Being ''fully there'' in meetings thanks to AI, without sacrificing confidentiality

In this article

• Privacy and regulatory issues: sensitive data depending on the sector, and strict regulatory frameworks.
• SaaS solutions for AI recording and transcription: the main cloud solutions compared, including how well they handle French.
• Self-hosting: Whisper (Open Source) and others: Whisper and the rest, for anyone who wants complete confidentiality.
• Conclusion and sources: the French-capable alternatives to Gemini and Copilot, summed up.

The best alternatives to Gemini and Copilot for AI meeting recording

In a world of remote and hybrid meetings, automatic recording and transcription tools let participants be fully present in the discussion while an accurate written record is produced for them. The Notta platform (formerly Airgram), for instance, "records and transcribes every spoken word, so you can focus entirely on the discussion without the distraction of note-taking". Put another way: instead of juggling listening, speaking and writing notes, participants can listen actively and step in naturally, while an AI takes down the key points. These tools free up cognitive time, improve concentration and improve the collaborative dynamic. Plenty of studies on meeting effectiveness show that a digital note-taking delegate can "turn every meeting into a moment of productivity", and head off "meetings with no follow-through" by automating follow-ups and actions (Supernormal's "action items" model, for example).

Privacy and regulatory issues

These tools, though, often handle sensitive data (medical, legal or private information) depending on the sector. In healthcare, the American HIPAA imposes strict confidentiality standards on medical records; in Europe, the GDPR (EU/UK) protects personal data and requires "European" or otherwise compliant hosting. In HR and in law, meetings deal with confidential files (personal or strategic) where the smallest leak would bring liability and penalties. It is therefore essential that recordings and transcripts follow clear policies on encryption, retention and access control.

Most of the tools mentioned here put their certifications and their compliance forward: Noota, for example, encrypts all data and stores it in EU data centres, with ISO-27001, SOC 2 and GDPR certifications. Supernormal states that it uses AWS with AES-256 encryption in transit and at rest, and stresses that it is SOC 2 and HIPAA compliant. MeetGeek offers hosting in the United States and in Europe, with data encryption and SOC 2, HIPAA and GDPR compliance. Fireflies, Sembly and Tactiq also insist on their HIPAA and GDPR compliance. In practice, these guarantees mean that only authorized people (managers and participants) can reach the transcripts, and that data is destroyed or anonymized according to the company's policy.

So, depending on the sector, you will favour solutions offering "sovereign" hosting, or European hosting at the very least, or the option to self-host. Whisper (open source), for instance, runs locally (no data leaves the machine), which delivers the highest level of confidentiality (see below). Other cloud-based SaaS offerings (AWS, Azure) make up for it with security certifications and confidentiality agreements (BAA/HIPAA or DPA/GDPR).

SaaS solutions for AI recording and transcription

Here is a comparison of the main SaaS solutions discussed, along with their support for French:

Noota

Noota is a multilingual AI meeting assistant, put forward for its quality and its security. According to its site, Noota can record Google Meet, Zoom, Teams or Webex meetings and transcribe them "accurately in more than 50 languages" (French among them). Its UX rests on a Chrome extension or a bot: you either start the recording or add the Noota bot to your meeting. The interface is well designed, with automatic notes and summary.

• Ease of use (UX): Noota offers a browser extension and calendar bots. It provides automatic analysis (key points, tasks, follow-up emails). It integrates with Salesforce, HubSpot, Slack, Zapier and others, which automates the distribution of notes. The interface exists in French (and in 60+ other languages, according to the site).
• Confidentiality and compliance: All data is encrypted and stored in Europe (EU data centres), with SOC 2 and ISO 27001 certification on top of the GDPR. Noota stresses that only authorized people can reach the transcripts.
• Hosting / infrastructure: SaaS hosted on a European cloud (probably AWS/Azure in the EU, though it only mentions "EU data centres"). No self-hosting option is indicated.
• Pricing: Noota offers a free plan (300 minutes of recording per month, limited export) and two paid tiers: Pro (~$19 per user per month billed annually) for 1,000 minutes a month, and Business (~$39 per month) with unlimited minutes and advanced features (templates, admin and so on). An Enterprise plan is quoted on request.

