Read AI Review
Reviewed by Carlos Gil · Founder & Editor, The Best Network
Updated 7 min readEditorially reviewed
Quick facts
- Starting price
- Free; Pro $15/user/mo billed annually ($19.75 monthly)
- Free plan
- Yes
- Best for
- Teams on Zoom, Teams or Google Meet that want meeting reports plus one AI search across meetings, email, Slack and their CRM
- Platforms
- Web app; Windows and macOS desktop apps; iOS and Android; Chrome extension; Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet; API and MCP server
BestStacked Score
Weighted average of 5 categories. Methodology below.
Quick answer
What is Read AI, and is it worth paying for?
Read AI is an AI meeting assistant: connect your calendar and it joins Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet calls (or records locally through its desktop and mobile apps), then produces a transcript, summary, action items and a meeting report. Ask Read, its AI search, covers meetings plus connected email, chat, documents and CRMs, and Ada, launched in February 2026, handles scheduling over email. It's worth paying for if your team wants meeting notes and cross-app search in one product and lives in Salesforce, HubSpot, Notion or Jira. The Free plan covers 5 meetings a month; Pro costs $15 per user a month billed annually ($19.75 monthly), checked on Read AI's pricing page on October 13, 2026. Recording playback starts on Enterprise, and Read AI doesn't offer refunds.
- Best for
- Sales, customer and project teams that want meeting reports pushed into their CRM and workspace tools, plus one search across meetings, email and Slack.
- Skip it if
- You need to rewatch recordings on a budget plan, meet on Webex or GoToMeeting, or just want unlimited free notes; Fathom's free plan covers unlimited recordings.
- Strongest capability
- Breadth: Ask Read searches meetings, Gmail, Outlook, Slack, Teams, Drive, Notion, Confluence, Salesforce and HubSpot, and Read AI also offers an MCP server, a Claude connector and a ChatGPT app.
- Biggest limitation
- Plan gating: audio and video playback starts at Enterprise ($22.50/user/mo annual), and SSO, SCIM, custom retention and HIPAA need Enterprise+ with at least 5 licenses.
The Verdict
Read AI goes wider than most meeting notetakers. Besides transcripts, summaries and a meeting report with its own engagement and sentiment metrics, it offers Ask Read, a search assistant across meetings, email, chat, documents and CRMs that is included on every plan, plus Ada, an email-based scheduling assistant launched in February 2026, an MCP server and a Claude connector. Paid plans add unlimited transcripts and premium integrations including Salesforce, HubSpot, Notion, Jira, Confluence, Zapier and webhooks. The trade-offs are price and gating. Pro costs $15 per user a month billed annually, above the annual entry prices of Otter, Fireflies.ai and MeetGeek, and still can't play back recordings; that starts on Enterprise. SSO, SCIM, custom retention and HIPAA need Enterprise+. Read AI's own pages also disagree on whether it sells personal data and on how it announces itself in meetings, and its terms rule out refunds. We score Read AI 8.6/10.
Best for
Teams that want meeting reports, CRM sync and one AI search across meetings, email and chat.
Skip if
You need recording playback cheaply, use Webex, or want a free plan without a monthly meeting cap.
AlternativesFathom, Otter, Fireflies.ai
The Background
What Is Read AI?
Read AI (read.ai, operated by Read AI, Inc. of Washington State under its terms of service) is an AI meeting assistant. Its assistant joins Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet meetings from your calendar, or captures audio locally through Read's Windows, macOS, iOS and Android apps, and produces transcripts, summaries, action items and a meeting report with speaker coaching and engagement metrics. Ask Read (launched in March 2025 as Search Copilot, a name the pricing page still uses) answers questions across meetings and connected apps. Readouts summarize email and messaging, Ada is an email-based assistant for scheduling and follow-ups, and an API and MCP server (open beta as of Read AI's March 2026 update) expose meeting data to other tools. Read AI says it serves millions of users; that's its own claim.
The Product
Read AI Features: What You Actually Get
Meeting reports and live notes
Read AI's assistant joins calls on Zoom, Teams and Google Meet (botless for Google Meet since March 2026) and produces a transcript, summary, action items and a report with its Read Score, sentiment and engagement metrics. Free gets 5 transcripts and reports a month with a 1-hour meeting cap; paid plans are unlimited, with a 4-hour cap on Pro and Enterprise and 8 hours on Enterprise+. Templates for sales and other teams went live in July 2026.
A customer success manager gets a report after each renewal call with action items and a note on which stakeholders spoke least.
