10 Best AI Note Takers for Journalists and Writers in 2025

You are in the right place if you are looking for AI note takers for journalists and writers. I know this because I've been in your shoes. I trusted an AI tool once and lost an entire interview.

Nothing.

Complete silence.

I had to listen to two whole hours of audio. It made me want to throw my laptop out the window (and I almost did, but those things are expensive).

So I decided to test all these AI note takers myself. I tried each one. I was super thorough. I wanted to make sure I could give you real advice based on actual experience. And honestly, what I found really shocked me.

Here's what no one's telling you;

Interviewing On The Go?

Jamie transcribes anywhere

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What Are the Biggest Problems With AI Note Takers for Journalists and Writers?

AI Note Taker Is Not Always Accurate I Had to Double Check My Work

• “We use AI to transcribe interviews, and I love it. It’s not perfect, but it saves a ton of time.”
• “Definitely! It gets things off slightly, so it’s important to listen, but it still helps save a lot of time.”
• “AI is good for delivering background information... but isn’t always accurate.”
• “I was trying... to summarise extremely long and boring government meetings... it is physically impossible for it not to [make things up].”

You have spent countless hours fixing misquotes where the AI thought someone said "election" when they actually said "selection" (happens more than you'd think).

Especially when you've got multiple people talking, unclear audio, or any technical jargon, you're in for some funny mistakes. I always end up going back to double-check important quotes, which honestly feels like I'm doing double the work sometimes. Which defeats the purpose of investing in an AI note taker.

Backup Failures Are a Constant Fear. What if It Crashes or Doesn’t Work Offline?

• "I had a 2 hour interview... when I came home to plug my recorder into my laptop: the file was corrupt."
• "Use your phone voice memo function AND your old school Sony digital recorder. The redundancy has paid off more than once."
• "I also record on my phone as a backup - but do not use only your phone... this seems to be the only foolproof way."

I can't tell you how many times I've nearly had a heart attack when my recording device failed. It's that sinking feeling in your stomach when you realize hours of interview gold just vanished into thin air (and then you contemplate changing careers on the spot).

This is why you need an AI note taker that won't crash, that works offline and online, can differentiate speakers online and in person, and gives you spot-on human-like meeting notes.

AI-Generated Writing Feels Generic or Untrustworthy

• "It just churned out empty, meaningless bullsh*t."
• "The prose you get is mostly milquetoast and generic... time that could have been spent writing."
• "AI doesn't understand what information is or isn't important to a story, and it can't be trusted to be factual."

The users are telling the truth. Some AI note takers spit out reads like it was written by a robot trying really hard to sound human (which I guess is exactly what it is). Sure, I use it sometimes for brainstorming when I'm stuck, but I'd never let AI write my actual stories or quotes. The quality just isn't there, and I take pride in my work.

But that's my last touch. You need a trusty AI note taker that gets all the facts right. Especially in journalism,  where every second counts, you can't spend it on manual note taking and risk of not getting that crucial information because your pen ink is running out, your hand got tired, your brain stopped for a minute or you just wrote paracetamol, or that's what it looks like according to the pharmacist. (jokes aside, how do doctors write our prescriptions like that?)

Source

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What Are the Best AI Note Takers for Journalists and Writers in 2025?

• Jamie: Best for private, bot-free note-taking even when you’re offline.
• tl;dv: Best for quick, searchable summaries from virtual interviews on Zoom or Meet.
• Notta: Best for capturing multilingual interviews with live translation and transcripts.
• Fireflies.ai: Best for finding quotes fast in a big archive of online meeting recordings.
• MeetGeek: Best for automatic backups and polished summaries with action items.
• Avoma: Best for syncing meeting notes directly with your calendar and CRM.
• Read AI: Best for getting instant playback, speaker stats, and audience reactions.
• Otter.ai: Best for live transcription and real-time meeting summaries during team calls.
• Fathom: Best for creating follow-up emails and CRM-ready notes from calls.
• Colibri: Best for quick, real-time transcripts with keyword search during fast talks.

I curated a comparison table for those who need to know which AI note taker is best for journalists quickly. You are very welcome.

No Wi-Fi, No Recording?

Jamie works fully offline

Try Jamie for Free

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Jamie

Jamie is a bot-free AI meeting assistant perfect for journalists and writers. It's super discreet, fast, and gives you amazing human-like meeting notes. If you hate bots joining your calls or uploading everything just to get notes, Jamie is built with you in mind.

Jamie records right on your computer, works when you're offline, and works with all video conferencing platforms. You don't have to go through compatibility issues, and you don't have worry about taking notes during in-person meetings.

Jamie works wherever you do.

Jamie also helps you find information quickly without risking your sources' privacy or wasting your precious time.

Let's get into more detail on how Jamie can help journalists and writers.

