Notetaker API vs Recall AI

Audio & video recording

Captures both audio and video in a single .WEBM file, including participant videos and screen sharing, with recordings accessible via signed URLs that expire after 1 hour and are deleted after 72 hours. Ideal for post-meeting review and analysis.

Provides native audio and video recording capabilities, supporting high-quality capture across platforms like Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams, with an emphasis on real-time processing and flexible storage options.

Transcription

Offers AI-powered transcription and speaker diarization through AssemblyAI, fully integrated out-of-the-box. Delivers JSON/text outputs with timestamps and speaker identification, requiring no additional setup or third-party services.

Relies on a “bring-your-own” transcription model, giving users the freedom to choose and integrate their preferred transcription service (e.g., AWS Transcribe, Google Speech-to-Text), but lacks a built-in solution, adding complexity.

Calendar sync

Features real-time calendar synchronization, allowing Notetakers to join meetings automatically based on linked calendar events. Supports scheduled joins with queue management via API calls, enhancing automation.

Does not offer native calendar sync, requiring developers to build or integrate their own scheduling logic with external calendar tools, which can increase development time and maintenance overhead.

Meeting bot customization

Enables customization of the bot’s name (e.g., replacing “Nylas Notetaker”) and settings like toggling video, audio, or transcription on/off via API, offering flexibility to match branding or use case needs.

Provides limited customization options, focusing more on raw functionality than user-facing personalization, with the bot’s presence and behavior largely standardized across implementations.

Webhook support

Delivers comprehensive webhook notifications for key events—media availability, meeting status updates, Notetaker creation, and deletion—enabling real-time app updates and seamless workflow integration.

Supports webhooks for meeting data and status updates, but with less emphasis on the full meeting lifecycle, potentially requiring additional polling or custom logic for complete event tracking.

Ad-hoc & scheduled joins

Supports both ad-hoc joins (within ~60 seconds) and scheduled joins with precise timing via a managed queue. Users can CRUD scheduled Notetakers via API, offering robust control over meeting participation.

Primarily excels at ad-hoc meeting joins across major platforms, with scheduling capabilities less prominent, potentially requiring manual intervention or external scheduling tools.

Recording access

Provides signed URLs for recordings and transcripts via webhooks and API (GET /media), with a 1-hour expiration and 72-hour retention, balancing accessibility with security and storage efficiency.

Offers live stream access during meetings and post-meeting recordings, with flexible retrieval options, but lacks built-in expiration or retention policies, leaving management to the user.

Scalability

Scales effortlessly with usage-based pricing (no platform fee), dropping from $0.70 to $0.30 per bot hour as volume increases, making it cost-effective for growing teams or apps with variable demand.

Highly scalable for large-scale deployments, with pricing as low as $0.30/hour at volume, but tied to a $266 annual platform fee, which may burden smaller teams or startups.

Developer Experience

Designed for ease of use with a straightforward API, sandbox access for testing, and extensive documentation. Supports quick integration with sample requests and curl examples for rapid prototyping.

Offers a robust API with strong infrastructure support, but requires more setup for transcription and advanced features, potentially slowing initial development compared to Nylas’s plug-and-play approach.