Looking for free AI meeting transcription? You're not alone—teams want transcripts and AI summaries without paying upfront, but it's hard to tell what's actually free, what the limits are, and which options work without a bot in the call. This guide compares free tiers and no-bot options for Google Meet, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams, so you know exactly what you get and what to expect.
What free AI meeting transcription usually includes
Most free tiers give you one or more of: a monthly cap on free minutes (e.g. 60–300 minutes), a limit on free meetings per month, or unlimited meetings with a cap on how much history you keep. Features typically include:
- Live or post-meeting transcript – Full text of what was said, often with speaker labels
- AI summary – Short overview and key points
- Action items – Extracted next steps (on some tools)
- Export – Download or copy transcript; sometimes PDF or integration with Notion/Slack
The big split is bot vs no-bot. Some free tools join the call as a participant; others run in the background (e.g. a Chrome extension that captures from your tab) so no extra attendee appears. If you care about trust and compliance, no-bot AI meeting transcription is usually the better fit.
Free tiers by platform: Meet, Zoom, and Teams
Google Meet
Meet has built-in live captions (no extra cost). To get a transcript and AI summary without a bot, you need a tool that uses those captions or captures from your browser. Free options include extensions that run only on your side—no third participant—so you get a transcript panel and sometimes AI notes within a free tier. Ideal if most of your calls are on Meet.
Zoom
On Zoom, free transcript options depend on how you join: in-browser vs app. Some tools offer a free tier that works with Zoom in the browser by capturing the meeting tab; you get a live transcript and summary without Zoom's own cloud recording. No-bot options avoid the "unknown participant" issue and often work with Zoom's free plan. Check whether the tool supports Zoom web meetings specifically.
Microsoft Teams
Teams offers Live captions in meetings. As with Meet and Zoom, you can use a no-bot extension or app that captures from your side and turns the conversation into a transcript plus AI summary. Free tiers usually cap minutes or meetings per month; enough for light use or trying before upgrading.
No-bot free options
Why does no-bot matter? When a tool doesn't join the call, there's no extra attendee for prospects or compliance to worry about. Meeting notes without a bot avoid the "who's that?" moment and often align better with privacy and security policies. Many sales and legal teams prefer tools that run in the background.
W3copilot offers a free tier for free AI meeting transcription on Meet, Zoom, and Teams—no bot in the call. You get transcripts and AI summaries from your browser; the extension captures from your meeting tab, so nothing shows up for other participants. It's a straightforward way to try no-bot meeting notes before committing to a paid plan. Google, Zoom, and Microsoft each document their own caption and recording features (e.g. Google Meet captions); third-party tools layer on top of that for transcript export and AI summaries.
What to expect from free tiers
Free tiers are meant for trying the product or light use. Typical limits:
- Minutes per month – e.g. 60–300; after that you need to upgrade or wait for reset
- Meeting history – Some free plans keep only the last few meetings or a short period
- Features – Export, integrations, or advanced AI might be paid-only
When is free enough? If you have a handful of meetings a month and mainly want a transcript and summary, many free tiers will do. If you need long-term storage, more minutes, or team features, a paid plan is usually the next step. The key is to pick a tool whose free tier matches how you meet (Meet vs Zoom vs Teams) and whether you want a bot in the call or not.
Key takeaways
- Free AI meeting transcription usually means a cap on minutes or meetings, with transcript and often AI summary included.
- Free options exist for Google Meet, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams; many work in the browser with no bot in the call.
- No-bot options run in the background (e.g. Chrome extension) and avoid an extra participant—better for trust and compliance.
- Use the free tier to try before upgrading; check limits on minutes, history, and export.
Try free AI meeting transcription without a bot with W3copilot's Chrome extension for Meet, Zoom, and Teams.