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AI · head to head

AI21 Labs vs Fireflies.ai

AI21 Labs logo

AI21 Labs

AI

Enterprise language AI solutions

From
Free
Rated
-
Fireflies.ai logo

Fireflies.ai

Remote Work

AI note-taking for teams

From
Free
Rated
-

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: AI21 Labs the free allowance is $10 of credit lasting 7 days rather than an ongoing free tier; Fireflies.ai video recording limits by tier: Free tier has 2 hours, Pro tier 2 hours, Business tier 3 hours, Enterprise tier 4 hours
  • They diverge on capability: AI21 Labs covers Jamba models, Fireflies.ai covers Automatic transcription.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which AI21 Labs and Fireflies.ai actually diverge.

Attributes where AI21 Labs and Fireflies.ai differ
AttributeAI21 LabsFireflies.ai
Pricing modelusage-basedfreemium
PlatformsApi, CloudWeb, iOS, Android, Desktop, Chrome extension
CategoryAIRemote Work
Founded20172018

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in AI21 Labs

  • Jamba models
  • Long context
  • RAG engine
  • Writing tools
  • REST API
  • Amazon Bedrock
  • Cloud platforms
  • Api support

Only in Fireflies.ai

  • Automatic transcription
  • Meeting summaries
  • Action item extraction
  • Speaker identification
  • Search functionality
  • Team sharing
  • Integration APIs
  • Zoom

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

AI21 Labs

  • Running long-context tasks on the Jamba model familynot Fireflies.ai
  • Building and optimising production AI agents with Maestronot Fireflies.ai
  • Routing between models to control cost and accuracynot Fireflies.ai
  • Long-horizon agentic tasks needing stateful workspacesnot Fireflies.ai

Fireflies.ai

  • Meeting transcription and note-taking across teamsnot AI21 Labs
  • AI-powered meeting summaries in 100+ languagesnot AI21 Labs
  • Unlimited transcription and AI summaries on paid tiersnot AI21 Labs

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

AI21 Labs

  • The free allowance is $10 of credit lasting 7 days rather than an ongoing free tier
  • Jamba Large is $2 per million input tokens and $8 per million output, so output-heavy work costs four times as much as input
  • Volume discounts, private cloud hosting and higher rate limits require a custom plan
  • Standard rate limits are not published

Fireflies.ai

  • Video recording limits by tier: Free tier has 2 hours, Pro tier 2 hours, Business tier 3 hours, Enterprise tier 4 hours
  • Storage quotas on Free and Pro tiers: Free tier limited to 400 minutes per team, Pro tier limited to 8,000 minutes per seat
  • AI credits allocation varies by tier, with lower tiers receiving limited credits for advanced AI features

Pricing, plan by plan

AI21 Labs

Free
  • Free TrialFree
    • 10 USD credits
    • 7-day trial period
    • No credit card required
  • Pay As You Go$undefined/mo
    • Usage-based pricing model
    • Access to all Foundation model APIs and SDK
    • Unlimited seats
  • Custom Plan$undefined/mo
    • Volume discounts on token pricing
    • Premium API rate limits
    • Private cloud hosting option

Fireflies.ai

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Fireflies.ai review.

Which should you pick?

Choose AI21 Labs if

  • You need jamba models.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Api, Cloud.
  • You also want long context.

Choose Fireflies.ai if

  • You need automatic transcription.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, Desktop, Chrome extension.
  • You also want meeting summaries.

Questions people ask

Is AI21 Labs or Fireflies.ai better?
Neither clearly leads. AI21 Labs starts at Free and Fireflies.ai at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, AI21 Labs or Fireflies.ai?
AI21 Labs starts at Free and Fireflies.ai at Free.
Does AI21 Labs or Fireflies.ai run on more platforms?
AI21 Labs runs on Api, Cloud. Fireflies.ai runs on Web, iOS, Android, Desktop, Chrome extension.
Can I use AI21 Labs for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is AI21 Labs best used for?
AI21 Labs is most often used for running long-context tasks on the jamba model family, building and optimising production ai agents with maestro, routing between models to control cost and accuracy, long-horizon agentic tasks needing stateful workspaces. Of those, running long-context tasks on the jamba model family and building and optimising production ai agents with maestro are not what Fireflies.ai is typically brought in for.
What can AI21 Labs do that Fireflies.ai cannot?
AI21 Labs covers Jamba models, Long context, RAG engine, Writing tools. Fireflies.ai covers Automatic transcription, Meeting summaries, Action item extraction, Speaker identification.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

AI21 Labs: How much do AI21's Jamba Mini and Jamba Large models cost?

Jamba Mini costs $0.2 per 1M input tokens and $0.4 per 1M output tokens. Jamba Large is priced at $2 per 1M input tokens and $8 per 1M output tokens. Both models use usage-based billing with no monthly minimums.

Source
Fireflies.ai: Does Fireflies.ai have a free plan?

Yes, Fireflies has a free plan with unlimited transcription and AI summaries. The free plan includes 400 minutes of storage per team and 20 AI credits.

Source
AI21 Labs: Does AI21 offer a free trial?

Yes, AI21 provides a free trial with 10 USD in credits for 7 days, no credit card required. The trial grants access to all Foundation models via API and SDK.

Source
Fireflies.ai: What are Fireflies.ai's paid plan prices?

Fireflies offers three paid tiers: Pro at $10/seat/month (billed annually, $18/month if monthly), Business at $19/seat/month (billed annually, $29/month if monthly), and Enterprise at $39/seat/month (annual billing only).

Source
AI21 Labs: How do AI21's custom plans and volume discounts work?

Custom plans with volume discounts are available for enterprises but require contacting sales. These plans can include premium API rate limits, private cloud hosting, priority support, dedicated account managers, and expert consultancy.

Source
Fireflies.ai: How much storage do Fireflies plans include?

The free plan includes 400 minutes of storage per team. Pro includes 8,000 minutes per seat. Business and Enterprise plans offer unlimited storage.

Source
AI21 Labs: What does AI21 mean by 30% token efficiency savings?

AI21 claims their tokenization delivers approximately 30% more text per token compared to other providers, which can reduce effective costs by roughly 30%. This applies primarily to English-language text averaging 1 word or 6 characters per token.

Source
Fireflies.ai: What is the most popular Fireflies plan?

The Business plan at $19/seat/month (billed annually) is marked as the most popular option. It includes unlimited storage, 30 AI credits, multi-language mode, and conversation intelligence.

Source
Fireflies.ai: What discount does annual billing provide on Fireflies?

Annual billing saves up to 44% compared to monthly pricing across all paid tiers.

Source
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