The Best AI Notetakers for Recruiting Firms

If you've tried searching for a good notetaking tool for recruiting, you've probably realized there are way too many players in the space. Every week, a new tool pops up claiming to save time, summarize your calls, or "revolutionize" interviews.

But not all of them are made for recruiters. Some are general-purpose tools, while others are purpose-built for the unique pace and workflow of recruiting.

So, how do you choose the right one for your team?

Why Recruiters Use AI Notetakers

For recruiting firms, notes aren't just paperwork. They’re the core IP that lets you connect talent to opportunities, based on their preferences, skills, and more. They hold the details that make a candidate special and without accurate notes, all those details slip through the cracks.

That's where AI notetakers come in. 

Instead of frantically typing while someone's talking, AI notetakers allow you to be present in the conversation; you're actually listening and not juggling screens or scrambling to summarize afterward. This helps reduce errors, speeds up decision-making, and lets your team stay focused on raw conversations.

The Best Tools for Recruiting Workflows

1. MetaView

Metaview is popular among solo recruiters and lean teams who want to stop taking notes and start listening. It quietly joins your Zoom, Teams, Meet, or phone calls and creates summaries that match the stage of the hiring process, like a "screening" or "final round" note, then syncs them into your ATS, including Greenhouse, Lever, and Bullhorn.

Many love its recruiter-first design. One senior tech recruiter said, "Metaview doesn't make assumptions. The notes reflect exactly what I discussed with the candidate." 

But for others, the small bugs feel like deal breakers. A head of internal talent noted, "We have it integrated with PinPoint, but sometimes it just doesn't show up for interviews." Another talent operations user explained, "Internal calls with multiple people take too much effort since we have to go back and manually tag each speaker."

Some also struggled with language and clarity. One executive recruiter shared, "When I do interviews in German, it gives me notes in English. It's probably fixable but not ideal." 

It also doesn't have a mobile app, so if you're always on the go, keep that in mind.

Pros:

– Hands-off during calls so no typing is required, and summaries are impressively accurate.

– Works across video and phone calls

– Customizable templates and built-in AI assistant

Cons:

– Phone calls require a dial-in setup, which can take a little time to configure

– Manual speaker tagging for group calls

– No mobile app and random call no-shows with some ATS

– Occasional repetition or language mismatches 

Pricing:

– Free tier with 25 calls/month

– Pro plan: $50/user/month (billed annually) or $60/month (monthly billing)

2. Quil

Quil is built specifically for recruiting agencies and staffing firms. It connects directly to popular ATS platforms like Stardex, Bullhorn, Crelate, JobAdder, Loxo, Top Echelon, and even Zoho, so every note auto-populates in the right fields without any manual copy-paste. Quil also handles all kinds of conversations like intake calls, interviews, and reference checks with customizable templates for each one. 

Many recruiters love how much time it saves. One business owner said, "The seamless integration into my ATS is a huge time saver! I also love that I can easily grab a snippet of the audio from the interview to share with my clients." Another recruiter pointed out how it cuts out busywork: "No more notetaking. Our recruiters talk, and the info goes straight into the ATS."

As mentioned by one user, the support team is quick and knowledgeable: "They've seen it all and know exactly how to fix things." 

It's a newer product so some features still need polishing, but pricing is flexible based on your team's size and needs. Quil fits the bill if you want a tool designed around agency life and not general meetings.

Pros:

– Built for recruiters from day one

– Saves time with no manual notes

– Works with most major ATS platforms

– Fast, reliable customer support

Cons:

– Still evolving; a few features are in progress

– Needs ongoing polish as it scales

Pricing:

– Solo plan: $59/month (billed annually)

– Volume-based pricing is available for larger teams depending on team size and needs

– 7-day free trial included

3. Brightire

BrightHire is built for executive search firms and large hiring teams who need more than just transcripts. It records the full interview, highlights key moments, and creates structured scorecards so teams can make better decisions collectively. It's helpful when multiple interviewers are involved, or you need to share feedback with a hiring panel.

One senior recruiter said, "It's nice for taking notes and sharing feedback with hiring managers." Another user shared, "Even team members outside recruiting can leave with usable notes."

A common frustration is the delay in seeing notes. "You only get the recording after the meeting ends," one tech recruiter explained. "I'd love to see the transcript in real-time while talking to candidates." Others pointed out that every call is treated like an interview, even internal meetings. "I wish it had a general notetaker mode," one executive recruiter added. 

Integration limits were flagged with one user sharing, "I'd love to see more ATS systems supported." Another mentioned, "It was easy to set up calls and get notes populated into the scorecard, but figuring out how to automate that wasn't obvious, so I had to set interview questions manually."

BrightHire is powerful but has a higher price point. It delivers if you're handling high-stakes hiring and need compliance, security, and structure.

Pros:

– Secure (SOC2, GDPR-compliant)

– Great for panel interviews and post-call collaboration

– Scorecards and recordings improve collective decision-making

Cons:

– No real-time transcription

– Candidate experience could be better

– Setup can be confusing; limited to interview-type calls

– Premium pricing, more features than smaller teams may need

Pricing:

– Custom pricing based on team size and usage

– Demo required for access

Other Tools for In-House Recruiting Teams or General Use

1. Fireflies

While not explicitly built for recruiting workflows, Fireflies is one of the most accessible and budget-friendly AI notetakers. It records Zoom, Teams, Google Meet, and other calls, then creates searchable transcripts and basic AI summaries. While it's not built specifically for recruiting, it can still be a helpful tool, especially if you're in-house, hiring internally, or want a straightforward transcript without all the recruiter-focused features.