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Bot-Free, Non-Intrusive Recording

I know from experience that in journalism, one must be sensitive when they are holding a meeting with a source. Jamie lets you record without sending bots to your meetings, no big "Recording in Progress" banners that make your sources get all nervous and weird.

Here's How It Works

• Jamie only captures the audio from your system and mic, and deletes it soon after the transcription process is over.
• It doesn't show up as a meeting participant.
• Your recordings feel natural, and the people you're interviewing stay relaxed.

🛡️ Important Privacy Note: Jamie never keeps your audio or video. The files get encrypted and deleted after transcription, but you still need to tell people you're transcribing. You are not going to be recording the audio or the video. ONLY transcription.

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Works Anywhere, Even Offline

In journalism, it's unpredictable when we come across our sources. We might have internet, or we might not. It's unpredictable. Especially when you're doing field interviews or sitting in those ancient courthouses. With Jamie, you don't have to worry about that.

Here's How It Works

• You can run Jamie completely offline, saving everything right on your device.
• It automatically makes the transcript along with AI summaries, action items, decisions and speaker identification.

I was recently in this tiny town covering a case study last month, and my hotspot died in the middle of the most important interview. But Jamie kept recording everything, no lost data, no panic attacks. I was so relieved!

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Smart AI Summaries, Know Exactly What Was Said and Decided

I hate listening to entire recordings again, such a waste of time! Jamie boils down those long meetings or interviews into organised, editable summaries that highlight all the good stuff through advanced topic detection technology.

Here's What You Get:

• The main points people talked about
• What decisions got made
• Action items (with who's supposed to do what)
• And intelligently organised chapters with advanced topic detection technology.

Don't hear it from us, check out what our users say about our AI meeting notes.

“You have 100% captured all information and have a complete notepad. You get your notes summary with already prepared tasks, with already prepared decisions… it’s just awesome. I shared the notes with him, with the task and the decisions, and he said: ‘How did you do this? This is absolutely awesome. I have never seen such a complete magic.’”

Read Case Study ➞

100%
of meeting information captured automatically

Günter Sandmann Vice President of Sales | GM | Director

As you can see, when our users show Jamie's notes to clients and coworkers, they're often blown away. They can't believe how accurate, well-organised, and complete these summaries are.

Why don't you give it a try for yourself? You can try all our premium features in our free plan.

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Automatic Speaker Detection, Know Who Said What

When you are covering events with lots of people talking (like press conferences or group interviews), you absolutely need to get your quotes right. Getting quotes wrong is a one-way ticket to correction-ville, and nobody wants to live there.

Here's How It Works

• Jamie learns people's voices over time.
• It automatically tags who's speaking in your notes after using it a few times.

I used to replay the audio 10 times, trying to figure out who said that key line. Now Jamie gives me clean, properly attributed quotes, saving me hours and making sure I don't mess up and attribute a quote to the wrong person (which happened once, and my editor still hasn't let me forget it).

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Create Custom Note Templates, Your Notes, Your Outline

Every reporter has their own system or structure they write their stories or studies. Your notes should match and be appropriately structured according to the situation or story you are interviewing and gathering information for.

Here's How Jamie Can Help

• Customise how Jamie organises summaries (like "Top Quotes," "Story Leads," "Legal Stuff").
• Use different templates for different types of stories or clients in just a click of a button.

For legal reporting, I built a template with "Testimonies," "Rulings," and "Objections." When I cover arts events, I switch to "Quotes," "Themes," and "Audience Reactions." It's like having a custom notebook for each beat!

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Sidebar AI Assistant (CTRL + J) Get Answers Fast!

Digging through folders or old transcripts when you're on deadline is the absolute worst. I've been there too many times! Jamie's Sidebar AI lets you ask a question and get an answer right away.

Here's How It Works

• Just hit CTRL + J to search through past meetings.
• Ask things like: "What did the mayor say about housing?" or "Find that quote about budget cuts."

I was writing a follow-up piece and needed that one killer quote from a month ago. Instead of spending an hour searching, Jamie found it in seconds. My editor thought I was some kind of organisational wizard (I didn't correct them obviously 🧙).

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Real-Time Assistant For Every Task On The Spot

Jamie lets you pick different models depending on what you need.

Options Include

• Jamie's AI: Best for retrieving information or brainstorming from past meeting archives.
• GPT-4: Really good for writing, editing, and summarising.
• Claude 3: Great for complex analysis or interviews in other languages.

I used Claude 3 to translate and summarise an interview I did in Spanish. Then I switched to GPT-4 to create a summary paragraph for my editor. They thought I'd spent hours on it (don't tell them it took me 5 minutes!).

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Real-Time Recall During Calls (CTRL + J)

Ever had your editor or source ask you something in the middle of a call, and your mind goes completely blank? Happens to me all the time! Jamie's live Sidebar has saved me from embarrassment so many times.

Here's How It Works

• Press CTRL + J during your call to search your past notes.
• Find important quotes, story angles, or decisions without losing your train of thought.

