Comparison · Read.ai
Read.ai vs Tessa: two ways to think about meetings
Read.ai is an assistant that summarises meetings and adds analytics on how they went. Tessa takes notes and handles the work that comes out of meetings, email and Slack, with one clear rule: she tracks work, not people.
You want better meetings, not a scoreboard for each person
Some teams want to know how their meetings are going: whether everyone speaks, whether they overrun, whether the client is engaged. Others, especially small companies, just want clear tasks out of every meeting and nobody having to chase anyone.
If you are looking for a Read.ai alternative, it may be because you want the second, or because your company prefers not to measure each person’s participation. Both views are legitimate, but they lead to different tools.
How it works with Tessa
- 1
Create your company and invite the team
Invite people by email; each one connects Google and Slack in one click. What Tessa reads for each person stays private to them.
- 2
See what tasks come out of your inbox
Tessa goes through the last few days of email and messages and shows what is waiting for a reply, with priority, due date and a drafted answer.
- 3
Turn on meeting notes
On Google Meet she joins as a visible note-taker, writes the minutes and assigns the tasks. Zoom and Teams work in beta.
- 4
Set the level of control you want
In the control panel you decide what she does on her own and what needs your approval, and you can see everything she did and why.
What you get
- Work, not surveillanceTessa gives managers no individual metrics. Leaders see the team’s work (tasks, blockers), never anyone’s activity.
- Yours stays yoursWhat Tessa reads in your email and messages is visible only to you, stored encrypted on EU servers.
- Meetings that end in tasksMinutes with decisions, tasks per owner and a recap sent out, followed by reminders of what was promised.
- A weekly company pulseEvery week, what is urgent for whoever runs the company: blocked or overdue work, pending payments and what to tackle first.
- Email and Slack in one placeWhatever you are asked for, on any channel, becomes a task with a reply drafted.
What Read.ai is
Read.ai is an AI assistant that joins your meetings, transcribes them and produces summaries and action items. One of its signatures is meeting analytics: indicators about how the conversation went, designed to help people run better meetings. Over time it has extended its product to other sources of work beyond meetings.
It suits teams that want to understand and improve their meetings with data, and individuals who want to learn from their own calls.
Information about Read.ai is based on its public website as of October 2026; it may change.
How Tessa is different
Tessa focuses on the outcome: making sure what was decided gets done. She takes notes, assigns tasks, sends the recap and reminds people of their commitments, and does the same with whatever arrives by email, Slack and, in beta, WhatsApp Business.
The deeper difference is one of principle. Tessa does not measure people and never gives managers anyone’s talk time, participation or individual activity. That is a product decision, not a missing feature, and it does not change on customer request.
- No individual metrics for managers; aggregates only for groups of at least 5 people.
- What she reads for each person is private to that person.
- Anything going outside the company needs approval.
- A control panel showing everything Tessa did and why.
When to choose Read.ai
If your team values meeting analytics to improve how you communicate, or someone wants to review their own calls to learn from them, Read.ai offers something Tessa does not have and will not add.
It may also be a better fit if your company mostly meets on Zoom or Teams, where Tessa is still in beta.
When to choose Tessa
Choose Tessa if you want to take the invisible work off your team: writing down tasks, sending recaps, answering email and following up. She fits small companies and startups on Google Workspace and Slack that want one assistant for everyone.
And if staff privacy is a red line for you, Tessa is built that way from the ground up: data is stored in the EU, nobody sees what Tessa reads for someone else and there are no individual scoreboards.
| Read.ai | Tessa | |
|---|---|---|
| Main focus | Meeting summaries and analytics | AI assistant for the whole company |
| Meeting notes | ✓ | ✓ Meet; Zoom and Teams in beta |
| Analytics on how each meeting went | ✓ One of its signatures | ✗ By design |
| Individual metrics for managers | Check its website | ✗ Never |
| Tasks and replies from email and Slack | Check its website | ✓ |
| Spanish-first | Check languages on its website | ✓ |
| Data stored in the EU (Tessa) | Check its data policy | ✓ |
What Tessa reads for each person stays private, your data is stored in the EU and nothing goes out without your approval.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a Read.ai alternative that does not measure people?
Yes. Tessa takes meeting notes and turns what was agreed into tasks, but gives managers no individual metrics. She tracks work (tasks, blockers, payments), not each person’s activity.
Can my manager see my email or activity in Tessa?
No. What Tessa reads in your email and messages is visible only to you. Managers see the team’s work, such as tasks and blockers, never anyone’s email or activity.
Does Tessa summarise meetings like Read.ai?
Yes. She writes minutes with decisions and tasks per owner and sends the recap to attendees. People outside the company only get it once you approve.
Which platforms does it work on?
Google Meet is tested with real accounts. Zoom and Microsoft Teams work in beta.
How much does it cost to try Tessa?
Nothing. There is a Free plan for up to 3 people and a 14-day trial of the Team and Business plans, no card and no lock-in.
What does a team lead see in Tessa?
The work, not the people: open tasks, what is blocked or overdue, pending payments and what to tackle first. They can also see whether each person has connected Google or Slack, but never what Tessa reads or how much anyone works.
Keep reading
- FeaturesTessa takes the notes, assigns the work and sends the recapTessa takes notes in your meetings, writes the minutes, assigns each action item to its owner and sends the recap to attendees. Try 14 days free.
- FeaturesEvery email that asks for something becomes a taskTessa reads your email and Slack, turns every request into a prioritized task with a due date and clears what's already done. Try it free.
- FeaturesIf they go quiet, Tessa remembers for youTell Tessa “follow up if they don't reply in 3 days” and she'll have the reminder drafted in the same thread, ready to send. Start for free.
- CompareOtter.ai vs Tessa: an Otter alternative that follows throughOtter.ai transcribes meetings. Tessa takes notes too, then handles the email, Slack and follow-ups that come after. Compare them and try Tessa free.
- CompareFireflies.ai vs Tessa: what changes if you switchFireflies.ai records and searches meetings. Tessa takes notes and turns email, Slack and meetings into tasks and follow-ups. Compare and try it free.
What does your team look like?
Same AI for both. Where you start is what changes.
Startups
5 to 30 people
Grow without losing the thread
Tasks from email and Slack, follow-ups, sales and investors, without everything landing on the founders.
Companies
30 to 250 people
What gets decided gets done
Minutes and tasks from every meeting, commitments that get followed up and a pulse per team, without watching anyone.
Try an assistant that keeps track of the work and leaves people alone.
Start freeFree plan for teams of up to 3 people. Anything that leaves the company waits for your approval.