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Software · head to head

Fireflies.ai vs Perplexity

Fireflies.ai logo

Fireflies.ai

Software

AI note-taking for teams

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Perplexity logo

Perplexity

Software

AI-powered answer engine with citations

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

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; Perplexity context window has been stealthily reduced despite prior claims of 1-million-token capacity
  • They diverge on capability: Fireflies.ai covers Automatic transcription, Perplexity covers Real-time web search.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Fireflies.ai and Perplexity differ
AttributeFireflies.aiPerplexity
Pricing modelfreemiumUnknown
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, Desktop, Chrome extensionWeb, iOS, Android, Comet (AI browser)
Founded20182022

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

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

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

Only in Perplexity

  • Real-time web search
  • Source citations
  • Follow-up questions
  • File analysis
  • Browser extension
  • API access
  • Mobile apps
  • Api support

Both cover

  • Web support
  • Ios support
  • Android 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 Perplexity
  • AI-powered meeting summaries in 100+ languagesnot Perplexity
  • Unlimited transcription and AI summaries on paid tiersnot Perplexity

Perplexity

  • ai tools managementnot Fireflies.ai
  • Workflow automationnot Fireflies.ai
  • Reportingnot 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

Perplexity

  • Context window has been stealthily reduced despite prior claims of 1-million-token capacity
  • Citations sometimes point to irrelevant or overly general articles that do not support the stated claims
  • Weak performance on complex multi-step reasoning and deep logic compared to dedicated reasoning LLMs
  • Web crawler ignores robots.txt directives and scrapes content from sites that explicitly opted out
  • Pro subscription quotas and feature access quietly reduced without user notification

Pricing, plan by plan

Fireflies.ai

Free

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

Perplexity

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Unlimited basic searches
    • 3 Pro Searches per day
    • 1 Research query per month
  • Pro$20/month
    • Unlimited Pro Searches
    • Advanced AI models
    • All free features
  • Pro Annual$200/year
    • Unlimited Pro Searches
    • Advanced AI models
    • All free features
  • Max$200/month
    • Unlimited Pro Searches
    • Labs multi-agent orchestration
    • Perplexity Computer with 19 AI sub-agents

Which should you pick?

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.
Fireflies.ai review

Choose Perplexity if

  • You need real-time web search.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, Comet (AI browser).
  • You also want source citations.
Perplexity review

Questions people ask

Is Fireflies.ai or Perplexity better?
Neither clearly leads. Fireflies.ai starts at Free and Perplexity at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Fireflies.ai or Perplexity?
Fireflies.ai starts at Free and Perplexity at Free.
Does Fireflies.ai or Perplexity run on more platforms?
Fireflies.ai runs on Web, iOS, Android, Desktop, Chrome extension. Perplexity runs on Web, iOS, Android, Comet (AI browser).
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 Perplexity is typically brought in for.
What can Fireflies.ai do that Perplexity cannot?
Fireflies.ai covers Automatic transcription, Meeting summaries, Action item extraction, Speaker identification. Perplexity covers Real-time web search, Source citations, Follow-up questions, File analysis. Both handle Web support, Ios support, Android support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Perplexity: Is Perplexity completely free?

Perplexity has a free tier with unlimited basic searches and 3 Pro Searches per day. Pro ($20/month or $200/year) and Max ($200/month) tiers unlock more advanced features like multi-model access and unrestricted queries.

Source
Perplexity: What is the difference between Pro and Max?

Pro provides access to advanced AI models like GPT-5.2, Claude Sonnet 4.5, and Gemini 3 Pro. Max adds Labs for multi-agent orchestration, Perplexity Computer with 19 specialized AI sub-agents, and 10,000 Computer credits per month.

Source
Perplexity: Can I use Perplexity offline?

No. Perplexity requires an active internet connection for all searches. The full answer service is not available offline.

Source
Perplexity: What platforms does Perplexity support?

Perplexity is available as a web application, iOS app, Android app, and as Comet, a dedicated AI browser for mobile (Android available, iOS in development).

Source
Perplexity: How reliable are Perplexity's citations?

Citations are a key feature of Perplexity, but users report that citations sometimes point to irrelevant or overly general articles that don't directly support the claims made.

Source
Perplexity: Does Perplexity's context window match the advertised 1 million tokens?

Perplexity had promoted a 1-million-token context window, but users have reported stealth reductions in the actual context capacity without public announcement.

Source
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