Fireflies AI Alternative: Why PLAUD AI Is Your Best Choice

If you've been utilizing 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 necessitate 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.

What is Fireflies.ai?

Fireflies.ai is an AI-powered 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, where it 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. It also pulls out key insights and action items, and creates clear, shareable summaries. 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.

What makes Fireflies.ai great?

Fireflies consistently achieve 90–95% transcription accuracy for general business English—more accurate than many rival tools. 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. Meeting notes are automatically created in minutes, so you can bypass the after-call admin and get down to business.

It also works well with big video conferencing software 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.

Through the "Ask Fred" functionality, questions regarding previous meetings can be asked in natural language. Action items and decisions are also automatically identified through smart features. Summaries can be customized and shared easily with the team members who were absent from the meeting.

Where Fireflies.ai falls short?

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

• Speaker identification is easily confused: The system very often gets confused about who said what, particularly when there is background noise during a meeting or when more than one person tries to speak simultaneously.
• Accuracy drops with accents and technical language: Strong accents, industry jargon, and specialized terminology often result in transcription 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 who are 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, having missed crucial opening conversations.
• Live transcription is not always accurate: Transcription in real time during meetings may lag or show inaccuracies, impacting its utility for instant reference.

How much does Fireflies.ai cost?

Fireflies offers four plans, with discounts for annual billing:

• Free Plan – $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-generated 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?

If you're in meetings all the time and don't want to worry about notes anymore, Fireflies is a choice. With 75% of the Fortune 500 companies onboard and typical users saving several hours a week, the ROI is obvious—particularly for sales teams, customer success representatives, and remote employees.

The free plan provides a simple way to test the waters, and the annual payment plan provides up to 44% savings. If you just attend meetings every now and then or require offline capabilities, however, it may not be ideal. For the majority of business users, Fireflies is a robust, time-saving tool that's simple to implement in your workflow.

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, Plaud Note presents a whole new take on meeting recording and transcription. Rather than depending on meeting bots or internet connectivity, it provides you with complete control over your recording requirements.

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 single largest issue with conventional meeting tools - they just function within a single environment. This tool functions everywhere, regardless of whether you're on a Zoom call, in a conference room, or engaged in a coffee discussion with a client. You receive the same AI transcription and high-quality recording irrespective of where your discussion takes place. This makes it simple to summarize meetings, presentations, and client discussions, capturing every vital point. This AI transcription tool records audio locally, and then employs sophisticated AI models such as GPT-4.1 and Claude 3.7 Sonnet in order to generate professional summaries and transcripts. This adaptability ensures that you never have to stress about losing crucial conversations simply because they're occurring offline.

Works without Wi-Fi or internet connection

Unlike Fireflies, Plaud Note doesn't need the internet to record. You can record 30 hours of continuous audio with a 60-day battery life that is perfect for multi-day conferences, all-day workshops, or back-to-back meetings. It all gets saved locally to 64GB of memory, so you never have to depend on Wi-Fi or cellular connection. This comes in handy for sensitive meetings where internet connection could be limited or prohibited.

Easily records phone calls with simple attachment

Recording calls has never been easier, but Plaud Note does make it easy. The device 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.

What's the best AI assistant for your recording needs?

When Fireflies AI might be your preferred choice？

Choose Fireflies if you primarily work with online meetings on platforms 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 if you collaborate with teams who need to access the same meeting recordings, since everything gets stored in one central location that multiple people can access.

When Plaud Note might be your preferred choice？

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?

For most office workers who adhere to routine online meetings with set teams, Fireflies AI provides the simplest setup and team collaboration functionality. But if you're in sales, consulting, journalism, or any profession where you need to record conversations in various environments, Plaud Note provides greater flexibility and discretion. Look at your core use case: if 80% of your key conversations occur in online meetings, choose Fireflies. If you want to record conversations wherever you are, Plaud Note is worth the cost. You could even utilize both - 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 reside in online meetings with teams that don't mind bots as an additional call participant - it's automated and both parties can share the transcripts readily. Plaud Note is your preferred option when you should record everywhere without visible recording tools awkwardness, 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.