I was in the middle of an interview, and the source mentioned something from our last conversation that I totally forgot about. Jamie helped me remember it instantly, and I could follow up without looking like I hadn't been paying attention (which, honestly, I hadn't been).

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Easy Note Sharing

Whether you're working with other reporters or coordinating with editors, sharing info quickly is super important. And you can do just that with Jamie with only a click of a button, or well, typing some letters, because you can send it directly to their emails too.

Types Of Ways You Can Share Jamie's Notes

1. Sharing via a link.
2. Sharing directly to their email address by inserting their email address into the send option.
3. By copying and pasting the entire transcript or summary, by clicking on the copy button provided at the top right corner.

After covering an event, I send my team the summary link so everyone has the facts before our next editorial meeting.

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Smart Labels for Fast Organization and Search

When you're covering multiple stories, your notes turn into a complete disaster zone. Jamie's Labels have literally saved my sanity and can save yours too.

What You Can Do

• Tag your meetings (like "Election2025," "Feature Ideas," "Court Hearings").
• Filter and search by label to find what you need instantly.

I needed to review every single interview I did for my big story on climate migration. I just filtered by my "Migration2025" label and found everything in one place. No more digging through random files named "Interview_Final_FINAL_v2_REALLY_FINAL.doc".

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Pricing

• Free: €0/month
• Standard: €24/month
• Pro: €47/month
• Executive: €99/month

Pros

• Jamie transcribes your meetings on any virtual platform - simple as that.
• Use Jamie for in-person and offline meetings too, not just virtual ones.
• Get quick help during or after meetings by hitting CTRL + J in the sidebar.
• Jamie reminds you to record meetings so you won't forget.
• No meeting bots means you get privacy-focused meetings without interruptions.

Cons

• Jamie doesn't store audio and video files to protect your privacy.
• No live transcription - only works after meetings end.
• Not yet built for live collaborative editing, sentiment analysis or revenue tracking.

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Is Jamie a Good AI Note Taker for Journalists and Writers?

Jamie is perfect for journalists who need reliable, quick, and super private tool for taking notes without any bots or internet malfunctions getting in the way.

Here are three things journalists would love about Jamie

1. It works completely offline, which you would find super helpful when you are doing fieldwork or sitting in courthouse interviews.
2. It gives you human-like summaries that tell you who said what and what needs to be done.
3. It never joins your actual calls or keeps your sensitive recordings anywhere.

You get to control everything yourself, so nothing will freak out your sources or put their private info at risk. You will also love that it works on literally every meeting platform, which means no more compatibility issues.  

You are also given a real-time assistant through its Executive Assistant, Sidebar (just hit CTRL + J) to find all your past quotes instantly—even when you're right in the middle of interviewing someone.

Are there downsides?

Yeah, you don't get live transcription (you have to wait until after the meeting to see your notes), and it doesn't have collaboration features just yet or tell you about emotional tones in voices (Sentiment analysis). Ultimately, whether Jamie is the note taker for you depends on your needs.

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2. tl;dv

Best For: Quick AI transcripts and summaries from virtual interviews.
Similar To: Fireflies.ai, Otter.ai, Avoma

tl;dv records, transcribes, and analyses your online meetings on Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams. It highlights important topics and key insights that happen during your meetings. You get transcripts in multiple languages, automatic speaker labels, and AI summaries that capture key decisions without rewatching the whole meeting.

Who Is It For

For people who record online interviews and need quick, organised notes.

Key Features

• Recordings & Transcriptions: Records your meetings accurately and names each speaker.
• AI-Powered Notes & Summaries: Creates shareable notes grouped by topic after each meeting.
• Ask AI Anything: Ask questions about past meetings to find specific quotes or decisions.
• Topic Tracking & Highlights: Tag important moments and make reels of key discussions.
• AI Coaching & Playbooks: Get data-backed feedback on team performance.

Pricing

• Free Forever Plan: $0/month
• Pro Plan: $29/seat/month
• Business Plan: $65/seat/month
• Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing

💡Check out the full tl;dv pricing breakdown.

Pros

• Good transcription with speaker recognition.
• Fast AI summaries and topic grouping.
• Solid integrations with Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, Slack, and CRMs.

Cons

• It may not be a good option for in-person or phone interviews.
• Struggles with some accents, especially non-Western English speakers.
• Limited backup options, if recording fails, no built-in alternative.
• Requires the bot to join meetings, which may feel invasive.

💡Read the full comparison guide between tl;dv and Jamie

Is tl;dv a Good AI Note Taker for Journalists and Writers?

tl;dv might work for journalists, but it depends on how you work. It gives you good transcripts, clean summaries, and a fast search of past interviews. If you report mostly over Zoom or Teams, tl;dv fits well into your workflow. The highlight, tag, and clip features help when you're short on time and need quick information retrieval, or especially when  you need to skim and scan for information fast.

