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NYLAS VS RECALL.AI · UPDATED OCTOBER 2026
Nylas vs Recall.ai: the best Recall.ai alternative for meeting transcription APIs in 2026
Recall.ai and Nylas Notetaker both send a bot into Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams to record and transcribe meetings through an API. Recall.ai covers more platforms, streams transcripts in real time and can record without a bot. Nylas returns summaries and action items, ties recording to the calendar, and adds email, contacts and agent inboxes through the same integration.
Summaries and action items built in, with custom instructions up to 3,000 characters
Bots follow the calendar: moved meetings get rescheduled, cancelled ones get dropped
Email, calendar, contacts and Agent Accounts on the same plan as Notetaker
Free plan with 5 bot hours a month; Recall.ai’s first 5 recording hours are free
Why teams look for a Recall.ai alternative
Teams usually look beyond Recall.ai for three reasons: summaries and next steps are left to you, calendar logic is left to you, and meeting data sits apart from email.
Summaries and action items are yours to build
Recall.ai returns recordings, transcripts and meeting metadata. For summaries or action items, its own guide tells developers to pass the transcript to an LLM of their choice, which means running and paying for a second AI pipeline. Source: recall.ai/solutions/ai-notetaker
Calendar rules are yours to build
Recall.ai’s Calendar API is free and read-only, and it syncs each user’s primary calendar only. In Calendar v2, your app decides which meetings to record and calls the API again when a meeting moves. Recall.ai removes bots for deleted events, but declined invites aren’t treated as deletions. Sources: recall.ai/blog/calendar-api-custom-sync-logic, docs.recall.ai calendar FAQ
Meeting data sits apart from email
Recall.ai has no email or contacts API. Sending a recap from the user’s own inbox, or tying a transcript to the email thread it came from, means adding a second vendor. Source: recall.ai/products
Nylas vs Recall.ai — feature comparison
Core capabilities
| Capability | Nylas | Recall.ai |
|---|---|---|
| Meeting bot API | Notetaker | Meeting Bot API |
| Meeting platforms | Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Zoom | Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Webex, GoTo Meeting (beta) |
| Real-time transcription | Not offered; transcripts arrive by webhook after the meeting is processed | Real-time and post-meeting transcripts, labeled by speaker |
| Recording without a bot | Not offered | Desktop Recording SDK for Mac and Windows; Mobile SDK announced, not launched |
| Calendar-synced recording | Bots follow calendar rules and are rescheduled or cancelled as events change | Free, read-only Calendar API; primary calendar only; your app handles moved events and declined invites |
| Transcription | Included in bot hours | Built-in transcription at $0.15 per hour, or bring your own provider |
| Summaries and action items | Included, with custom instructions up to 3,000 characters | Not offered; send transcripts to your own LLM |
| Email and contacts API | Included on every plan | Not offered |
| Inbox and calendar for AI agents | Agent Accounts, included on every plan | Not offered |
| Signed-in bots | Not offered; Notetaker joins as a guest | Supported on Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams |
Developer experience
| Feature | Nylas | Recall.ai |
|---|---|---|
| SDKs | Node.js, Python, Ruby, Kotlin/Java | REST API with an OpenAPI spec; Desktop Recording SDK for on-device capture |
| Webhooks | Notetaker status and media webhooks, plus email, calendar, contact and agent events | Bot status, recording and calendar webhooks, plus real-time webhook and WebSocket streams |
| MCP server | Nylas CLI MCP server with 16 tools across email, calendar and contacts | MCP server for bots, calendars, logs and docs; read access by default, write tools with an added scope |
| Free tier | Free plan, 5 bot hours a month, no credit card | First 5 recording hours free |
| Recording retention | 14 days by default; configurable from 5 minutes to 30 days | 7 days free, then $0.05 per recording hour retained for 30 days |
| Support | Developer forums on every plan; Basic Support on Pro Annual; dedicated support on Enterprise | Email, dashboard chat and docs AI on Pay As You Go; shared Slack on Launch and Enterprise |
Security and compliance
| Feature | Nylas | Recall.ai |
|---|---|---|
| SOC 2 | SOC 2 Type II | SOC 2 |
| ISO certifications | ISO 27001 and ISO 27701 | ISO 27001 |
| HIPAA | Pre-signed BAA on all paid plans, on request; custom BAA on Enterprise | BAA on Enterprise |
| GDPR | Supported | Supported |
| Data residency | Two regions: US and Europe | Four regions on every plan: US West, US East, EU (Frankfurt) and Asia (Tokyo) |
| Guaranteed uptime SLA | Enterprise plans | Enterprise plans |
Recall.ai Calendar API alternative
Calendar-synced Notetaker: recording that follows the calendar
Set recording rules once on a user’s calendar and Notetaker applies them to every matching event. When a meeting moves, the bot moves with it. When it’s cancelled, the bot is cancelled too, so there’s no scheduling layer to build on your side.
