> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.useraven.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Zoom AI Companion, Gemini, Teams Copilot — do you still need a meeting assistant?
> How Raven compares to platform built-ins like Zoom AI Companion, Gemini in Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams Copilot — one local tool across every platform, with live help and no vendor lock-in.
"Isn't this already included in Zoom / Google / Microsoft?" is a fair question — the platforms now ship their own AI: **Zoom AI Companion**, **Gemini in Google Meet**, and **Microsoft Teams Copilot**. If you live entirely inside one platform and only want a recap, they're genuinely fine and usually cost nothing extra.
The catch is that they are **built for their own platform, on their own cloud** — and they don't help you *during* the call. Here's the honest comparison.
## At a glance
| | Raven | Platform built-ins (Zoom / Meet / Teams) |
| ------------------------------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Works across Zoom, Meet, Teams **and** in-person | **Yes** — captures any call plus in-room audio | No — each one only works inside its own platform |
| Live in-call assist ("what should I say?") | **Yes** — hidden overlay during the call | No — summaries arrive after the meeting |
| Invisible to screen share | **Yes** | n/a — no in-call overlay |
| Where your data goes | **Local SQLite**; audio uses **your** API keys | The platform vendor's cloud, under your org's tenant and terms |
| One unified history across all your meetings | **Yes** — one local Ask index | No — memory is split across three vendors |
| Cost | **Free** (your own API usage) | Bundled on some plans; Teams Copilot typically needs a paid add-on (M365 Copilot, \~\$30/user/mo) |
| Open source | **Yes** — auditable | No |
## Three real limits of the built-ins
1. **They're platform-locked.** Zoom AI Companion only helps in Zoom, Gemini only in Meet, Copilot only in Teams. If your week spans all three — plus a phone call or an in-person meeting — your notes and history are fragmented across vendors, with different formats and no single search. Raven is **one tool** for every call and in-room audio.
2. **They're after-the-fact.** They transcribe and summarize once the meeting ends. None of them sit beside you *during* the call suggesting what to say, surfacing an answer to a hard question, or running a live sales/interview checklist — and none are hidden from screen share. That live moment is Raven's whole reason to exist.
3. **Your meetings feed the platform vendor.** Content is processed in Microsoft's, Google's, or Zoom's cloud under your organization's agreement and admin controls (which can also switch the feature off). Raven keeps transcripts and notes **on your machine** and only sends audio to the transcription/AI providers **you** chose with **your own** keys — and because it's open source, that data path is auditable.
## When the built-ins are the right call (honestly)
* You use **exactly one** platform and never leave it.
* You only want a **post-meeting recap**, not live help.
* It's **already included** in your plan and you don't want to install anything.
If that's you, use what's bundled — it's zero-setup and free on most Zoom and Google plans.
## When Raven fits better
* You bounce between **Zoom, Meet, Teams, phone, and in-person** and want **one** consistent tool and history.
* You want **help during** the call, invisible on screen share.
* You want meetings kept **local** and a tool you can **audit** — not another feed into a platform vendor.
* You'd rather pay your AI provider **cents** than add a per-seat Copilot license.
Free, open source, Mac + Windows. Works across every platform.
How Raven stacks up against Fathom, Granola, Otter, and more.
Platform built-ins change fast and their availability depends on your plan and admin settings (e.g., Teams Copilot generally requires a Microsoft 365 Copilot add-on). Check what your organization actually has enabled.