But tl;dv sends a bot to join your calls. This might make some sources uncomfortable, especially for sensitive interviews. And it can't help with field reporting or offline interviews, as there's currently no offline mode at all. It works for virtual meetings, but it won't be a good choice for courthouse visits or protests. So while it's good at transcripts, it won't help if you're reporting beyond your screen.

Source: G2

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3. Notta

Best For: Quick transcription, translation, and timestamped summaries to find quotes after interviews.
‍Similar To: Otter.ai, Fireflies.ai

Notta gives you speech-to-text, AI summaries, and supports multiple languages all in one place. It records, transcribes, and translates conversations in real-time. If you're worried about losing quotes or audio, Notta backs you up with recordings, notes, and different export options.

Who Is It For

People who need quick, accurate backups of their interviews and meetings with ready-to-share transcripts, summaries, and recordings.

Key Features

• AI Audio & Video Transcription: Turns live or uploaded files into searchable text in 58 languages.
• Bilingual Translation: Transcribes and translates two languages as they happen during meetings.
• AI Summaries & Notes: Pulls out action items, decisions, and key quotes.
• Highlights & Collaboration: Create snippets, add comments, and share docs for team feedback.
• Meeting Recording Without Bots: Record screen/audio on Zoom, Google Meet, and Teams without needing host permission (where legal).

Pricing

• Free: $0/month
• Pro: $13.49/month
• Business: $27.99/month
• Enterprise: Custom pricing

💡Check out the full Notta pricing breakdown

Pros

• Records audio/video, transcribes live, and saves editable text generation.
• Time-stamped summaries and export options to find exact quotes quickly and share easily.
• Multilingual support handling over 50 languages for global interviews.

Cons

• Summaries may need heavy editing as they often miss context and key quotes.
• Limited offline use, you need internet for most features, which might be an obstacle when you need to transcribe in remote areas.
• Many users have to refresh to fix glitches, and there can be no undo for big changes.

💡 You can check out our full Notta AI review for more information.

Is Notta AI a Good AI Note Taker for Journalists and Writers?

Notta works well when it comes to fast transcription, clean summaries, speaker tags, and it can handle back-to-back interviews where multiple languages are spoken.

But according to many users' reviews, you might have to edit transcripts or check your backups when accuracy matters, especially for quotes. Some users find the summaries miss important points, and the tool struggles with people talking over each other.

It also cannot transcribe in-person offline meetings, you will have to opt in for an upload if you want Notta to transcribe offline meetings. Meaning you need to have an additional device just to get offline notes. Notta does help lighten your workload, but I wouldn't throw away my recorder or stop taking notes. Think of it as a helpful backup tool, not a complete solution.

Source: G2

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4. Fireflies AI

Best For: Finding and sharing meeting notes, but always check quotes.
Similar To: Fathom, Otter.ai

Fireflies.ai records, transcribes, and sorts your meeting audio. It joins your Zoom through its bots, links to your calendar, and helps you search meetings by topic or tags. The Chrome add-on puts transcription right in your browser for Google Meet.

Who Is It For

People who sit through lots of online meetings and need searchable notes to find info fast later.

Key Features

• Meeting Capture: Bot joins and records your booked calls from Zoom, Meet, Teams, and more.
• Browser Transcription: Chrome add-on records Google Meet calls live without needing a bot.
• Smart Search and Topic Trackers: Find info by keywords, dates, speakers, tasks, or feelings.
• Collaborative Tools: Share clips, comments, threads, and reactions with your team.
• API and Zapier Integrations: Connect Fireflies with your other tools or build your own workflows.

Pricing

• Free: $0 per month
• Pro: $18 per seat/month
• Business: $29 per seat/month
• Enterprise: $39 per seat/month

💡Check out the full Fireflies.ai pricing breakdown

Pros

• Supports many ways to capture meetings (bot, file upload, Chrome, Zapier, API).
• Smart filters help you find quotes, tasks, or topics quickly.
• Chrome add-on gives you in-browser, real-time transcription with speaker labels.

Cons

• Transcription might not be good enough for direct quotes without double-checking.
• Auto-joining bots (even after uninstallations) can create privacy problems, especially in sensitive meetings.
• New features sometimes turn on by themselves, risking accidental sharing, according to many users.

Is Fireflies.ai a Good AI Note Taker for Journalists and Writers?

What I really like is how flexible Fireflies is, you can record stuff using bots, through your browser, or just upload files you already have. You can organise your interviews as summaries and soundbites. But Fireflies can join your meetings as a bot, which many users found creepy at first. There is a Chrome extension for Google Meet that doesn't need the bot, so you can use that instead. But that, too is limited to a Chrome extension. Which again could hinder live in-person meetings. But for this situation, you can use Fireflie's app instead. For more alternatives to Fireflies, you can review other tools available.

