tl;dv is the AI notetaker we'd hand to someone who wants a searchable video library of every call without paying a cent to start. It records, transcribes and summarizes Zoom, Google Meet and Teams, and its free plan is unusually generous: unlimited recordings and unlimited transcription in 30+ languages, capped only at around 10 AI summaries a month. Push into paid and it turns into a sales-intelligence tool. After running it across a mix of internal and client calls, here's the picture.
Verdict: The most generous free recorder in the category, and a genuinely useful sales tool once you pay. The video-first library, clips and multi-language transcription are excellent; the free plan's summary cap and locked integrations are the nudge toward Pro.
Best for: sales teams and individuals who want a free, searchable video record of calls with strong multi-language support.
What is tl;dv?
tl;dv ("too long; didn't view") is a meeting-intelligence platform that records, transcribes and summarizes video calls, then makes them searchable. The video-first approach is its signature — instead of just a text transcript, you get a navigable recording where you can jump to any moment, clip a highlight, and share a reel. It works on Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams with a desktop app and browser tools.
Where Otter leans transcription and Granola leans bot-free notes, tl;dv leans video and sales. Its paid features — coaching, speaker analytics, CRM playbooks — are built for revenue teams reviewing calls, not just individuals summarizing standups.
Key features
Recording & searchable library
Every call becomes a recorded, transcribed, timestamped video you can search by keyword or speaker. The library UI is clean, and jumping to "the pricing objection" in a 45-minute call takes seconds. For anyone who rewatches calls, this is the core draw.
Clips & reels
You can cut moments into clips and stitch them into reels — a customer quote for the product team, an objection for coaching, a demo highlight for marketing. It's the feature that separates tl;dv from text-only notetakers and the reason content and sales teams like it.
AI summaries & custom prompts
AI notes summarize each meeting, and on paid plans you can define custom AI prompts and templates — pull out MEDDIC fields on a sales call, or a decisions-and-owners list on a project sync. Unlimited AI prompts on Pro is a real upgrade over the free plan's ~10 summaries a month.
Sales coaching & CRM playbooks
For revenue teams, tl;dv adds speaker analytics (talk ratio, monologue length), coaching scorecards, and CRM playbooks that push structured call data into HubSpot or Salesforce. This is where the Business tier earns its keep and where tl;dv competes more with Gong-style tools than with plain notetakers.
The free plan
tl;dv's free tier is the most generous in this roundup: unlimited recordings, unlimited viewers, unlimited transcription in 30+ languages, plus video recording of calls. The real limits are two: roughly 10 AI meeting summaries per month, and integrations are locked — if you need notes auto-pushed to HubSpot, Salesforce, Notion or Slack, that's a paid feature. For an individual who mostly wants a recorded, searchable transcript, the free plan can genuinely be enough.
Pricing
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Unlimited recording & transcription (30+ languages), ~10 AI summaries/mo |
| Pro | $18/user/mo annual (~$22 monthly) | Unlimited AI notes, custom prompts, templates, CRM integration |
| Business | $59/user/mo annual | Team analytics, coaching, SSO, advanced security, success manager |
Pro at $18/user/month annually is the plan most teams land on — it unlocks unlimited AI and the integrations that make notes flow into your stack. Business is for sales orgs that need coaching and analytics across a team. Compared with Fathom's free tier (about five summaries a month) and Premium at $20, tl;dv gives more free summaries and more sales features.
Pros & cons
Pros
- Most generous free plan — unlimited recording & transcription
- 30+ languages on every tier, including free
- Video-first library with fast clip and reel tools
- Custom AI prompts and templates on Pro
- Strong sales coaching, analytics and CRM playbooks
- Clean, intuitive interface
Cons
- Free plan capped at ~10 AI summaries a month
- Integrations locked behind paid plans
- Business tier at $59/user is steep for small teams
- Sales features are overkill if you just want notes
Who it's for
Use tl;dv if you want a free, searchable video record of your calls with reliable multi-language transcription, or if you're a sales team that needs clips, coaching and CRM sync. The free plan is the best starting point in the category for video-first notetaking.
Skip it if you want the cleanest single-user note experience with zero sales bloat — Fathom is simpler — or if follow-through automation into your CRM is the priority, where Circleback is sharper. Deciding between the free options? See tl;dv vs Fathom and our best AI note takers ranking. You can try it on tl;dv's site.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is tl;dv worth it in 2026?
Yes, especially the free plan. tl;dv gives unlimited recording and transcription in 30+ languages for free, capped only at about 10 AI summaries a month. For sales teams, Pro at $18 per user per month adds CRM sync, custom AI prompts and coaching, which is where its real value lies.
How much does tl;dv cost?
Three tiers: Free (unlimited recording & transcription, ~10 AI notes/mo), Pro at $18/user/mo annual (~$22 monthly) with unlimited AI, CRM integration and custom prompts, and Business at $59/user/mo annual with team analytics, SSO and a success manager.
Is tl;dv really free?
Yes. The free plan includes unlimited recordings and viewers, unlimited transcription in 30+ languages, and video recording. The main limits are about 10 AI summaries per month and locked integrations, so pushing notes to a CRM or Slack requires a paid plan.
What is tl;dv best for?
Sales teams and anyone who wants a searchable video library of calls. Its clip and reel tools, speaker analytics, coaching and CRM playbooks are aimed at revenue teams, while the generous free recording makes it a strong default for individuals too.
tl;dv vs Fathom — which is better?
Both have strong free plans. Fathom gives unlimited recording with about five AI summaries a month and a very clean single-user experience; tl;dv gives about ten summaries and leans harder into sales, clips and languages. Fathom for simplicity, tl;dv for sales and video — see our full comparison.
Which platforms does tl;dv support?
tl;dv records and transcribes on Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams, with a desktop app and browser tools for editing clips. Paid plans add integrations with CRMs like HubSpot and Salesforce plus Slack and Notion.
Does tl;dv support multiple languages?
Yes. It transcribes in 30+ languages on every plan, including free, making it a good fit for international teams that need reliable multilingual notes without paying up front.