7 Best Fireflies.ai Alternatives (2025 Guide)

Fireflies.ai is a popular AI meeting assistant, but it's not for everyone. Maybe you're uncomfortable with bots joining your calls. Perhaps you're worried about sensitive data going to the cloud. Or you simply don't want another subscription eating into your budget.

Good news: there are excellent alternatives that address these concerns. Some process everything locally on your device. Others skip the awkward meeting bot entirely. And a few are completely free.

In this guide, we compare the 7 best Fireflies.ai alternatives for 2025. We'll cover pricing, privacy features, and what makes each tool stand out.

Why Look for Fireflies.ai Alternatives?

Fireflies.ai works well for many teams, but users commonly report these frustrations:

• Meeting bots feel awkward. Fireflies adds a bot participant to your calls. In smaller meetings or client calls, this can feel intrusive or unprofessional.
• Privacy concerns. Your audio gets uploaded to Fireflies' servers for processing. For confidential discussions, this creates risk.
• Transcription accuracy. G2 reviews mention issues with accents, technical jargon, and noisy environments.
• Subscription costs. Pro plans start at $10/month per seat (billed annually). For teams of 10+, that's $1,200+ per year.

If any of these resonate, you'll want to explore alternatives that handle meetings differently.

Quick Comparison Table

Here's how the top Fireflies.ai alternatives stack up:

1. LocalMeetNotes (Best for Privacy)

Perfect for: Mac users who want complete privacy and zero recurring costs.

LocalMeetNotes takes a fundamentally different approach to meeting transcription. Instead of uploading your audio to cloud servers, it processes everything locally on your Mac using Apple Silicon. Your conversations never leave your device.

The app uses OpenAI's Whisper large-v3 model for transcription (the same technology behind many cloud services) and Llama 3.2 for AI summaries. It automatically detects Microsoft Teams meetings and starts recording. You get speaker identification, searchable transcripts, and AI-generated summaries. All without an internet connection.

Key Features

• 100% local processing on Apple Silicon Macs
• Automatic meeting detection for Microsoft Teams
• Speaker diarization with rename capability
• AI summaries using local Llama 3.2 model
• No bot joining your calls
• Free forever with no limitations

Pricing

Completely free. No subscription, no account required, no hidden costs.

Best For

LocalMeetNotes is ideal if you handle sensitive conversations (legal, HR, financial), work in regulated industries requiring data sovereignty, or simply want to avoid yet another subscription. It's also great for privacy-focused professionals who don't trust cloud services with their meeting data.

2. Jamie (Best Bot-Free Option for Teams)

Perfect for: Teams who want quality transcription without awkward meeting bots.

Jamie records your computer's audio directly. No bot joins your call. No one knows you're transcribing unless you tell them. This makes it perfect for client meetings or situations where a visible AI assistant would feel inappropriate.

The app works across all meeting platforms and even in-person meetings. Audio gets processed through Jamie's servers, but they emphasize GDPR compliance and German data hosting.

Key Features

• Completely bot-free operation
• Works everywhere including in-person meetings
• Executive AI assistant powered by GPT-4/Claude
• GDPR compliant with EU data residency
• Speaker recognition and action item detection

Pricing (as of Jan 2025)

• Free: 10 meetings/month, 30-min limit
• Plus: 25 EUR/month, 20 meetings, 3-hour limit
• Pro: 47 EUR/month, 50 meetings
• Executive: 99 EUR/month, unlimited
• Team: 39 EUR/seat/month (2+ seats)

Best For

Jamie works well for consultants, salespeople, and anyone who meets with external clients where a visible bot would be awkward or unprofessional.

3. Otter.ai (Best for Real-Time Collaboration)

Perfect for: Teams who need live transcription and collaborative editing.

Otter.ai pioneered real-time meeting transcription. If you need live captions during calls or want to edit transcripts collaboratively, Otter delivers. It claims up to 95% accuracy on English calls and integrates with Zoom, Teams, and Google Meet.

The downside? Your audio goes to Otter's servers. And the Pro plan recently dropped from 6,000 to 1,200 minutes monthly while keeping the same price.

Key Features

• Real-time transcription with live editing
• Collaborative features for team annotation
• CRM integrations (Salesforce, HubSpot)
• Speaker identification and search
• Mobile apps for iOS and Android

Pricing (as of Jan 2025)

• Free: 300 min/month, 30-min conversation limit
• Pro: $16.99/month ($8.33 annual), 1,200 min/month
• Business: $30/month ($20 annual), 6,000 min/month
• Enterprise: Custom pricing

Best For

Otter.ai works best for teams who prioritize real-time collaboration features over privacy concerns. Good for internal meetings where cloud processing isn't a dealbreaker.

4. MacWhisper (Best One-Time Purchase)

Perfect for: Mac users who prefer paying once instead of subscribing.

MacWhisper runs OpenAI's Whisper models entirely on your Mac. Like LocalMeetNotes, nothing leaves your device. The difference? MacWhisper focuses purely on transcription. It doesn't have automatic meeting detection or AI summaries built in (though it integrates with ChatGPT via API).