- Rules on the calendar Settings applied to a calendar carry over to every matching event.
- Follows moves and cancellations Bots are rescheduled or cancelled as events change.
- Scheduler bookings Send a bot to every meeting booked through Nylas Scheduler.
- Read and write calendar access The same integration can create and update events, not only read them.
Notetaker webhooks and controls
Know when every file is ready, and set how the bot behaves
Notetaker sends a webhook as each processed file becomes available, so your app picks up recordings, transcripts, summaries and action items without polling.
Media webhooks
notetaker.media notifications arrive as each file is ready.
Silence timeout you control
Set leave_after_silence_seconds anywhere from 10 to 3,600 seconds.
Retention you control
Keep media for 14 days by default, or set retention from 5 minutes to 30 days.
Custom summary instructions
Shape summaries and action items for your own framework, such as MEDDPICC.
<142ms
P95 Webhook Delivery Latency
3x
Automatic Retry w/ Exponential Backoff
What Nylas covers that Recall.ai doesn’t
Three capabilities have no equivalent on the Recall.ai side.
Summaries and action items
Notetaker returns a summary and action items with every meeting. Custom instructions up to 3,000 characters let you shape the output for your own sales or support framework. Recall.ai leaves this to your own LLM pipeline.
Email and contacts API
Send the recap from the user’s own inbox and link the meeting to the contact and email thread it belongs to, through the same integration that records the call.
Agent Accounts
Give an AI agent its own inbox and calendar, so it can receive invites, send follow-ups and schedule meetings as itself. Recall.ai covers meeting capture only.
Pricing comparison
Recall.ai charges per recording hour, with transcription and storage priced separately. Nylas plans include a set number of bot hours plus email, calendar and agent features.
| Dimension | Nylas | Recall.ai |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | $0, 5 bot hours a month, no credit card | First 5 recording hours free |
| Entry plan | $15/month (Essentials), 10 bot hours included | $0.50 per recording hour, billed by the second, no monthly fee |
| Next tier | From $49/month (Pro), 70 bot hours included | Launch, custom pricing |
| Additional hours | $0.80 on Essentials, $0.70 on Pro | $0.50; volume discounts on request |
| Transcription | Included | $0.15 per hour for built-in transcription |
| Summaries and action items | Included | Not offered |
| Storage | 14 days by default, configurable up to 30 days | 7 days free, then $0.05 per recording hour retained for 30 days |
| What’s in every plan | Email, calendar, contacts, Notetaker and Agent Accounts | Meeting Bot API, Desktop Recording SDK and Calendar API |
| Top tier | Enterprise, volume band pricing | Enterprise, custom pricing |
Recall.ai also offers eligible startups $0.25 per hour for their first 10,000 hours, and charges extra for 4-core bots ($0.10 per hour) and GPU bots ($1 per hour). Both pricing pages checked October 13, 2026.
Worked example
A team recording 100 meeting hours a month pays about $65 on Recall.ai ($50 for recording plus $15 for built-in transcription) and about $70 on Nylas Pro ($49 plus 30 extra hours at $0.70). At 500 hours, it’s about $325 on Recall.ai and $350 on Nylas Pro.
Recall.ai costs less per hour. The Nylas price also covers summaries and action items, which Recall.ai leaves to your own LLM, plus 25 email-and-calendar accounts and 50 Agent Accounts on Pro.
Providers and coverage
Both bots join Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and Zoom. Recall.ai reaches more platforms; Nylas connects the same Google and Microsoft accounts for calendar, email and contacts.
