# The Best AI Note Takers for Client Discovery Calls

By [David Wilson](https://testbenchlab.com/authors/david-wilson/). Updated 2026-11-02. US prices checked 2026-10-29.

Notta is the best all-round AI note taker for client discovery calls. It works with or without a meeting bot, so you can record a first call with a new client from your computer without a stranger seeing an AI attendee join; its custom summary templates let you structure every call around your own discovery framework; and its Business plan pushes notes straight into Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive or Zoho. Pro costs $8.17 per month billed annually ($97.99/year), making it one of the most affordable ways to run structured discovery at scale. If you want ready-made sales frameworks, Fellow ships MEDDICC, BANT and SPICED recap templates on its Business plan ($15 per user a month, annual). Granola is a strong bot-free alternative from $14 per user a month, and Fathom is a free starting point with unlimited recordings. This guide compares all four, plus Avoma, Fireflies.ai, Otter.ai and Gong for sales teams that score discovery calls.

**How we assessed:** This guide is based on documented plan features, vendor pricing pages and help documentation checked on 29 October 2026, plus competitor research from 2 September 2026. It is not based on independent lab testing.

## Quick list

| # | Award | Product | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Best overall for discovery calls | Notta |  | Pro $8.17/mo, billed $97.99/yr; Business adds CRM sync and unlimited templates |
| 2 | Best for built-in sales frameworks | Fellow |  | Business $15/user/mo annual ($23 monthly); Team $7 annual ($11) lacks sales templates |
| 3 | Best bot-free for first client calls | Granola |  | Business $14/user/mo; Basic $0 with 30-day history |
| 4 | Best free option | Fathom |  | Free $0; Business $25/user/mo annual ($34 monthly), 2-user minimum |

## 1. Best overall for discovery calls: Notta

The most flexible pick for consultants, agencies and founders running discovery calls. Notta runs in bot or bot-free mode, so the same tool covers first calls with new clients (recorded from your computer, no AI attendee visible) and internal follow-ups. Custom summary templates let you turn every call into a structured discovery record, and the Business plan syncs notes to Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, Zoho and other CRMs.

Bot-free recording for first calls, custom discovery templates, and CRM sync on Business, at a lower entry price than any other pick. Pro is $8.17/mo billed $97.99/yr; custom templates are unlimited on the Business plan, which also adds CRM push.

**Price:** Pro $8.17/mo, billed $97.99/yr; Business adds CRM sync and unlimited templates

## 2. Best for built-in sales frameworks: Fellow

The only pick that ships ready-made MEDDICC, BANT, SPICED and sales discovery recap templates out of the box, on the Business plan and above. Templates fire when at least one external attendee is on the call. Note that the cheaper Team plan does not include the sales templates, and Salesforce and HubSpot sync also requires Business.

Built-in MEDDICC, BANT and SPICED recap templates on Business+, with customisable workspace templates and bot and bot-free modes.

**Price:** Business $15/user/mo annual ($23 monthly); Team $7 annual ($11) lacks sales templates

## 3. Best bot-free for first client calls: Granola

Records from your computer with no bot at all, and lets you load your own discovery template. The Business plan adds HubSpot, Attio and Affinity sync; Salesforce arrives on Enterprise. A good fit if a completely bot-free workflow is your top priority.

No bot ever joins the call, custom templates are supported, and Business adds HubSpot, Attio and Affinity CRM sync.

**Price:** Business $14/user/mo; Basic $0 with 30-day history

## 4. Best free option: Fathom

The free plan includes unlimited recordings, so you can start capturing discovery calls at no cost. Custom templates and CRM field sync arrive on the Business plan, along with 15+ summary templates on advanced summaries. On Mac, Fathom can also record without a bot.

A genuinely free starting point with unlimited recordings; custom templates and CRM field sync come with Business.

