How MeetingVault Compares
See how device-native, privacy-first meeting intelligence stacks up against bot-based alternatives.
Every competitor fact was checked on 2026-10-16 against that company's own site; each comparison page links the source for each one. Products change, so check before you decide. A dash means we have not verified it either way.
| Feature | MeetingVault | Otter | Fireflies | NotebookLM | Fathom | Granola | Earmark | MacWhisper | tl;dv | Read AI | Fellow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recording method | System audio on desktop, microphone on mobile, or upload | Bot, or desktop app without a bot | Bot, or desktop app without a bot | Upload only (no recording) | Bot; without a bot on Mac (beta) | Desktop app, no bot | Desktop app, no bot (web app: microphone only) | Mac app: records calls without a bot (beta), or transcribes files | Bot, or desktop app without a bot | Bot, or desktop app without a bot | Bot, or desktop app without a bot |
| A bot joins the call | No — MeetingVault, A bot joins the call | Yes — Otter, A bot joins the call | Yes — Fireflies, A bot joins the call | No — NotebookLM, A bot joins the call | Yes — Fathom, A bot joins the call | No — Granola, A bot joins the call | No — Earmark, A bot joins the call | No — MacWhisper, A bot joins the call | Yes — tl;dv, A bot joins the call | Yes — Read AI, A bot joins the call | Optional |
| Records without a bot | Yes — MeetingVault, Records without a bot | Yes — Otter, Records without a bot | Yes — Fireflies, Records without a bot | Does not record | Mac only (beta) | Yes — Granola, Records without a bot | Yes — Earmark, Records without a bot | Yes — MacWhisper, Records without a bot | Yes — tl;dv, Records without a bot | Yes — Read AI, Records without a bot | Yes — Fellow, Records without a bot |
| Calendar access needed to record | No — MeetingVault, Calendar access needed to record | No — Otter, Calendar access needed to record | No — Fireflies, Calendar access needed to record | No — NotebookLM, Calendar access needed to record | Not verified — Fathom, Calendar access needed to record | Not verified — Granola, Calendar access needed to record | No — Earmark, Calendar access needed to record | No — MacWhisper, Calendar access needed to record | Not verified — tl;dv, Calendar access needed to record | Not verified — Read AI, Calendar access needed to record | Not verified — Fellow, Calendar access needed to record |
| Where transcription happens | Cloud (recorded on your device) | Cloud | Cloud | Cloud | Cloud | Cloud | Cloud | On-device by default, cloud optional | Cloud | Cloud | Cloud |
| Decisions captured | Yes — MeetingVault, Decisions captured | Not verified — Otter, Decisions captured | Yes — Fireflies, Decisions captured | Not verified — NotebookLM, Decisions captured | Yes — Fathom, Decisions captured | Through notes and Recipes | Yes — Earmark, Decisions captured | Not verified — MacWhisper, Decisions captured | Yes — tl;dv, Decisions captured | Yes — Read AI, Decisions captured | Yes — Fellow, Decisions captured |
| Action items | Yes — MeetingVault, Action items | Yes — Otter, Action items | Yes — Fireflies, Action items | Not verified — NotebookLM, Action items | Yes — Fathom, Action items | Yes — Granola, Action items | Yes — Earmark, Action items | Through the AI summary | Yes — tl;dv, Action items | Yes — Read AI, Action items | Yes — Fellow, Action items |
| Risk register with severity | Yes — MeetingVault, Risk register with severity | Not verified — Otter, Risk register with severity | Not verified — Fireflies, Risk register with severity | Not verified — NotebookLM, Risk register with severity | Not verified — Fathom, Risk register with severity | Not verified — Granola, Risk register with severity | Not verified — Earmark, Risk register with severity | Not verified — MacWhisper, Risk register with severity | Not verified — tl;dv, Risk register with severity | Not verified — Read AI, Risk register with severity | Not verified — Fellow, Risk register with severity |
| Questions across many meetings | Yes — MeetingVault, Questions across many meetings | Yes — Otter, Questions across many meetings | Yes — Fireflies, Questions across many meetings | Across sources you upload | Yes — Fathom, Questions across many meetings | Yes — Granola, Questions across many meetings | Yes — Earmark, Questions across many meetings | Not verified — MacWhisper, Questions across many meetings | Yes — tl;dv, Questions across many meetings | Yes — Read AI, Questions across many meetings | Yes — Fellow, Questions across many meetings |
| Answers cite their sources | Yes — MeetingVault, Answers cite their sources | Yes — Otter, Answers cite their sources | Not verified — Fireflies, Answers cite their sources | Yes — NotebookLM, Answers cite their sources | Not verified — Fathom, Answers cite their sources | Not verified — Granola, Answers cite their sources | Yes — Earmark, Answers cite their sources | Not verified — MacWhisper, Answers cite their sources | Not verified — tl;dv, Answers cite their sources | Yes — Read AI, Answers cite their sources | Yes — Fellow, Answers cite their sources |
| Drafts PRDs or user stories | Not yet | Not verified — Otter, Drafts PRDs or user stories | Yes — Fireflies, Drafts PRDs or user stories | Not verified — NotebookLM, Drafts PRDs or user stories | No — Fathom, Drafts PRDs or user stories | Through a Recipe (a saved prompt) | Yes — Earmark, Drafts PRDs or user stories | Not verified — MacWhisper, Drafts PRDs or user stories | Not verified — tl;dv, Drafts PRDs or user stories | Not verified — Read AI, Drafts PRDs or user stories | Not verified — Fellow, Drafts PRDs or user stories |
