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Cancel steps, refund rules and free-plan limits for six AI note takers

The quick answer: cancel in the same place you subscribed, at least a day before the trial or billing date. Otter's and Fireflies' trials need a card and charge it automatically when they end. Fathom's and Granola's trials drop you back to a free plan instead. Below are each vendor's exact steps, refund rules and free-plan limits, from their own pages. If you'd rather have nothing to cancel, MetaWhisp takes meeting notes for free with no trial, no account and no card.

Key takeaways

  • Otter and Fireflies run 7-day Business trials that need a card and bill automatically; neither promises a reminder first.
  • Otter's help center and Fireflies' terms ask you to cancel at least 24 hours before the billing date.
  • Subscriptions bought in the App Store or Google Play are cancelled there, not on the vendor's site.
  • MetaWhisp's free version has no trial to forget about.

Why Do AI Note Takers Charge People Who Meant to Cancel?

As of October 3, 2026, about half of the 20 most recent one- and two-star English-language Trustpilot reviews of Otter.ai, and about half of Fireflies.ai's, describe an unexpected charge, trouble cancelling or a refund dispute. The same patterns repeat: a trial that needs a card and converts on its own, no reminder before it does, and team invites that start billing.

A few of those reviews, so you know what the traps look like:

These are individual reviews, not audits, but the vendors' own help pages confirm most of the mechanics. Otter's help center says that when an admin invites you to a workspace, the workspace is billed for your seat right away. Fireflies' billing page says AI-credits Auto-Upgrade is on by default once you start an AI-credits trial. Granola's billing page warns that removing a team member doesn't remove their card from the subscription, and that card keeps being charged.

Trials, cancel paths and refunds, from each vendor's pages (October 3, 2026)
AppTrialWhen the trial endsWhere to cancelRefunds
Otter7 days of Business, card requiredCharged for Business MonthlyTrial: Account Settings → Plan → Cancel trial; paid plans: Account Settings → Billing → Cancel planTerms: non-refundable
Fireflies7 days of Business, card requiredCard charged automaticallySettings → Billing → Cancel Trial; paid plans under Settings → AccountIts own help pages disagree
Fathom30-day Premium previewBack to the free planSettings → Premium Features → Downgrade to FreeTerms: non-refundable; overview page: 90-day money-back guarantee
GranolaTime-limited Business or Enterprise trialSubscribe, or move to the free planSettings → Billing → Manage subscriptionPlatform terms: non-refundable
PlaudNot listed; every device has a free planNot applicableWhere you bought it: App Store, Google Play or Plaud's siteFull refund within 30 days if unused, or after a confirmed technical failure
tl;dvNot stated on its public pagesNot statedSettings → Plan & Billing → Manage subscriptionTerms: non-refundable unless agreed

How Do You Cancel Otter.ai Before the Trial Bills?

Otter's only listed trial is 7 days of its Business plan. Otter's help center says a credit card is required to start it, and its sign-up page says the workspace is then charged for Business Monthly automatically. To stop it, a workspace admin opens Account Settings, chooses the Plan tab and clicks Cancel trial.

For a paid plan, go to Account Settings → Billing → Cancel plan, and do it at least 24 hours before the next billing date. You keep paid features until the period ends, then drop to the free Basic plan. Business plans can only be cancelled in a web browser.

Otter's free Basic plan has its own surprises. It includes 300 transcription minutes a month and three file imports in total. A recording doesn't stop at 30 minutes, but you can only open the first 30 minutes of its transcript, which caught one reviewer out in a board meeting. Only your 25 most recent conversations stay visible; older ones are archived, not deleted.

How Do You Cancel Fireflies Without an Extra Charge?

Fireflies' 7-day free trial gives you its Business plan, needs a valid credit or debit card, and charges that card automatically when it ends. You get the trial once. To stop it, go to Settings → Billing → Cancel Trial; Fireflies says the trial then ends immediately. If you also turned on the AskFred trial during setup, cancel it separately under the AskFred Add-on section, or Fireflies charges you for the AI credits plan you picked. Its terms ask you to cancel a recurring plan at least 24 hours before the period ends.

