A Read.ai alternative that stays out of the call
Trippi Notes team · facts checked on 2026-10-01
Read.ai joins your meetings as “Read Assistant” once your calendar is connected, and it keeps joining until you change the settings. If you want meeting notes without a participant you have to explain, here is how Trippi Notes compares. Facts checked on 1 October 2026.
Side by side
| Trippi Notes | Read.ai | |
|---|---|---|
| Joins the call | No. A Chrome extension that hears the meeting tab after you click its icon | Read Assistant joins automatically based on your auto-join settings (Read help). The desktop app can capture audio from your computer without it (desktop app) |
| Where it works | Google Meet, Zoom in the browser, Teams in the browser. No desktop app, no phone | Zoom, Teams, Google Meet; other platforms through the desktop app (platforms). Windows, macOS, Android and iOS apps |
| Languages | 68 speech languages | 36 languages for meeting reports (Read help) |
| Translation | Yes, live: a translation line under each line, in your language. Summary in your language too | Reports come in the main spoken language, or in an output language you set. No live translation found |
| Lowest paid price | $6 a month for 10 hours of meetings, or $60 a year | Pro $15 a month billed yearly; $19.75 month to month (pricing) |
Read from read.ai and support.read.ai on 1 October 2026.
Why Read.ai keeps showing up
With a calendar connected, Read joins the meetings on its Calendar page that have “Add Read?” on. You can limit it to meetings you host or to internal meetings, and it can also join unscheduled Google Meet and Zoom calls the moment you start them (what meetings Read joins).
That is why “Read.ai keeps joining meetings” is a common search. Turning it off for you does not turn it off for other people in the same call who use Read. Our guide how to stop note-taker bots covers the settings, the lobby in Teams and the admin options.
Trippi Notes has nothing that joins. You click its icon in the meeting tab, and it hears the sound of that tab. No bot does not mean secret. Tell people at the start that you take AI notes: what to say and a line to paste in the chat.
In Teams
Teams admins often hold external bots in the lobby, and some companies block them. A browser extension is not a participant, so there is nothing to hold. Trippi Notes works with Teams in the browser, not in the Teams desktop app: open the meeting link in Chrome or Edge and choose to continue in the browser. See how to get a Teams transcript.
What Read.ai does better
- Apps everywhere. Windows, macOS, Android and iOS. Trippi Notes works only in Chrome on a computer.
- Playback. Read’s higher plans include audio and video playback. Trippi Notes keeps no audio or video.
- Other platforms. Its desktop app captures any audio on your computer, including Webex and Slack huddles. Trippi Notes covers Meet, Zoom and Teams in the browser only.
- Integrations. Read’s Pro plan connects to Notion, Jira, Confluence, Zapier and more. Trippi Notes sends tasks to Linear, Jira and Asana.
- Your own voice. Trippi Notes hears the tab, so your own microphone is not in the transcript.
Languages and price
Read lists 36 languages for meeting reports and notes that meetings in several languages at once “may produce inconsistent results” (Read help). Trippi Notes recognizes 68 and puts a translation line in your language under each line, live.
Read Pro is $15 a month billed yearly, or $19.75 month to month. Trippi Notes is $6, $12 or $24 a month for 10, 25 or 70 hours of meetings.
Trippi Notes, with its limits
A Chrome extension for a computer. Click its icon in a Google Meet, Zoom or Teams tab in the browser, and it writes the transcript with names and times, a translation line in your language, then a summary, tasks with owners and a follow-up email draft. It does not join the call, keep audio or video, work in desktop apps or on a phone, or start from your calendar. Your own microphone is not in the transcript. All Read.ai facts on this page were checked on 1 October 2026.
FAQ
Asked about this.
How do I stop Read.ai from joining my meetings?+
Change auto-join in Read’s account settings, or turn Read off per meeting on its Calendar page. Our guide on stopping note-taker bots has the steps.
Can Read.ai work without the assistant?+
Yes: its desktop app captures audio from your computer without the bot joining.
Does Trippi Notes work in the Teams desktop app?+
No. Open the meeting in Chrome or Edge and continue in the browser.
Will the others know I take notes with Trippi Notes?+
Not from the participant list, so tell them. Say it at the start of the call.
Read next
Meeting notes in your language, no bot.
Trippi Notes is in the Chrome Web Store. One click on the icon when the call begins, and nothing before that.