Meetings · Head to head

Read.ai vs tl;dv

Features, pricing, strengths and trade-offs — and which one fits your situation.

Read.ai logoRead.aiFrom $15/seat/moTry free
VS
tl;dv logotl;dvFrom €18/seat/moTry free

The verdict

Summary

Read.ai is best for teams that want meeting notes plus search across meetings, email and messages, while tl;dv is best for teams that want free unlimited video recordings with multi-language notes and CRM updates. Both Read.ai and tl;dv offer a free plan, so you can try each before paying.

Which should you choose?

Read.ai logo

Choose Read.ai if…

  • You need teams that want meeting notes plus search across meetings, email and messages
  • You're one of: managers and team leads, sales teams, knowledge workers juggling email and meetings
  • Search spans meetings, email and messaging, not just calls
Try Read.ai free
tl;dv logo

Choose tl;dv if…

  • You need teams that want free unlimited video recordings with multi-language notes and CRM updates
  • You're one of: sales teams, customer success and account managers, user researchers
  • Generous free plan for video recording
Try tl;dv free

At a glance

Read.aitl;dv
Best forTeams that want meeting notes plus search across meetings, email and messagesTeams that want free unlimited video recordings with multi-language notes and CRM updates
Free planYesYes
Starting priceFrom $15/seat/moFrom €18/seat/mo
Learning curveLowLow
PlatformsWeb, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Chrome extensionWeb, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Chrome extension
Ideal forManagers and team leads, Sales teams, Knowledge workers juggling email and meetings, Coaches tracking meeting effectivenessSales teams, Customer success and account managers, User researchers, Remote-first startups

Feature comparison

Read.aitl;dv
Records without a bot joiningYesYes
Meeting platformsZoom, Meet, Teams, WebexMeet, Zoom, Teams, any via desktop
Transcription languages16+ languages30+ languages
CRM syncPaid plans onlyPaid plans only
Ask AI across meetingsYesBusiness plan only
Speaker identificationYesYes
In-person / mobile recordingYesYes
Transcribe uploaded filesPaid plans onlyYes
TranslationLimitedYes
IncludedLimited / higher plansNot available— Not confirmed

Security & enterprise

Read.aitl;dv
Business / enterprise planYesYes
SSO (SAML / OIDC)Enterprise+ planEnterprise plan
SCIM user provisioningEnterprise+ planEnterprise plan
SOC 2Type IIType II
ISO 27001——
HIPAA (BAA available)Enterprise+ plan (BAA)—
GDPR DPAYesYes
Data residency options—EU
No training on your data—Yes
Audit logs—Enterprise plan
Admin controlsEnterprise+ planYes
DeploymentCloudCloud, private AI hosting

From each vendor's security documentation. "—" = not confirmed. What to ask vendors · Compare all tools

What each tool does

Read.ai logoRead.ai

Read.ai records and summarizes meetings on Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams, with bot-based or bot-free capture on desktop and mobile. Beyond meetings, its Ask Read search connects meetings, email and chat to answer questions, and it adds engagement and sentiment metrics plus a meeting coach.

Key features
  • Meeting reports with summaries, action items and topics
  • Bot or bot-free capture across web, desktop and mobile
  • Ask Read search across meetings, email and messages
  • Speaker-separated transcripts with sentiment and engagement scores
  • Salesforce and HubSpot integration
  • Upload audio and video to generate reports

tl;dv logotl;dv

tl;dv records Google Meet, Zoom and Microsoft Teams meetings as video, transcribes them and generates AI notes, either through a bot or bot-free via its desktop app. Its free plan includes unlimited recordings, and paid tiers add CRM syncing, unlimited AI notes and team-wide meeting intelligence that answers questions across calls.

Key features
  • Unlimited video recording and transcription on the free plan
  • Bot or bot-free capture via desktop app for any platform
  • Transcription and notes in 30+ languages
  • HubSpot, Salesforce and Pipedrive syncing
  • Ask AI within a meeting; multi-meeting AI reports on Business
  • Mobile app for in-person meetings

Pricing

Read.ai logoRead.ai

From $15/seat/moFree plan

Free plan: yes. Paid from ~$15/seat/mo billed annually (Pro)

tl;dv logotl;dv

From €18/seat/moFree plan

Free plan; Pro EUR 18/seat/mo annual (EUR 29 monthly)

Prices last checked September 2026. Plans change often — confirm on each vendor's site.

Pros and cons

Read.ai logoRead.ai

Strengths
  • Search spans meetings, email and messaging, not just calls
  • Engagement and talk-time metrics for self-coaching
  • Apps on every major platform including in-person capture
  • Reports available in 16+ languages
Limitations
  • Free plan limited to a few meeting transcripts per month
  • Upload minutes are capped on paid plans
  • CRM integrations require premium tiers
  • Engagement scoring can feel intrusive to some participants

Not ideal for: People who only want plain transcripts without analytics or connected inboxes may find the scope broader than necessary.

tl;dv logotl;dv

Strengths
  • Generous free plan for video recording
  • Good multi-language support for European teams
  • Timestamped highlights and clips for sharing
  • Records any desktop meeting app bot-free
Limitations
  • Free plan caps AI notes at 10 meetings and limits Ask AI queries
  • Cross-meeting AI search and coaching require the top tier
  • Free plan allows only 5 file uploads
  • Fewer languages than tools advertising 100+

Not ideal for: Small teams that need cross-meeting AI search on a budget may find it locked behind the most expensive plan.

Integrations

Read.ai logoRead.ai

SalesforceHubSpotSlackNotionJiraZapier

tl;dv logotl;dv

HubSpotSalesforcePipedriveSlackNotionZapier

FAQ

What is the main difference between Read.ai and tl;dv?

Read.ai is built for teams that want meeting notes plus search across meetings, email and messages; tl;dv is built for teams that want free unlimited video recordings with multi-language notes and CRM updates.

Is Read.ai or tl;dv cheaper?

Read.ai starts from $15/seat/mo and tl;dv starts from €18/seat/mo (as of September 2026). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site.

Do Read.ai and tl;dv have free plans?

Both Read.ai and tl;dv offer a free plan, so you can try each before paying.

Which is easier to use, Read.ai or tl;dv?

Both have a low learning curve.

What are good alternatives to Read.ai and tl;dv?

Other meetings tools worth comparing include Fireflies.ai, Otter.ai and Fathom.

Alternatives

Other meetings tools to compare

AI notetaker that records, transcribes, summarizes and searches meetings across Zoom, Meet and Teams.

Free planFrom $10/seat/mo

Real-time AI meeting transcription, summaries and AI chat for meetings.

Free planFrom $8.33/user/mo

Free AI meeting notetaker with instant summaries, action items and CRM sync.

Free planFrom $16/mo