Bot-free, like Circleback. Install-free, unlike it.
Circleback's desktop app captures your microphone and computer audio so no bot has to join. MeetingSidekick does the same job from inside the browser, which changes who can use it and where.
Nothing to install
No desktop app to download, log into and grant permissions. Open a tab and press Start. Handy on a work laptop where IT decides what gets installed.
Any operating system
Circleback's desktop app is for macOS and Windows. A browser tab also covers Chromebooks, Linux, and any phone or tablet with a modern browser.
In the room, no app
Circleback needs its mobile app for in-person meetings. MeetingSidekick captures the room from a phone browser, so a borrowed or locked-down phone works too.
Keeps the audio
The recording is saved with the transcript so you can hear the exact moment. Replay is on Pro and Max.
Capturing a meeting from a browser tab
Open meetingsidekick.ai
In Chrome or Edge on a desktop, or any browser on a phone. Sign in free, or take the 5-minute trial with no account.
Press Start, share the audio
Tick the consent box, press Start, allow the microphone. On a desktop call, pick your meeting tab or screen in the share dialog and tick the audio box. Mic and call audio are captured together.
Tell the room
Say you are taking notes. Nothing joined the call, so nobody was told for you. Then listen; the live transcript runs in the tab.
Stop, read, ask
A summary with decisions and action items, an email recap, a share link, and a chat box scoped to that meeting. Pro and Max add speaker names, cross-meeting search and replay.
MeetingSidekick vs. Circleback
Only rows we could confirm on Circleback's own website and support center on the date below. No pricing, because theirs changes.
| MeetingSidekick | Circleback | |
|---|---|---|
| No bot on the attendee list | Yes, always | Bot, or its desktop app |
| Nothing to install | Browser tab | Desktop app (macOS, Windows) for bot-free |
| In-person meetings | Phone or laptop browser | Yes, mobile app (iOS, Android) |
| Bot-free on a Chromebook or Linux | Yes | Mac or Windows app |
| Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, Webex | Any call, via tab audio | Yes, plus Discord, RingCentral |
| Records video of the meeting window | No, audio only | Optional, desktop app |
| Search across all your meetings | Pro and Max | Yes |
| Automations and MCP hookups (ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor) | No | Yes |
Circleback rows reflect circleback.ai, circleback.ai/desktop and the Circleback support articles on desktop and mobile recording as read on 2 September 2026. Features change, so check their current docs. Circleback is a trademark of its owner. MeetingSidekick is not affiliated with or endorsed by them. See the full comparison with Otter, Fireflies and Fathom.
When Circleback is the better choice
Pick Circleback if you want automations and integrations. Its site lists MCP connections to ChatGPT, Claude and Cursor, automations that act on your notes, a desktop app that detects meetings and offers to record, optional video of the meeting window, and over 100 languages. If your notes need to flow into other tools on their own, that is its strength.
Pick MeetingSidekick when installing an app is the obstacle. A work laptop where IT controls installs. A Chromebook or Linux machine. A phone you cannot add apps to. A meeting in a room where you just want to set a phone down and talk. A browser tab that captures your own audio is the shortest path to notes.
Know the limits. You press Start yourself; there is no meeting detection or calendar auto-join. Audio, not video. No integrations beyond an email recap and a share link. Desktop call audio needs Chrome or Edge; Safari and Firefox show an error at the share-audio step. And recording rules vary by place, so you tell people you are taking notes; there is just no bot in the call doing it for you.
Circleback vs. MeetingSidekick, answered
How is MeetingSidekick different from Circleback?
Both can capture a meeting without a bot joining. Circleback does it with a desktop app for macOS and Windows and a mobile app for iOS and Android. MeetingSidekick does it in a browser tab with nothing to install, so it also works on a Chromebook, a Linux machine, or a work laptop where installs are blocked.
Do I need to install anything?
No. Open meetingsidekick.ai and press Start. No desktop app, no mobile app, no extension, no calendar connection and no admin rights. One microphone prompt from your browser and you are recording.
Does it work for in-person meetings?
Yes. A phone on the table or a laptop microphone captures the room, in any modern browser. Circleback's mobile app also records in-person meetings, so both tools cover this; MeetingSidekick just needs no download first.
What does MeetingSidekick cost?
Free is 2 hours of recording a month with no credit card. Pro is $15 a month or $120 a year for 30 hours, speaker names, search across all your meetings and audio replay. Max is $50 a month or $400 a year for unlimited hours plus screenshot chat. A 5-minute trial needs no signup.
Try it on your next meeting. No app, no bot.
Free to start, no credit card. Open a tab, press Start.
Start free →