Meeting AI tools compared — 2026
How Punkto, Otter.ai, Fireflies, Fathom, and Tactiq compare on the criteria that matter for European teams: GDPR compliance, data residency, audio retention, and encryption.
Last updated May 2026. We aim to be accurate and fair — corrections welcome at contact@punkto.app.
| Criterion | Punkto | Otter.ai | Fireflies | Fathom | Tactiq |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
EU data residency Servers physically and legally in the EU | ✓ Yes — EU VPS | ✗ No — US only | ✗ No — US only | ✗ No — US only | ~ Partial — Belgian entity, mixed infra |
Zero audio retention Not kept in the account. Deleted after transcription. | ✓ Yes — deleted after transcription | ✗ No — audio stored | ✗ No — audio stored | ✗ No — audio stored | ✓ Yes — caption scraping only |
GDPR DPA available Article 28-compliant Data Processing Agreement | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ~ Partial — limited terms | ✓ Yes |
US CLOUD Act exposure US company subject to CLOUD Act compelled disclosure | ✓ EU entity | ✗ Yes — US company | ✗ Yes — US company | ✗ Yes — US company | ✓ Low — EU entity |
Transcript encryption at rest Encryption algorithm and key management | ✓ AES-256-GCM | ~ AES-256 (vendor key) | ~ AES-256 (vendor key) | Not specified | Not specified |
E2E file encryption Client-side key, vendor cannot decrypt | ✓ Yes — URL fragment key | ✗ No | ✗ No | ✗ No | ✗ No |
AI training opt-out Default policy on using data to train models | ✓ Never trained on | ~ Opt-out available (paid) | ~ Opt-out available (paid) | ✓ Not trained on | ✓ Not trained on |
Structured meeting format Built-in agenda, voting, timers | ✓ Yes — Lean Coffee board | ✗ No — notes only | ✗ No — notes only | ✗ No — notes only | ✗ No — captions only |
Free tier Without credit card | ✓ 1 transcript/month | ✓ 300 min/month | ✓ 800 min/month | ✓ Unlimited (basic) | ~ Limited |
Paid plan (entry) | €9/month | $16.99/month | $18/month | $19/month | $12/month |
Frequently asked questions
Is Punkto a replacement for Otter.ai?
Punkto covers the core use case — AI transcription and summary after a meeting. It adds a structured Lean Coffee board layer that Otter.ai does not have. The key difference for EU teams is that the audio is not kept in the account, and the meeting data stays in the EU. If you need US infrastructure or audio replay, Otter.ai may fit better. If you need GDPR compliance and structured meeting facilitation, Punkto is the stronger choice.
Why does audio retention matter for GDPR?
Voice data qualifies as biometric data under GDPR Article 9 when processed for identification. Storing audio triggers the special category data regime: stricter lawful basis, mandatory DPIA, higher breach notification risk. Punkto writes the file on its EU server for transcription, sends it to Mistral in France, then deletes it. The account keeps the transcript, not the audio.
What is the CLOUD Act and why does it affect these tools?
The US Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data Act (2018) allows US law enforcement to compel US-headquartered companies to produce data stored anywhere in the world, including EU servers. Otter.ai, Fireflies, and Fathom are US companies. Even if they run EU data centres, a valid CLOUD Act order can compel disclosure. Punkto and Tactiq are EU-incorporated entities not subject to the CLOUD Act.
Does Tactiq also offer zero audio retention?
Tactiq does not record audio at all — it scrapes captions from Google Meet, Teams, and Zoom. This means no audio is ever sent to Tactiq's servers, which is a strong privacy posture. The trade-off is that transcription accuracy depends on the quality of the video platform's captions. Punkto records audio and sends it to Mistral in France, then deletes the file once the transcript is saved, or within 24 hours if transcription fails.
Which tool is best for regulated European sectors (healthcare, finance, legal)?
For regulated sectors, the criteria are: an EU controller, audio not kept in the account, and a DPA. Punkto meets those. Confidential mode encrypts files in the browser. Cards and chat are not end-to-end encrypted. Tactiq is an EU entity and does not keep audio, with narrower encryption guarantees. Otter.ai, Fireflies, and Fathom fail the EU-controller test, which is often disqualifying for a healthcare or finance DPIA.
Try Punkto — free, 1 AI transcript per month
EU-hosted, zero audio retention, AES-256-GCM encrypted. No credit card required.