To cancel a paid plan, go to Settings → Account, click Cancel next to your plan, pick a reason, get past the retention offer with Proceed With Cancellation, then click Cancel Subscription. Only the Billing Admin can change plans. Paid features last until the period ends, and you aren't charged again.

Watch the AI credits too, because they're billed separately. An AI-credits trial turns into a paid credits plan after 7 days unless you cancel it, and Fireflies says it sends a reminder before that one converts. Auto-Upgrade, which moves you to a higher credits tier when credits run out, is another contradiction: the billing page says it's on by default once you start an AI-credits trial, while Fireflies' terms, updated September 28, 2026, say it's off until you agree to it. Check the Auto-Upgrade toggle in Settings → Billing either way. Fireflies' AI credits page also says both that Daily Digest and Meeting Prep are enabled by default and that they aren't, so check your AI Skills settings yourself.

On refunds, Fireflies contradicts itself too. An older help article offers a full refund within 7 days if you've used 3 meetings or fewer on a monthly plan. Even its September 2026 pages disagree: one says Fireflies doesn't offer refunds on subscriptions or AI credit purchases, while the billing page says eligibility depends on when the charge happened and how much you used the product. If you want your money back, ask through the in-app chat quickly and keep the reply.

The free plan promises unlimited transcription, with an asterisk that limits it to shared bot meetings, the Chrome extension and the mobile app. It also caps storage at 400 minutes and includes 20 AI credits. For accounts created from September 1, 2026, turning auto-join off limits you to 3 meeting transcriptions.

Is Fathom Really Free, and How Do You Cancel It?

Yes, Fathom has a free-forever plan with unlimited recordings, storage and transcription; its advanced AI summaries cover the first 5 calls each month. New accounts get a Premium preview that ends 30 days after sign-up; Fathom's help center says there's no obligation to upgrade, and you keep using the free plan. Premium itself costs $20 a user per month, or $16 billed yearly.

To cancel Premium, go to Settings → Premium Features → Downgrade to Free, then Cancel Plan. The plan runs to the end of the billing period with no further charges; Fathom says to email help@fathom.video if you need it cancelled immediately, and Team plans go through success@fathom.video.

The refund picture is contradictory. Fathom's terms say all fees are non-refundable, while its overview page promises a 90-day money-back guarantee on every paid plan, and its pricing page shows a "90 day guarantee" label. If the guarantee matters to you, get it confirmed by support in writing before you pay.

How Do You Cancel Granola?

Go to Settings → Billing, click Manage subscription to open Stripe's billing portal, and select Cancel subscription. Granola says the plan runs until the end of the current billing cycle, a month from your last payment, and you then move to the free Basic plan. If you can't open the app, the same billing page is on the web.

Granola's Business plan is $14 a user per month. A Business or Enterprise trial doesn't charge you when it ends: you either subscribe or move to Basic, and Granola emails you before the trial ends. Basic keeps notes from the last 30 days visible in the app; older notes are stored but hidden until you upgrade. To get titles and summaries for your whole history, Granola's docs point to Settings → Profile → Generate CSV.

Two catches. Removing a member from a team doesn't remove their card from the subscription, so if their card is on file, it keeps being charged until you update the payment method. And Granola's platform terms say fees are paid upfront and are non-refundable.

Does Plaud Need a Subscription?

No. Every Plaud device comes with the free Starter plan, which includes 300 transcription minutes a month. Pro costs $17.99 a month for 1,200 minutes, or $8.33 a month billed yearly, and Unlimited costs $29.99 a month, or $19.99 a month billed yearly.

Cancel where you bought the plan. On iPhone: Settings → your name → Subscriptions → Plaud. On Google Play: Profile → Payments & subscriptions → Subscriptions → Plaud. On Plaud Web, through Stripe with your purchase email; in the plaud.ai store, My Account → Manage Subscription. The service stays active to the end of the billing period. Plaud's refund policy gives a full refund within 30 days if the service hasn't been used or activated, or after a technical failure Plaud confirms, and Apple purchases are refunded through reportaproblem.apple.com.

One owner of three devices wrote that using them as planned took multiple subscriptions (September 2026), so check how plans attach to your account before you buy more hardware.