Fireflies.ai

Fireflies is one of the oldest "AI notetakers" on the market. Its strength is transcribing more than 100 languages (French included) with a claimed 95% accuracy. It offers several recording modes: a Zoom/Meet/Teams bot that joins meetings automatically, a Chrome extension for Google Meet, plus mobile and desktop apps. Fireflies also provides plenty of analysis (search across meetings, the "AskFred" post-meeting AI assistant, and more).

• Ease of use: The Fireflies bot can be invited by email or activated through the calendar so that it joins and records scheduled meetings automatically. The Chrome extension works live on Google Meet. It integrates natively with Zoom, Teams and Google Meet, and can even transcribe phone calls (through Aircall, RingCentral and others). The web interface centralizes every recording, with smart search and categorization. The user interface is in English, but the service handles French.
• Confidentiality and compliance: Fireflies insists on its SOC 2, GDPR and HIPAA compliance. Data is stored on a secure private cloud, with no unnecessary retention (no training on your data). The customer remains the owner of their data and can download or delete the transcripts. In short, Fireflies offers a high level of security (encryption in transit and at rest).
• Hosting / infrastructure: Proprietary cloud (probably AWS or Google Cloud). No explicitly "sovereign" option, but the site promises "dedicated private" storage.
• Pricing: An unlimited free plan lets you record with no time limit, with 800 minutes of storage per seat (though with limited AI summaries). The paid tiers are: Pro ($10 per user per month billed annually) — unlimited minutes, 8,000 minutes of storage, file export, advanced integrations; Business ($19 per month billed annually) — everything unlimited, including video recording, analytics and team sharing; and Enterprise ($39 per month) with SSO, customization, private HIPAA storage and more.

Otter.ai

Otter is very popular, not least for how easily it plugs into collaboration tools. Since late 2024, Otter has supported transcription in French (and Spanish) — you simply speak French during the meeting to get the transcript. Otter offers a bot for Zoom/Teams (OtterBot) and a web extension for Google Meet. One advantage: it also does live speech recognition on iOS and Android. On top of that, Otter provides automatic summaries, tasks and note templates.

• Ease of use: OtterBot joins Zoom/Teams meetings automatically (once you enable it) and records and transcribes live. The Chrome extension gives real-time transcription on Google Meet. The web interface is complete (playback of recordings, keyword search). The interface itself is English only, and support is in English, but the transcription handles French.
• Confidentiality and compliance: Otter encrypts all data (stored on AWS S3, AES-256 encryption). It is certified HIPAA compliant for health data, but it has no dedicated European data centre. Otter was recently the subject of a lawsuit in the United States, accusing the bot of joining and recording meetings without the explicit consent of every participant. Otter maintains that only organizers start a recording, and that customer data is not used to train the AI (data is de-identified and protected). Either way, Otter remains an American cloud solution, with legal risks that differ from the GDPR's.
• Hosting / infrastructure: AWS cloud (mainly in the US). European users need to check GDPR compliance (Otter offers a DPA), but data may travel outside the EU.
• Pricing: A free Basic plan (300 minutes a month, 30 minutes maximum per meeting). Paid plans: Pro (≈$8.33 per month billed annually) — 1,200 minutes a month, imported files, advanced summaries and so on; Business (≈$19.99) — unlimited minutes, integrations, team administration. An "Education" plan and tailored offers also exist.

Notta (Airgram)

Notta is what Airgram became, having recently merged with Notta. It is a full-stack AI meeting assistant: audio and video recording, transcription and summarization. It handles 58 languages, French among them. Notta offers a bot (AirgramBot) for Zoom/Meet/Teams/Webex, plus mobile apps. It also offers real-time translation (for bilingual meetings) and an AI chat over the transcripts.

