Some meeting tools send a notetaker into your call as a participant. Some companies block those bots outright, and some people just do not want an extra attendee sitting in their meeting. MeetGeek promises a way around it: record without a bot, through its Chrome extension or desktop app, on every plan including free.
Third parties dispute how clean that claim is. So I tested it.
The test
Chrome extension, Zoom call. The extension was kinda buggy, and getting it connected with my headset took a couple of tries. That part is worth knowing before you start: budget a few minutes for setup, not thirty seconds.
A notetaker participant showed up in the call anyway.
The transcript and summary came out right. That matters, because the product itself did its job once recording ran. But the headline result is the bot. I went in to test the no-bot path and still ended up with a notetaker in the participant list.
The honest correction
I think I allowed it. I do not remember clearly, and I will not pretend otherwise.
So this test does not prove bot-free mode is broken. If I allowed the notetaker, then a notetaker showing up is the product working as configured, not failing. What the test does prove is narrower and, for most people, more useful: the default flow leads to a bot. Calendar sync with automatic join on, invite prompts in the widget, the path of least resistance ends with a participant in your call. If you want no bot, you have to actively choose it, and I did not do that carefully enough.
How to actually get a call without a bot
MeetGeek's own docs describe two no-bot paths: the Chrome Screen Recorder (the camera icon in the extension widget, which records from your browser tab) and the desktop app. Both are on every plan. The free plan covers 3 hours of transcription a month, which is enough to test this properly.
Three things have to be true at the same time:
Automatic join off. If your calendar is synced and automatic join is on, the notetaker joins your calls by itself. Turn it off first. This is the setting most likely responsible for my bot.
Use the recorder, not the invite. In the extension widget, the camera icon records from your tab. The sparkle icon invites the notetaker. They sit next to each other. Clicking the wrong one is easy, and I believe that is what I did.
Check the participant list. This is the only verification that counts. If a notetaker is listed, you are not in bot-free mode, whatever you clicked. Check it on your first call, before you trust the setup.
One more thing: bot-free is not consent-free
Even with no bot in the call, you are still recording people. MeetGeek's own comparison says the same: tell participants you are recording and follow the consent rules where you work. A call with no visible bot can feel private in a way that makes this easy to forget. Do not forget it.
The verdict
Bot-free recording is real as a mode, but it is not the default experience. The product steers you toward the bot, and the bot does good work once it is there. If "no bot" is a hard requirement for you, because your company blocks bots or your clients dislike attendees, do not trust the setup flow. Turn off auto-join, use the recorder, verify the participant list, and expect a little extension bugginess along the way.
MeetGeek is worth trying on the free plan if this is your problem. Just go in knowing the no-bot path is something you choose deliberately, not something you get by default.