| AI audio recap | Yes — MeetingVault, AI audio recap | Not verified — Otter, AI audio recap | Not verified — Fireflies, AI audio recap | Yes — NotebookLM, AI audio recap | Not verified — Fathom, AI audio recap | Not verified — Granola, AI audio recap | Not verified — Earmark, AI audio recap | Not verified — MacWhisper, AI audio recap | Not verified — tl;dv, AI audio recap | Not verified — Read AI, AI audio recap | Not verified — Fellow, AI audio recap |
| Windows app | Yes — MeetingVault, Windows app | Yes — Otter, Windows app | Yes — Fireflies, Windows app | Browser only | Yes — Fathom, Windows app | Yes — Granola, Windows app | Yes — Earmark, Windows app | No — MacWhisper, Windows app | Yes — tl;dv, Windows app | Yes — Read AI, Windows app | Yes — Fellow, Windows app |
| macOS app | Yes — MeetingVault, macOS app | Yes — Otter, macOS app | Yes — Fireflies, macOS app | Browser only | Yes — Fathom, macOS app | Yes — Granola, macOS app | Yes — Earmark, macOS app | Yes — MacWhisper, macOS app | Yes — tl;dv, macOS app | Yes — Read AI, macOS app | Yes — Fellow, macOS app |
| Linux app | Yes — MeetingVault, Linux app | No — Otter, Linux app | No — Fireflies, Linux app | Browser only | No — Fathom, Linux app | No — Granola, Linux app | No — Earmark, Linux app | No — MacWhisper, Linux app | Not verified — tl;dv, Linux app | No — Read AI, Linux app | No — Fellow, Linux app |
| iOS app | Yes — MeetingVault, iOS app | Yes — Otter, iOS app | Yes — Fireflies, iOS app | Yes — NotebookLM, iOS app | Yes — Fathom, iOS app | Yes — Granola, iOS app | Not verified — Earmark, iOS app | Yes — MacWhisper, iOS app | Yes — tl;dv, iOS app | Yes — Read AI, iOS app | Yes — Fellow, iOS app |
| Android app | Yes — MeetingVault, Android app | Yes — Otter, Android app | Yes — Fireflies, Android app | Yes — NotebookLM, Android app | No — Fathom, Android app | Yes — Granola, Android app | Not verified — Earmark, Android app | No — MacWhisper, Android app | Yes — tl;dv, Android app | Yes — Read AI, Android app | Yes — Fellow, Android app |
| Web app | Yes — MeetingVault, Web app | Yes — Otter, Web app | Yes — Fireflies, Web app | Yes — NotebookLM, Web app | Yes — Fathom, Web app | View and edit only | Yes — Earmark, Web app | No — MacWhisper, Web app | Yes — tl;dv, Web app | Yes — Read AI, Web app | Yes — Fellow, Web app |
| Free plan | Yes — MeetingVault, Free plan | Yes — Otter, Free plan | Yes — Fireflies, Free plan | Yes — NotebookLM, Free plan | Yes — Fathom, Free plan | Yes — Granola, Free plan | 14-day trial | Yes — MacWhisper, Free plan | Yes — tl;dv, Free plan | Yes — Read AI, Free plan | Yes — Fellow, Free plan |
| Cheapest paid plan (billed monthly) | See our pricing page | $16.99/user/month | $18/seat/month | $4.99/month (Google AI Plus bundle) | $20/month | $14/user/month | $20/month (Pro) | €64 one-time (Pro) | Not verified — tl;dv, Cheapest paid plan (billed monthly) | $19.75/user/month | $11/user/month |
Why Teams Switch
Switching from Otter
- No calendar access is ever requested, which often makes an IT review straightforward
- Never a bot: every recording is made on your own device
- A severity-rated risk register alongside decisions and action items
- A Linux desktop app alongside macOS and Windows
Switching from Fireflies
- Never a bot, and the recording is kept: Fireflies' bot-free mode keeps a transcript but not the audio
- No calendar access is ever requested
- A severity-rated risk register alongside decisions and action items
- A Linux desktop app alongside macOS and Windows
Switching from NotebookLM
- It records the meeting itself — NotebookLM works only on sources you upload
- Outputs shaped like minutes: decisions, action items and a risk register
- Desktop apps for macOS, Windows and Linux, not only a browser
- Questions across every meeting in a project, without uploading anything
Switching from Fathom
- Records without a bot on Windows and Linux too, not only on Mac
- No calendar connection at sign-up or ever
- A severity-rated risk register alongside decisions and action items
- A Linux desktop app alongside macOS and Windows
- An Android app as well as iOS — Fathom's mobile app is iOS only
Switching from Granola
- Structured minutes with a severity-rated risk register, not only enhanced notes
- A Linux desktop app alongside macOS and Windows
- No calendar connection at sign-up
Switching from Earmark
- A free plan rather than a trial
- A severity-rated risk register alongside decisions and action items
- A Linux desktop app alongside macOS and Windows
Switching from MacWhisper
- Built for meetings: decisions, action items and a risk register, not only a transcript
- Runs on Windows and Linux as well as macOS
- Questions across every meeting in a project
- A web app for meetings away from your Mac
Switching from tl;dv
- Never a bot: tl;dv's bot is its recommended path for automatic recording
- No calendar access is ever requested
- A severity-rated risk register alongside decisions and action items
Switching from Read AI
- Nothing is shown to the other attendees: no participant, no scores
- A severity-rated risk register alongside decisions and action items
- A Linux desktop app alongside macOS and Windows
Switching from Fellow
- Never a bot, on any platform
- A severity-rated risk register alongside decisions and action items
- A Linux desktop app alongside macOS and Windows
Ready to try meeting intelligence without the bot?
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