Meeting recording software is a broad category covering any tool that captures a meeting, generates a transcript, produces a summary or stores the output for future reference. It includes built-in platform features, third-party bot-based tools and local on-device tools.
The problem it solves
Human note-taking during a meeting is imperfect. The note-taker misses content while writing, introduces their own framing and cannot document everything said. Recording the meeting and generating a verbatim transcript gives you an objective record. AI summarisation extracts the decisions, action items and key points automatically.
What it actually captures
- Audio transcript: word-for-word text of who said what.
- Meeting summary: AI-generated overview of topics and decisions.
- Action items: tasks assigned during the meeting with owners and deadlines.
- Speaker identification: diarization labels each statement by speaker.
- Video recording: the visual record of screen shares and participant video.
When you need dedicated software vs. platform features
Your video platform's built-in recording is sufficient if all your meetings happen on one platform and you only need the raw transcript. Third-party software adds cross-platform support, CRM integration, searchable transcript archives and team collaboration on notes. Local software adds zero-data-leakage privacy.
When you don't need it
For short internal calls where the output is a Slack message or two, meeting recording software is overkill. It shines for client calls, project kickoffs, interview recordings and any meeting where decisions and action items need a documented record.