Bluedot alternatives

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Bluedot records meetings from a Chrome extension or desktop app, so no bot joins your call. People who look for something else usually want one of four things: a free plan they can keep using, a lower price, video and longer recordings without paying for Pro, or a different bot-free tool. Here are the options for each, from the vendors' own pages. If Bluedot's limits don't bother you, it may still be the right pick.

Quick answer

• A free plan that lasts: Fathom Free lists unlimited recordings and transcriptions, with a choice of bot-free capture (in beta) or a bot. Otter Basic gives 300 minutes a month, up to 30 minutes per conversation. Bluedot Free covers 5 meetings in total.
• A lower yearly price: Notta Pro is $97.99 a year (about $8.17 a month) and Otter Pro is $8.33 a month on annual billing, against $14 for Bluedot Basic.
• Another bot-free recorder: Granola lists bot-free, device-audio capture ($14 per user per month on Business, billed monthly only). Notta lists a bot-free desktop recorder for Mac and Windows.
• Video and calendar auto-join: Fireflies Pro lists video recording at $10 a month on annual billing, and its bot can join meetings from your calendar.

Comparison table (as of 2026-10-27)

Prices are list prices for one person, before tax. Otter's page also showed promotional prices; we left those out. Deals change often; check the vendor's site.

Two-year cost math

Arithmetic on listed annual prices, one user, before tax. Not a measured result.

Picks by why you're leaving

• "The free plan ran out after 5 meetings." Fathom Free first, since it lists unlimited recordings, then Otter Basic if your meetings are under 30 minutes.
• "$14 a month is too much for audio only." Notta Pro or Otter Pro cost less on annual billing. Notta keeps the bot-free option; Otter's pricing page doesn't say it has one.
• "I need recordings longer than an hour." Notta Pro allows up to 5 hours per recording. Staying with Bluedot means moving to Pro, which lists unlimited duration.
• "I still don't want a bot." Granola or Notta's desktop recorder. Fathom's bot-free capture is still a beta.
• "I want every meeting captured automatically." Fireflies or Otter, whose bots join from your calendar. That's the trade: a bot in the call.

Before you switch. Bluedot's pricing page says that if you cancel, you lose access to recordings and have one month to restore before they're permanently deleted. Its security page says data is removed 3 months after you stop using Bluedot. Plan on the shorter one and export first.

Consent: tell people first

Bot-free tools don't announce themselves in the call, so telling people is up to you.

Recording laws: tell people first. Federal law and most states let you record a conversation you're part of. About 11 states, including California, Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Washington, generally require everyone's consent, and a few states mix the rules. Oregon, for example, requires that everyone in an in-person conversation be told it's being recorded, while phone calls need one person's consent (RCFP guide, ORS 165.540). If people are in different states, the stricter law may apply. Rules outside the US differ too, and many employers, schools and clinics have their own policies. A meeting bot showing up in the participant list is a notice, not consent. The same goes for a "this call may be recorded" greeting: it may not tell people that an AI service is transcribing or summarizing the call, so name the AI note taker when you ask. This is general information, not legal advice. If you're unsure, ask a lawyer where you live.

A simple way to ask. Start recording first, so your announcement is captured on the recording (Washington law requires that). Then say:

"Quick heads-up: I'd like to record this and use an AI note taker to transcribe it, so I don't miss anything. The recording and notes are stored with [tool name]. Is everyone OK with that?"

Wait for a clear yes from each person. If anyone says no, stop and delete what you captured. For meetings with outside guests, also put a line in the invite: "This meeting may be recorded and transcribed by an AI note taker. Let me know beforehand if you'd prefer it isn't."

What we did and didn't do

We read the vendor pages below on 2026-10-27. We haven't used any of these tools, so we can't compare transcript accuracy.

Sources (checked 2026-10-27)

• Bluedot pricing: https://www.bluedothq.com/pricing
• Bluedot security: https://www.bluedothq.com/security
• Fathom pricing: https://www.fathom.ai/pricing
• Otter pricing: https://otter.ai/pricing
• Otter privacy and security: https://otter.ai/privacy-security
• Notta pricing: https://www.notta.ai/en/pricing
• Granola pricing: https://www.granola.ai/pricing
• Fireflies pricing: https://fireflies.ai/pricing
• RCFP recording guide: https://www.rcfp.org/introduction-to-reporters-recording-guide/
• Oregon ORS 165.540: https://oregon.public.law/statutes/ors_165.540
• Fireflies meeting storage limits help (per seat, pooled across the team; checked 2026-10-27): https://guide.fireflies.ai/articles/4777633252-learn-about-meeting-storage-limits

Changes

• 2026-10-27: page first written. Prices, plans and policies checked on the vendor pages in Sources.
• 2026-10-27: Fireflies Free storage now shows both of Fireflies' wordings (pricing page: per team; help center: per seat, pooled). Notta's free cap worded per recording.