Read AI vs Zoom AI Companion in 2026: Meeting Analytics or Included-and-Onshore?
Our pick: Zoom AI Companion. The verdict below says who should buy the other.
Pricing figures updated 6 September 2026: USD prices are converted at the current rate (1 USD ≈ 1.40 AUD, verified 5 September 2026) and shown ex-GST, replacing the retired 1.55 + GST basis. A GST-registered Australian business that supplies its ABN is not charged GST on an imported digital service; other buyers should allow ~10% on top (Methodology).
Winner: Zoom AI Companion for Zoom-centric teams — it's free with your plan and stores data onshore. Pick Read AI if cross-platform engagement and sentiment analytics are worth the privacy trade and the extra spend.
Last reviewed: 26 June 2026 by Adam.
Quick comparison
| Read AI | Zoom AI Companion | |
|---|---|---|
| Price (AUD) | US$15/user/mo (~A$21) | Included with paid Zoom (~A$21/mo Pro) |
| Free option | 5 meetings/month | With any paid Zoom plan |
| Platforms | Zoom, Meet, Teams | Zoom (deep) |
| Standout | Engagement & sentiment analytics | Agentic; included; AU data residency |
| Data residency | US only | Australian data residency available |
| Privacy note | Scores people — extra Privacy Act care | No people-scoring; no training on your data |
| Score (out of 25) | 15/25 ⭐⭐⭐ | 22/25 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
What both tools do
Read AI takes meeting notes and adds engagement/sentiment analytics plus search across meetings, emails and messages — across Zoom, Meet and Teams. Zoom AI Companion is the agentic assistant built into paid Zoom: it summarises, searches your tools, drafts follow-ups and runs workflows — included free, with genuine Australian data residency.
Pricing in Australia
Zoom AI Companion is included free with a paid Zoom Workplace plan (Pro A$21.66/user/month on annual billing, sold in AUD excluding GST). Read AI bills in USD: free for 5 meetings, then Pro US$15/user/month (~A$21). For an existing Zoom shop, Companion costs nothing extra; Read AI is a separate per-seat spend.
Where Read AI wins
- Engagement and sentiment analytics no plain notetaker offers.
- Cross-platform — Zoom, Meet and Teams from one tool.
- Search across meetings, emails and messages.
Where Zoom AI Companion wins
- Free with the Zoom you already pay for.
- Australian data residency and no training on your content — the decisive AU-fit edge.
- Agentic, not just notes; AUD billing on the base plan.
- No people-scoring, so a lighter privacy footprint.
The verdict
For a Zoom-centric Australian team, Zoom AI Companion wins comfortably (22 vs 15): free, agentic and — rare in this category — onshore. Read AI's analytics are genuinely useful for sales and management, and it has the cross-platform reach Companion lacks, but they come with a USD bill, US hosting and the extra Privacy Act weight of scoring people. Choose Read AI only if the engagement analytics are a must and you've set a clear consent policy; otherwise the included, onshore option is the smarter default.
Frequently asked questions
Is Read AI or Zoom AI Companion better for Australians?
Zoom AI Companion for Zoom-centric teams — it's free with a paid Zoom plan and offers Australian data residency (22/25). Read AI adds cross-platform engagement analytics (15/25) but is USD-billed, US-hosted, and scores people, which raises Privacy Act questions.
Which keeps meeting data in Australia?
Zoom AI Companion offers Australian data residency and doesn't train on your content. Read AI is US-hosted with no Australian data region, and it stores inferences about how people behaved, not just transcripts.
Does Zoom AI Companion cost extra?
No. It's included at no extra cost on a paid Zoom Workplace plan (Pro about A$21/month, sold in AUD). Read AI is a separate US$15/user/month subscription after a 5-meeting free tier.
Sources
- See our full Read AI review and Zoom AI Companion review for primary citations and Wayback snapshots.
The AI Directory Australia is an independent editorial publication. Read our Methodology.
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