Circleback is introducing a free tier for its meeting note-taking service as competition in the market intensifies, allowing users to transcribe an unlimited number of meetings while limiting access to transcripts from the previous 30 days.
The Y Combinator-backed start-up previously offered only paid subscriptions, with prices beginning at $20.83 a month. Its new free plan includes meeting recording, mobile and Apple Watch applications, AI-powered searches of transcripts, and integrations with Linear and Slack.
Customers seeking unlimited meeting history, access to all integrations, and full API and MCP functionality will pay from $14 a month when billed annually.
Circleback’s move comes as a growing number of companies enter the meeting note-taker market. Wispr has recently launched its own note-taking and scheduling application, while Calendly has added a similar service. Established specialist providers including Granola, Read AI and Fireflies have also attracted significant investment.
Ali Haghani, who co-founded Circleback with Kevin Jacyna in 2023, said the company had seen a substantial fall in users after its previous trial period ended, prompting the change in pricing strategy.
“If we just open the gates and allow more people to use the product, that’s gonna bring Circleback in front of more people. Then we’re very good at making the product good and monetizing those users,” he said.
The company said it does not spend money on Google or Meta advertising, and intends to use the free subscription as a form of marketing by putting its product in front of more potential customers.
Circleback raised $2.5 million in 2024 and says it has been profitable since then. The company has eight employees and claims run-rate revenue of more than $1 million per employee, equivalent to roughly $8 million in total.
Haghani said Circleback was not currently seeking further investment, despite receiving interest from potential backers, because the company did not believe funding was needed to address any immediate obstacle to growth.
“We are consistently competing and winning customers against much bigger companies, both in terms of number of people and funding raised. And I feel like there is now more of an appetite to win,” he said.
He added that the start-up would reconsider fundraising if it reached a point where additional capital could solve a problem affecting the business.
