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Remote Work · head to head

Fireflies.ai vs Otter.ai

Fireflies.ai logo

Fireflies.ai

Remote Work

AI note-taking for teams

From
Free
Rated
-
Otter.ai logo

Otter.ai

Remote Work

Transcription and meeting notes powered by AI

From
Free
Rated
-

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Fireflies.ai video recording limits by tier: Free tier has 2 hours, Pro tier 2 hours, Business tier 3 hours, Enterprise tier 4 hours; Otter.ai two separate limits apply at once, a monthly minute allowance and a per conversation cap, so a long meeting can be cut short with allowance remaining
  • They diverge on capability: Fireflies.ai covers Meeting summaries, Otter.ai covers Real-time transcription.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Fireflies.ai and Otter.ai actually diverge.

Attributes where Fireflies.ai and Otter.ai differ
AttributeFireflies.aiOtter.ai
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, Desktop, Chrome extensionWeb, Ios, Android, Mac
Founded20182016

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (freemium), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Remote Work).

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 Fireflies.ai

  • Meeting summaries
  • Action item extraction
  • Search functionality
  • Team sharing
  • Integration APIs
  • HubSpot
  • SOC2
  • Spanish language support

Only in Otter.ai

  • Real-time transcription
  • Searchable transcripts
  • Highlights and summaries
  • Sharing
  • Mobile apps
  • Salesforce
  • Encryption
  • Mac support

Both cover

  • Automatic transcription
  • Speaker identification
  • Zoom
  • Microsoft Teams
  • Google Meet
  • Slack
  • GDPR compliant
  • Cloud deployment
  • Web support
  • Ios support
  • Android support
  • English language support

What people use each for

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

Fireflies.ai

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

Otter.ai

  • Meeting transcription and recordingnot Fireflies.ai
  • Live transcription for accessibilitynot Fireflies.ai
  • Multi-language meeting supportnot Fireflies.ai

Where each one falls short

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

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

Otter.ai

  • Two separate limits apply at once, a monthly minute allowance and a per conversation cap, so a long meeting can be cut short with allowance remaining
  • The free plan cuts off at 30 minutes per conversation and 300 minutes a month
  • The Pro plan still caps a single conversation at 90 minutes
  • Even unlimited plans cap a conversation at 4 hours
  • Imported file transcription has its own separate monthly limit, at 6,000 minutes on Business
  • Paying monthly rather than annually roughly doubles the rate, from $8.33 to $16.99 on Pro

Pricing, plan by plan

Fireflies.ai

Free

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

Otter.ai

Free
  • BasicFree
    • 300 monthly transcription minutes
    • 3 lifetime audio/video file imports
    • Zoom, MS Teams, Google Meet support
  • Pro$16.99/month
    • 1,200 in-app recording minutes
    • 10 monthly audio/video file imports
    • Up to 90 minutes per meeting
  • Pro Annual$8.33/month
    • 1,200 in-app recording minutes
    • 10 monthly audio/video file imports
    • Up to 90 minutes per meeting
  • Business$30/month
    • Unlimited meetings and in-app recordings
    • Unlimited audio/video file imports
    • Up to 4 hours per meeting

Which should you pick?

Choose Fireflies.ai if

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

Choose Otter.ai if

  • You need real-time transcription.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Mac.
  • You also want searchable transcripts.

Questions people ask

Is Fireflies.ai or Otter.ai better?
Neither clearly leads. Fireflies.ai starts at Free and Otter.ai at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Fireflies.ai or Otter.ai?
Fireflies.ai starts at Free and Otter.ai at Free.
Does Fireflies.ai or Otter.ai run on more platforms?
Fireflies.ai runs on Web, iOS, Android, Desktop, Chrome extension. Otter.ai runs on Web, Ios, Android, Mac.
Can I use Fireflies.ai for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Fireflies.ai best used for?
Fireflies.ai is most often used for meeting transcription and note-taking across teams, ai-powered meeting summaries in 100+ languages, unlimited transcription and ai summaries on paid tiers. Of those, meeting transcription and note-taking across teams and ai-powered meeting summaries in 100+ languages are not what Otter.ai is typically brought in for.
What can Fireflies.ai do that Otter.ai cannot?
Fireflies.ai covers Meeting summaries, Action item extraction, Search functionality, Team sharing. Otter.ai covers Real-time transcription, Searchable transcripts, Highlights and summaries, Sharing. Both handle Automatic transcription, Speaker identification, Zoom, Microsoft Teams.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
Otter.ai: What are the monthly transcription minute limits on Otter.ai plans?

Basic tier includes 300 monthly transcription minutes at no cost. Pro tier includes 1,200 in-app recording minutes. Business tier provides unlimited meetings and in-app recordings.

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
Otter.ai: What meeting duration limits apply to different Otter.ai tiers?

Pro tier supports up to 90 minutes per meeting. Business tier supports up to 4 hours per meeting. Enterprise tier offers custom configurations.

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
Otter.ai: How much can you save with Otter.ai annual billing?

Pro annual plan costs $8.33 per month (51% savings compared to $16.99 monthly). Business annual plan costs $19.99 per month (33% savings compared to $30 monthly).

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
Otter.ai: What integrations are available with Otter.ai Pro plan?

Pro tier includes integrations with Salesforce, HubSpot, and Zapier. Enterprise tier provides access to Otter API and custom webhooks.

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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