The meeting note-taker market is a crowded space, with new apps like Wispr and Calendly adding to the competition. Dedicated note-takers such as Granola, Read AI, and Fireflies have raised millions, but now, Y Combinator-backed Circleback is introducing a free tier to attract users.
The new plan allows an unlimited number of meeting transcriptions, albeit with a 30-day history limit. Other features include mobile and Apple Watch apps, AI query capabilities, and integrations with Linear and Slack. For those needing full access, plans start at $15 per month (annually).
Circleback, founded in 2023 by Ali Haghani and Kevin Jacyna, claims profitability and an ARR of $8 million with eight employees. Haghani attributes the free tier to addressing user drop-off and believes the move will increase product exposure.
However, the company has no immediate plans to raise funds, despite interest, as they see no bottlenecks in growth. They remain competitive against larger, better-funded companies, seeing this as an opportunity to win more users.