• Ease of use: Notta integrates with Zoom, Google Meet, Teams and Webex — the bot joins the meeting as soon as it starts. You can also record in-person meetings through the mobile app. The interface lets you edit and annotate the notes, and create minutes templates. One notable advantage is the bilingual transcription feature and the many integrations (Google Calendar, Salesforce, Slack, Notion, Zapier and others).
• Confidentiality and compliance: Notta states that it is "SOC-2 and GDPR compliant". Data is encrypted in transit and at rest. Where the servers are hosted is not explicitly stated (probably ordinary AWS or Azure), but GDPR compliance suggests appropriate measures. Screenshots show end-to-end encryption and a consent policy (participants see the recording notice). The customer controls how transcripts are shared.
• Hosting / infrastructure: Cloud SaaS. No self-hosted mode. The founders are Japanese, which may mean data centres in Asia or in the United States. The Data Processing Addendum (DPA) needs checking for the GDPR.
• Pricing: A free version (120 minutes a month, meetings of 3 minutes maximum, up to 50 files transcribed, AI summary, 120 minutes of storage). The Pro plan (≈$8.17 per user per month billed annually): 1,800 minutes a month, meetings up to 5 hours, exports, audio translation, custom vocabulary and more. The Business plan (≈$16.67): unlimited minutes, team management, video recording, usage reports, secure sharing.

Sembly AI

Sembly is an intelligent assistant that records and analyses meetings. It supports 48 languages, French included. Sembly concentrates on analytics: summary, key points, decision and action detection, search across every meeting. It also offers a bot for Zoom/Meet/Teams/Webex and audio file imports.

• Ease of use: SemblyBot joins scheduled meetings automatically, or records them whenever you think of it. It then sends the minutes and notes into a shared collaborative space. The web interface gathers the transcripts and analyses sentiment, themes and keywords. You can also question the AI (a chat about a past meeting). The tool aims to be intuitive for English-speaking teams, but since translation is available it works for French even though the UI stays in English.
• Confidentiality and compliance: Sembly is officially compliant with HIPAA, SOC 2 Type II, PCI, FERPA and the GDPR, which is rare and signals a strong "enterprise" orientation. The policy states that customer data (on the Enterprise plan) is never used to train the models. Recordings and transcripts are encrypted. Sembly belongs to the "conversation intelligence" sector, so security sits at the heart of the product.
• Hosting / infrastructure: Cloud (presumably AWS or Google Cloud, perhaps global, though the page does not state the location). The multiple certifications suggest certified hosting. No notable self-hosted option (the target is SMEs and corporates).
• Pricing: A Free plan (1 hour a month, basic AI notes, limited storage). Pro at $15 per user per month: 3 hours a month, extended summaries, audio recap (podcast), speaker IDs and so on. Team at $29 per user per month: 6 hours a month, more advanced AI, co-editing of notes, team sharing. Beyond that, an Enterprise plan is quoted on request for heavy needs.

Fathom AI

Fathom is a simple tool built around Zoom/Meet note-taking. It shows transcripts live (no extension needed) in its own app, and automatically identifies actions and important points. It supports roughly 38 languages (French among them).

• Ease of use: A Fathom bot joins your meeting, or you start the recording from the app. After the meeting you get a transcript enriched with actions, notes and a summary. The tool is minimalist: nothing to configure, one click to add Fathom to the meeting. The interface is clear, limited to the essential functions (transcription, audio clip and so on). It integrates with Zoom and Google Meet.
• Confidentiality and compliance: Fathom is HIPAA, SOC 2 and GDPR compliant. Transcripts are encrypted and the company states that they go through security audits. Fathom does not detail exactly where storage sits, but its GDPR and HIPAA compliance suggests a robust infrastructure (HIPAA-certified AWS, for example).
• Hosting / infrastructure: Probably based in the United States (an American startup) on AWS. It offers a HIPAA addendum for healthcare.
• Pricing: Fathom offers a fairly generous free plan (unlimited Zoom calls, unlimited transcription, though advanced features are capped at 5 calls a month). The Pro plan is $20 per user per month (billed annually) with everything unlimited, and Team is $18 (per user, minimum 2) for teams. A Business plan at $28 a month (for larger teams) adds governance and advanced security.

