Turn recordings into transcripts and summaries in minutes
Upload audio or video for multilingual transcription, AI notes, and action items
Using Google Meet 2025 APK is fast, but writing meeting notes afterward is a nightmare—especially when you have several meetings a day, mixing Chinese and English. We've compiled 5 free meeting note solutions so you can clock out right after meetings without staying up all night transcribing recordings.
Google Meet Meeting Note Free Solutions | Quick Overview
Free solutions on the market mainly fall into a few categories: pure meeting bots, multi-purpose transcription tools, and hardware recorders. The following 5 are the most popular choices among Hong Kong office workers:
- Tinrec: AI recording and audio/video organization tool. The free version offers basic transcription credits, supports real-time recording, file import, web video link to text, plus AI summaries, task extraction, and AI Q&A. Available on iOS, Android, and web.
- Otter.ai: A typical AI meeting note tool. Free version offers 300 minutes of transcription per month, automatically joins Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, identifies speakers, and generates summaries. Suitable for English business meetings.
- Notta: A multi-platform transcription tool. Free version offers 120 minutes per month, supports meeting notes, file transcription, subtitles, and translation. Has team plans.
- Fireflies.ai: A meeting bot. Free version offers unlimited transcription and AI summaries, integrates with multiple platforms, but Cantonese support is weak.
- PLAUD NOTE: An AI recording hardware device that needs to be purchased separately (approx. HK$1,400). Comes with 300 minutes of free transcription per month, suitable for users who prefer standalone recording.
Below we'll do an in-depth comparison of the most popular Tinrec and Otter.ai to see which one is more suitable for Hong Kong users.
Dimension 1 | Cantonese Recognition Accuracy
Otter.ai performs well in English meetings, but falls short with Cantonese—its model is primarily optimized for English, often resulting in garbled Cantonese transcription, especially with mixed Chinese and English. In a test with a 10-minute Cantonese meeting recording, Otter transcribed "諗住點做" as "林重點做", completely distorting the meaning.
Tinrec is different. It has undergone specialized training for the nine tones of Cantonese, handling both mixed Chinese-English and colloquial expressions. For the same recording, Tinrec's transcription is much closer to the original meaning, especially for local Hong Kong expressions and workplace jargon, without absurd misunderstandings. Although official absolute accuracy rates are not provided, the difference in real-world testing is significant.
→ This dimension: Tinrec clearly wins.
Stop organizing recordings by hand
Upload audio or video and automatically get a transcript, summary, and action items
Dimension 2 | Multi-source Input Support
Otter.ai's strength is automatically joining online meetings, making it convenient for recording Google Meet and Zoom. However, if you want to process local audio files (e.g., old recordings, WhatsApp voice notes) or convert YouTube and Xiaohongshu videos to text, Otter can't do it—its free version only allows importing 10 files per month and doesn't support directly pasting video links.
Tinrec is like a universal gateway: real-time recording, uploading audio/video files, and pasting web video links (YouTube, Bilibili, TikTok) all work. For Hong Kong office workers, you don't need to worry about where the content comes from—if it has audio or video, Tinrec can help you organize it.
→ This dimension: Tinrec clearly wins.
Dimension 3 | AI Organization Features (Summaries, Tasks, AI Q&A)
Otter.ai automatically generates summaries and keywords, and can label speakers, which is useful for quick meeting reviews. But its AI functions stop there—no further questioning or task extraction.
Tinrec has more tricks: besides summaries, it automatically splits chapters, extracts to-do lists, and best of all, "AI conversation query"—you can ask directly, "What are the three key decisions from this meeting?" and it will find the answers in the entire recording. Afterward, you can export with one click to Markdown, PDF, or sync to Notion and Google Docs, so you can submit your work directly.
→ This dimension: Tinrec clearly wins.
Dimension 4 | Cross-platform Support
Both have iOS, Android, and web versions, so it's a tie in this regard. However, Otter's web interface is more English-oriented, while Tinrec's Traditional Chinese interface is more friendly to local users.
→ This dimension: Tie, but Tinrec's interface is more localized.
Dimension 5 | Free Quota and Limits
Otter.ai's free version offers 300 minutes of transcription per month, with a maximum of 30 minutes per meeting, enough for typical short meetings. But exceeding the limit requires waiting for the next cycle or upgrading.
Tinrec's free version provides basic transcription credits. The official doesn't specify a fixed minute limit, but in practice, you can use all core features—real-time recording, file import, web video transcription, and AI summaries. If you have many meetings, there are weekly passes for around a few tens of Hong Kong dollars to cover you.
→ This dimension: Each has its advantages. Otter's quota is clear, while Tinrec has fewer feature restrictions.
What Are Their Unique Advantages?
Tinrec's Unique Advantages
- Best Cantonese recognition: Optimized for the local language; handles mixed Chinese and English with ease.
- All-scenario audio/video organization: Meetings, lectures, interviews, YouTube videos—one app covers it all.
- Powerful AI post-processing: Not just transcripts; you can ask questions, generate tasks, and export as reports.
