Teams often look for a Fireflies.ai alternative because they want to avoid a meeting bot, reduce spending on AI credits, or get more control over how meetings are recorded and shared. The right alternative depends on which of these matters most to you.
Fireflies is still a strong tool, especially as a searchable archive of calls. Below, you'll find seven AI meeting assistants, what you gain and what you give up with each one, and what to check before switching.
MeetGeek is one of them: it records with or without a bot, and its AI Chat doesn't run on credits. You can try it for free on your own meetings while you compare.
Why Teams Look for a Fireflies.ai Alternative
Fireflies records, transcribes and summarizes meetings on Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and other platforms, in 100+ languages. It identifies speakers, lets you search your whole call archive and ask AskFred questions about it, and connects to 100+ apps. Its paid plans have no monthly limit on transcription hours.
The reasons people leave are more specific than "it doesn't work":
- AI credits: Advanced features such as AI Skills, Sales Assist, the Slack Assistant and CRM autofill use AI credits shared across the team. Each plan includes a one-time allowance (20 credits on Free and Pro, 30 on Business, 50 on Enterprise), after which additional credits must be purchased;
- The bot: Fireflies' Chrome extension records without a bot only on Google Meet. On Zoom and Teams, the bot joins the call unless you use the desktop app;
- Free plan storage: the free plan transcribes without a monthly cap but stores 400 minutes in total, so you delete old meetings to record new ones;
- Admin controls: SSO, SCIM, audit logs and custom data retention sit on the Enterprise plan, billed annually only;
- Smaller costs that add up: renaming the notetaker costs $5 a month on Pro and Business, and downloading transcripts needs a paid plan.
A team tired of bots needs a different tool from a team that wants more automation after the call.
Fireflies.ai Alternatives at a Glance
A word on how we built this comparison. We make MeetGeek, so we're one of the tools on this list, and it would be odd to pretend otherwise. What we can promise is that each tool is judged by the job it does best, that MeetGeek gets a "what you give up" column like everyone else, and that every price and limit comes from the vendor's own pricing page or help center.
| Tool | Best for | What you gain vs Fireflies | What you give up vs Fireflies | Free plan | Paid from (monthly / annual) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fireflies.ai | Searchable call archive | (baseline) | (baseline) | Unlimited transcription, 400 min of storage in total | $18 / $10 per seat |
| MeetGeek | Turning meetings into follow-up work | Meeting Skills and AI Chat without a pooled credit balance, bot-free Chrome extension on Zoom and Teams, EU or US data storage on every plan, mixed Free and paid seats | Pro caps transcription at 20 hours a month; HD video starts on Business | 3 hours a month, up to 2 hours per meeting | $15.99 / $9.99 per user |
| Otter.ai | Live transcripts | Live transcript during the call | 6 languages instead of 100+ | 300 min a month, up to 30 min per conversation | $16.99 / $8.33 per user (list price) |
| Fathom | Unlimited free recording | Unlimited recordings and transcripts on the free plan | Bot-free mode on Mac only; AI features limited on Free | Unlimited recordings, limited AI use | $20 / $16 per user |
| tl;dv | Sharing meeting clips | Clips and highlights at the center of the product | 30+ languages; free AI notes only for your first 10 meetings | Unlimited recordings, AI notes for 10 meetings | From $18 a month |
| Granola | Bot-free notes on your own device | No bot on any plan; captures device audio | No bot to record calls you don't attend; free history is 30 days | 30 days of meeting history | $14 per user |
| Avoma | Sales and customer success teams | Conversation and revenue intelligence add-ons, free viewer seats | No free plan; intelligence features cost extra per seat | None (14-day trial) | $29 / $19 per user |
| Gong | Large revenue organizations | Forecasting, deal boards and sales coaching at scale | No published price, no self-serve plan | None | Custom quote |
Table last updated: October 21, 2026.
The free plans are hard to compare because each one limits something different: storage, monthly minutes, minutes per conversation, or AI notes. If you plan to test a tool on your real meetings, the limit per conversation matters most. Otter's free plan stops each conversation at 30 minutes, while Fireflies and MeetGeek allow up to 2 hours per meeting on their free plans. On MeetGeek, that sits inside 3 hours of transcription a month.
