Comparison · tl;dv
tl;dv vs Tessa: record the meeting, or do what was agreed
tl;dv is a meeting recorder for Google Meet, Zoom and Teams that helps you get back to the moments that matter. Tessa takes notes and makes sure what was agreed turns into tasks, emails and follow-ups.
Rewatching a meeting is not the same as closing it
Recordings with highlighted moments are great for whoever missed the call, or for hearing a client’s exact words. But most meetings in a small company never need to be watched again. They need someone to do what was said.
If each meeting ends with three ownerless tasks, a recap nobody sends and a client waiting for a proposal, the recording only gets you so far. That is where a recording tool and an assistant that works afterwards part ways.
How it works with Tessa
- 1
Connect Google and Slack
Each person on the team connects their Google account and Slack in one click. Tessa sees your calendar and knows which meetings you have.
- 2
Walk into your next meeting prepared
Ten minutes before, you get who is coming, what you last talked about and what is still open with them, in the app and on Slack.
- 3
Let Tessa take the notes
Tessa joins Google Meet as a visible note-taker, writes the minutes and creates a task for each owner. Zoom and Teams are in beta.
- 4
Check the follow-through
The recap reaches attendees from your company; external ones get it once you approve. After that, Tessa reminds each owner of their commitments.
What you get
- Fewer meetings to rewatchClear minutes with decisions and tasks mean you rarely need the recording to know what to do next.
- Tasks with a name and a dateEvery commitment has an owner. Nobody has to clean up the notes or hand out the work by hand.
- The rest of the day, tooEmail, Slack and, in beta, WhatsApp Business land in the same inbox, with replies ready to send.
- A company memoryDecisions from meetings go into a wiki that writes itself, with sources, and respecting who can see what.
- Private by defaultWhat Tessa stores is encrypted on EU servers, and the recap only goes to people outside the company once you approve it.
What tl;dv is
tl;dv is a tool for recording, transcribing and summarising meetings on Google Meet, Zoom and Microsoft Teams. You can highlight key moments and share them, which makes it popular with sales, product and user research teams who need to go back to what a customer said.
Its proposition is built around the recording: nobody has to take notes by hand, and anyone can jump to the exact moment a topic came up.
Information about tl;dv is based on its public website as of October 2026; it may change.
How Tessa is different
Tessa is not built around the recording but around the work that comes out of it. The minutes are the starting point for creating tasks, sending the recap, preparing the next meeting and reminding each owner of what they promised.
She does the same with what arrives by email or Slack. For a small company, that means one assistant instead of one tool for meetings, another for email and a spreadsheet for follow-ups.
- Automatic briefing before every meeting.
- Minutes, tasks per owner and a recap sent out.
- Tracking of commitments, with alerts when something stalls.
- Meeting recordings on the Business plan.
When to choose tl;dv
If your team needs to rewatch clips from meetings (for example, to share a customer’s words with product, or to train new hires on real calls), a recording-first tool like tl;dv is a better fit.
It also makes sense if you mostly meet on Zoom or Teams and want something mature there: in Tessa, only Google Meet is fully tested for now.
When to choose Tessa
Choose Tessa if meetings are part of your problem but not all of it: if emails, Slack messages and ownerless tasks pile up and you want them sorted for you. She fits small companies and startups on Google Workspace and Slack, Spanish-first and with data stored in the EU.
A simple test: look at what you do after each meeting. If the answer is “rewatch the recording”, tl;dv serves you well. If it is “copy tasks, write emails and chase people”, Tessa saves you exactly that.
| tl;dv | Tessa | |
|---|---|---|
| Main focus | Recording and summarising meetings | AI assistant for the whole company |
| Meeting platforms | Google Meet, Zoom and Teams | Google Meet; Zoom and Teams in beta |
| Highlights and video clips | ✓ Its strength | Not her focus |
| Tasks per owner from the meeting | Check its website | ✓ |
| Email and Slack as sources of work | Not its focus | ✓ |
| Briefing before each meeting | Check 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
What is a good tl;dv alternative?
If you mainly want to record and clip meetings, compare other recording-first tools. If you want meetings, email and Slack to turn into tasks and follow-ups, Tessa is designed for that.
Does Tessa work with Google Meet?
Yes. Google Meet is where Tessa has been tested with real accounts. She can also use the transcripts or notes that Meet saves to your Drive.
What about Zoom or Teams?
They work in beta: Tessa joins and takes notes, but has not been tested as much as on Meet. If they are your main platform, try her on internal meetings first.
Does Tessa tell attendees she is taking notes?
Yes. She joins under a clearly labelled note-taker name and shows a visible notice on her camera tile that the meeting is being noted.
Can I try it for free?
Yes. There is a Free plan for up to 3 people and a 14-day trial of the Team and Business plans, which are the ones that include meeting notes.
Is Tessa a good fit for a sales team?
Yes, especially if you sell through email and meetings. Tessa builds a pipeline from both, flags deals that are going cold and drafts the next step. If your work depends on analysing clips of recorded calls, a recording tool will give you more.
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.
- FeaturesWalk into every meeting knowing what it's aboutTen minutes before each meeting, Tessa tells you who's coming, what you discussed last time and what's still open with them. Try it free.
- FeaturesA sales pipeline that builds itselfTessa builds your pipeline from your email and meetings, flags deals going cold and drafts the next follow-up for you. Try it free for 14 days.
- 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.
Let Tessa prepare your next meeting and take care of whatever comes after it.
Start freeFree plan for teams of up to 3 people. Anything that leaves the company waits for your approval.