Ask Read search across meetings, email and chat
Ask Read answers questions from meetings and connected sources: Gmail, Outlook, Slack, Teams, Google Drive, OneDrive, Notion, Confluence, Salesforce and HubSpot. Read AI's FAQ says it's included on all plans with unlimited searches, but free users can't connect premium integrations, and access to Claude and GPT models for general questions is a paid feature. It doesn't search the open web.
A sales lead asks what a prospect said about budget across three calls and an email thread before a pricing review.
Ada, the email assistant
Ada, which Read AI calls a digital twin, launched in February 2026. You start it by emailing ada@read.ai; it offers your availability in email threads, answers questions from your knowledge base, and suggests follow-ups or CRM updates. Read AI says Ada asks for approval before sharing sensitive information and describes it as free; its pages don't say whether any plan limits apply.
A consultant copies Ada on a scheduling email and it replies with open slots without revealing what the other calendar events are.
Workspaces and admin controls
Paid plans include a Workspace for central licenses and billing; every invited user needs a paid license, and all licenses in a Workspace must be on the same plan. Enterprise adds audio and video playback and dedicated support. Enterprise+ (5+ licenses) adds SAML SSO, SCIM provisioning, domain capture, workspace onboarding, a custom retention policy that auto-deletes reports after a set number of days, and HIPAA support with a BAA.
An IT team on Enterprise+ turns on domain capture so staff can't open personal free accounts and sets reports to delete after 90 days.
API, MCP and AI connectors
Read AI offers a REST API and an MCP server (labeled open beta in its March 2026 update), a Claude connector (May 2026) and a ChatGPT app, so AI assistants can read meeting insights. Webhooks and Zapier are among the premium integrations on paid plans.
An operations lead connects Read AI to Claude and asks for a weekly digest of customer objections raised in calls.
Feature recap
- Transcripts, summaries, action items and meeting reports
- Bot-based capture on Zoom, Teams and Meet, plus local desktop and mobile capture
- Ask Read search across meetings, email, chat, docs and CRMs on every plan
- Ada email assistant for scheduling and follow-ups (February 2026)
- Premium integrations from Pro: Salesforce, HubSpot, Notion, Jira, Confluence, Zapier, webhooks
- Recording playback from Enterprise
- SSO, SCIM, domain capture, custom retention and HIPAA on Enterprise+
- REST API, MCP server, Claude connector and ChatGPT app
The Numbers
Read AI Pricing: Every Plan Explained
Read AI prices per user. The figures below are from Read AI's pricing page, checked October 13, 2026, in USD; annual prices are shown as a monthly figure per user. Annual billing saves about 25%, and every invited Workspace member needs a paid license on the same plan.
| Plan | Monthly | Annual | Included Features | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | 5 transcripts, meeting reports and live notes a month, 1-hour meeting limit, Ask Read with basic integrations, no file uploads, no playback | Trying Read AI on a few meetings |
| ProBest value | $19.75/user/mo | $15/user/mo | Unlimited transcripts and reports, 4-hour meetings, 100 file upload credits a month, premium integrations (Salesforce, HubSpot, Notion, Jira, Confluence, Zapier, webhooks), Claude and GPT in Ask Read, Workspace, custom assistant branding; no playback | Individuals and small teams |
| Enterprise | $29.75/user/mo | $22.50/user/mo | Everything in Pro plus audio and video playback, 200 upload credits a month and dedicated support | Teams that rewatch calls |
| Enterprise+ | $39.75/user/mo | $29.75/user/mo | 5+ licenses; 8-hour meetings, 300 upload credits, SAML SSO, SCIM, domain capture, workspace onboarding, custom data retention, HIPAA support (BAA on annual plans only) | IT-managed and regulated organizations |
For a five-person team, Pro billed annually is $900 a year and Enterprise+ is $1,785 (our arithmetic from Read AI's listed prices). Annual volume discounts are 10% at 100+ licenses, 15% at 500+ and 20% at 1,000+. Read AI's help center says new accounts get a free Enterprise trial with no card that drops to the Free plan afterward, and its Ask Read FAQ puts it at 7 days; trials exclude upload credits, which otherwise cost $0.04 a minute. Payment is by credit card only. Read AI's terms (updated February 26, 2026) say subscriptions renew automatically at the then-current price, Read AI doesn't offer refunds, and cancelling (in the account or by emailing support@read.ai) stops the next renewal while access runs to the end of the paid period. If prices change, you must cancel at least one day before the change takes effect. The terms also send disputes to individual arbitration, with a 30-day opt-out by email.
Privacy
Recording consent, data retention and AI training
Consent depends on how Read AI captures a meeting. In web mode, its help center says the assistant appears in the participant list or as an icon, may post a chat message naming who invited it, and leaves and deletes the session's data when an attendee types "Opt Out" or clicks the opt-out link. In desktop and mobile mode, audio is captured on the user's device, Read AI doesn't appear in the call, and the person recording is responsible for telling others and collecting consent. Read AI's terms make you responsible for giving adequate notice and getting consent; many jurisdictions require consent from everyone on a call.