**Price:** Free $0; Business $25/user/mo annual ($34 monthly), 2-user minimum

## Also considered

- [Avoma](https://www.avoma.com/pricing): Best for sales teams that want discovery scoring and coaching. Auto-saves calls to Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoho, Pipedrive and Copper; scoring and scorecards come via the Conversation Intelligence add-on. Startup is $19 per recorder seat a month (annual), with the CI add-on at $29 (annual).
- [Fireflies.ai](https://fireflies.ai/pricing): AI Skills and CRM integrations, but recaps go to all invitees by default, which is worth knowing on a first call with a prospect. Pro is $10/user/mo annual ($18 monthly).
- [Otter.ai](https://otter.ai/pricing): Salesforce and HubSpot sync on Pro (up to 5 users), but a 90-minute meeting cap on Pro can bite on long scoping sessions. Pro is $8.33/user/mo annual ($16.99 monthly).
- Gong: Discovery analytics for large sales organisations; pricing is by custom quote, so it is hard to justify for a solo consultant or small agency.
- tl;dv: Solid free tier and multi-language support, but no built-in discovery frameworks and weaker CRM field mapping than the picks above.

## How we chose

We compared the note takers on the criteria that matter specifically for discovery calls: whether they ship built-in discovery frameworks (BANT, MEDDICC, SPICED) and on which plan; whether you can build custom templates and how many; whether notes push into a CRM and which ones; what the prospect actually sees on a first call (bot or bot-free); and cost for one person versus a team. We weighted bot-free flexibility and custom templates heavily, because a discovery call is usually the first meeting with a stranger and the notes need to match your scoping framework, not a vendor's defaults. Plan features and prices were checked on 29 October 2026 against each vendor's pricing page and documentation. Notta earned the top pick because it is the only tool that combines bot-free recording, unlimited custom templates (Business plan), CRM sync and a low entry price; Fellow is the alternative if you need ready-made frameworks.

## Which AI note taker is best for discovery calls?

Notta is the best overall choice for discovery calls, because it solves the two problems that define this use case: what the client sees on a first call, and whether your notes match your scoping framework. Notta records bot-free from your computer when you are meeting a stranger, and switches to bot mode for internal or repeat calls. Its custom summary templates mean your BANT, MEDDICC, SPICED or house scoping template is applied to every call, and the Business plan pushes the results into Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive or Zoho. Pro costs $8.17 per month billed annually, less than every other paid pick here.

Fellow is the strongest alternative if you want frameworks you never have to build: its Business plan ships MEDDICC, BANT and SPICED recap templates that fire automatically when an external attendee is on the call. Granola is the purest bot-free option, and Fathom is a free starting point. Here is how the main tools compare.

| Tool | Built-in discovery frameworks | Custom templates | CRM push | Bot or bot-free | Entry price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Notta | No; use custom templates | Yes; unlimited on Business | Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, Zoho and others on Business | Both (desktop app records bot-free) | Pro $8.17/mo billed $97.99/yr |
| Fellow | MEDDICC, BANT, SPICED on Business+ | Yes; workspace templates | Salesforce, HubSpot on Business+ | Both | Business $15/user/mo annual |
| Granola | No; build your own | Yes | HubSpot, Attio, Affinity on Business; Salesforce on Enterprise | Bot-free | Business $14/user/mo |
| Fathom | No; 15+ summary templates | Custom on Business | CRM field sync on Business | Bot; Mac app can record bot-free | Free $0 |
| Avoma | Discovery use case; custom topics on Organization+ | Yes, by plan | Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoho, Pipedrive, Copper | Bot | Startup $19/seat/mo annual |

## Which tools fill in BANT, MEDDICC or SPICED automatically?

Fellow is the only pick that ships all three frameworks out of the box: its Business plan includes MEDDICC, BANT, SPICED and sales discovery recap templates, which run when at least one external attendee is on the call, according to Fellow's help documentation. The catch is plan level: the cheaper Team plan does not include the sales templates, so you need Business at $15 per user a month (annual).

Every other tool here requires you to build the framework yourself as a custom template, and that is where Notta stands out. Notta's custom summary templates are unlimited on its Business plan, so you can replicate a MEDDICC scorecard, a BANT checklist or a SPICED map field by field, and the AI fills each field from the call. Granola and Fathom take the same custom-template approach, with Fathom's custom templates arriving on its Business plan. If your discovery framework is non-standard, a custom template is arguably better than a built-in one, because the fields match how you actually scope work.

