Zoom AI Companion alternatives for interviews: seven tools compared

The main alternatives to Zoom's AI Companion for job interviews are BrightHire (owned by Zoom since December 2025), Metaview, general note takers such as Otter, Read AI, Granola and Fireflies, and Interview Signal. As of October 2026, Zoom's own meeting summary only starts when the host or a co-host turns it on and produces a meeting summary rather than an interview scorecard, so people switch when they do not host the call, interview on Teams, Meet or the phone as well, or need structured evidence for a hiring decision.

We make Interview Signal, one of the tools below; everything about the other products comes from their own sites, linked and dated. If you only want to get more out of Zoom's built-in features, read Zoom AI Companion for interviews first. This page is for the point where those features stop being enough.

What does Zoom's built-in AI already do for interviews?

Start with the baseline, because for some interviewers it is enough. Zoom's blog post of June 24, 2026 says the features that carried the AI Companion name, including meeting summaries and transcription, are now "called by what they do" and that eligible paid Zoom Workplace plans continue to include core AI features at no additional cost. ZoomMate is a separate add-on.

• Meeting summary. Zoom support says only the host and co-host can start or stop it, it needs a licensed user on Workplace Pro, Business or Enterprise, it works from the meeting's speech-to-text data, and participants see the AI indicator change color (Using Meeting Summary, as of October 2026).
• My Notes. A personal transcript that is not shared with the host. Outside a Zoom meeting it uses "the system and microphone audio" on your device, and Zoom names Microsoft Teams and Chrome as examples. It needs a Pro, Business, Enterprise or My Notes standalone account and desktop app 6.7.5 or later (Using My Notes).

What neither does, on the pages we checked: build questions from a job description, track which must-ask questions were covered, score a candidate against criteria, or write notes into an applicant tracking system.

Why do interviewers look for an alternative?

• You do not host. Agency recruiters on client-hosted calls and interviewers on a panel someone else scheduled cannot start a meeting summary themselves.
• Not every interview is on Zoom. A candidate sends a Teams link, a client uses Meet, and most first screens are phone calls.
• A summary is not evidence. A debrief needs the candidate's words against each criterion, not a list of topics and next steps.
• The output has to go somewhere. A scorecard into the ATS, or a submittal to a client.

Zoom AI Companion alternatives compared

As published by each vendor, checked October 2026. "Not stated" means we could not find it on the page linked, not that it is impossible.

Which alternative fits which interviewer?

BrightHire

Zoom's announcement says the acquisition closed in December 2025. On Zoom, BrightHire says its Interview Assistant "opens natively inside Zoom with no per-call bot required"; on Google Meet it joins through your calendar connection as a participant, and on Teams you add its recorder address to the invite (BrightHire AI interview notes). Its pricing page lists Recruiters, Teams and Enterprises tiers with no prices. Best for: in-house teams on Zoom who want interview intelligence from the same vendor family. Weak spot: no public price, and less useful if most calls are on Meet. More in BrightHire alternatives.

Metaview

Metaview's FAQ says its Notetaker bot joins Zoom, Teams, Meet and Webex when invited or auto-scheduled, and phone calls work by calling the Metaview switchboard. The Notetaker is free for 25 calls a month; Pro is $60 per user per month with unlimited calls (pricing). Best for: teams that want notes posted to an ATS from a long integration list, agency systems included. Weak spot: a participant joins every call.

Otter.ai

The desktop app records "without a bot across Slack Huddles, Zoom, Google Meet, and in-person"; Teams is not named on that page. Basic is free with 300 minutes and a 30-minute cap per conversation, which is shorter than many interviews. The Recruiting Agent page says it syncs to Greenhouse. Best for: hiring managers who want a low-cost transcript to check their notes against. Weak spot: no structured scorecard described. Detail in Otter for recruiting.

Read AI

Read AI's desktop page says it can "capture meetings anywhere, no bot necessary" on Windows 10+ and macOS 14+, covering Zoom, Teams, Meet, Slack Huddles and in-person discussions. Its integrations page lists CRMs but no ATS. Best for: interviewers who switch platforms often and want one transcript tool for all of them. Weak spot: no ATS on its integrations list, and the desktop app needs macOS 14 or later on a Mac.

Granola

Granola says it "doesn't join your meeting" and transcribes your computer audio, on macOS, Windows, iOS and Android. Basic is free with 30 days of meeting history; Business is listed at $14 per user per month. Best for: interviewers who like to type their own notes and have AI fill in the gaps. Weak spot: nothing interview-specific and no ATS listed.

Fireflies.ai

Fireflies joins with a bot by default, and its pricing page lists recording through the Chrome extension "without Fireflies bot." Its July 10, 2026 pricing post gives Pro at $10 a month billed yearly or $18 monthly. The integrations page lists four ATS: Loxo, Gem ATS, Workable and Ashby. Best for: companies that already use Fireflies for sales and internal calls. Weak spot: recruiting is one use among many.

Interview Signal

A desktop app for Windows and macOS that captures your microphone as the interviewer and the meeting's sound as the candidate, so it works beside Zoom, Teams, Meet and phone screens taken through the computer, whoever hosts. It runs a question guide from the job description, fills a scorecard during the call with quotes checked against the transcript, and writes a client submittal; transcripts stay on your computer. Free includes 20 minutes; hours are $9 for 1 to $69 for 15; Solo is $49 a month. Best for: recruiters who need a scorecard or submittal from every screen, on any platform. Weak spots: no ATS integration (you paste notes), desktop only, no video recording, few public reviews yet, and phone screens must run through the computer.

What does a year cost for one interviewer?

An example using the published prices above, for one person on the cheapest paid plan that suits daily interviewing, billed yearly where a yearly price is shown. Your seat count and plan will differ.

Price is rarely the deciding line. A tool that costs $100 a year but leaves you writing the scorecard by hand for 15 minutes after each interview costs more in time than one that does it for you. Our note-taker pricing comparison works this out per screen.

What should you test before switching?

1. A Zoom call you do not host. Join a colleague's meeting with a waiting room on. Does capture start without anyone admitting anything?
2. A Teams or Meet call. If even one interview in five is off Zoom, test that platform with the same tool.
3. A phone screen. Run one real screen end to end and count the extra steps.
4. Three facts per call. Compensation, notice period and one project: are they right in the output?
5. Time to a finished record. Minutes from hanging up to a scorecard or ATS note someone else can read.
6. The pause. If a candidate says no, how fast can you stop capture?

When is Zoom's built-in AI still the right choice?

Stay with it if you host your own Zoom interviews, your company already pays for Workplace, and a summary plus your own notes is all your process needs. It adds no vendor, no contract and no security review, and the AI indicator gives candidates a visible signal. Whichever tool you use, say a notice line at the start: our consent script has wording, and the consent guide covers the states where everyone must agree. This page is general information, not legal advice. If bots are the main problem, AI note takers without a bot explains how each capture method works.