Supernormal

Supernormal is an AI assistant designed to automate notes and post-meeting tasks. It rests on a bot ("Norma") that joins Google Meet, Zoom and Teams, or on a Chrome extension. It advertises support for 60+ languages. Supernormal goes beyond text: it offers an action generator, minutes templates, and the new "Radiant", a Mac app for in-person meetings.

• Ease of use: The Norma bot shows up in your meeting (its name can be changed) to transcribe and summarize automatically. The web interface shows a video player, an interactive transcript with a summary, and detects tasks and action items. Numerous integrations (Asana, Slack, HubSpot, Pipedrive, Zapier and others) push notes into your business tools. The tool is built around the user going back to concentrating on the discussion. The Radiant app (Mac) even lets you capture meetings without being physically present.
• Confidentiality and compliance: Supernormal uses AWS (multi-zone) for hosting. It applies TLS 1.2+ encryption in transit and AES-256 at rest. The company reports annual security reviews, a SOC 2, and verified HIPAA compliance. The GDPR is respected as well, even though the servers are on global AWS. Companies can request a DPA and configure retention.
• Hosting / infrastructure: AWS (United States). For sensitive businesses, the absence of servers in Europe can be an obstacle (there is no mention of "sovereign" hosting).
• Pricing: Supernormal offers a Free plan (Starter) with 1,000 minutes of storage per member and basic integrations. The Pro plan costs $10 per member per month (billed annually) or $18 monthly, and offers unlimited storage, note templates, advanced sharing and video recording. The Business plan ($19 per person per month billed annually) adds custom templates and admin control. Enterprise brings SSO, custom retention policy and so on.

Tactiq

Tactiq is a Chrome extension with no bot that transcribes meetings in real time on Google Meet, Zoom or Teams. More than a transcript, it automatically generates key points and summaries using AI. It supports more than 60 languages (French included). The extension shows the transcript live to every participant who has installed it, and offers an AI summary at the end.

• Ease of use: Nothing to install in the meeting; you simply add the Tactiq extension to your browser. Transcription happens in the window (hidden from other participants by default, out of respect for privacy) and the user can turn sharing on. Notes can be exported to Google Docs, Notion and others. The UX is simple: click to start, click to stop.
• Confidentiality and compliance: Tactiq puts "enterprise" security forward: certified ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II, with full GDPR and HIPAA compliance. It does not store the audio (everything happens locally) and states that it does not use customer data to train the AI. The customer manages transcript retention and shares them within their own ecosystem.
• Hosting / infrastructure: Being an extension, Tactiq needs no additional cloud from the user; it uses OpenAI's Enterprise API (through dedicated servers) for the summary, but without storing audio or transcript data on OpenAI's servers. Transcripts are saved in your Tactiq account. There is no information on server location, but the trust policy is robust (see the Trust Center).
• Pricing: Tactiq offers a Free plan: 10 transcripts a month, 5 AI credits for summaries, note export. The Pro plan (~$12 a month): unlimited transcripts, 10 AI credits, notification removal ("auto-transcription pause"). The Team plan ($20 individual / $16.67 annually): unlimited AI credits, automatic sharing, priority support. The Business plan ($40 per user) adds SAML SSO and retention rules.

Jamworks

Jamworks is a solution built for education (note-taking for classes and lectures). It is a European cloud platform (United Kingdom) that transcribes and analyses audio and video recordings of classes. It handles transcription and quiz generation in 26 languages, French among them. It is not aimed at business meetings, but it deserves a mention as an example of a multilingual open source AI tool. Jamworks offers a free 3-month trial to institutions and licenses per student or per site; no standard consumer SaaS plan is published. Its security policy is built around accessibility and confidentiality (GDPR compliant, being EU-based).

MeetGeek

MeetGeek is a complete "all-in-one" AI assistant for Teams/Zoom/Meet meetings. It records automatically (bot or extension), transcribes, and produces a summary and an analysis (action items, timeline and so on). It advertises support for 100+ languages (French among them) and detects the language of the meeting automatically. MeetGeek also has mobile apps for recording on the move.