Did you know?
According to MeetGeek data from the first half of 2026, 44.8% of meetings recorded by MeetGeek ended in under 30 minutes. More than half lasted 30 minutes or longer, so a 30-minute cap per conversation can affect a large share of real meetings.
The 7 Best Fireflies.ai Alternatives in 2026
1. MeetGeek: Best for Turning Meetings Into Follow-Up Work
MeetGeek records, transcribes and summarizes meetings, with automation features that help turn meeting notes into CRM updates, tasks and follow-up emails.
The main difference from Fireflies is what happens after the transcript. Meeting Skills are reusable instructions that run when a meeting ends, on a schedule or when a keyword comes up, and AI Chat lets you ask questions across all your past meetings. Both come with every MeetGeek plan, including Free, and neither draws on a pooled credit balance.
You can record with the bot from your calendar, or without one on Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams through the desktop app or the Chrome extension. The mobile app records in-person conversations, and you can upload audio or video files. MeetGeek transcribes 100+ languages with automatic language detection and connects to other tools through native integrations, Zapier, Make and n8n, a public API and an MCP server for Claude and ChatGPT.
Where MeetGeek beats Fireflies:
- No pooled credit balance behind Meeting Skills or AI Chat;
- Unlike Fireflies' Chrome extension, which supports bot-free recording on Google Meet, MeetGeek's extension also supports Zoom and Teams in the browser;
- You can mix Free, Pro, Business and Enterprise seats in one workspace, so occasional users don't need a paid license;
- You choose EU or US data storage on every plan, including Free; on Fireflies, choosing where your data is stored requires Private Storage on the Enterprise plan.
Where Fireflies is still better:
- Fireflies' paid plans have no monthly cap on transcription hours, while MeetGeek Pro includes 20 hours a month;
- Fireflies records video from its Pro plan; MeetGeek's video storage and HD recording start on Business.
Want a closer look? See our MeetGeek vs. Fireflies comparison.
Pricing: The free Basic plan includes 3 hours of transcription a month, up to 2 hours per meeting, and 3 months of transcript storage. Pro costs $15.99 per user a month, or $9.99 billed annually, and includes 20 hours a month and integrations. Business costs $27 per user a month, or $17 billed annually, with unlimited transcription. See all limits on the pricing page.
2. Otter.ai: Best for Live Transcripts
Otter.ai's main feature is a live transcript that everyone can follow during the call.
It joins Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams meetings, writes summaries and action items, and lets you ask questions across your conversations. Our Otter vs. Fireflies comparison puts the two side by side.
Where Otter beats Fireflies:
- The live transcript during the call is Otter's core feature.
Where Fireflies is still better:
- Otter transcribes 6 languages (English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese and Chinese), against Fireflies' 100+;
- Otter's free plan stops each conversation at 30 minutes.
Pricing: Free with 300 minutes a month. Pro lists at $16.99 per user a month, or $8.33 billed annually, and Otter often runs discounts on these. Business costs $30 per user a month, or $19.99 billed annually.
Want a closer look? See our MeetGeek vs. Otter comparison.
3. Fathom: Best for Unlimited Free Recording
Fathom's free plan records and transcribes an unlimited number of meetings, which makes it a simple way to stop paying for basic notes.
It works on Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams, and connects to HubSpot, Salesforce, Slack, Zapier, Make, Asana and Notion, among others. Fathom also has an API and an MCP server.
Where Fathom beats Fireflies:
- Unlimited recordings and transcription on the free plan, with no storage cap to manage.
Where Fireflies is still better:
- Fathom's bot-free mode is available on Mac only, and bot-free video capture is still in beta;
- AI action items and Ask Fathom are limited on the free plan.
Pricing: Free plan available. Premium costs $20 per user a month, or $16 billed annually. Team costs $19 per user a month, or $15 billed annually, with a 2-user minimum. Business costs $34 per user a month, or $25 billed annually, also with a 2-user minimum.
Want a closer look? See our MeetGeek vs. Fathom comparison.
4. tl;dv: Best for Sharing Meeting Clips
tl;dv is built around turning moments from a call into clips you can send to people who weren't there.
That makes it useful for product, research and customer success teams that pass on customer feedback. It records Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams, writes AI summaries and transcribes in 30+ languages.