Google Meet
Nylas: Meet bot, plus Google Calendar, Gmail and contacts
Recall.ai: Meet bot, plus Google Calendar
Microsoft Teams
Nylas: Teams bot, plus Microsoft 365 calendar, email and contacts
Recall.ai: Teams bot, plus Outlook calendar
Zoom
Nylas: Zoom bot
Recall.ai: Zoom bot
Webex
Nylas: Not supported
Recall.ai: Webex bot
GoTo Meeting
Nylas: Not supported
Recall.ai: GoTo Meeting bot (beta)
Desktop recording
Nylas: Not offered
Recall.ai: Desktop Recording SDK for Mac and Windows
Security and compliance
Nylas security and compliance
Security is built into the core of every Nylas product. Nylas holds a SOC 2 Type II report and ISO 27001 and ISO 27701 certifications and supports GDPR and CCPA, so your users’ calendar data stays safe, secure, and protected.
99.99%
API success rate
SOC 2
Type II audited
34.5B
API Transactions
HIPAA
BAA on all paid plans
Frequently asked questions
Need more help?
Let’s talk!
Nylas Notetaker is the main alternative for teams that want summaries, calendar-synced recording, or email and agent inboxes in the same integration as their meeting bot. Recall.ai remains the stronger fit when meeting capture is the whole product and you need more platforms or real-time transcripts.
It depends on what you build around the transcript. Recall.ai suits teams that want raw, real-time meeting data across the most platforms and will run their own summary pipeline. Nylas suits teams that want transcripts, summaries and action items returned together, tied to the user’s calendar and email.
Recall.ai charges $0.50 per recording hour plus $0.15 per hour for built-in transcription, with the first 5 hours free. Nylas plans start at $15 a month with 10 bot hours included, and extra hours cost $0.80 on Essentials or $0.70 on Pro. Recall.ai costs less per hour; Nylas includes summaries, action items, email, calendar and Agent Accounts.
No. Recall.ai returns recordings, transcripts and metadata, and its guide tells developers to send transcripts to their own LLM for summaries and action items. Nylas Notetaker returns both, with custom instructions up to 3,000 characters.
No. Recall.ai has a calendar integration for scheduling bots but no email or contacts API. Nylas covers email, calendar and contacts through the same integration as Notetaker.
No. Notetaker processes the recording after the meeting ends and sends a webhook as each file is ready. If you need live transcripts during the call, Recall.ai offers them.
Nylas Notetaker joins Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and Zoom. Recall.ai joins those three plus Webex and GoTo Meeting (in beta), and its Desktop Recording SDK captures meetings on Mac and Windows without a bot.
When meetings are your whole product. Recall.ai covers more platforms, streams transcripts in real time, records without a bot through its desktop SDK, supports signed-in bots, and offers four data regions on every plan at a lower hourly rate.
Yes, for Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and Zoom. Map your bot calls to Notetaker, reconnect users’ calendars through Nylas (OAuth tokens can’t transfer between providers), and point your webhook handlers at Notetaker webhooks. Export any recordings you want to keep from Recall.ai first, since they don’t move over.
Nylas keeps Notetaker media for 14 days by default, and you can set retention from 5 minutes to 30 days. Recall.ai stores recordings free for 7 days, then charges $0.05 per recording hour retained for 30 days.
Both hold SOC 2 and ISO 27001 certifications and support GDPR, and both offer an uptime SLA on Enterprise plans. Nylas also holds ISO 27701 certification and offers a pre-signed HIPAA BAA on all paid plans, on request, while Recall.ai offers its BAA on Enterprise. Recall.ai offers four data regions on every plan: US West, US East, the EU and Asia. Nylas offers two, the US and Europe.
Conclusion
Both platforms solve the same first problem: putting a bot in Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams calls and returning a recording and transcript through an API. They differ on what comes after the transcript.
Choose Nylas if you want summaries and action items without building your own LLM pipeline, recording that follows the calendar, or email, contacts and agent inboxes on the same plan as your meeting bot.
Choose Recall.ai if meetings are your whole product and you need Webex or GoTo Meeting, real-time transcripts, recording without a bot, or the lowest hourly rate.