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About Fellow
Most AI meeting note takers are built around one thing: scheduled video calls. Fellow handles that, but it also gives you more flexibility in how meetings are captured.
You can record with a visible meeting bot, use desktop botless recording from your Mac or Windows app, use Zoom Native Capture for Zoom meetings, or record from the mobile app for in-person conversations. That matters because not every meeting should be handled the same way.
Fellow records, transcribes, and summarizes meetings across tools like Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and Slack huddles. Then it turns what was discussed into searchable notes, recaps, and action items through its AI features.
This isn't just a transcription tool. It's a meeting system that covers before, during, and after.
Try Fellow free and see if it fits your meeting workflow.
What is Fellow?
Fellow is a meeting management and AI assistant platform for teams that want meeting notes, recordings, recaps, and action items in one place.
The important thing to understand is that Fellow is not only a bot-based note taker. It supports multiple recording methods depending on the meeting type:
- Note Taker Bot for meetings where a visible participant is preferred or expected
- Desktop Botless Recording for recording directly from your Mac or Windows desktop app
- Zoom Native Capture for recording Zoom meetings without a bot through Zoom's own infrastructure
- Mobile Recording for in-person or impromptu meetings
That flexibility is the point. Some meetings are better with a visible bot because it makes recording obvious. Other meetings are better without one because a bot changes the feel of the conversation.
Fellow works across the big meeting platforms: Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and Slack huddles. Because desktop botless recording captures audio at the device level, it can also cover other meeting types like FaceTime, WhatsApp calls, dialers, and in-person conversations.
The AI layer is where Fellow becomes more than a recorder. Ask Fellow lets you ask questions about meetings you have access to, then use those notes to draft follow-up emails, generate memos, summarize decisions, or support CRM updates.
The privacy angle matters here too. Fellow says it does not train AI models on your meeting data, and the company lists SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA, and GDPR compliance in its security materials.
Who is Fellow For?
Fellow fits people who live in meetings and need the output to actually go somewhere.
If you run 5+ calls a week and spend another hour cleaning up notes afterward, this pays for itself fast.
It works especially well for these situations:
- Sales teams that need clean follow-up from discovery calls, demos, and customer conversations
- Managers running 1-on-1s and team syncs who want agendas, notes, recaps, action items, and recordings in one shared workspace
- Teams in higher-scrutiny environments where privacy, permissions, retention, and admin controls matter
- Client-facing teams that want the option to record without adding a visible AI bot to every external call
- In-person meeting takers who want a recap of a real conversation without forcing everyone into a video-call workflow
If you only take a couple of casual meetings a month, Fellow is probably overkill. A simpler recorder can do the job.
Fellow earns its keep when meetings are central to your job and the follow-up work is eating your time.
For a broader look at the category, our roundup of the best AI meeting note takers tested five tools head to head.
Fellow Pros and Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Flexible recording options: Fellow supports a visible bot, desktop botless recording, Zoom Native Capture, and mobile recording. | Setup matters: Botless recording requires the desktop app and the right Mac/Windows permissions. |
| Strong privacy posture: Fellow lists SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA, and GDPR compliance, and says it does not train AI models on your meeting data. | Not the lightest tool: If you only want a quick personal transcript, Fellow can feel like more system than you need. |
| Full meeting lifecycle: Covers agendas, live capture, transcripts, summaries, action items, and follow-up. | Per-user pricing adds up: Teams on Business or Enterprise can hit real monthly costs quickly. |
| Ask Fellow AI features: Lets you ask questions about meeting content and use recaps to draft emails, memos, and follow-up material. | Botless does not remove disclosure responsibility: You still need to tell people when you're recording where required. |
| Centralized library: Agendas, notes, recordings, recaps, and action items live in one searchable workspace with access controls. | Audio quality still matters: In noisy rooms or meetings with heavy crosstalk, you should still check the transcript carefully. |
Fellow leans toward power and completeness over minimalism.
If you want a full meeting workflow plus strong team controls, the depth is a win. If you just want a fast personal recap and nothing else, that same depth can become friction.
Fellow Features: AI Notes, Ask Fellow, Botless Recording, and Meeting Library
AI Meeting Notes and Action Items
Fellow helps capture what was discussed and produces a transcript, summary, and action items automatically.
The exact capture method depends on how you set it up. You can use the Note Taker Bot, Desktop Botless Recording, Zoom Native Capture, or mobile recording.