• Ease of use: MeetGeek automates the recording — nothing to start by hand: as soon as the bot joins, it records, transcribes and analyses. It also offers "no-bot" options through a Chrome extension or a desktop app. Minutes, video and transcripts can be consulted online, with the option of building workflows (sending tasks to Asana or summaries to Slack, for instance). The interface is rich (global search across meeting history, AI chat, meeting templates).
• Confidentiality and compliance: MeetGeek states that every recording and transcript is encrypted, and that the user keeps control of retention and sharing. They describe themselves as SOC 2, GDPR, HIPAA and CCPA compliant. Data can be stored either in Europe or in the United States (the company has data centres in both regions). The privacy policy guarantees that all participants are notified and that data is deleted automatically once it is no longer needed.
• Hosting / infrastructure: Global cloud with EU and US servers, full encryption. One distinctive feature: the Enterprise plan allows on-premise (self-hosting) and custom retention policies.
• Pricing: MeetGeek offers a Free plan (BASIC) providing 3 hours of transcription a month and 3 months of storage. The Pro plan at $9.99 per user per month: 20 hours of transcription, 1 year of storage, unlimited integrations and AI features (chat, agents). The Business plan at $17 a month: unlimited transcription, 12 months of storage, HD video recording, team sharing and more. Beyond that, the Enterprise plan (quoted on request) offers custom storage, SSO, zero retention and so on.

Self-hosting: Whisper (Open Source) and others

For anyone concerned with total confidentiality, open source and self-hosted solutions are an alternative. OpenAI's Whisper is one of them: an automatic multilingual speech recognition model, released as open source. Whisper can transcribe French (and 99 other languages) with good results, and even translate into English. You use it through local scripts or third-party projects (Whisper.cpp, desktop applications).

The advantage is that everything happens on your own machine: no audio file is sent to a cloud. Data can therefore stay 100% private. You do need a powerful machine (a GPU) to process speech in real time, though, or you accept the latency. Whisper is free, but it takes manual integration and lacks a ready-made interface (there is no out-of-the-box professional application comparable to Otter or Fireflies).

Other open source projects exist (your own transcription APIs, or platforms such as Jitsi Meet plus an STT plugin), but they are generally less accurate or less user-friendly. Whisper remains the most notable for its robustness. In industry (healthcare, defence and the like), companies may prefer a self-hosted system built on Whisper in order to keep full control of the data, unlike the American SaaS offerings. That also guarantees sovereignty (internal servers or certified European cloud, for instance).

Conclusion and sources

In short, plenty of alternatives to Gemini or Copilot exist for AI meeting recording in French. Among the SaaS offerings, Noota, Fireflies, Otter, Notta/Airgram, Sembly, Fathom, Supernormal, Tactiq and MeetGeek cover a broad range of needs (multilingual, UX, compliance, integrations). Each stands out in its own way: Noota and Supernormal put the emphasis on compliance (EU, HIPAA); Otter and Fireflies on popularity and ecosystem; Tactiq and Whisper on confidentiality; Sembly and MeetGeek on analytics. The plans run from basic freemium to enterprise offers, with prices ranging from free to roughly $20–40 per user per month. The choice will come down to the balance you want between ease of use (UX, integration), French support, compliance with standards (GDPR/HIPAA), and data location.

Finally, let us keep the key benefit in mind: these tools let participants stay fully present during meetings, which can increase engagement, collaboration and the team's overall effectiveness. Beyond the technological innovation itself, what is at stake is giving people back their place in the conversation, with the AI taking care of the rest.

Sources and bibliography

• Official sites (Product, Pricing and Security pages) for Noota, Fireflies, Otter, Notta/Airgram, Sembly, Fathom, Supernormal, Tactiq, Jamworks and MeetGeek.
• Excerpts and FAQs from those same sites, for information on languages, integrations and compliance.
• Specialist articles and blogs (the legal analysis of Otter in August 2025, feature comparisons, and so on).
• Professional forums and press releases for legal matters (GDPR, HIPAA) and news (the Airgram/Notta merger).