I've also seen some pretty serious privacy issues from users that made me raise my eyebrows, like how the bot sometimes rejoins meetings even after you delete your account (yikes!) and how it automatically shares your notes unless you change the settings. The accuracy is decent, but many users still had to check all their quotes manually, especially when they interviewed people with accents. Overall, I think it has tons of nice features, but I wouldn't trust it for my sensitive reporting or when I'm working on something really important all after reading reviews of users who have tested and used Fireflies. It just feels a bit too invasive and not quite reliable enough when the stakes are high. But again, the choice is yours.

Source: G2

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5. MeetGeek

Best For: Getting accurate meeting notes and backups when your recording fails.
Similar To: Otter.ai, Fireflies.ai, Fathom, Read.ai

MeetGeek is an AI meeting assistant that records, transcribes, and summarises your calls. It works with Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, and even offline conversations. It connects with your calendar, CRM, and project tools. It automatically pulls out action items, identifies speakers, and creates custom summaries. You can even brand your meeting minutes and collaborate with your team, it's more than just transcription.

Who Is It For

You need this if you run meetings and want a searchable backup of everything that was said.

Key Features

• Automated Meeting Recording: Joins your video calls automatically or captures audio offline with mobile apps.
• AI-Powered Summaries & Notes: Creates clear notes with timestamps and action items.
• Quote-Level Search & Replay: Find exactly what someone said by searching keywords or topics.
• Seamless Integration: Works with Google Calendar, Slack, Notion, HubSpot, Trello, and 2000+ other apps.
• Branded & Shareable Output: Add your logo and customise how your meeting summaries look.

Pricing

• Basic: Free
• Pro: $19/user/month
• Business: $39/user/month
• Enterprise: From $59/user/month

Pros

• Save hours with accurate AI summaries that have clickable timestamps.
• Never lose a meeting with multiple backups: cloud recording, mobile capture, and file uploads.
• Share easily and connect with all your other tools.

Cons

• Free plan only gives you 5 hours per month - not enough if you have lots of meetings.
• The AI sometimes gets speakers mixed up or misses the point in complex discussions.
• The summaries might feel too corporate if you're a journalist looking for raw notes.

Is MeetGeek a Good AI Note Taker for Journalists and Writers?

MeetGeek is a good AI note-taker for remote interviews. It just automatically records and transcribes your Zoom, Teams, and Meet calls, and you can even use it for offline interviews through the mobile app or by uploading files. But when MeetGeek auto-joins your meetings unless you tell it not to, it can lead to some awkward moments. According to users, sometimes it mixes up speakers or struggles with certain language patterns. The free plan is pretty generous when it comes to summaries, but it's not with transcription hours (5 hours per month). Also, you'll need an internet connection to use it unless you're on the mobile app, which does have some offline options. Ultimately, the choice is yours to make.

Source: G2

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6. Avoma

Best For: AI-powered transcription with backup features and CRM syncing.
Similar To: Fireflies.ai, Otter.ai, Fathom

Avoma works as an AI meeting helper that handles note-taking, transcription, follow-ups, and CRM updates for you. What makes it special is its multi-level AI that not only transcribes but also creates smart chapters, sends follow-up emails, and gives real-time sales insights. It's one of the most complete tools out there. But you'll still need to check its work when accuracy matters, especially for legal or journalism work.

Who Is It For

People who have lots of interviews or meetings and want automatic notes, summaries, and recordings to save time and cut down on manual work.

Key Features

• AI Meeting Assistant: Takes care of transcription, summaries, email follow-ups, and CRM updates.
• Scheduler: Books meetings and routes leads automatically with a strong CRM connection.
• Conversation Intelligence: Scores calls, analyses talking patterns, and suggests coaching tips.
• Revenue Intelligence: Watches pipeline health, spots deal risks, and checks sales method alignment.
• Ask Avoma Copilot: An AI chatbot that answers questions about meetings using transcripts and CRM data.

Pricing

• Startup: $29 per recorder seat/month
• Organization: $39 per recorder seat/month
• Enterprise: $39 per recorder seat/month (yearly billing only)
• Conversation Intelligence Add-on: $35 per seat/month
• Revenue Intelligence Add-on: $35 per seat/month
• Lead Router Add-on: $25 per seat/month

Pros

• You can search transcripts easily with AI summaries and smart chapters.
• Works smoothly with Zoom, HubSpot, and Salesforce.
• "Ask Avoma," AI helps you quickly find info from past meetings.

Cons

• Bad audio means worse transcripts, so you'll need to check important quotes.
• Some people feel weird when the AI assistant "joins" their meeting.
• Permission settings confuse many users, especially in big companies.

Is MeetGeek a Good AI Note Taker for Journalists and Writers?

Avoma creates AI summaries of meetings and those smart chapters that help you jump to important parts quickly. It also has scheduling features and CRM integration. There's even "Ask Avoma", a chatbot that's helpful for remembering meeting details.