One user shared, "It's got a mobile app for Android users, and you can invite the Fireflies Bot to live meetings to capture insights," which makes it convenient for interviews on the go. Another appreciated its privacy controls: "Fireflies.ai has robust security features, including SOC 2 Type 2 and GDPR compliance."

But it's far from perfect. "I often switch between English and Spanish during my calls, but Fireflies only supports one language at a time," one multilingual user noted. That's a deal-breaker for recruiters working across regions. Another reviewer pointed out the cost issue: "It's a bit steep for individuals and small teams if you ask me." And while the support team is responsive via live chat and email, "there's no phone support, which can be frustrating when you need a quick fix."

Ultimately, Fireflies is a good starter tool for solo recruiters or internal HR teams. Just be prepared to trade off specialized features for general usability.

Pros:

– Free tier with 800 minutes of storage

– Simple UI and mobile app access

– Strong security and compliance features

Cons:

– Not custom-built for recruiters; lacks ATS workflows and scorecards

– Only supports one language per call

– No phone support

– Pricing may be too high for small teams

Pricing:

– Free plan available

– Paid plans start at $10/month

– Business plan with unlimited transcription starts at $29/user/month

2. Granola

Granola isn't also built specifically for recruiting, but it's become a go-to for recruiters who want something straightforward. Granola is a quiet, desktop-based AI notetaker that records meetings without showing up as a bot. That makes it a solid choice for recruiters who want a low-profile option, especially during interviews where a visible AI tool might feel awkward or distracting.

One user shared: "You can use its window to take your meeting notes, and then the AI fills in detail and adds structure." It's a minimal setup which is just a lightweight way to get transcripts without jumping through hoops.

Others have flagged transcription accuracy as an issue, especially regarding numbers. "Numbers get messed up frequently in transcriptions. Learned this the hard way with financial data," one reviewer shared. So, if you are dealing with data or finance, double-check important figures every time, especially since there's no video playback or audio review option; there's no easy way to verify what was said.

According to their security page, Granola does use anonymized versions of your transcripts to improve their AI model, something privacy-conscious users might want to know. 

Another common pain point among users is how Granola is only just for Mac, but last June 12, Granola announced on X that Granola for Windows is now live.

Granola is best for solo recruiters or internal teams who need clean, no-fuss transcripts and care more about privacy and simplicity than full-scale recruiting workflows.

Pros:

– No visible meeting bot, discreet and easy to set up

– Works locally on your device with a smooth, well-designed UI

– Now available on both Mac and Windows

Cons:

– No mobile app for iOS

– Numbers often transcribe inaccurately (especially for finance/data-heavy conversations)

– No audio/video playback or recruiter-specific features

– Some may not be comfortable with anonymized transcript data usage

Pricing:

– Free for up to 25 meetings/month

– $18/month for unlimited meetings (Individual)

– $14/user/month for Teams

– $35/user/month for Enterprise (includes folders, extra security, and admin tools)

Which AI Notetaker Works Best for Your Hiring Style?

After reviewing the best AI notetakers on the market, it's clear that the right fit depends on your workflow, team size, and how deeply you rely on your ATS.

• Metaview is ideal for solo recruiters and small teams who want to stop typing and start listening. It creates structured summaries for each interview stage and syncs them with your ATS. 

• Quil is explicitly built for staffing agencies. It integrates directly with tools like Bullhorn, JobAdder, and Crelate, so notes flow straight into your ATS. Recruiters say it saves 15–20 minutes per interview and love the customizable templates. However, as it is a newer product, some features still need polish.

• BrightHire works best for executive searches and panel interviews. It records full interviews, tags key moments, and generates scorecards. Hiring managers love the collaborative features, but users complain about the lack of real-time transcripts and clunky setups. 

• Fireflies is a good entry-level option. It works across most meeting platforms and offers basic transcripts and summaries.

• Granola is best for those who want a quiet, local transcription tool. It doesn't join your meetings; it runs in the background. The UI is praised, and now it supports Windows. But transcription accuracy for numbers is unreliable, and there's no playback to double-check. The anonymized transcript use may also concern some users.

How to Best Leverage These Tools?

Most tools let you send data straight to your ATS, so make sure your notetaker is also connected. Pushing the raw transcript helps you keep all the rich details about each person hosted in your database.

How Stardex AI Can Turn Your Notes into Hires

Stardex AI is an AI‑powered ATS + CRM that searches every note, transcript, and call you've stored. Stardex integrates directly or through a Zapier integration with the notetakers above, so all your valuable candidate data is searchable in one place. It can also update the fields for you based on the notes. We built Stardex to help you give you a searchable database so you never lose track of great talent you've already met. Think of it like Notion, but purpose-built for recruiting.

Want to find every VP of Marketing you talked to in the past two years who also has healthcare experience? Just ask, and Stardex AI will show the list in seconds.

Book a demo and see how Stardex can help you find your next superstar hire.