The Pro version unlocks larger, more accurate models and batch transcription for $69 one-time.

Key Features

• 100% local processing using Whisper models
• 100+ language support
• Batch transcription for multiple files
• System audio recording (captures any audio)
• ChatGPT/Claude integration via API
• Export to multiple formats

Pricing (as of Jan 2025)

• Free: Tiny, Base, Small models
• Pro: $69 one-time, all models including Large-V3

Best For

MacWhisper suits podcasters, journalists, and researchers who need flexible transcription for various audio sources. Less ideal if you want automatic meeting workflows.

5. Krisp (Best for Noisy Environments)

Perfect for: Remote workers in noisy spaces who need clean audio.

Krisp's killer feature is AI-powered noise cancellation. It removes background noise, echo, and even improves accented speech. The transcription comes alongside crystal-clear audio. All noise processing happens locally on your device.

The catch: while noise cancellation is local, transcription data still goes to Krisp's servers.

Key Features

• AI noise cancellation (processed locally)
• 96% transcription accuracy claimed
• 16+ language support
• Speaker identification
• Action items and summaries
• Works with any meeting app

Pricing (as of Jan 2025)

• Free: 60 min/day noise cancellation, 2 AI summaries
• Pro: $16/month ($8 annual), unlimited everything
• Business: $30/month ($15 annual), admin controls

Best For

Krisp excels for remote workers in cafes, co-working spaces, or homes with background noise. The noise cancellation alone can be worth it.

6. Fathom (Best Free Option)

Perfect for: Individuals who want solid transcription without paying.

Fathom offers genuinely useful free transcription for unlimited meetings. It integrates with Zoom, Teams, and Google Meet, automatically joining as a bot. The free tier has no time limits on individual meetings.

It's backed by a Y Combinator company and has gained a loyal following for its generous free plan.

Key Features

• Unlimited free meetings for individuals
• AI-generated summaries and action items
• Highlight and clip important moments
• CRM integrations on paid plans
• Fast processing after meetings

Pricing (as of Jan 2025)

• Free: Unlimited meetings for individuals
• Teams: $15/user/month (billed annually)

Best For

Fathom works great for individuals testing AI meeting assistants or budget-conscious solopreneurs. Teams will need the paid plan for collaboration features.

7. tl;dv (Best for Sales Teams)

Perfect for: Sales and customer success teams who need CRM integration.

tl;dv focuses on sales use cases. It records Google Meet, Teams, and Zoom calls, then pushes highlights and notes directly into Salesforce or HubSpot. The AI identifies key moments, objections, and action items relevant to sales conversations.

Key Features

• Deep CRM integration (Salesforce, HubSpot)
• Sales-focused AI for objection tracking
• Clip and share meeting highlights
• Team coaching features
• Meeting libraries for training

Pricing (as of Jan 2025)

• Free: Unlimited recordings, basic features
• Pro: $20/month ($15 annual)
• Enterprise: Custom pricing

Best For

tl;dv is purpose-built for sales teams who live in their CRM. Less useful for general meeting transcription needs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do people look for Fireflies.ai alternatives?

Common reasons include privacy concerns about cloud uploads, awkwardness of meeting bots joining calls, transcription accuracy issues with accents or noisy environments, and subscription costs that add up over time. Many users also dislike having a visible "bot" participant in their meetings.

What is the best privacy-focused alternative to Fireflies.ai?

LocalMeetNotes is the best privacy-focused alternative, offering 100% local processing on your Mac. Your audio never leaves your device, and it's completely free with no subscription fees. For those who need similar privacy but prefer a one-time purchase, MacWhisper is another solid option at $69.

Are there bot-free alternatives to Fireflies.ai?

Yes. LocalMeetNotes, Jamie, MacWhisper, and Krisp all work without adding bots to your meetings. They capture audio directly from your device instead. This is particularly valuable for client-facing calls or meetings where a visible AI assistant would feel unprofessional.

Which Fireflies alternative is cheapest?

LocalMeetNotes and Fathom are both completely free. MacWhisper costs $69 one-time with no recurring fees. For subscription-based tools, Krisp Pro at $8/month (annual) and Otter.ai Pro at $8.33/month (annual) are the most affordable paid options.

Final Verdict: Which Alternative Should You Choose?

Your ideal Fireflies.ai alternative depends on your priorities:

• Maximum privacy: LocalMeetNotes processes everything locally. Your audio never leaves your Mac. Plus it's free.
• Bot-free for teams: Jamie works without visible bots and handles team collaboration well, though it costs 25-99 EUR/month.
• Real-time collaboration: Otter.ai leads for live transcription and team editing, but your data goes to the cloud.
• One-time purchase: MacWhisper at $69 offers excellent Mac transcription without subscriptions.
• Noisy environments: Krisp's AI noise cancellation is unmatched.
• Budget option: Fathom's free tier is generous for individuals.
• Sales teams: tl;dv's CRM integrations are built for sales workflows.

For most Mac users concerned about privacy, we recommend starting with LocalMeetNotes. It's free, completely private, and handles the full workflow from recording to AI summaries. You can always try cloud-based alternatives later if you need specific features like real-time collaboration.