Fireflies AI alternative: Why Plaud AI is your best choice

If you've been using Fireflies AI to transcribe meetings, you've likely seen how having that small bot sit in on your calls can get a little awkward. Professionals are now looking for Fireflies AI alternatives that are more private and don't need internet connectivity for each recording session. Plaud AI has been a noted top option, particularly for iPhone users looking for smooth call recording without digital intrusion. The main difference is in Plaud AI's hardware solution, which allows you to record conversations organically without notifying the entire group you're recording.

In this guide, we'll introduce you to the best alternatives to Fireflies.AI and show you why we think our AI notetaker is superior for meeting notes, transcriptions, and in-person conversations.

Why is Plaud the Best Fireflies.AI Alternative?

Plaud is the best fireflies.ai alternative because it combines the versatility of a physical voice recorder with the features of a modern AI-powered transcription app. And that all comes with the AI meeting assistant features most users have come to expect, like formatting, organizing, and displaying key insights.

Unlike fireflies.ai, Plaud is a physical recording device that can record in person, online, over the phone, and anywhere else. That makes it ideal for doctors, nurses, dentists, lawyers, or even students who need to record lectures. Anyone who wants the power of recording online meetings PLUS the ability to record in-person conversations will love the Plaud Note or the wearable Plaud NotePin.

Plaud includes 300 free transcription minutes per month as part of its generous free plan, and upgrading to unlimited transcriptions is very affordable.

Other Fireflies.ai alternatives are software-based apps (like Fireflies), so they have the same limitations. They work best in digital spaces like Zoom and Google Meet, and they’re not designed to capture phone calls and in-person meetings. Many of these apps (including fireflies.ai) also charge per user, so costs can add up fast.

Other Fireflies.AI alternatives include:

• Otter AI (Read here for a full breakdown of Otter vs. Plaud)
• TL;DV (great for sales teams)
• Fathom (Free video summaries)
• Krisp.ai (for creatives)

Further Reading: Check out our full ranking of the best AI note takers if you’d like full breakdowns of the best note-takers for meetings, students, busy professionals, or just day-to-day use.

H3: What Does Our AI Meeting Assistant Do That Fireflies Doesn’t Do?

Plaud is a better meeting assistant than fireflies.ai because it does everything that Fireflies does and a ton more that Fireflies cannot do. It combines hardware with AI transcription to expand where and how you can record conversations.

Here are some of the key advantages of Plaud vs. Fireflies:

• It records in-person meetings: Plaud captures in-person audio directly (such as interviews, impromptu meetings, and dictation) using its physical recording device. If you’re interested in using AI to record in-person meetings and generate summaries, check out this guide.
• It records phone calls: Plaud captures clean audio from phone calls (not just speakerphone, but also calls through the device).
• It’s more accurate: Plaud’s voice recording features background noise reduction, speaker recognition, and a high-quality mic to maximize clarity. This results in highly accurate transcripts compared to software tools that rely on compressed call audio.
• It works offline: Plaud records locally and does not require an internet connection.
• It’s discreet: Plaud Note is the size of a credit card, and the NotePin is even smaller. Plaud also won’t interrupt your meetings with annoying beeps, announcements, or updates.
• It’s wearable: Plaud NotePin clips to your shirt, a wristband, or a lanyard.
• It’s got 10k+ pre-made templates: Just choose a template from Plaud’s template community, or make your own. Plaud AI will automatically populate it with key points from your recording.

What is Fireflies.ai?

Fireflies.ai is an AI meeting assistant that automatically records, transcribes, and summarizes meetings across popular platforms like Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and Webex. It works by sending an AI bot named "Fred" to join your calls. Fred captures everything said and converts it into searchable transcripts with 90–95% accuracy across more than 100 languages. But Fireflies doesn't stop at transcription.

Some of the key features of Fireflies.ai include:

• It provides detailed meeting notes and AI summaries that include action items
• It can analyze voice conversations and provide details such as speaker talk time and sentiment analysis
• It analyzes meeting agendas and provides AI-powered analytics, such as trends across all your meetings (post meeting analysis is one of its most popular features)
• It supports multiple languages (over 100, including Spanish, French, and German)
• It has advanced features. Some of the most popular next-level features of this AI note taking tool are its meeting assistant (like a Fireflies GPT), Soundbites, and Super Summaries

Fireflies.ai helps professionals record, transcribe, and share insights from meetings. Today, Fireflies serves over 16 million users and is trusted by 75% of Fortune 500 companies, making it one of the most widely used AI meeting tools on the market. It's in use in major companies everywhere from sales teams (for recording sales calls and creating training materials) to board rooms.

But it's not perfect.

