq.com
  36. Otter.ai Help: Otter Chrome extensionhelp.otter.ai
  37. Otter.ai Help: Otter Notetaker overviewhelp.otter.ai
  38. Otter.ai pricingotter.ai
  39. Otter.ai Help: Limits on the Basic free planhelp.otter.ai
  40. Otter.ai Help: Otter desktop app for Mac and Windowshelp.otter.ai
  41. Otter.ai Help: Export conversationshelp.otter.ai
  42. Otter.ai Help: Data security and privacy policieshelp.otter.ai
  43. Otter.ai Help: Export to Google Drivehelp.otter.ai
  44. Otter.ai Help: Supported languageshelp.otter.ai
  45. Otter.ai Help: Transcribe conversations in English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese or Chinesehelp.otter.ai
  46. Otter.ai Help: Speaker identification overviewhelp.otter.ai
  47. Read AI Help: Using Read's Google Meet native recordingsupport.read.ai
  48. Read AI Help: What meeting platforms does Read support?support.read.ai
  49. Read AI Help: Using Read's browser extensionsupport.read.ai
  50. Read AI Help: Customizing the Read Assistant name shown in meetingssupport.read.ai
  51. Read AI Help: I'm downgrading my plan. Will I still have access to past meeting reports?support.read.ai
  52. Read AI Help: How do I download meeting reports, transcripts and more?support.read.ai
  53. Read AI Help: Security and privacy overviewsupport.read.ai
  54. Read AI Help: Saving meeting notes to Google Docssupport.read.ai
  55. Read AI Help: What languages does Read support?support.read.ai
  56. Read AI Help: How consent works on web mode vs desktop modesupport.read.ai
  57. Read AI plans and pricingwww.read.ai
  58. Read AI Help: What does Max Recording Duration mean?support.read.ai
  59. Granola Help: Transcriptiondocs.granola.ai
  60. Granola Help: Speaker attributiondocs.granola.ai
  61. Granola Help: AI-enhanced notesdocs.granola.ai
  62. Granola pricingwww.granola.ai
  63. Granola Help: Transcription on iPhonedocs.granola.ai
  64. Granola Help: Security, privacy and data FAQsdocs.granola.ai
  65. Granola Help: Integrations with Granoladocs.granola.ai
  66. Zapier: Granola meeting notes to Google Drivezapier.com
  67. Granola Help: Zapierdocs.granola.ai
  68. Granola Help: Multi-language supportdocs.granola.ai
  69. Granola Help: Subscriptions and billingdocs.granola.ai
  70. Granola Help: MCPdocs.granola.ai
  71. Granola API: Webhooksdocs.granola.ai
  72. Fathom Help: recording and Notetaker settingshelp.fathom.video
  73. Fathom pricingwww.fathom.ai
  74. Fathom Help: Fathom 3.0 bot-free recordinghelp.fathom.video
  75. Fathom Help: downloading a recordinghelp.fathom.video
  76. Fathom Help: security, compliance and datahelp.fathom.video
  77. Fathom integrationswww.fathom.ai
  78. Fathom Help: supported languageshelp.fathom.video
  79. Fathom Help: Free vs Premiumhelp.fathom.video
  80. tl;dv Help: Recording meetings with Google Meetintercom.help
  81. tl;dv Help: Recording without a botintercom.help
  82. tl;dv Help: What are the limits of the Free plan?intercom.help
  83. tl;dv blog: tl;dv honest reviewtldv.io
  84. tl;dv Help: Updating your profileintercom.help
  85. tl;dv Help: How to download your recordingintercom.help
  86. tl;dv privacy policytldv.io
  87. tl;dv security commitmenttldv.io
  88. tl;dv Help: How to change the transcript languageintercom.help
  89. tl;dv blog: tl;dv alternativestldv.io
  90. tl;dv terms of service: fair use policytldv.io
  91. tl;dv pricingtldv.io
  92. tl;dv blog: tl;dv vs MeetGeektldv.io
  93. Otter.ai Help: Why Google Meet shows a "Potential risk" warning for Otter Notetakerhelp.otter.ai