Where tl;dv beats Fireflies:
- Clips and highlights are central to the product and quick to share;
- The free plan includes unlimited recordings.
Where Fireflies is still better:
- tl;dv's free AI notes cover only your first 10 meetings over the life of the account; after that, notes cover the first 10 minutes of each meeting;
- Free recordings are kept for 3 months, and videos are archived after 3 days.
Pricing: Paid plans start at $18 a month, according to tl;dv's help center.
Want a closer look? See our MeetGeek vs. tl;dv comparison.
5. Granola: Best for Bot-Free Notes on Your Own Device
Granola captures meeting audio directly from your device without adding a bot to the participant list. It combines that audio with the notes you type during the call.
That suits people who want an AI notepad for meetings they attend, without anyone else seeing a notetaker in the participant list. Granola has desktop, iOS, Android and Apple Watch apps.
Where Granola beats Fireflies:
- Bot-free capture on every plan and every platform;
- Your own notes and the AI summary sit in one document.
Where Fireflies is still better:
- With no bot, Granola can't record a meeting you don't attend;
- The free plan keeps only 30 days of meeting history.
Pricing: Free Basic plan. Business costs $14 per user a month, and Enterprise $35.
Want a closer look? See our MeetGeek vs. Granola comparison.
6. Avoma: Best for Sales and Customer Success Teams
Avoma combines meeting notes with scheduling, conversation intelligence and revenue intelligence for teams that sell and support customers. Our Avoma review covers it in detail.
It can record without a bot through native recording, and viewers who only read notes don't need a paid seat.
Where Avoma beats Fireflies:
- Conversation and revenue intelligence built for sales teams, sold as add-ons;
- Free viewer seats for people who only read notes.
Where Fireflies is still better:
- Avoma has no free plan, only a 14-day trial;
- Conversation intelligence and revenue intelligence cost extra on top of the seat price.
Pricing: The Startup plan costs $29 per user a month, or $19 billed annually. Enterprise costs $39 per user a month, billed annually, with a 10-seat minimum.
7. Gong: Best for Large Revenue Organizations
Gong is a revenue platform rather than a meeting assistant. It records sales calls and uses them for forecasting, deal management and coaching across a whole sales organization.
It makes sense for revenue teams that will use those workflows every day. For teams that mainly want notes and follow-ups across the company, it is more platform than they need.
Where Gong beats Fireflies:
- Forecasting, deal boards and coaching built for large sales teams;
- Analysis across the whole pipeline, not only single calls.
Where Fireflies is still better:
- Fireflies publishes its prices and has a free plan; Gong sells per-user licenses plus a platform fee, by custom proposal only;
- Fireflies covers meetings across the company, not only sales.
Want a closer look? See our MeetGeek vs. Gong comparison.
Leaving Fireflies Over Admin Controls? What to Check
If your IT or security team is the reason you're switching, compare these points before you look at features. On both Fireflies and MeetGeek, SSO and SCIM are Enterprise features, so the differences show up elsewhere.
- Who decides what gets recorded: MeetGeek Business lets you set rules to skip meetings you don't want recorded, and keep meetings private by default. MeetGeek also stops several company bots from joining the same meeting;
- Consent: MeetGeek Business adds recording consent notifications, so participants can be asked before recording starts;
- Where data lives: MeetGeek lets you choose EU or US data storage on every plan, holds SOC 2 Type II and supports GDPR, HIPAA and CCPA. Customer data is not used to train AI models;
- Retention: both tools offer custom data retention on Enterprise.
Our guide to AI note-taker security and compliance covers the questions procurement teams usually ask.
Phone Calls and In-Person Conversations
Not every important conversation happens in a video call. Fireflies' desktop app, launched in November 2025, records audio from phone calls and other apps on your computer without a bot, and its mobile app records in-person meetings.
MeetGeek's mobile app records in-person conversations too, and the results land in the same library as your video calls. MeetGeek also makes MeetGeek Wave, a small AI voice recorder that attaches to the back of your phone with a magnetic case to record both sides of a call, or sits on a desk to record a meeting in the room. It syncs to the MeetGeek app over Bluetooth, uses the same templates and integrations as your account, and ships with the free Basic plan.