## Should I bring a bot to a first call with a new client?

A bot is the first thing a stranger sees when they join your call, and many consultants decide it is not the first impression they want. An AI attendee labelled in the participant list can raise questions about recording and consent before you have earned the right to ask them, which is why a bot-free recorder is a common choice for discovery calls specifically.

Notta's desktop app records the meeting from your computer without any bot joining, so the client sees nothing unusual, and you still get a full transcript and a structured summary in your discovery template. Granola works the same way, recording locally with no bot at all, and Fathom's Mac app can also record without a bot. Fellow supports both bot and bot-free modes, so you can keep one tool for both scenarios.

The trade-off is that bot-free recording usually means the tool captures only your side's audio unless you use system audio capture, and some clients will ask you to record anyway. For a deeper comparison of the two approaches for sales and client calls, see our guides on bot-free note takers for client calls and meeting bots versus bot-free note takers for sales.

## How do I build my own discovery template?

Granola, Notta, Otter and Fathom all support custom templates, so you can define the fields you want filled on every discovery call. Granola's own discovery guidance suggests a six-field structure that works well as a starting point: current state, pain, stakeholders, success criteria, timeline and next step. Build those six fields into a custom summary template in Notta or Granola, and the AI will populate them from the conversation, giving you a consistent record whether the call is a consultant scoping a project or a founder qualifying a prospect.

A few rules of thumb from practitioners: keep the template to six to ten fields so the AI has room to fill each one properly; review the filled template within 24 hours while the call is fresh; and reflect the requirements back to the client for confirmation before you build a proposal on them. For a fuller discussion of what good sales call notes should capture beyond the transcript, see our guide to what good sales call notes contain.

## Which tools push discovery notes into a CRM?

If discovery notes live only in a note-taking app, they stop being useful the moment a proposal or pipeline review needs them. Notta's Business plan syncs to Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, Zoho and other CRMs, so a filled discovery template can land directly on the deal record. Fellow's Business plan pushes to Salesforce and HubSpot, Fathom's Business plan adds CRM field sync, Avoma auto-saves calls to Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoho, Pipedrive and Copper, and Granola's Business plan covers HubSpot, Attio and Affinity, with Salesforce on Enterprise.

Check two things before committing: whether the integration syncs the full structured note or just a summary, and whether it maps your custom fields or only standard ones. Fathom's field-level sync on Business is the most explicit about mapping individual fields; Notta's Business plan covers the widest set of mainstream CRMs among the picks. For a detailed comparison of Salesforce sync specifically, see our guide to AI note takers that sync to Salesforce.

## What does a discovery note taker cost?

Discovery tooling is often bought by one person first and rolled out later, so solo and team pricing both matter. Notta is the cheapest paid pick for individuals at $8.17 per month billed annually, with CRM sync and unlimited templates arriving on the Business plan. Fellow spans $7 per user a month (Team, annual) to $15 (Business, annual), but only Business includes the sales frameworks. Granola's free Basic plan keeps 30 days of history, and Business is $14 per user a month. Fathom's free plan is unlimited on recordings, with Business at $25 per user a month (annual) and a two-user minimum. Avoma charges $19 per recorder seat a month (annual) plus $29 for the Conversation Intelligence add-on that adds scoring.

| Tool | Solo price | Team price (per user) |
|---|---|---|
| Notta | Pro $8.17/mo, billed $97.99/yr | Business adds CRM sync and unlimited templates; see Notta pricing |
| Fellow | Team $7/user/mo annual (no sales templates) | Business $15/user/mo annual ($23 monthly) |
| Granola | Basic $0 (30-day history) | Business $14/user/mo |
| Fathom | Free $0 | Business $25/user/mo annual, 2-user minimum |
| Avoma | Startup $19/seat/mo annual | CI add-on $29/seat/mo annual |

## Frequently asked questions

### What should discovery call notes include?

At minimum: the client's current state, the pain they are trying to fix, the stakeholders involved, their success criteria, the timeline and the agreed next step. Build these six fields into a custom template in Notta, Granola or Fathom so they are filled consistently on every call, and review the notes within 24 hours while the conversation is fresh.