That distinction matters because Fellow is not limited to "the bot joins the meeting." It can record without a visible bot when you use the desktop botless mode or Zoom Native Capture.
For standard meetings, the summaries can save the 20-30 minutes you'd normally spend writing up decisions and next steps yourself. Like every AI note taker, it can still stumble when the audio is messy, people talk over each other, or the conversation is full of niche jargon.
Desktop Botless Recording
Desktop Botless Recording lets Fellow capture meeting audio directly from the Fellow desktop app without putting a bot in the call.
That means no extra AI participant in the meeting lobby, no bot to admit, and no visible note taker sitting in the participant list.
Fellow says desktop botless recording works across platforms like Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Slack huddles, dialers, FaceTime, WhatsApp, and other conversations because it records at the device level.
The trade-off is disclosure. Botless does not mean secret.
Internal participants can see recording status inside Fellow, but external guests do not see a Fellow bot or in-platform notification from Fellow. So you still need to disclose recording based on the rules where you and the other participants are located.
Zoom Native Capture
Zoom Native Capture is another bot-free recording option, but it only applies to Zoom.
Instead of a Fellow bot joining as a visible participant, Fellow records through Zoom's real-time media streaming infrastructure. Zoom displays its own notification that meeting content is being accessed by an app.
For Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Slack huddles, or other platforms, use either the Fellow Note Taker Bot or Desktop Botless Recording.
Mobile Recording
Fellow also supports recording from the mobile app, including botless recording for in-person or impromptu meetings.
This is useful for the conversations that do not happen inside a clean calendar invite. Think in-person meetings, quick syncs, or discussions where a laptop is not the natural device.
Ask Fellow: The Meeting AI Agent
Ask Fellow is the part that turns notes into actual work.
You can ask questions about meetings you have access to, then use the answers to draft documents, write follow-up emails, generate memos, or support CRM updates.
This is where Fellow separates itself from tools that just hand you a transcript and walk away. The follow-up work that usually takes 15-20 minutes after a call gets compressed into a few clicks.
Centralized Recording and Notes Library
Every agenda, note, and enabled recording or recap lives in one library.
The privacy and sharing controls let you keep everything in one place while deciding exactly who can see what.
For teams, this matters. Sensitive 1-on-1 feedback can stay restricted while general meeting notes can be shared more widely.
You set the rules.
Privacy and Security
Fellow is built around privacy more than many tools in this category.
The company says it does not train AI models on your meeting data, and its public materials list SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA, and GDPR compliance.
If you handle patient information, financial data, or anything covered by stricter internal compliance rules, do not treat this article as a compliance sign-off. Confirm your exact requirements with Fellow and your own compliance team.
We covered Fellow's integration depth in our look at the Fellow AI Meeting Notes + Claude MCP connector, which pulled action items into Todoist with zero copy-paste.
Start using Fellow free to test the Ask Fellow agent yourself.
Fellow vs Alternatives: Pricing and Feature Comparison
| Feature/Aspect | Fellow | Granola | Jamie | Otter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | Free / $7 per user per month annually | Around $10 per user per month | Around $24 per month | Free / around $10 per month annually |
| Recording Style | Bot, desktop botless, Zoom Native Capture, mobile recording | Botless desktop-style capture | Botless capture | Bot-based meeting assistant |
| Best For | Full team workflow and governed meeting records | Minimalist personal notes | Privacy-conscious solo users | High-volume transcription |
| Team Workflow Depth | Strong | Lighter | Lighter | Moderate |
| AI Follow-Up | Ask Fellow, action items, summaries, workflows | More focused on personal summaries | More focused on meeting summaries | More focused on transcripts and recaps |
Fellow wins on completeness and team workflow.
If you need an AI meeting assistant that handles recording options, recaps, action items, a centralized library, and stronger admin controls, Fellow is the most complete tool in this group.
Granola is still a cleaner fit for people who only want a lightweight personal note-taking experience. Jamie is more focused on privacy-conscious solo use. Otter is still a recognizable option for high-volume transcription.
Choose Fellow when meetings drive your work and the output needs to actually ship somewhere.