First, let's cover what we like about this AI meeting assistant.

What makes Fireflies.ai great?

Fireflies consistently achieves 90–95% transcription accuracy for general business English, which is more accurate than many rival AI tools (such as Tl;dv and Otter AI).

Users rave about how clearly it picks up dialogue, with correct speaker tags and accurate timestamps that make it easy to review hours-long meetings. Fireflies takes your meeting audio and automatically creates meeting notes in minutes, so you can bypass the after-call admin and get down to business.

It also works well with big video conferencing software (e.g, Google Meet) and syncs with your calendar, so integration is seamless. Recent updates added 200+ specialized AI apps built for use cases such as sales tracking, call coaching, and customer success.

Why Look for Fireflies.ai Alternatives?

While Fireflies.ai offers impressive features, several limitations consistently appear in user feedback that you should consider before committing to the platform.

The biggest drawbacks of Fireflies.ai include:

• Poor speaker identification: Fireflies can confuse who said what during meetings. The chances of poor speaker identification spike when there is background noise or when people speak simultaneously.
• Accuracy drops with accents and technical language: Strong accents, industry jargon, and specialized terminology often result in meeting transcript errors that require manual correction.
• The interface intimidates novice users: The dashboard is feature-rich but appears cluttered and disorganized, which is hard on beginners looking for straightforward transcription.
• Delayed processing annoys users: Certain meetings require as much as double their duration to process, and the bot occasionally shows up late.
• Live transcription is not always accurate: Transcription in real time during meetings may lag or show inaccuracies.

How much does Fireflies.ai cost?

Fireflies offers four plans, with discounts for annual billing:

• Free Plan – $0/ 0/month: 800 minutes of storage per seat, 3 transcription credits
• Pro Plan – $10/month (billed annually) or $18/month (billed monthly): 8,000 minutes of storage, unlimited transcriptions
• Business Plan – $19/month (billed annually) or $29/month: unlimited storage and video recording
• Enterprise Plan – $39/month (annual only): advanced security features and HIPAA compliance

What's included in the free plan

The free plan provides 800 minutes of storage, 3 transcription credits, live meeting transcriptions, support for 100+ languages, and basic search. You'll also have access to the Chrome extension and limited AI summaries.

What you don't get: you can't download transcripts, upload outside files, or utilize integrations with business applications. However, for people who are only in a few meetings a month, the free tier represents actual value for no cost.

Should you use Fireflies.ai?

Fireflies is a good choice if you're in meetings all the time and don't want to worry about note taking. 75% of the Fortune 500 companies use Fireflies.ai, and typical users save several hours a week. The ROI is obvious for teams that have lots of virtual meetings, particularly sales teams, customer success teams, and remote employees.

The free plan is a simple way to test the waters, and the annual payment plan provides up to 44% savings. If you don’t attend meetings often or require offline capabilities, you may want to explore some different AI note taking tools. For many business users, Fireflies is a valuable addition to their tech stack.

Reasons Why You Would Seek Fireflies AI Alternatives

Fireflies is great for recording and transcribing online meetings, but it's not perfect for everyone. Here are the main reasons people look for other options:

• The bot can make people uncomfortable: When Fireflies joins a meeting, it shows up as "Fireflies Notetaker." This can catch people off guard and make them feel like they're being recorded without notice. In sensitive discussions or meetings with new clients, this can create tension, disrupt the conversation, or even lead to someone asking to remove the bot.
• No internet, no recording: Fireflies needs a solid internet connection to work. If your Wi-Fi drops or you're in a low-signal area, the meeting won't be recorded—and there's no way to recover it. This can be a big problem during important calls where you can't afford to lose your notes.
• It doesn't work for in-person or phone meetings: Fireflies only works with online meetings through supported platforms. It can't help with in-person chats, phone calls, or brainstorming sessions. To use it, you'd have to manually record the audio and upload it later, which defeats the purpose of having an automated tool.
• It gives you text, not clear action items: While Fireflies does a good job turning speech into text, it stops there. You still have to read through the transcript to find key points, decisions, and to-dos. It doesn't organize that info into follow-up lists, task templates, or summaries. That means more manual work on your end.

Why Do Some People Choose Physical Recorders Instead

If you want something else aside from Fireflies AI that's more accurate, includes industry templates, and can record in-person conversations, Plaud Note is the meeting recording and transcription tool you need.

This AI transcription tool records audio locally and then employs sophisticated AI models such as GPT-5.1, Claude Sonnet 4.5, and Gemini 3 Pro to generate professional summaries and transcripts. Rather than depending on meeting bots or internet connectivity, Plaud gives you complete control when recording customer meetings.

