Circleback, a Y Combinator-backed meeting note-taking startup founded in 2023 by Ali Haghani and Kevin Jacyna, has introduced a free subscription tier to its service in response to intensifying competition within the meeting note-taker market. The new free plan allows users to transcribe an unlimited number of meetings, access mobile and Apple Watch apps, query transcripts using AI, and integrate with Linear and Slack. However, users on the free tier can only access their meeting history for the last 30 days. Prior to this change, Circleback did not offer a free tier, with its plans starting at $20.83 per month. The updated pricing for paid subscriptions begins at $15 per month when paid annually, offering additional features such as all integrations, unlimited meeting history, and full API and MCP access.

According to Haghani, the decision to introduce a free tier stems from a previous limited trial period that resulted in a significant drop-off in user engagement. By opening access to more users, Circleback aims to increase its visibility and capitalize on its product’s strengths to monetize the expanded user base. The company, which raised $2.5 million in 2024 and claims to be profitable with an annual recurring revenue (ARR) of approximately $8 million (over $1 million per employee), does not currently allocate budget for Google Ads or Meta Ads. Instead, the free tier will serve as a form of marketing expense. Despite external interest, Haghani stated that Circleback is not immediately seeking additional funding, as the company perceives no current bottlenecks in its growth trajectory and believes it is successfully competing against larger, more well-funded rivals. The startup remains open to fundraising should it identify a problem that financial resources could effectively address. ¹

Footnotes

1. Mehta, I. (2026, August 31). Meeting note-taker Circleback adds a free tier to attract more customers. TechCrunch. https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/31/meeting-notetaker-circleback-adds-a-free-tier-to-attract-more-customers/ ↩

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