Read AI's help center says data is stored encrypted in AWS us-east-1 (Northern Virginia), with EU and Canada processing for enterprise customers on request since February 2026. Its privacy policy says audio and video are kept no longer than 2 years, and paid-account data is kept until you stop paying or ask for deletion; users can also turn off saving audio and video for playback. Custom auto-delete policies need Enterprise+.
Read AI's privacy page, trust center and help center say AI training on meeting data is off by default and opt-in. Its terms still grant a license to use your content to train its AI, subject to the privacy policy and your settings. Read AI says it is SOC 2 Type 2 audited, GDPR compliant and participates in the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework; for HIPAA, its help center says a BAA is available only on an annual Enterprise+ plan with SAML and domain capture set up first.
Read before you buy
Where Read AI's own pages differ
Selling data: Read AI's privacy page says "We never sell your data," and help articles say it doesn't sell user data, while its privacy policy (updated June 29, 2026) says it shares and sells certain categories of personal information, such as identifiers, to advertising and analytics partners. The policy says meeting information isn't shared for targeted advertising without consent.
Meeting notice: the privacy page says Read AI announces itself at the start of every meeting and requires host approval before joining. The consent help article says the web-mode chat announcement is a "may", that attendees don't need to ask the host, and that in desktop and mobile mode Read AI doesn't appear in the call at all.
Webex: the homepage shows a Webex logo among supported platforms, while the help article on supported platforms says the assistant can't join Webex, GoToMeeting or RingCentral calls; those need the desktop app or a file upload.
Free allowance and naming: every plan card on the pricing page says "30 meetings measured per month," while the comparison table limits Free to 5 transcripts and reports a month and lists paid plans as unlimited, and the homepage says 5 free meetings a month. The pricing page still calls the search assistant Search Copilot; the blog and FAQ call it Ask Read.
Training program: the privacy policy describes its Customer Experience Program as opt-in, while the help article on data use describes the Customer Experience Improvement Program as "opt-out by default" and says 10 to 15 percent of users join.
The Tradeoffs
Read AI Pros and Cons
What we love
- Free plan with no card, plus a no-card Enterprise trial for new accounts
- Ask Read searches meetings, email, chat, docs and CRMs on every plan
- Premium CRM and workspace integrations from the $15 Pro plan
- Local desktop and mobile capture for calls a bot can't join
- MCP server, Claude connector, ChatGPT app and API
- SOC 2 Type 2, GDPR and a HIPAA BAA path on Enterprise+
What could be better
- Audio and video playback starts at Enterprise ($22.50/user/mo annual)
- Free plan capped at 5 meetings a month and 1 hour per meeting
- Pro costs more than the annual entry plans of Otter, Fireflies.ai and MeetGeek
- SSO, SCIM, custom retention and HIPAA need Enterprise+ with 5+ licenses
- No refunds under Read AI's terms
- Read AI's pages contradict each other on data sales and meeting notice
The Audience
Who Should Use Read AI?
Best for: sales teams on Salesforce or HubSpot
Pro adds the CRM integrations, Ask Read can pull a deal's history across calls and email, and Read AI's March 2026 sales actions are aimed at CRM updates and follow-ups.
Best for: teams that want one search across work apps
Teams spread across Gmail, Slack, Teams, Notion, Confluence and Drive can ask one assistant about meetings and messages instead of searching each tool.
Skip if: you want free, unlimited notes or cheap playback
Fathom's free plan covers unlimited recordings, and Otter, Fireflies.ai and MeetGeek all have lower annual entry prices; Read AI only plays back recordings from Enterprise.
The Methodology
How We Reviewed Read AI
This is an editorial review, not a documented hands-on test. We didn't use a Read AI account for this review. It's based on Read AI's pricing page, homepage, privacy page, privacy policy (June 29, 2026), terms of service (February 26, 2026), trust center, integrations, Ask Read FAQ and Ada pages, help-center articles on security and privacy, data use, consent, supported platforms and trials, and its blog posts on 2025 and 2026 launches, all checked on October 13, 2026. Where Read AI's pages differ, we report both statements. No transcription-accuracy or summary-quality results are claimed.
Our editorial evaluation considers product information, official documentation, pricing, features and professional experience. It is not a claim of documented hands-on testing.
Our review methodology →What changed
- : First published. Editorial review based on Read AI's pricing page, homepage, privacy page, privacy policy, terms of service, trust center, integrations, Ask Read FAQ and Ada pages, help-center articles on security, data use, consent, supported platforms and trials, and its 2025-2026 blog posts, all checked October 13, 2026. Sub-scores are provisional pending editorial approval.
