Otter.ai
Otter.ai Inc.
7.2
Overall Score / 10
Fireflies.ai
Fireflies.ai Inc.
7.4
Overall Score / 10
Our Verdict
Choose Otter.ai if:
- —You want the better free tier for individual transcription
- —You need real-time live captions during meetings
- —You prefer a simpler, transcription-focused tool
Choose Fireflies.ai if:
- —You need conversation intelligence and sales analytics
- —You want cross-meeting smart search across all recordings
- —You need CRM sync and 60+ integrations
The biggest difference: Otter excels at real-time transcription with speaker identification; Fireflies offers conversation intelligence, cross-meeting smart search, and 100+ language support
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Criteria | Otter.ai | Fireflies.ai |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest Paid Plan | $17/mo (Pro)Source: Otter.ai Inc. pricing page → | $18/mo (Pro)Source: Fireflies.ai Inc. pricing page → |
| Free Tier | Yes 300 minutes/month, 30 minutes per conversation, 3 lifetime audio/video imports | Yes Unlimited transcription, 800 minutes of storage, limited AI summaries, no downloads or integrations |
| Value for Money | 7 | 8 |
| Ease of Use | 8 | 8 |
| Feature Power | 7 | 8 |
| Setup Ease | 8 | 8 |
| Migration Ease | 6 | 6 |
| Transparency | 7 | 6 |
| Deployment | cloud | cloud |
| API Available | Yes | Yes |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android, Chrome extension | Web, Chrome extension, iOS, Android |
| Compliance | SOC 2 Type II (Enterprise), GDPR | SOC 2 Type II, GDPR, HIPAA (Enterprise) |
Feature Comparison
Feature Comparison Matrix
19 features compared · 17 differences
| Feature | Otter.ai | Fireflies.ai |
|---|---|---|
| Core | ||
| 100+ language support | None | Full |
| Auto-recording and transcription | None | Full |
| Collaboration channels | None | Full |
| Conversation intelligence (Business) | None | Full |
| Highlight and comment | Full | None |
| Live captions | Full | None |
| OtterPilot (auto-joins meetings) | Full | None |
| Real-time transcription | Full | None |
| Search across transcripts | Full | None |
| Smart search across meetings | None | Full |
| Speaker identification | Full | None |
| Topic tracking | None | Full |
| Video recording (Business) | None | Full |
| Advanced | ||
| AI summaries and action items | Full | Full |
| Custom vocabulary | None | Full |
| Custom vocabulary (Pro) | Full | None |
| Otter AI Chat | Full | None |
| Speaker analytics | None | Full |
| Integrations | ||
| API Access | Full | Full |
Pricing Comparison
Otter.ai Pricing
300 min/month, 30 min/conversation, 3 lifetime imports
1,200 min/month, 90 min/conversation, custom vocabulary, 10 imports/mo
6,000 min/month, 4hr/conversation, unlimited imports, admin controls
SSO, API access, SOC 2 compliance, dedicated support
Fireflies.ai Pricing
Unlimited transcription, 800 min storage, limited AI summaries
Unlimited AI summaries, 8,000 min storage, downloads, speaker stats
Video recording, CRM sync, conversation intelligence, API access
SSO, HIPAA, custom data retention, dedicated support
Who Should Choose Which?
Who should choose Otter.ai
Best for
- Teams wanting real-time transcription with speaker identification
- Students and educators (20% discount available)
- Anyone needing a solid free transcription tool
Avoid if
- You need meeting recording and video playback (free tier doesn't include it)
- You need deep CRM integration
- You need multi-language transcription with high accuracy
Who should choose Fireflies.ai
Best for
- Sales teams wanting conversation intelligence and CRM sync
- Teams needing cross-meeting smart search
- Organizations needing 100+ language support
Avoid if
- You want video recording on a cheap plan (requires Business $29/mo)
- You need a simple, no-frills transcription tool
- You're concerned about AI credit limits on advanced features
Switching Guidance
Switching from Otter.ai
Common triggers to leave:
- •Need video recording on free tier
- •Need deeper CRM sync
- •Need better accuracy for technical jargon
Potential blockers:
- •Transcript library and search history
- •Team workflows built around Otter
- •Speaker identification training
Switching from Fireflies.ai
Common triggers to leave:
- •AI credit costs add up
- •Storage limits on Pro plan
- •Need simpler tool without feature bloat
Potential blockers:
- •Meeting transcript library and smart search
- •CRM integration workflows
- •Conversation intelligence data
Try Otter.ai
Start free — no credit card required
Try Fireflies.ai
Start free — no credit card required