Seamless recording: no "bot" in the meeting room

While you are in online meetings, Plaud Note takes recordings without anyone seeing a bot in the participants' list. No "Fireflies Notetaker" appears to make people uncomfortable or change how they communicate. The device just records the audio while you have the meeting, normally. This removes the awkwardness of recording bots being visible and enables a freer flow of discussions, especially with new clients or sensitive issues.

Works online and offline without limits

Plaud Note addresses the biggest problem with conventional tools for recording meetings: they only function in virtual spaces. Plaud functions everywhere, regardless of your internet connection. You can record whether you're on a Zoom call, in a conference room, or having a discussion with a client over coffee. You receive the same AI transcription and high-quality recording both online and off. Everything you record is saved locally to 64GB of memory, so you never have to depend on Wi-Fi or cellular connection.

Works without Wi-Fi or internet connection

Plaud records 30 hours of continuous audio per charge and has a 60-day battery life. This adaptability ensures you never have to stress about losing important conversations due to a low battery. You never know when you’re going to need to record an important impromptu call or conversation. A physical recorder like Plaud is always ready to summarize meetings, presentations, and client discussions.

Easily Records Phone Calls With a Simple Attachment.

Recording calls has never been easier. Plaud Note magnetically snaps onto your iPhone and records both sides of any call with ease automatically. No apps to download, no messy setups, and no need to worry about technical glitches because you're working with your own equipment. The magnetic case holds everything in place while recording, and you can transcribe calls in 112 languages with speaker labels so you know who's saying what.

You Control All Your Recording Data.

With Plaud Note, you have full control of your data. There is no third-party company holding on to your recordings and processing them without your knowledge. You control what gets processed by AI and what stays on your device. This gives you better control over sensitive business conversations and enables you to adhere to privacy laws that would make cloud-based solutions a problem for your business.

AI Powered Meeting Summaries of In-Person Conversations

Fireflies’ AI generated summaries are great, but they only work for online meetings. Plaud brings AI-powered summaries to in-person conversations, phone calls, video calls, notes, and anything else you record. That's why we often tell our customers that this is an AI recorder and a meeting management tool wrapped into one. This is especially valuable for professionals like doctors, nurses, therapists, and researchers who often record in-person or in the field. It's also great for sales teams or anyone doing sales call coaching, because if you talk to potential clients in-person, you can record those too. Plaud also provides 10k+ meeting templates to help you organize long or unstructured in-person communication into clear notes. Now can see why 1.5 million professionals use Plaud?

What's the Best AI Assistant For Your Recording Needs?

Choosing the best AI assistant depends on your needs. If you only engage in virtual meetings and you have a large, global team, you might prefer an app like Fireflies.ai. If you also record calls, in-person meetings, or dictate notes, Plaud is a better choice. We’ll break down your options below to help you make a decision.

When is Fireflies AI your preferred choice？

Choose Fireflies if you primarily have online meetings on video conferencing apps like Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams. It's perfect when you want everything automated without carrying extra devices. Fireflies works well for regular team meetings where everyone knows they're being recorded and you need quick access to transcripts through a web dashboard. It's also better for team collaboration, as meeting recordings and summaries are stored in one central location that multiple people can access.

When to Choose Plaud Note?

Go with Plaud Note if you have a mix of phone calls, in-person meetings, and online conversations. It's ideal when you need to record without making people uncomfortable with visible meeting bots. Choose this option if you work in environments with poor internet, handle sensitive conversations that need extra privacy, or frequently take calls while away from your computer. Plaud Note also works better if you want full control over your recordings and don't want to depend on a third-party service staying online or maintaining their features.

Which One is Right For You?

Fireflies AI is fine if you only need to record online meetings. It works especially well in structured meetings where people don't speak over each other. But if you're in sales, consulting, journalism, or any profession where you need to record real-life conversations in various environments, Plaud Note provides greater flexibility and discretion.

Look at your core use case: if 80% of your conversations happen in online meetings (Microsoft Teams or Google Meet), choose Fireflies. If you want to record conversations wherever you are, Plaud Note is the better choice. If you have a lot of meetings, you could even use both. Use Fireflies for routine team meetings and Plaud Note for client calls and face-to-face conversations.

Finding Your Perfect Fireflies Alternative For Better Meeting Recordings

Fireflies is perfect if you have mostly online meetings with teams that don't mind bots as additional call participants. It's automated, and both parties can share the transcripts readily.

Plaud Note is your preferred option when you should record everywhere without the awkwardness of visible recording tools, particularly for client calls and in-person meetings. Simply consider where you conducted your five most significant conversations last month - that will indicate which solution truly fits the way you work.

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