Multi-party remote sales call
Use Notta Bot. It gives cleaner speaker attribution for multiple remote participants and can be scheduled through a connected calendar.
Check: the host can admit the bot, and attendees have consented to recording.
A practical comparison for sales teams · 2026
Meeting Bot vs. Bot-Free Note Takers for Sales Calls
This comparison uses Notta's two capture options as concrete examples: Notta Bot, which joins a supported online meeting as a visible participant, and Notta Desktop Bot-Free, which captures computer system audio and your microphone without adding a participant. The key difference is how the call is captured—not whether recording permission is needed. Use this page to choose the method your call type, host, and attendees allow. For the official version of this comparison, see Notta Desktop vs. Notta Bot: What's the Difference? on the Notta Help Center.
Visible bot or no bot
1:1 and multi-party calls
Capture, privacy, and follow-up
The short answer
Use a bot when it can join. Use bot-free capture when it should not.
Neither method removes the need to follow recording rules. A reliable sales-call workflow includes a permission check, a quick audio test, and a review of commitments before they become customer promises.
Notta Bot
A visible participant joins a supported online meeting.
Notta Desktop Bot-Free
Computer audio and your microphone are captured without a meeting bot.
Which Should You Choose? A Decision-Oriented Comparison
The table below focuses on the questions that actually change your choice: call type, speaker attribution, device dependency, calendar support, and fallback options. Pricing is shared by both methods and explained separately below the table.
| Comparison point | Notta Bot | Notta Desktop Bot-Free |
|---|---|---|
| How it captures the call | Joins Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, or Webex as a visible participant and records/transcribes the meeting. | Does not join the meeting. Captures computer system audio and the local microphone from the desktop app. |
| Best suited for | Multi-party sales calls, team demos, or any meeting where a visible bot is acceptable to attendees and hosts. | 1:1 customer calls, calls where a bot feels intrusive, or meetings where the host cannot admit a bot. |
| Speaker attribution | Attribution follows the meeting participant account, so speakers are usually separated in the transcript. | Distinguishes local microphone vs. remote system audio. It does not attribute by account, so multiple remote speakers can mix together. |
| Device & platform dependency | Needs the meeting platform to admit the bot and the Notta service to be available during the call. | Needs Notta Desktop running on your laptop, with system audio and microphone permissions granted. |
| Calendar & meeting detection | Can connect Google or Outlook Calendar and prepare the bot for scheduled meetings automatically. | When Notta Desktop is running, it can detect a supported meeting and prompt you to record. You can also start a recording manually or from a connected calendar event. |
| If capture fails | Switch to Notta Desktop Bot-Free, or use your phone recorder as a fallback while you troubleshoot. | Check system audio permissions and input device. If the platform and host allow, switch to Notta Bot. |
| Local offline handling | Not available. The bot records through the meeting platform and later syncs to the Notta workspace. | Only through Privacy Mode, available on qualifying Pro, Business, and Enterprise plans (device, model, and language conditions apply; see the official article for details). |
Both options are included in a single Notta subscription; you do not pay separately for the bot. See the Notta pricing page for current plan details.
Recommendations by Call Scenario
The same person attends different types of calls. Instead of choosing a tool by job title, match it to the call you are actually in.
1:1 customer call
Use Notta Desktop Bot-Free. No visible participant is added, which feels more natural for a direct client conversation.
Check: system audio and microphone permissions are granted, and you test before the call starts.
Bot cannot join or is blocked
Use Notta Desktop Bot-Free as the fallback. Start the recording from your computer and confirm both sides of the call are audible.
Check: your meeting app's audio route does not interfere with system-audio capture.
Meeting must stay local
Use Privacy Mode in Notta Desktop on a qualifying Pro, Business, or Enterprise plan. Recordings and transcripts stay in your chosen local workspace.
Check: your device, model, and language meet the eligibility conditions in the official What is Privacy Mode Recording? article; cloud summaries and Notta Brain are paused or limited.
Practical Setup at a Glance
Set up Notta Bot
- 1. Connect a supported calendar or paste the meeting link into Notta.
- 2. The host admits the bot when it joins; it appears in the participant list.
- 3. After the call, the transcript and audio land in your Notta workspace.
For supported platforms and host settings, see the official Record and transcribe online meetings help center article or the online meeting recorder guide.
Set up Notta Desktop Bot-Free
- 1. Install Notta Desktop on macOS 13+ or Windows 10+.
- 2. Grant system audio and microphone permissions in your operating system.
- 3. Start “Bot-Free Recording” before the call and stop it after; optionally enable Privacy Mode on a qualifying plan for local offline processing.
See the official What is Bot-Free Recording? help center article and the Notta Desktop Bot-Free page for current requirements.
Pricing: One Subscription for Both Methods
Notta Bot and Notta Desktop Bot-Free are both included in your Notta subscription; there is no separate per-minute or per-bot price. Prices below are monthly equivalents on annual billing from the Notta pricing page. Monthly billing and regional checkout prices can differ.
| Plan | Price (annual billing) | Transcription per month | Max per record | Trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 120 minutes | 3 minutes | — |
| Pro | $8.17/month | 1,800 minutes | 5 hours | 7 days for $1 |
| Business | $16.67/seat/month | Unlimited | 5 hours | 7-day trial |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | 5 hours | Check current terms |
Individual seller: Pro lists 1,800 minutes per month (30 hours). The Pro trial is seven days for $1, not free.
Sales team: Business lists unlimited transcription and CRM synchronization eligibility. Check the official pricing page for AI Notes and Notta Brain allowances, which are separate from transcription minutes.
The value beyond the transcript
A Complete Sales Workflow Example
Capture is only the start. Here is how the two methods can fit into a realistic Thursday afternoon.
“I love the ability of Notta to record meetings, transcribe notes and then be able to go back to that and remember what I committed to.” — Dave Barclay, VP and Partner at MindWire
1
Choose the capture method
The customer's IT policy allows a bot, so you schedule Notta Bot through your connected Outlook calendar. If they had declined, you would open Notta Desktop and start Bot-Free recording instead.
2
During the call
Notta records and transcribes. The customer says procurement will move next quarter, but they will approve a small pilot first.
3
After the call
AI Notes group the transcript into topics, decisions, and action items. You spot “pilot approval” under decisions.
4
Search past context
You ask Notta Brain across meetings: “What gate did this customer use for previous pilots?” The answer pulls from last quarter's summary.
5
Draft the follow-up
Notta Brain drafts a follow-up email referencing the pilot terms. You verify wording against the original audio before sending.
6
Update the CRM
On a Business plan, you sync the meeting record to Salesforce or HubSpot, then check the owner and next-step fields before saving.
FAQs
Does bot-free recording mean the meeting stays offline?
No. Standard Notta Desktop Bot-Free recording uploads the captured audio for transcription. Local offline transcription is a separate Privacy Mode workflow for eligible Pro, Business, and Enterprise plans, subject to device, model, and language conditions. See the Privacy Mode requirements.
How much does Notta cost for sales call transcription?
Notta Bot and Notta Desktop are included with a Notta subscription. Plan prices and allowances can change, so check the current pricing page before purchasing.
Choose the capture method your sales call allows
Meetings are an undervalued team asset. Notta helps turn them into searchable memory, clearer follow-ups, and useful knowledge—whether a supported meeting bot can join or desktop bot-free capture is the better fit.
Start with Notta