Read.ai
AI meeting assistant that generates summaries, transcripts and action items automatically.
why this verdict
Cancel it — switch to Fireflies.ai
Fireflies.ai and Otter.ai now cover the same core job on a free tier, so the $20/mo is optional.
- A named launch, not a vibe named, unlinked
- Google Meet's Gemini and Zoom's AI Companion bundle meeting summaries for free into tools people already use. Google, July 21, 2025 — no announcement link recorded yet.
- How much of the job it covers all of it editorial call
- The whole core job — the thing the subscription was actually for.
- Is there a free way to do it? yes
- 3 of 3 listed replacements have a usable free tier: Fireflies.ai, Otter.ai and Fathom.
- What the call is worth $240/yr
- $20/mo at the entry paid tier — $240 a year per seat.
- Threatened by
- Since
- July 21, 2025
- List price
- $20/mo
- Per year
- $240
The backstory
ai built a fast-growing meeting assistant that joins calls across Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams to produce summaries, transcripts and action items, plus search across past meetings. ai depends on to even join a call. A meeting bot that lives entirely inside someone else's video conferencing app is one of the most exposed categories once that app adds the same feature natively.
Escape hatches
switching could free up $240/yrMeeting transcription with a generous free plan
fireflies.ai open_in_newAI meeting notes and transcription across platforms
otter.ai open_in_newFree AI notetaker for Zoom, Meet and Teams
fathom.video open_in_new3 of 3 replacements have a usable free tier.