### Can AI fill in a MEDDICC or BANT scorecard from a call?

Yes. Fellow ships MEDDICC, BANT and SPICED recap templates on its Business plan and fills them automatically. With Notta, Granola or Fathom you build the scorecard once as a custom template, and the AI populates each field from the transcript. The custom approach also lets you adapt the framework to your own scoping questions.

### Is it OK to record a discovery call with a prospect?

Usually, yes, provided you follow consent rules. Recording consent laws vary by state and country, so the safest practice is to mention at the start of the call that you are taking notes with an AI assistant. A bot-free recorder such as Notta's desktop app or Granola keeps the recording discreet, but transparency is still the better policy with a new client. See our guide to recording consent laws by state.

### What is the best free AI note taker for discovery calls?

Fathom's free plan is a free option, with unlimited recordings and no meeting cap. Granola's Basic plan is free but keeps only 30 days of history. If you outgrow a free plan, Notta Pro at $8.17 per month billed annually is the cheapest step up to custom discovery templates and longer history, with CRM sync on the Business plan.

### Can I use ChatGPT to summarise a discovery call?

You can paste a transcript into ChatGPT and get a decent summary, but you still need a way to record and transcribe the call, and you lose templates, speaker identification and CRM sync. A dedicated note taker like Notta handles the whole workflow: recording (bot or bot-free), transcription, a custom discovery template applied automatically, and CRM push on the Business plan.

## Related reading

- [The best AI note takers for client meetings in 2026](https://testbenchlab.com/best/best-ai-note-taker-for-client-meetings/)
- [What good sales call notes capture (besides the transcript)](https://testbenchlab.com/guides/what-good-sales-call-notes-capture/)
- [AI meeting tools that draft follow-up emails after sales calls](https://testbenchlab.com/best/ai-tools-that-draft-sales-follow-up-emails/)
- [AI Note Takers That Sync Call Notes to Salesforce](https://testbenchlab.com/best/ai-note-takers-that-sync-to-salesforce/)
- [The best bot-free AI note taker for client calls](https://testbenchlab.com/best/best-bot-free-ai-note-taker-for-client-calls/)
- [One-party vs two-party consent states: can you use an AI voice recorder?](https://testbenchlab.com/guides/recording-consent-laws-by-state/)
- [Meeting bot or bot-free note taker for sales calls?](https://testbenchlab.com/guides/meeting-bot-vs-bot-free-note-taker-for-sales/)

## Sources

1. [Sales recap templates (MEDDICC, BANT, SPICED)](https://help.fellow.ai/en/articles/9844905-sales-recap-templates) — Fellow; checked 29 October 2026
2. [Fellow pricing](https://fellow.ai/pricing) — Fellow; vendor pricing page; checked 29 October 2026
3. [Granola pricing](https://www.granola.ai/pricing) — Granola; vendor pricing page; checked 29 October 2026
4. [Fathom pricing and template count](https://www.fathom.ai/pricing) — Fathom; vendor pricing page; checked 29 October 2026
5. [Avoma pricing and add-ons](https://www.avoma.com/pricing) — Avoma; vendor pricing page; checked 29 October 2026
6. [Notta pricing](https://www.notta.ai/en/pricing) — Notta; vendor pricing page; checked 29 October 2026
7. [Fireflies.ai pricing](https://fireflies.ai/pricing) — Fireflies.ai; vendor pricing page; checked 29 October 2026
8. [Otter.ai pricing](https://otter.ai/pricing) — Otter.ai; vendor pricing page; checked 29 October 2026
9. [The best AI meeting assistants](https://zapier.com/blog/best-ai-meeting-assistant/) — Zapier; checked 29 October 2026
10. [Practical ways I use AI transcripts in client-facing delivery work](https://spin.atomicobject.com/ai-transcripts-delivery-work/) — Atomic Object Spin; checked 29 October 2026