The Field
Read AI vs The Competition
Read AI competes with other AI meeting notetakers. Prices below were checked on each vendor's pricing page on October 13, 2026.
| Tool | Starting Price | Free plan | Best Feature | BS Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Read AI | Free; Pro $15/user/mo billed annually ($19.75 monthly) | Yes | Meeting reports and live notes | 8.6/10 |
| Fathom | Free; Team $15/user/mo billed annually ($19 monthly, 2-user minimum) | Yes | Unlimited free recordings and transcription | 9.2/10 |
| Otter | Free; Pro $8.33/user/mo billed annually ($16.99 monthly) | Yes | Low-cost Pro plan with live transcription | 8.8/10 |
| Fireflies.ai | Free; Pro $10/seat/mo billed annually ($18 monthly) | Yes | Video recording and downloads from Pro | 8.7/10 |
| MeetGeek | Free; Pro $9.99/user/mo billed yearly ($15.99 monthly) | Yes | AI agents and workflows on Pro | 8.8/10 |
Fathom: Fathom's free plan has unlimited recordings and transcripts, where Read AI's stops at 5 meetings a month. Read AI goes further on search across email, chat and CRMs.Read our Fathom review →
Otter: Otter's Pro plan costs about half of Read AI's on annual billing, and its free plan gives 300 minutes a month with a 30-minute cap per conversation.Read our Otter review →
Fireflies.ai: Fireflies.ai includes video recording and downloads on Pro, which Read AI holds back until Enterprise, and puts SSO, SCIM and HIPAA on its $39 Enterprise plan.Read our Fireflies.ai review →
MeetGeek: MeetGeek's Pro plan is cheaper but caps transcription at 20 hours a month; its Business plan ($17 billed yearly) adds unlimited transcription and video storage.Read our MeetGeek review →
In The Wild
How People Actually Use Read AI
A five-person sales team
Pro billed annually ($15 per user) connects Salesforce or HubSpot and lets reps ask Ask Read about a deal's calls and emails. Budget for Enterprise ($22.50) if managers need to replay calls for coaching.
A consultant meeting clients on several platforms
Use the assistant on Zoom, Teams and Meet, and the desktop app for Webex or in-person conversations, telling participants and getting consent yourself in desktop mode.
A healthcare or regulated organization
Plan for annual Enterprise+ (5+ licenses at $29.75 per user a month) with SAML and domain capture set up before Read AI will sign a BAA, and set a custom retention policy.
The Ecosystem
Read AI Integrations
Read AI connects to meeting platforms, calendars, email and chat, CRMs and workspace tools, with premium integrations reserved for paid plans.
- →Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet (botless option for Meet)
- →Google Calendar, Outlook 365 and Zoom Calendar
- →Gmail, Outlook, Slack and Teams sync for Ask Read and Readouts
- →Salesforce and HubSpot (premium, paid plans)
- →Notion, Confluence and Jira (premium, paid plans); Asana, Linear
- →Google Drive, Google Docs, OneDrive and OneNote
- →Zapier and webhooks (premium, paid plans)
- →REST API, MCP server, Claude connector and ChatGPT app
Read AI's pricing page lists Notion, Salesforce, HubSpot, Jira, Confluence, Zapier and webhooks as premium integrations for Pro and above, and its Ask Read FAQ says free users can't connect premium integrations. The integrations page doesn't mark plan requirements for the others. The assistant joins only Zoom, Teams and Google Meet; other platforms need the desktop app or a file upload.
Common Questions
Read AI FAQ
The Final Word
Should You Use Read AI?
Read AI is a strong pick for teams that want more than meeting notes: Ask Read ties meetings to email, chat and CRM data on every plan, and the API, MCP server and Claude connector reach further than most rivals. The catch is the plan ladder. Pro costs more than several competitors and still can't replay recordings, security controls sit on Enterprise+, and payments aren't refundable. Check the consent rules for desktop recording and Read AI's conflicting statements on data sales before rolling it out. We score Read AI 8.6/10.
Yes, if
You want meeting reports, CRM sync and one AI search across meetings, email and chat, and will pay for Enterprise if you need playback.
No, if
You want unlimited free notes, cheap recording playback, Webex bot support or refundable billing.
About the reviewer
Carlos Gil
Founder & Editor, The Best Network
Carlos Gil is the bestselling author of The End of Marketing, a LinkedIn Top Voice, and founder of The Best Network. He brings 15+ years in marketing to practical reviews of AI, SaaS, email marketing, creator, and ecommerce software.
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