Alternatives

6 Best Fireflies Alternatives

Ruud CarisEditor at ToolGuideLast updated: January 22, 2026About Fireflies →

Fireflies.ai is a market leader in automatic meeting notes, but users often look for alternatives due to the cost of AI features, the desire for video recordings, or privacy concerns around bots joining meetings. The tools below offer similar transcription and summarization features, with variations in focus on video, team management, or privacy.

158 tools comparedNo sponsored rankings

My recommendations

Best overalltl;dv0.0/5

Excellent free plan with video recording

View tl;dv →
Best freeFathom4.2/5

Unlimited free recording and transcription

View Fathom →
Most similarOtter0.0/5

Classic transcription focus just like Fireflies

View Otter →

At a glance

Sort by
ToolRatingFromBest for
1tl;dv0.0/5$ 18/moVideo recordings and Google Meet usersView →
2Otter0.0/5$ 8.33/moReal-time English transcriptionView →
3Fathom4.2/5$ 15/moIndividuals and freelancersView →
4Tactiq4.2/5$ 8/moPrivacy and bot-free recordingsView →
5Krisp0.0/5$ 8/moAudio quality and privacyView →
6Grain0.0/5$ 15/moUser research and video clipsView →

All alternatives to Fireflies, one by one

tl;dv

Video recordings and Google Meet users

0.0/5 · Free plan · From $ 18/mo

tl;dv is an AI meeting recorder that specifically focuses on video, unlike the audio focus of some competitors. The tool works with Google Meet, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams and offers automatic transcriptions in over 30 languages. A strong point is the ability to mark specific moments in the video (timestamps) and share them as clips. The free plan is very comprehensive and offers unlimited recordings and transcriptions, with paid plans adding extra integrations and automatic summaries.

Difference from Fireflies: Focus on video and unlimited free plan

Choose this if: For visual context in recordings

What I like

  • Unlimited free recording
  • Video recording instead of audio only
  • Supports Dutch and 30+ languages

What I like less

  • Video download only in paid plan
  • Summaries limited in free version

Otter

Real-time English transcription

0.0/5 · Free plan · From $ 8.33/mo

Otter is one of the pioneers in AI transcription and a direct competitor to Fireflies. The tool excels in real-time transcription where the text follows along live during the conversation. OtterPilot can automatically join Zoom, Google Meet, and Teams meetings. In addition to text, Otter can also automatically capture and insert slides from presentations into the notes. The focus is strongly on textual processing and searchability of spoken word, with features for collaboration in the transcripts.

Difference from Fireflies: Live transcription during the meeting

Choose this if: For direct textual reporting

What I like

  • Very accurate transcription
  • Recognizes and adds slides
  • Strong search function in archive

What I like less

  • Dutch support is limited
  • Free plan has minute limit

Fathom

Individuals and freelancers

4.2/5 · Free plan · From $ 15/mo

Fathom distinguishes itself through a very generous free model for individual users. The tool records meetings, transcribes them, and generates summaries without limits on recording duration in the free version. Fathom emphasizes privacy and ease of use; the bot is clearly visible and recordings are available immediately after the meeting. It offers integrations with CRM systems (HubSpot, Salesforce) in the paid Team edition, but the core functionality is very powerful for freelancers and individuals for free.

Difference from Fireflies: Completely free unlimited version for individuals

Choose this if: For free unlimited use

What I like

  • Unlimited free recording and transcription
  • No storage limits
  • Immediate processing after meeting

What I like less

  • Team features require paid plan
  • Less advanced analytics than Fireflies

Tactiq

Privacy and bot-free recordings

4.2/5 · Free plan · From $ 8/mo

Tactiq works fundamentally differently than Fireflies: it's a browser extension rather than a bot that joins the conversation. This makes it less intrusive and visible to other participants. Tactiq reads the captions from Google Meet, Zoom, or Teams and saves them as a transcript. It then uses AI (GPT) to generate summaries and action items. Because it works locally in the browser, it's a privacy-friendly option for users who don't want a 'bot' in their meeting list.

Difference from Fireflies: Browser extension instead of bot

Choose this if: For unobtrusive transcription

What I like

  • No bot visible in meeting
  • Works directly in browser
  • Real-time transcription visible

What I like less

  • Does not record audio/video (text only)
  • Requires extension installation

Krisp

Audio quality and privacy

0.0/5 · Free plan · From $ 8/mo

Krisp is primarily known for its AI noise cancellation, but has expanded this with automatic meeting transcriptions and notes. The tool processes audio locally on the device via a virtual microphone, which means no bot needs to join the meeting. It filters out background noise for a cleaner transcription. Krisp is ideal for users who already use noise-cancelling and are looking for a lightweight, privacy-focused solution for notes without video storage.

Difference from Fireflies: Local processing without bot participation

Choose this if: For noise-free audio notes

What I like

  • No bot needed
  • Superior audio quality (noise cancellation)
  • Privacy-friendly (local processing)

What I like less

  • No video recording
  • Fewer collaboration features
Quick verdict

Compare the 7 best Fireflies alternatives.

When is Fireflies still the best choice?

Fireflies works best when you need a tool that integrates with virtually any video platform. The tool supports Google Meet, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Webex, and even less common platforms. You get automatic transcriptions in multiple languages, and the search function lets you find specific moments in conversations within seconds.

For teams that have many meetings and want to analyze this data, Fireflies offers extensive analytics. You can see who spoke the most, which topics come up, and how much time is spent on different parts of the conversation. The integrations with CRM systems like Salesforce and HubSpot make it suitable for sales teams who want to incorporate conversation insights directly into their workflow. The free plan gives you 800 minutes of storage per month, which is enough for about 10 to 15 meetings.

When is a Fireflies alternative better?

If you want to save video recordings in addition to transcripts, Fireflies falls short. The tool focuses on audio and text, but doesn’t save video footage. For teams that want to review presentations, demos, or screen shares, tl;dv or Grain are better options. Both tools make complete video recordings and let you cut out specific clips to share.

Privacy also plays a role in the choice. Fireflies sends a visible bot to every meeting, which some participants find disruptive or even refuse to allow. Tactiq and Krisp work differently: they run locally as a browser extension without others seeing a bot appear. This makes them more suitable for sensitive conversations or situations where you want to take notes discreetly. Fathom and tl;dv also offer unlimited transcriptions in their free versions, while Fireflies forces you to a paid plan after 800 minutes.

In conclusion

Choose Fireflies if you use a wide range of platforms and meeting analytics are important. Go for tl;dv or Grain if you need video recordings for training or product demos. Consider Tactiq or Krisp when privacy is a priority and you don’t want a bot in meetings. For freelancers and small teams on a tight budget, Fathom and tl;dv are interesting because of their unlimited free plans. Otter remains the standard for those who primarily need English real-time transcription during interviews or lectures.

Frequently asked questions

Do these alternatives support the Dutch language?

Yes, most tools (such as tl;dv, Tactiq, and Fellow) support Dutch, often through OpenAI's or Google's underlying transcription engine. Quality may vary by tool.

Is a bot always visible in the meeting?

No, tools like Tactiq and Krisp work locally or via a browser extension and don't send a visible 'bot' to the participant list. Tools like Otter, Fireflies, and tl;dv do.