Fellow Pricing: Plans and Cost Breakdown
| Plan | Price | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 5 AI notes lifetime per user, 5 AI recordings lifetime per user, AI summaries, transcription, action items, Ask Fellow, basic integrations |
| Team | $7/user/month annually, or $11 monthly | 10 AI notes per user per month, 10 AI recordings per user per month, meeting automations, project management integrations |
| Business | $15/user/month annually, or $23 monthly | Unlimited AI notes, unlimited AI recordings, Ask Fellow, Sales AI recap templates, org-wide meeting templates, advanced CRM integrations |
| Enterprise | $25/user/month annually | Everything in Business, 10-user minimum, advanced recording permissions, domain control, user provisioning, transcript redaction, security and legal reviews |
The free plan is genuinely useful for testing. You get enough credits to see whether Fellow fits how you work before paying.
The Team plan is better for small teams that want shared notes and recurring meeting workflows, but it is still limited in AI notes and recordings.
Business is the more realistic plan if you want to use Fellow heavily because it unlocks unlimited AI notes and recordings.
Enterprise is where Fellow becomes a serious admin and compliance tool. That is the tier for advanced recording permissions, domain control, transcript redaction, legal/security review workflows, and larger teams.
Pricing can change, so check Fellow's pricing page before buying.
Is Fellow Worth It? Honest Review
I've been using Fellow as an all-in-one AI meeting note taker on my Mac, and I think it's one of the strongest, most complete tools you can get for this.
If you want something that helps you prepare before the meeting, stay present during it, and actually take action afterward, this covers all three. That full lifecycle is what makes Fellow interesting.
The biggest correction I would make to how people describe Fellow is this: it's not only a bot-based tool.
Yes, Fellow can use a visible meeting bot. But it also supports desktop botless recording, Zoom Native Capture, and mobile recording.
That changes the positioning. Fellow is not "the bot tool." It's the tool that lets you choose the right capture method for the meeting.
I'll be honest about the trade-off. There are more minimalist note takers out there with simpler interfaces, and for some people that lighter approach is going to feel better.
But if you're the kind of person who wants the full meeting workflow rather than the bare minimum, Fellow is hard to beat.
What I really appreciate is the privacy side. Fellow has the certifications, controls, and no-training-on-customer-data policy you'd want from a serious team tool.
If privacy matters to you, it's worth testing through the free plan before committing.
In my experience, it's been reliable every time I've used it. No dropped calls, no missing recordings, no weird surprises.
Overall, it's been a strong experience. And the free plan makes it easy to find out if it works for you too.
Fellow Review: Final Thoughts
Fellow is the right call if meetings run your week and you need the follow-up work handled, not just transcribed.
The flexible recording options, Ask Fellow agent, centralized library, and security posture make it one of the most complete AI meeting note takers for teams.
Who should skip it?
Anyone who wants the simplest possible personal note taker for an occasional call. Fellow is probably more system than you need.
But if you want depth, control, botless recording when it makes sense, bot-based recording when that makes sense, and an AI agent that actually helps with post-meeting work, Fellow earns its spot.
Try Fellow free and decide for yourself whether the full workflow fits how you work.
FAQ
What is Fellow used for?
Fellow helps teams plan, record, transcribe, summarize, and follow up on meetings. It supports AI notes, transcripts, summaries, action items, Ask Fellow, meeting libraries, and integrations with tools your team already uses.
Does Fellow use a meeting bot?
Fellow can use a meeting bot, but it is not only a bot-based note taker. It also supports Desktop Botless Recording, Zoom Native Capture, and mobile recording. That means you can record with or without a visible bot depending on the meeting type and your workspace settings.
Is Fellow botless?
Yes, Fellow supports botless recording. Desktop Botless Recording captures meeting audio from the Fellow desktop app without adding a bot to the call. Fellow also supports Zoom Native Capture for Zoom meetings without a bot, plus mobile recording for in-person or impromptu conversations.
Is Fellow secure and private?
Fellow says it does not train AI models on your meeting data, and its public materials list SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA, and GDPR compliance. It also includes admin controls for access, retention, recording permissions, and sharing. For regulated use cases, confirm your exact requirements with Fellow and your compliance team.
How much does Fellow cost?
As of June 2026, Fellow has a free plan, a Team plan at $7/user/month billed annually, a Business plan at $15/user/month billed annually, and an Enterprise plan at $25/user/month billed annually. Monthly billing is higher where available, and Enterprise starts at 10 users.
What are the best Fellow alternatives?
Granola is a strong fit for minimalist personal note-taking, Jamie is a fit for privacy-conscious solo users, and Otter is a familiar option for high-volume transcription. Fellow is the stronger choice when you want flexible recording modes, team workflows, admin controls, and post-meeting follow-up in one system.