Meeting note-taker Circleback is adding a free subscription tier to its app.
This move comes as competition in the sector grows. Dictation app Wispr launched its own tool recently, and Calendly added a similar feature to its suite. Established players like Granola, Read AI, and Fireflies have secured millions in funding.
Y Combinator-backed Circleback is responding to this pressure. The new plan allows users to transcribe an unlimited number of meetings. Access to meeting history is restricted to the last 30 days. Granola introduced a comparable tier a few months ago.
The free tier includes recording meetings, mobile and Apple Watch apps, AI-powered transcript queries, and integration with Linear and Slack. Full integrations, unlimited history, and API and MCP access require a paid plan starting at $14 per month when billed annually. Before this update, Circleback had no free option and its lowest plan cost $20.83 per month.
Ali Haghani and Kevin Jacyna founded the company in 2023. It raised $2.5 million in 2024. The business claims it has been profitable since then. The eight-person team is generating run-rate revenue of over $1 million per employee, which totals approximately $8 million.
Haghani stated that a previously limited trial period caused a significant drop in users. This decline prompted the introduction of the free plan.
“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 does not spend on Google Ads or Meta Ads. This free tier will act as marketing expenses.
Haghani noted the startup is not immediately seeking funds despite interest. He does not see bottlenecks in its growth trajectory.
“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.
The team will consider fundraising only if they realise money can solve a specific problem.
