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This is the long-form matrix for people who want to compare on specifics, not vibes. For a shorter, opinionated ranking see Best AI meeting assistants; for one-on-one pages see the comparison overview.
We make Raven, so treat this as a competitor’s matrix and verify anything that matters before you buy. Facts checked August 2026 against vendors’ own pages and app listings. A dash (-) means “not a focus, or not publicly documented” - not necessarily “impossible.” Language counts are vendor-claimed. Prices are per seat; most vendors are cheaper billed annually than monthly.

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What “live in-call assist” means here

The category shifted in 2026, so this row needs a precise definition. Live in-call assist means real-time suggestions or answers that help you respond during the call (a private panel with talking points, objection help, or mid-call Q&A) - not just a live transcript or live notes.
  • Raven and Cluely were built around it. Raven’s is free, local, bot-free, and hidden from screen share; Cluely gates screen-share invisibility behind its $149.99/mo tier.
  • Fireflies added Live Assist (real-time suggestions + mid-call AskFred answers + Sales Assist), but advanced use is metered by AI credits and runs in its cloud.
  • Otter launched Live Assist (a real-time coaching agent) in July 2026, but it is Enterprise-only; its live AI Chat is available more broadly on paid tiers.
  • Fathom shows live notes/summaries during the call but does not suggest what to say. Granola, tl;dv, Krisp, Circleback, and Jamie are after-the-call.
So Raven is no longer the only tool with live help - its distinction is that live help is free, on your machine, without a bot, and open source.

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Help and capture

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Privacy and data

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Transcription and AI

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Team and extensibility

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Pricing and free tier

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How to read this

  • If you want live help during the call: Raven, Cluely, Fireflies, or Otter (Enterprise). Only Raven is free, local, bot-free, and open source.
  • If privacy or data ownership is the point: Raven (local + open source) or Jamie (managed EU cloud). Everyone else is closed cloud.
  • If you need breadth - 100+ integrations, mobile apps, SSO, big archives: Fireflies, Otter, or Circleback earn their price. Raven is deliberately a single-user, local desktop tool.
  • If cost is the driver: Raven is free software (you pay only your own API usage); the rest are $8-$150 per seat per month.

Download Raven

Free, open source, Mac + Windows. Bring your own keys.

Honest ranking

The field, ranked - including where others win.
Every figure here was verified August 2026 against each vendor’s official pricing page, docs, or app-store listing. Vendors change features and pricing often - confirm before relying on a specific number.