Circleback had previously relied on a limited trial rather than a permanent free tier. Co-founder Ali Haghani said that approach led to significant user drop-off, prompting the company to open up more of the product. “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,” Haghani said.
The shift comes as competition in AI meeting software continues to increase. Wispr recently introduced its own note-taking product and scheduling app, while Calendly added a similar tool. Dedicated services including Granola, Read AI and Fireflies have also attracted substantial funding, and Granola introduced a comparable free tier several months ago.
Circleback is using the free plan as a customer-acquisition tool rather than relying on traditional advertising. The company says it does not spend money on Google Ads or Meta Ads and views the cost of supporting free users as an alternative form of marketing.
Founded in 2023 by Haghani and Kevin Jacyna, Circleback raised $2.5 million in 2024. The company says it has remained profitable since then and now generates more than $1 million in run-rate revenue per employee. With a team of eight, that figure implies annualized run-rate revenue of roughly $8 million.
The company is not currently seeking additional funding despite receiving investor interest. Haghani said Circleback does not see capital as necessary to address any immediate constraint on its growth. “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.
Haghani added that the company would consider raising money if it reaches a point where additional capital could solve a specific problem. For now, Circleback is betting that removing the upfront subscription barrier will bring more people into the product while reserving features such as extended history, broader integrations and developer access for paying customers.
The change also puts Circleback closer to the pricing strategies already appearing elsewhere in the meeting note-taking market, where companies are increasingly using free access to compete for users before trying to convert them to paid plans.
This analysis is based on reporting from TechCrunch.
Image courtesy of Circleback.
This article was generated with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy and quality.