But Avoma usually pops in as a visible bot participant. According to users, this can throw off the natural flow when you're trying to get good quotes. And while I'd say the transcriptions are decent, you might have to double-check quotes manually for accuracy. The tool tends to get confused with speaker identification and struggles with bad audio, not ideal when you're interviewing in noisy cafes or over spotty phone connections. I think Avoma could work nicely for your remote interviews when you've got solid Wi-Fi, but I wouldn't rely on it as your only note-taking backup. But in the end, the choice is ultimately yours.

Source: G2

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7. Read AI

Best for: Meeting notes with real-time metrics, playback, and AI-transcription
Similar to: Fireflies.ai, Otter.ai, Sembly.ai

Read AI records and transcribes your meetings in real time. It adds sentiment analysis, tracks reactions, and coaches you. You get deeper insights into your conversations. Works with Zoom, Google Meet, Teams and connects to Slack, Gmail, Outlook and other tools.

Who is it for

Anyone needing accurate meeting records with searchable content, real-time backups and AI summaries.

Key Features

• Meeting Reports & Transcription 2.0: Captures full transcripts with audience reactions and creates summaries and action items after meetings.
• Playback & Highlights: Gives you a 2-minute video highlight reel and lets you find content by sentiment and topics (Enterprise only).
• Speaker Coaching: Tracks your talk time, filler words, and gives feedback to improve your speaking.
• Live Metrics & Summaries: Shows real-time transcription, engagement scores, and meeting timers during calls.
• Slack, Teams, Gmail, and Outlook Summaries: Turns threads and emails into takeaways, questions, and action items.

Pricing

• Free Plan: $0/month
• Pro Plan: $19.75/user/month
• Enterprise Plan: $29.75/user/month
• Enterprise+ Plan: $39.75/user/month

Pros

• Backs up everything if your recording fails - audio, video, transcripts, reactions.
• Gives personal speaking feedback - helpful for interviews or panels.
• Creates instant summaries and action items for faster follow-up.
• Connects with Gmail, Outlook, Slack, and Teams to keep everything centralized.
• "Read Assistant" joins meetings for you and takes notes automatically.

Cons

• The bot sometimes stays in meetings after removal - creates privacy issues.
• Free plan limits you to five transcripts monthly - too restrictive.
• AI summaries can be generic - not reliable for exact quotes.

Is Read AI a Good AI Note Taker for Journalists and Writers?

Read AI might help you, but it  comes with risks. It gives real-time summaries, action items, and playback. If your recorder fails, Read could save your content. But Read AI puts bots in your meetings, which could make sources uncomfortable, according to user reviews.

I've read complaints about bots staying even after being removed. That's dangerous for sensitive stories. The summaries look good, but aren't perfect. You must verify all quotes. For reporters needing exact wording, Read works better as a backup, not your primary tool. The choice is yours.

Source: G2

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8. Otter AI

Best For: Teams who need meeting notes and to work together
Similar To: Fireflies.ai, Rev.ai, Sonix.ai

Otter.ai records and transcribes your meetings in real time. Its main tool, OtterPilot, joins your Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams calls to handle everything automatically. What makes Otter special is how it combines live transcription, meeting summaries, and lets you ask questions about your notes. It's perfect for teams who meet online often and need quick, searchable records of conversations.

Who Is It For

Teams and professionals who need fast transcripts and meeting summaries.

Key Features

• Real-Time Transcription: Shows text as people talk, with time stamps.
• OtterPilot: Joins your scheduled meetings to record everything for you.
• Live & Post-Meeting Summaries: Gives you key points during and after talks.
• Otter AI Chat: Ask questions and get answers from your transcript.
• Slide Capture: Saves slides shared during virtual meetings.

Pricing

• Pro Plan: $16.99 per month/user
• Business Plan: $30 per month/user

Pros

• Accurate live text makes meetings easier to follow right away.
• Auto summaries save time on follow-ups and recaps.
• Audio playback syncs with text to clear up anything you missed.

Cons

• Bot joins meetings automatically, which some find awkward.
• Speaker labels and noise handling aren't always reliable, especially in groups.
• Needs internet to work - no offline mode.

Is Otter AI a Good AI Note Taker for Journalists and Writers?

Otter AI is good at real-time transcription, slide capture, and quick summaries. The OtterPilot bot automatically joins your meetings to record everything, but according to users, it's a bit creepy sometimes, especially if you don't warn people you're talking to.

One thing that really got users talking is that it doesn't work when you're offline, and they have noticed it struggles a lot in noisy places. It also gets confused about who's talking quite often, which is a huge problem if you need accurate quotes for your work. I think Otter can help you out, but I'd definitely recommend having a Plan B ready.

Source: G2

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9. Fathom AI

Best For: Automatic meeting capture with CRM sync and transcription
Similar To: Otter.ai, Fireflies.ai, Avoma

Fathom AI records, transcribes, and summarises your video calls automatically. It works with Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams, plus connects to Salesforce and HubSpot. I used it for several interviews and team calls. The automation works well, but it's not perfect for every situation, especially when you need exact quotes or have sensitive meetings.

