Disclosure: we make Loquelle, one of the tools below. Every fact about the other tools comes from the vendor's own website, read on 4 November 2026; where a vendor does not publish something clearly, we say so instead of guessing. Prices change often, so check the vendor page before you buy.
"AI meeting assistant" now covers two different kinds of tool. A live copilot listens while the call is happening and puts a suggested answer, or the question restated, on your screen in time to use it. A notetaker records the call and gives you a transcript, summary and action items afterwards. Both are useful; they solve different problems. If you want help in the moment, a job interview, a sales objection, a technical question, you need the first kind.
Which tools give you live answers during a call?
These are built to help you while the other person is still talking:
- Loquelle (nextiqumai.com/loquelle): live questions, suggested answers and talking points in a private side panel. Chrome extension and a Windows app for the installed Zoom and Teams apps; no bot joins the call; audio is processed live and not stored. Free plan with 45 minutes a month; paid from $15 a month (Dialog, 300 minutes). No macOS app yet.
- Cluely (cluely.com): desktop app for real-time answers in meetings, sales calls and interviews. Free Starter plan with limited AI responses; Pro listed at $19.99 a month (from $11.99 a month billed annually). Staying hidden from screen sharing is on a separate tier at $149.99 a month. Desktop on macOS and Windows 11; no Chrome extension.
- Final Round AI (finalroundai.com): interview-focused desktop app with live answers, practice interviews and debriefs; macOS and Windows. The free plan does not include live sessions. The public page shows Pro at "$25+/mo" and notes that this average is not necessarily the monthly charge. Its own FAQ says the desktop app records session audio and there is no setting to turn that off.
- LockedIn AI (lockedinai.com): interview copilot on desktop and mobile with live answers and delivery coaching. It has a free tier for short sessions; its prices load inside the page and were not readable, so check its pricing page directly. Stealth mode is not in its cheapest unlimited plan.
- Interview Copilot (interviewcopilot.ai): interview-only desktop app for macOS and Windows with live answers and a coding mode. $49 a month, or $149 a year.
- Natively (heynatively.com): desktop assistant with live answers and notes for macOS, Windows and Linux. Free if you use your own AI keys or a local model; hosted from $8 a month.
Which tools are notetakers first?
These are excellent at the record, summary and follow-up. Some now add live coaching, but they are not built to hand you an answer to say:
- Otter.ai: transcription and notes with a bot or bot-free desktop capture; free plan with 300 minutes a month; Pro $8.33 per user a month billed annually ($16.99 monthly). Advertises live coaching for calls.
- Fireflies.ai: notes and transcripts, usually through a bot, also a Chrome extension; free plan; Pro $10 per seat a month billed annually ($18 monthly). Sells Live Assist suggestions aimed at sales and recruiting.
- Read.ai: meeting reports and in-meeting metrics, usually through Read Assistant joining the call; free for 5 meetings a month; Pro $15 per user a month billed annually.
- Fathom: recording and instant summaries with a generous free plan; Premium $16 a month billed annually ($20 monthly). No live help during the call.
- tl;dv: notes and CRM updates after the meeting, with a free plan; its pricing page did not show prices when we checked.
- Tactiq: a Chrome extension that transcribes Meet, Zoom and Teams in the browser without a bot, and lets you ask its AI questions during the meeting; free for 10 transcripts a month; Pro $8 per user a month billed annually.
How do they compare at a glance?
| Tool | Live answers during the call | Bot joins the call | Free plan | Cheapest paid (as listed) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loquelle | Yes | No | Yes, 45 min a month | $15 a month |
| Cluely | Yes | No (desktop app) | Yes, limited | $19.99 a month |
| Final Round AI | Yes | No | Yes, without live sessions | "$25+/mo" average |
| LockedIn AI | Yes | No | Yes, short sessions | See vendor page |
| Interview Copilot | Yes | No | Free try | $49 a month or $149 a year |
| Natively | Yes | No | Yes, with your own AI keys | $8 a month hosted |
| Otter.ai | Coaching | Optional | Yes, 300 min a month | $8.33 per user a month (annual) |
| Fireflies.ai | Coaching | Usually | Yes | $10 per seat a month (annual) |
| Read.ai | Metrics | Usually | Yes, 5 meetings a month | $15 per user a month (annual) |
| Fathom | No | Usually | Yes | $16 a month (annual) |
| Tactiq | Ask-AI panel | No | Yes, 10 transcripts a month | $8 per user a month (annual) |
How do you choose the right one?
Start from the moment you want help with, not from the feature list.
- Interviews only: an interview copilot (Final Round AI, LockedIn AI, Interview Copilot) is built around that one job; check whether live sessions are on the free plan and whether the app records your audio.
- Interviews, sales calls and everyday meetings: a general live copilot (Loquelle, Cluely, Natively) covers all three. Check which platforms you use: a browser extension helps with Meet and web Zoom; the installed Zoom and Teams apps need a desktop app.
- Notes your team will read later: a notetaker (Otter, Fireflies, Fathom, Read.ai, tl;dv) is the better fit, and most have useful free plans.
- No bot in the meeting: every live copilot above runs on your own device; among notetakers, Tactiq is bot-free by design and Otter, Fireflies and Fathom offer bot-free options.
- Privacy: read what each tool stores. Some keep audio recordings; Loquelle processes audio live and keeps only the text you choose to save.
One caution for any tool that says it is hidden on screen share, including ours: it works by keeping its window out of the shared picture, and vendors such as Final Round AI and LockedIn AI say plainly that this cannot be guaranteed on every platform. Test it on the exact setup you will use before an important call.
Questions people ask
What is the difference between an AI meeting copilot and an AI notetaker?
A copilot helps during the call: it hears the question and shows you a suggested answer or the point you wanted to make while you can still use it. A notetaker records the call and gives you a transcript, summary and action items afterwards. Some notetakers now add live coaching, but they are built around the record.
Is there a free AI meeting copilot with live answers?
Yes. Loquelle has a free plan with 45 minutes a month, Cluely has a limited free Starter plan, LockedIn AI has a free tier for short sessions, and Natively is free if you use your own AI keys. Final Round AI's free plan does not include live sessions.
Which live copilots work without a bot joining the meeting?
All the live copilots in this comparison run on your own device: Loquelle, Cluely, Final Round AI, LockedIn AI, Interview Copilot and Natively. Nothing appears in the participant list.
Which AI meeting assistants work with the Zoom and Teams desktop apps?
The installed apps need a desktop assistant rather than a browser extension. Loquelle's Windows app, and the desktop apps of Cluely, Final Round AI, LockedIn AI, Interview Copilot and Natively, cover them; a Chrome extension covers meetings running in a browser tab.