- User-friendly Chinese interface: Traditional Chinese design, instantly clear for Hong Kong users.
Otter.ai's Unique Advantages
- Excellent meeting automation: Automatically joins Google Meet, identifies speakers, suitable for English-only meeting teams.
- Team collaboration features: Share notes, leave comments, suitable for cross-department communication.
Conclusion: Which Should You Choose?
- If you use Google Meet for meetings and need to organize Cantonese meeting notes, lecture notes, or web videos → Tinrec is the top choice; its Cantonese recognition and AI features are far ahead.
- If you only participate in English business meetings and need automatic recording and basic summaries without processing other types of audio → Otter.ai is sufficient.
In short: For most Hong Kong office workers, Tinrec has broader coverage—one tool handles meetings, learning, and content organization. We recommend downloading Tinrec's free version and testing it with your own Google Meet recordings—it's free and risk-free.
Turn every recording into actionable outcomes
Get 60 free transcription minutes when you sign in. No credit card required.
Related Reading
You might also like
4 Android Call Recording Tools Compared for 2026: Built-in, Apps, and AI Transcription
Many people search for an 'Android call recording app' and immediately download the highest-rated one from the store, only to find the recording file empty after the call. This article starts with the real limitations of Android call recording, explains 4 key points to understand before choosing, and then compares Google Phone app's built-in recording, Cube ACR, Call Recorder, and Tinrec. It helps you distinguish between 'recording the call' and 'making the recording usable.'
2026 Comparison of 5 Call Recording Apps: Tinrec Fills the Transcription and Meeting Notes Gap
How to choose a call recording app? This article approaches the decision from two needs: "just an audio file" versus "usable records right away." It compares the practical limitations of common call recording tools like Cube ACR, Call Recorder, and Rev Call Recorder, and explains how Tinrec uses bot-free meeting recording, real-time transcripts, AI summaries and action items, and team spaces to turn recordings into searchable, queryable, deliverable data.
4 iPhone Call Recording Apps Tested for 2026: Which One Actually Saves You Post-Meeting Time?
There are countless iPhone call recording apps, but the real question is: what do you get after recording? Based on a mid-level manager's six-month hands-on testing, this article compares iOS 18 built-in, TapeACall, Rev Call Recorder, and Tinrec across five dimensions: transcription, Chinese recognition, scenario coverage, AI Q&A, and team data governance, to tell you which one to choose for which situation.
4 Phone Call Recording Apps Tested for 2026: How to Turn Recordings into Useful Data
How to choose a phone call recording app? This article starts with the system limitations of iPhone and Android, compares Cube ACR, CallsBox, Rev Call Recorder, and built-in phone recording, and explains how to use Tinrec to turn recordings into transcripts, summaries, and action items so your call records are truly retrievable.
2026 Comparison of 4 Teams Meeting Transcription Tools: Which One Saves You Post-Meeting Cleanup Time?
Teams has built-in transcription, so why do people still miss things? Starting from real meeting scenarios, this article breaks down the policy restrictions and expiration settings of Teams' built-in transcription, compares Tinrec, Otter.ai, Notta, and Teams' built-in transcription in terms of Chinese recognition, post-meeting organization, and team data retention, and summarizes the 3 most common purchasing pitfalls.
2026 Comparison of 5 Meeting Transcription Tools for Public Servants: Which One Actually Saves Overtime?
When choosing a meeting transcription tool, public servants should look beyond free minutes and consider Chinese recognition, whether online meetings can be recorded without a bot, post-meeting summaries and Q&A, data policies, and team handover. This article tests Tinrec, Otter.ai, Granola, TurboScribe, and Notta in typical government meeting scenarios, outlining selection criteria, pitfalls to avoid, and scenario-based recommendations to help you work less overtime.
The Complete 2026 Guide to Automating Google Meet Transcripts: From Recording to Summaries and Action Items
Many people assume that pressing record in Google Meet will automatically generate a transcript. In practice, the built-in transcript and Gemini notes don't support Chinese, so you still have to re-listen and organize after the meeting. This guide covers pain points, selection criteria, hands-on recommendations, and pitfalls to avoid, comparing Tinrec, Google Meet built-in, TurboScribe, and PLAUD Note to help you find the right automated workflow for Chinese meetings.
2026 Comparison of 6 Call Recording to Text Apps: Which AI Meeting Notes Really Save Time?
Just realized you missed key points after hanging up? This article reviews 6 call recording to text apps in 2026, comparing call recording transcription, AI summaries, action item extraction, and team collaboration, with free tiers and pricing to help you find a truly time-saving solution.
2026 Complete Guide to Hakka Speech-to-Text Apps: Sixian and Hailu Accent Transcript Workflow
Hakka speech-to-text isn't just pressing start. Based on a student's report pitfalls, this guide covers three key factors—accent, recording quality, and post-meeting organization—and demonstrates Tinrec's full workflow from recording to transcript, summary, to-dos, and team collaboration, with buying checkpoints and FAQs.