Before recording a phone call, check the consent rules where you and the other person are. Some places require everyone on the call to agree, and Justia keeps a 50-state survey of call recording laws for the US.
Before You Switch: Move Your Meetings Out of Fireflies
Do these in order, so you don't lose transcripts or keep a bot joining your calls:
- Export first: downloading transcripts needs a paid Fireflies plan, so export what you want to keep before you downgrade;
- Turn off auto-join: stop the Fireflies notetaker from joining calendar meetings, then disconnect your calendar;
- Tell your team: shared meetings and channels stop updating once you leave;
- Run both for a week: record the same meetings with the new tool and compare the notes before you cancel.
When Fireflies Is Still the Right Choice
Switching isn't always the answer. Fireflies is likely the better fit if:
- You record a lot of calls and want unlimited transcription on the entry paid plan; on MeetGeek, unlimited transcription starts on Business;
- Your stack runs on Microsoft Dynamics, SharePoint or sales tools such as Outreach and Salesloft, which are in Fireflies' integration directory;
- Keyword tracking across your whole call archive is your main job, which Fireflies' Topic Tracker handles from the Pro plan.
For a closer look at what each Fireflies plan costs, see our Fireflies AI pricing guide.
Which Fireflies.ai Alternative Should You Choose?
If live transcripts during the call are your priority, Otter.ai is worth considering.
If you want to stop paying for basic notes, Fathom's free plan records without limits.
If you share customer moments with your team, tl;dv makes clips easy.
If you never want a bot in the call, Granola records from your own device.
If you run a sales or customer success team, Avoma adds revenue features, and Gong covers large revenue organizations end to end.
If you want your meetings to turn into work, with CRM updates, tasks and follow-up emails in the tools you already use and no credit balance to watch, MeetGeek is built for that job. The free plan gives you 3 hours a month to try it on your real meetings.
Key Takeaways
- Common reasons to leave Fireflies are AI credits, the bot on Zoom and Teams unless you use its desktop app, free plan storage, and admin controls that sit on Enterprise;
- Otter.ai fits live transcripts, Fathom unlimited free recording, tl;dv clips, Granola bot-free notes, and Avoma and Gong sales teams;
- On free plans, check the limit per conversation: 30 minutes on Otter.ai, 2 hours on Fireflies and MeetGeek (where the free plan gives 3 hours a month in total);
- Fireflies is still the better fit if you want unlimited transcription on its entry paid plan, or if your stack runs on Dynamics or SharePoint;
- MeetGeek is built for turning meetings into follow-up work, with no pooled credit balance behind Meeting Skills or AI Chat.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Fireflies.ai Completely Free?
Fireflies has a free plan with unlimited transcription, but it stores 400 minutes of meetings in total, and features such as AI Skills draw on a one-time allowance of 20 AI credits. Video recording and transcript downloads need a paid plan.
Which Is Better, Fireflies.ai or Otter.ai?
If a live transcript during the call is your priority, Otter.ai is worth considering. Fireflies.ai is better if you work in more than Otter's 6 languages or want a searchable archive with more integrations.
Which Fireflies Alternative Records Without a Bot?
Granola never uses a bot. MeetGeek records Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams without a bot through its desktop app and Chrome extension. Fathom's bot-free mode is available on Mac. Fireflies' own Chrome extension works without a bot on Google Meet only, and its desktop app records without a bot on your computer.
Which Fireflies Alternatives Have SSO, SCIM and Audit Logs?
MeetGeek includes SSO, SCIM and audit logs on its Enterprise plan, as Fireflies does. Before you compare those, check who can decide which meetings get recorded, where data is stored and how participants give consent.
What Is the Cheapest Fireflies Alternative?
Fathom's free plan records unlimited meetings. Among paid plans billed annually, Otter.ai Pro lists at $8.33 per user a month and MeetGeek Pro at $9.99, against $10 for Fireflies Pro.
Can I Record Phone Calls and In-Person Meetings?
Yes. MeetGeek and Fireflies both have mobile apps for in-person meetings, and Fireflies' desktop app records phone calls on your computer. MeetGeek also has Wave, a small voice recorder that captures phone calls and in-person conversations and syncs them to your MeetGeek library.
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