Fireflies.ai alternative: five options for meeting transcription
Fireflies.ai costs $10-19/user/month and joins your calls as a bot. Here are five alternatives — including cheaper options and tools that don't require a meeting bot.
Fireflies.ai has a specific use case: it joins your Zoom, Google Meet, or Teams call as a bot named Fred, records everything, and produces a transcript with speaker labels and AI-generated notes. For sales teams who need call recordings synced to Salesforce, it's genuinely useful. For everyone else, there are cheaper options that don't require a bot in your calls.
Here's what to use instead, depending on your situation.
Why people look for Fireflies alternatives
Bot visibility. Some clients and team members find it uncomfortable when a third-party bot joins a confidential call. Fireflies' bot is identifiable in the participants list.
Cost per seat. At $10-19/user/month, Fireflies adds up quickly for larger teams. A 10-person team on the Business plan is $190/month.
Overkill for simple use cases. If you just need to transcribe recorded meetings, paying for Fireflies' CRM integration and AI meeting summaries isn't necessary.
Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 already include it. Both platforms added native meeting transcription in the past two years.
Five alternatives
Otter.ai — closest functional replacement
Otter.ai does what Fireflies does: it joins meetings as a bot, transcribes with speaker identification, and lets you search and share notes. The interface is more consumer-friendly than Fireflies.
Free: 300 minutes/month, 30 minutes per conversation. Pro: $8.33/month annually.
The 30-minute conversation cap on the free plan is the main frustration — most business meetings run longer. The Pro plan removes this limit.
Best for: Teams that don't need CRM integration and want a simpler, cheaper meeting transcription tool.
Google Meet transcription (built-in)
Google Workspace plans from Business Starter ($6/user/month) and up include meeting transcription. Transcripts save automatically to Google Drive after the meeting ends.
No bot. No third-party app. The transcript appears in the Google Drive of the meeting organizer.
Accuracy is good on clear audio with standard English speakers. Speaker identification works if participants join from authenticated Google accounts.
Best for: Teams already on Google Workspace who don't need speaker identification across multiple platforms.
Microsoft Teams transcription (built-in)
Microsoft 365 Business Basic ($6/user/month) and above include Teams meeting transcription. Like Google's version, no bot required — transcription runs as a native feature.
The transcript is available in the meeting chat after the call ends and integrates with Microsoft Copilot for AI summaries on higher-tier plans.
Best for: Teams using Microsoft 365 for internal meetings.
TranscribTxt — for recorded files without a bot
If you record your meetings and want transcripts afterward, uploading the recording is simpler and cheaper than deploying a meeting bot.
Free: 5 recordings/month. Pro: $12/month for 600 minutes.
This works for Zoom cloud recordings (download the MP4), Google Meet recordings saved to Drive, Teams recordings, and any other recorded call. No bot, no app integration, no concern about what joins your calls.
Best for: People who record meetings anyway and want affordable transcription without a meeting bot.
Avoma — for sales teams wanting Fireflies' features at a lower price
Avoma is a meeting intelligence platform similar to Fireflies with CRM integration, call scoring, and conversation analytics. Starter plan: $19/month. Growth: $59/month.
It's not cheaper than Fireflies at equivalent feature tiers, but it has better coaching features for sales managers and a more detailed analytics dashboard.
Best for: Sales teams that need call intelligence and coaching, not just transcription.
Pricing comparison
| Tool | Price | Bot required | Speaker ID | CRM integration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fireflies Pro | $10/user/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Otter.ai Pro | $8.33/user/mo | Optional | Yes | Limited |
| Google Meet | Included in Workspace | No | Yes | No |
| Teams | Included in M365 | No | Yes | Copilot only |
| TranscribTxt Pro | $12/month | No | No | No |
| Avoma Starter | $19/user/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Which to use
Already on Google Workspace: Use built-in Meet transcription — it's already included.
Already on Microsoft 365: Use built-in Teams transcription.
Need speaker ID + meeting bot, no CRM: Otter.ai Pro.
Need CRM integration for sales calls: Fireflies or Avoma.
Want to upload recordings without a bot: TranscribTxt.
Need it completely free: Otter.ai free tier (300 min/month) or TranscribTxt free tier (5 files/month).
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good alternative to Fireflies.ai?
Otter.ai is the closest alternative with meeting bot integration at $8.33/month annually (vs Fireflies at $10/month). For uploading recorded meetings without a bot, TranscribTxt handles any audio or video file at $12/month. Microsoft 365 Business includes Teams transcription built in. Google Workspace now includes Meet transcription on Business Starter and above.
Is there a free alternative to Fireflies?
Fireflies has a free tier with limited credits. Otter.ai's free plan gives 300 minutes/month. TranscribTxt gives 5 files free per month with no time limit. For Google Meet users, Google Workspace includes meeting transcription on paid plans. For Teams, the free version doesn't include transcription but Microsoft 365 Business Basic ($6/user/month) does.
Does Fireflies work without a bot joining the meeting?
Fireflies can transcribe uploaded recordings, but its primary use case is the meeting bot (Fred) that joins calls. If you don't want a bot in your calls, Otter.ai also has a meeting bot but allows recording upload. TranscribTxt works exclusively with uploaded files — no bot, no app, just upload the recording and get a transcript.
How accurate is Fireflies transcription?
Fireflies uses AI transcription similar to Whisper-based models. Accuracy on clear business meetings is 90-95%. It handles multi-speaker conversations well compared to tools without speaker diarization. Background noise or crosstalk reduces accuracy below 85%. Human review is recommended before using transcripts in documents.
What is the difference between Fireflies and Otter.ai?
Both transcribe meetings with speaker identification. Fireflies focuses on CRM integrations (Salesforce, HubSpot) and sales workflows. Otter.ai focuses on collaboration with shared notes and team features. Fireflies Pro is $10/user/month; Otter.ai Pro is $8.33/month annually. Fireflies has better CRM integration; Otter has a more usable free tier.