Otter and Fireflies are two of the most popular AI meeting assistants. Both join your Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams calls, transcribe them, and turn them into summaries and action items. On a feature list they look nearly identical, so the real question is which one fits the way you work after the meeting ends.
This comparison is based on each vendor’s published pricing and documentation as of October 2026, not hands-on testing.
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The Short Answer
- Pick Otter if you mainly want affordable, readable transcripts and summaries for yourself or a small team, and you like live notes during the call.
- Pick Fireflies if you want meeting notes to flow into other tools, such as your CRM, project tracker, or team chat, and you want to search and analyze conversations across many meetings.
Pricing Side by Side
Prices are per user per month in US dollars, as of October 2026. Both vendors change plans often, so check their pricing pages before you buy.
| Otter | Fireflies | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes (Basic), with monthly transcription minutes and limited file imports | Yes, with limits on storage and AI features |
| Entry paid plan | Pro: $16.99 monthly, about $8.33 billed annually | Pro: $18 monthly, $10 billed annually |
| Team plan | Business: $30 monthly, about $19.99 billed annually | Business: $29 monthly, $19 billed annually |
| Enterprise | Custom pricing | Custom pricing |
On annual billing, Otter Pro is a little cheaper than Fireflies Pro. At the business tier the two are within a dollar of each other.
Where Otter Stands Out
Otter has offered AI transcription for years, and its core strength is still the transcript itself.
- Live transcription and notes. You can follow along as the conversation is transcribed, highlight moments, and add comments in real time.
- AI chat about your meetings. You can ask questions such as “What did we agree about the launch date?” within a meeting or across past meetings.
- Simple pricing for individuals. The annual Pro plan is one of the cheapest paid note-takers we’ve covered.
- Business features for growing teams. Otter’s Business plan raises meeting-length limits and adds admin tools like usage analytics, per Otter’s pricing page.
Watch out for: usage caps. Otter’s plans limit monthly transcription minutes and the number of audio or video files you can import, and the free plan’s limits are tight. If you have many long calls, compare the caps against your real meeting load.
Where Fireflies Stands Out
Fireflies is built around getting meeting information out of the meeting and into the rest of your business.
- Integrations. Fireflies connects to CRMs, project management apps, and team chat, so notes and action items can land where your team already works. Per Fireflies, app and CRM integrations start on the paid tiers.
- Search and conversation intelligence. It offers search across all your meetings, topic trackers, sentiment and talk-time analytics, and AskFred, its AI assistant for questions about your calls.
- Bot-free recording option. Fireflies says you can record with its Chrome extension instead of sending a bot into the meeting.
- Security documentation. Fireflies lists SOC 2 Type II and GDPR compliance on its pricing page, with HIPAA compliance and custom data retention on higher tiers.
Watch out for: feature creep. Fireflies has a lot of features, and some, like video capture and team analytics, sit on the Business tier. Make sure the plan you’re pricing includes the features you actually want.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Otter | Fireflies |
|---|---|---|
| Joins Zoom, Meet, and Teams | Yes | Yes |
| Live transcription | Yes | Yes |
| AI summaries and action items | Yes | Yes |
| Ask questions across meetings | Yes (AI chat) | Yes (AskFred) |
| CRM integrations | Salesforce and HubSpot on paid plans | Yes, on paid plans |
| Conversation analytics | Some, on higher tiers | Yes (topics, sentiment, talk time) |
| Record without a bot | Check Otter’s current options | Chrome extension |
| Mobile apps | iOS and Android | iOS and Android |
Which One for Your Situation?
Freelancer or consultant with a few client calls a week: Otter Pro on annual billing is the budget-friendly pick. Fireflies’ free plan is also worth trying first if you just need summaries.
Sales team or agency that lives in a CRM: Fireflies, because getting call notes into your CRM automatically saves the most time.
Small team that wants to search old meetings: Both work. Fireflies leans further into search and analytics; Otter leans toward clean transcripts and live collaboration.
Anyone handling sensitive conversations: Compare each vendor’s data retention, training, and compliance documentation before deciding. Price matters less than fit here.
Consent and Privacy Before You Hit Record
Whichever tool you choose, recording laws still apply. Some US states require every participant to consent to a recording. Tell people at the start of the call that it’s being recorded and transcribed, and turn the assistant off if someone objects. Check client contracts too, since some restrict recording or third-party tools.
On the data side, check whether recordings are used to train AI models, how long they’re kept, and who on your team can see them. Turn off auto-join for meetings you don’t want recorded. Our Are AI Tools Safe for Business Data? checklist covers what to look for.
This is general information, not legal advice.
How to Decide in a Week
- [ ] Sign up for both free plans.
- [ ] Run each on two or three real meetings, with everyone’s consent.
- [ ] Compare the summaries: are names, numbers, and decisions correct?
- [ ] Test the one integration that matters most to you, such as your CRM or Slack.
- [ ] Check the monthly limits against your real meeting hours.
- [ ] Pay for the one you kept opening afterwards.
FAQ
Is Otter or Fireflies more accurate?
Both produce useful transcripts, and both can mishear names, jargon, and numbers. Accuracy depends heavily on audio quality and accents. Test both on your own calls and review summaries before sending them to clients.
Which has the better free plan?
Both free plans have limits that change from time to time. Otter’s Basic plan caps monthly transcription minutes; Fireflies’ free plan limits storage and AI features. Check both pricing pages for current limits.
Can I use them with Microsoft Teams?
Yes. Both list Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams support.
Are there other options worth comparing?
Yes. Fathom has a generous free plan, Granola records without a bot, and tl;dv is good for sharing clips. See The Best AI Meeting Note-Takers.
Related Reading
- The full field: The Best AI Meeting Note-Takers
- AI built into your office suite: Microsoft 365 Copilot vs Gemini for Google Workspace
- Build your stack: The Best AI Tools for Small Business
Prices and features change often. Everything here is as of October 2026, so check the vendor’s site before you buy. This article is general information, not professional advice.