Who Is It For

Sales teams, remote workers, and busy professionals who need quick, clear meeting summaries.

Key Features

• AI Action Items: Captures to-dos from your conversations automatically.
• Follow-Up Emails: Creates post-meeting emails based on what was discussed.
• Searchable Transcripts: Find anything by keyword or speaker timestamp.
• Meeting Clip Sharing: Share video moments without downloading the whole thing.
• CRM Integrations: Works with Salesforce, HubSpot, and Close.

Pricing:

• Free: $0/month
• Premium: $19/month per user
• Team Edition: $29/month per user
• Team Edition Pro: $39/month per user

Pros:

• Saves time with automatic summaries and follow-ups.
• Easy to find what you need with time-stamped, searchable transcripts.
• Sends meeting data straight to your CRM tools.

Cons:

• Requires a bot in your meeting - feels awkward in some situations.
• No offline option - you need internet to use it.
• Only works with Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams - won't be much of a help with in-person meetings or phone calls.

Is Fathom AI a Good AI Note Taker for Journalists and Writers?

Fathom AI works great for AI action items. It sends follow-up emails automatically and connects smoothly with CRM systems. If you're always in Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams for sales calls, it'll save you time.

However, it needs to add a bot to your meetings. It doesn't work offline. It only works for live video calls, so in-person interviews, phone calls, and field reporting won't work with it.

I'm not alone in seeing these issues. Many users report accuracy problems with background noise or overlapping voices (which happens in basically every important interview ever). For serious quote capturing, use Fathom only as a backup, not a primary note-taking tool. You'll still need your own notes or a separate recorder for full control over your material. But ofcourse, again, the choice is yours.

Source: G2

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10. Colibri

Best For: Real-time transcripts with built-in analysis during sales or business meetings
Similar To: Fireflies, Otter.ai, Avoma

Colibri is an AI meeting assistant that records your talks in real time. It makes quick summaries and flags important moments like customer objections. It works best for sales teams, but journalists might like it to cut down on note-taking.

Who Is It For

Sales teams and people who have many meetings and need instant transcripts and meeting insights.

Key Features

• Real-Time Transcription: Turns your conversations into text as you speak.
• AI Meeting Summaries: Creates quick recaps and action items from your call.
• Smart Agendas: Helps you plan talking points and track them during calls.
• Searchable Call Library: Keeps all your recordings with easy search options.
• Conversation Insights: Spots important things like competitor mentions.

Pricing

• Free: $0 per user/month
• Starter: $20 per user/month
• Pro: $50 per user/month

Pros

• Live transcription catches fast conversations.
• A searchable library helps when you have many calls to review.
• Clean, simple interface without extra clutter.

Cons

• Accuracy fails when multiple people talk at once.
• No folders or tags to organise interviews.
• Can't sort recordings into folders yet.

Is Colibri a Good AI Note Taker for Journalists and Writers?

Colibri gives you live transcripts, AI summaries, and a searchable library that helps with fast meetings. But according to some user reviews, sometimes it fails to add timestamps to summaries, so finding specific moments can be frustrating.

Many users report that the transcription gets bad with overlapping voices or poor audio. There's no backup feature (like driving without a seatbelt) and no way to fix errors during the call. This is a dealbreaker for important interviews. Colibri works for basic transcript searching and simple recaps, but if you need reliable backups, tight control, or perfect quotes, you might need a backup. The choice is yours.

Source: G2

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Final Verdict: Best AI Note-Taker for Journalists and Writers

If you're a journalist or writer, I can tell you that Jamie is hands down the best AI note-taker for you. And I am not saying because it's us.

Jamie is literally built with privacy in mind!

• It works without internet (which saved me during that interview in the dead zone last month),
• It doesn't have those annoying bots,
• It does not save your data on a general cloud, is GDPR compliant, and no video is being recorded, and the audio is deleted soon after the transcription process is over.

Our users love how it gives you accurate summaries after meetings, tags who said what, and lets you create your own note templates. The free plan even includes 600 real-time assistant credits.

The only bummer is that it can't do live transcription during meetings. But when your work needs to be accurate and trustworthy, Jamie is your safest bet.

But if you do want bots to join your meetings, tools like tl;dv, Fireflies, or Otter will give you decent transcriptions and summaries. I've used them all when working from home, and they get the job done. But users have complained they fall short on privacy, can't work offline (unless there's a mobile version), and sometimes mess up quotes.

You might have to double-check almost every line (which defeats the purpose, doesn't it?).

I tried Notta too for some multilingual stuff I was working on, and it's pretty good, but it also struggles when you don't have internet.

Tools like MeetGeek and Avoma have tons of integrations with other apps, which is nice, but I felt like they were built for sales calls and business meetings. When I tried to use them for my in-depth interviews, they just didn't capture the nuance I needed. It's a bit corporate.  

