Key takeaways
- Small teams that want clear costs can start with Otter.ai. Teams that care most about admin rules should look at Fireflies.ai.
- Pick Otter.ai if: You want a free plan with clear minute limits.
- Pick Fireflies.ai if: You want admin rules for meeting access and privacy.
Otter.ai vs Fireflies.ai side by side
| Detail | Otter.ai | Fireflies.ai |
|---|---|---|
| Made by | Otter.ai | Fireflies.ai |
| Best for | Small teams that want a free plan to try first, Owners who want notes from Zoom, Google Meet and Teams calls | Teams that want searchable call records, Businesses that need admin rules for who sees meetings |
| Not a fit for | Businesses that do not want vendor models trained on de-identified data, Teams that need long meetings on the free plan | Teams that need video recording or downloads on the free plan, which does not include them, Teams that connect more than one calendar to one account |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Paid plans from | Pro: $8.33 per user per month, billed yearly | Pro: $10 per seat per month, billed yearly |
Prices as listed on each vendor’s pricing page. See the Otter.ai and Fireflies.ai pages for every plan and its source.
When to pick which
Pick Otter.ai if
- You want a free plan with clear minute limits.
- You want Notetaker to join from Google Calendar or Outlook.
Pick Fireflies.ai if
- You want admin rules for meeting access and privacy.
- You want custom data retention and SSO options.
Our take
Small teams that want clear costs can start with Otter.ai. Teams that care most about admin rules should look at Fireflies.ai.
Rather hand it over?
Otter.ai vs Fireflies.ai: common questions
What is the difference between Otter.ai and Fireflies.ai?
Both record and summarize meetings. Otter.ai says it trains on de-identified data, while Fireflies.ai says it does not train AI on customer data by default.
Sources
Read on November 6, 2026. Vendors change prices and menus, so check the live page before you buy.
About the author
Andy Kang, AI Partner Team. Andy Kang writes the AI directory for AI Partner Team, which sets up and builds AI tools for small businesses alongside managed IT. Each page is written from the vendor’s own pricing, help and trust pages, and shows the day those pages were checked.
- Facts come from the vendor’s own website and help docs, linked on every page.
- Each page shows the date we last read those sources.
- We do not score or rank tools. We say who each one suits and who it does not.
- If a vendor does not publish a price, we say so instead of guessing.