Read.ai and Wave are both AI meeting assistants for recording, transcription, and summaries, compared here on pricing, features, and workflow fit. Read.ai: AI for meetings that delivers transcripts, summaries, and engagement metrics across Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams. Wave: Cross-platform AI note taker that records and transcribes meetings, calls, and voice memos into summaries. They overlap on ai-meeting-assistants, so the right pick depends on team size, budget, and which meeting workflows you automate.
For ai-meeting-assistants workflows, shortlist Read.ai when team meeting notes and recaps matters most, and Wave when recording browser-based meetings without a bot joining matters most. Both record across Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams; trial each on real meetings before committing.
Read.ai is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); Wave is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
Records meetings, calls, lectures, and voice memos
Standout feature
Action items
Bot-free tab audio capture plus combined tab and mic mode
Team usage
Meeting engagement and sentiment metrics
Speaker-labeled transcripts with summaries and action items
Integrations
Automatic recaps and highlights
Apps for iOS, Android, web, Mac, Windows, and Chrome
Languages & capture
Searchable notes
Support for dozens of languages
Best-fit workflow
Transcripts and AI summaries
Encrypted cloud storage with no model training on user data
Best for
Read.ai
Choose Read.ai if you need team meeting notes and recaps — strengths include adds meeting analytics on top of notes.
Wave
Choose Wave if you need recording browser-based meetings without a bot joining — strengths include bot-free capture across many platforms and devices.
Pros & cons
Read.ai
+ Adds meeting analytics on top of notes
+ Works across all major platforms
- Analytics may be more than small teams need
Wave
+ Bot-free capture across many platforms and devices
+ Handles both online meetings and in-person voice memos
- Feature set may differ between mobile, web, and extension
FAQ
Is Read.ai or Wave better for AI meeting notes?
It depends on your workflow. Read.ai is strong for team meeting notes and recaps, while Wave is strong for recording browser-based meetings without a bot joining. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
How do Read.ai and Wave compare on price?
Read.ai is a free tier with paid upgrades and Wave is a free tier with paid upgrades. Check each vendor's pricing page for the latest plans and free-tier limits.
Can I use both Read.ai and Wave?
Yes. Many teams run more than one meeting assistant when the workflows are complementary and the budget is justified.