Read AI, Fathom, and Colibri look fancy with all their insights and colourful graphics, but these features could actually help you dissect what your sources or interviewees are thinking or what they are feeling.

Especially in areas where you want to monitor your sources' sentiment, these tools may come in handy.

Bottom line: If your work involves sensitive topics, in-person meetings, or you're big on privacy like me, I'd definitely go with Jamie. I've been using it for months and it hasn't let me down yet. If you're mostly working remotely and your sources don't mind bots joining your calls, tl;dv or Fireflies might be enough for you. If you want sentiment analysis, Read AI, Fatho,m and Colibri have advanced features that can help you with that. And if you are a journalist that covers stories more towards finance, insurance or anything where money is the main topic, I think Avoma or Notta would be your best bet.

Using All Platforms Daily?

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Read More

• In this guide, we talk about everything you need to know about shorthand notes.
• If you are curious to find the best speech-to-text software, we covered that too.
• We also tested Sonix AI and how does Sonix work in this guide.
• We also tested free transcription software for you to try in this guide.
• If you have already tried Descript and are looking for alternatives, check this guide.

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FAQs About AI Note Takers for Journalists and Writers

What Are the Biggest Problems With AI Writing Tools for Journalists?

AI writing tools are helpful but not foolproof. Many journalists find that AI-generated content often lacks context, misses critical information, or fails to capture the nuance of investigative reporting. This means users still need to fact-check, especially when dealing with complex information or investigative stories.

Can AI Help Streamline the Content Creation Process for Writers?

Yes, assistive AI tools like Jamie and Notta help streamline the content creation process by providing quick transcripts, summaries, and quote extraction, cutting down on time spent reviewing long-form content or interviews. However, human creativity and critical thinking are still essential to produce high-quality content.

Are There AI Tools That Let Me Transcribe Audio Without an Internet Connection?

Jamie is one of the few AI writing tools that allows users to transcribe audio offline. This feature is especially valuable for journalists working in the field or in locations with unreliable internet.

How Accurate Is AI-Generated Content From These Tools?

While tools like Jamie, Otter.ai, and Fireflies.ai can generate content quickly, AI-generated content may still include errors, especially when dealing with accents, multiple speakers, or technical terms. Many users report having to reformat human-created content or verify quotes to maintain journalistic accuracy.

Do AI Note Takers Work With Google Docs or Other Writing Platforms?

Most AI note takers export summaries and transcripts in formats compatible with Google Docs and other writing platforms. This enables users to track changes, polish blog posts, or write marketing copy with ease. Some tools also support direct integrations for faster publishing across multiple platforms.

Can AI Tools Help With Writer’s Block and Story Ideas?

Yes, AI writing tools can assist professionals by generating story ideas, outlining blog posts, or summarising interviews. They’re useful during the research process, especially when trying to analyse data or surface valuable insights from long conversations. That said, final decisions still benefit from human judgment.

Are There Any AI Tools That Don’t Use Bots to Join Online Meetings?

Jamie stands out for allowing journalists to record without bots. Unlike many tools that announce themselves or appear in your meetings. This bot-free approach is ideal when you want to preserve the natural flow of interviews.

How Does AI Support Academic Writing and Integrity?

While AI can help reformat human-created content, assist with the research process, and generate content summaries, it’s important to remember that academic integrity requires proper attribution and fact-checking. Writers using AI for academic writing should never rely solely on AI-generated content for citations or claims.

Can AI Tools Be Used to Optimise Content for Search Engines?

Yes, AI note takers and writing tools can optimise content by highlighting keywords, extracting main themes, and organising long-form content. This helps users improve blog posts, web page drafts, and social media posts so they rank better on search engines.

Is There a Free Version of Any AI Note-Taking Tool?

Several tools, including Jamie, offer a free version with limited meeting time, summaries, and real-time search features. These free plans allow users to test new tools, streamline workflows, and assist professionals without immediate investment—ideal for journalists needing to gather information on a tight budget.

Are AI Note-Taking Tools Effective for Social Media Content or YouTube Scripts?

Yes, many tools assist content creators by quickly summarising interviews or events, which can then be used to draft social media content or YouTube scripts. By providing instant answers and organising notes, they help reduce time spent crafting posts while maintaining quality content output.

Do These AI Tools Work Across Multiple Different Text Formats?

Yes, modern AI tools support multiple different text formats, from academic writing and investigative stories to product descriptions and social media posts. This flexibility allows users to generate content and reformat human-created content for different audiences and platforms with just a few clicks.

How Does Artificial Intelligence Support the Writing Process for Journalists?

Artificial intelligence helps streamline the writing process by transcribing interviews, summarising conversations, and highlighting key quotes, especially when working with large datasets. However, users still need to apply critical thinking and fact-checking to ensure the final output meets professional standards.