What Does tl;dv's Free Plan Include, and How Do You Cancel?

tl;dv's free plan includes unlimited recordings and transcripts, but stores recordings for only 3 months. It writes AI notes for your first 10 meetings, then only for the first 10 minutes of each meeting. You also get 10 AI prompts, 10 AI reports, 4 clips and 5 manual uploads, and each recording can run up to 3 hours.

To cancel a paid plan, go to Settings → Plan & Billing → Manage subscription, which opens Stripe, and choose Cancel or pause plan. tl;dv's terms say fees are non-refundable unless otherwise agreed. One reviewer complained the free plan pushed them into a trial before they could use it (February 2026).

What Should You Do Before Starting Any Trial?

  1. Read what happens when it ends. Otter and Fireflies charge your card; Fathom and Granola drop you to a free plan.
  2. Set your own reminder two days early. Neither Otter nor Fireflies promises a reminder before the main trial bills.
  3. Note where you subscribed. App Store and Google Play subscriptions are cancelled in the store. Apple says to cancel a trial at least 24 hours before it ends, and Google says uninstalling an app doesn't cancel it.
  4. Switch off auto-upgrades and credit-hungry features you don't use, such as Fireflies' AI-credits Auto-Upgrade.
  5. Don't accept a workspace invite until you know who pays for the seat.
  6. Export your notes before you cancel. Free plans can hide or delete older notes.
  7. Screenshot the cancellation confirmation and keep the email.

Is There an AI Note Taker With No Trial to Cancel?

Yes. MetaWhisp's free version has no trial, no expiry date, no account and no credit card. It records your meetings on your Mac, from your microphone and the call's sound, without a bot joining, and transcribes them on your Mac with no limit. Dictation is free and unlimited too.

There's nothing to cancel because nothing starts billing on its own. Pro is optional: $7.77 a month or $30 a year for cloud transcription with 5,400 minutes a month and built-in AI. If you buy it, you cancel it yourself at metawhisp.com/account any time, and access continues through the end of the billing period.

Its limits, plainly: it's a Mac app for macOS 14 or later on Apple Silicon, and because it records what your Mac plays, you have to be on the call yourself. If that fits, download MetaWhisp free.

FAQ

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Does Otter.ai charge after the free trial?

Yes. Otter's trial is 7 days of its Business plan, needs a credit card, and charges the workspace for Business Monthly when it ends. Cancel it before then under Account Settings → Plan → Cancel trial.

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Can I get a refund from Otter.ai?

Usually not. Otter's terms say fees are non-refundable, and its help center says that holds even if you forgot to cancel. Apple and Google purchases go through those stores' own refund processes.

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How do I cancel the Fireflies free trial?

Go to Settings → Billing → Cancel Trial, and cancel the AskFred add-on trial there too if you turned it on. Fireflies says the trial then ends immediately. Without cancelling, the card you started with is charged automatically after 7 days.

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Is Fathom really free?

Yes. Fathom's free plan has no time limit and includes unlimited recordings, storage and transcription, with advanced AI summaries on the first 5 calls each month. Its 30-day Premium preview drops back to the free plan instead of charging you.

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Does Plaud require a subscription?

No. Every Plaud device includes the free Starter plan with 300 transcription minutes a month. Pro and Unlimited are optional, and you cancel them where you bought them: the App Store, Google Play or Plaud's site.

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Is there an AI note taker with no subscription to cancel?

MetaWhisp's free version needs no subscription, account or card, and has no trial. It records meetings on your Mac without a bot and transcribes them on your Mac with no limit. Pro is optional, at $7.77 a month or $30 a year.

About the author. Andrew Dyuzhov is the solo founder of MetaWhisp, a free on-device voice-to-text app for macOS that also takes meeting notes without a bot. He's a marketer and builder with ADHD, not an ML researcher, and he built MetaWhisp with AI coding tools on top of open-source Whisper. Follow on X.

Related reading

Sources

Checked on October 3, 2026. Prices, trials and policies change, so check the vendor's page before you rely on a number. Review counts are from each product's Trustpilot page, filtered to one and two stars and sorted by most recent.