Post-meeting vs in-meeting AI notes

Post-meeting AI notes are generated after a call ends and are useful for recall and follow-up, while in-meeting AI notes update live during the call — and only the in-meeting kind can help you while you’re still in the conversation.

Post-meeting AI notes

These are what most AI notetakers produce: a transcript, summary, and action items delivered once the meeting is over. Tools like Otter, Fireflies, Fathom, and Granola work this way. They’re genuinely useful for sharing recaps and remembering decisions — but by definition they arrive too late to help you mid-call.

In-meeting AI notes

These update during the meeting. Built on streaming transcription and a rolling summary, they answer “what was just said?” in real time. Canary takes this further with a multi-resolution summary: now, last 2 minutes, last 5 minutes, and full call, all live.

Which do you need?

You may want both, but they solve different problems. If your pain is forgetting what was decided, post-meeting notes are fine. If your pain is being put on the spot after your attention drifted, you need in-meeting notes. See the full breakdown in real-time vs after-the-meeting AI notes.