TheAISelect
productivityUpdated 2026-05-175 min read

tl;dvtl;dv Review 2026 — Free AI meeting recorder for Zoom and Google Meet

Deep dive into tl;dv. Is this AI meeting recorder the best free option for capturing and sharing meeting insights in 2026?

D
Daniel Pérez
CS Engineering · Daily AI user
8h tested
Independent
01Quick verdict

Four metrics, one decision.

tl;dv is the best free meeting recorder. Unlimited recordings, solid AI summaries, and shareable timestamped clips — all on the free tier. For advanced CRM integration and analytics, the paid plan is worth it. Here's what we found.

01
9.2/ 10
Recording Quality
02
9.8/ 10
Value for Money
03
8.5/ 10
AI Summaries
04
9.0/ 10
Clip Sharing
02TL;DR
30-second summary

The best free meeting recorder — unlimited recordings with AI summaries.tl;dv gives unlimited Zoom and Google Meet recordings at zero cost with AI summaries and shareable clips. It's the default starting point before paying for Otter.ai or Fireflies.ai. The Pro plan adds CRM sync and multi-meeting analysis.

Numeric verdict
4.2
of 5
  • Best forTeams wanting free meeting recordings
  • Learning curveVery low
  • Top alternativeFireflies.ai (for deeper CRM integration)
03What is tl;dv?

tl;dv (Too Long; Didn't View) is an AI meeting recorder that joins your Zoom and Google Meet calls as a bot, records everything, and produces a searchable transcript and AI summary within minutes of the call ending. Unlike Otter.ai and Fireflies.ai, tl;dv's free tier includes truly unlimited recordings.

The standout feature is timestamps and clips: you can mark moments during a meeting, then share a timestamped link to that exact moment. Stakeholders who missed the meeting can jump straight to the decisions, not sit through the full recording. The Pro plan adds CRM integrations to push notes directly to HubSpot, Salesforce, or Pipedrive.

Highlights
  • Free unlimited meeting recordings on Zoom and Google Meet
  • AI summaries and action items generated automatically
  • Shareable timestamped clips from any meeting
  • CRM integrations push meeting notes to HubSpot and Salesforce
Launched
2020
Platforms
Zoom, Google Meet, MS Teams (Pro)
Free tier
Unlimited recordings
Languages
30+ transcription languages
04Practical test

Stress test: tl;dv vs Otter.ai vs Fireflies.ai on sales call recording

We recorded a 45-minute sales discovery call across all three tools, measuring summary quality, action item extraction, and CRM sync capability.

test · meeting-recorder-benchmark● PASSED
Winner
t
tl;dv
Time
3min
Quality
9.0/10

Best clips feature. Unlimited free. CRM push on Pro plan.

F
Fireflies.ai
Time
4min
Quality
8.8/10

Better CRM integration on free. More powerful search.

O
Otter.ai
Time
2min
Quality
8.5/10

Best real-time captions. Free tier limited to 300 min/month.

Methodology note. Each prompt was run three times in separate sessions, with no system prompt, at UTC 09:00. The score is the median of three reviewers blinded to the tool. See full methodology.

05Pricing & plans

Three plans, one clear.

Recommended
Free
$0/mo

Unlimited recordings + transcripts + AI summaries

Pro
$20/mo

CRM integrations + multi-meeting insights + custom templates

Business
$59/mo

Team analytics + manager dashboards + advanced CRM sync

06Pros & cons

The good and the painful.

Pros
  • Unlimited free recordings — no monthly limit unlike Otter.ai
  • Timestamped clip sharing is unique and genuinely useful
  • AI summaries and action items are accurate and concise
  • Integrates with Slack, Notion, and major CRMs on Pro
Cons
  • Microsoft Teams support only on paid plans
  • CRM integrations require Pro plan ($20/mo)
  • AI summary quality slightly below Fireflies.ai on complex calls
  • Mobile app is more limited than desktop
07Comparison

tl;dv vs the rest.

Where it wins and loses against its three direct competitors in 2026.

F
vs
Fireflies.ai
Where Fireflies.ai wins
  • Unlimited recordings on free tier (Fireflies limits free)
  • Better clip-and-share workflow for async teams
  • Cleaner UI and faster setup
Where tl;dv wins
  • Better CRM integration on free plan
  • More powerful search across all meetings
  • Better AI meeting intelligence and coaching features
O
vs
Otter.ai
Where Otter.ai wins
  • Unlimited free recordings (Otter limits to 300 min/month)
  • Better clip sharing for async stakeholders
  • CRM integrations on Pro
Where tl;dv wins
  • Better real-time live captions and speaker diarization
  • Longer meeting history accessible on free
  • Better for live captioning accessibility use cases
08Who is it for?

Three profiles that get the most out of it.

01

Sales teams

Record every discovery call and push notes to your CRM automatically. Share timestamped clips of key objections or commitments with your manager without them watching the full call.

02

Product managers & researchers

Capture user interviews and clip the moments where customers describe pain points. Share specific quotes with the team instantly rather than sending 60-minute recordings.

03

Remote-first teams

Never miss a meeting you couldn't attend. Jump straight to the decisions via timestamped links. Keep a searchable archive of every team discussion.

tl;dv's clips feature is underrated: instead of "watch the recording," you send "here's the 2 minutes that matter". That changes how async teams communicate.

09Final verdict

For free meeting recording with shareable clips, tl;dvis the default before you pay for anything else.

tl;dv is the obvious first meeting recorder to try — unlimited recordings on the free tier, solid AI summaries, and the unique clip-sharing feature. Once you need CRM integration and team analytics, the Pro plan at $20/month is well priced.

Final score
4.2
of 5 · 8h tested
Editor's pick
Notable
Confidence
Medium
D
Who wrote this review

Daniel Pérez

CS Engineering student and AI enthusiast. Tests and analyzes AI tools daily — Antigravity, Gemini, Claude, ChatGPT — to understand which one works in each real context, not on paper benchmarks.

Independent reviews+8h tested on this tool Updated 2026-05-17
View profile
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10FAQ

Frequently asked questions.

Yes. tl;dv's free tier includes unlimited Zoom and Google Meet recordings with transcripts and AI summaries. There's no monthly recording limit, unlike Otter.ai (300 min/month) or Fireflies.ai. Microsoft Teams recording requires a paid plan.
t
tl;dv · 4.2/5
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