Fireflies.ai vs Otter.ai
Side-by-side comparison of features, pricing, and ratings
At a glance
| Dimension | Fireflies.ai | Otter.ai |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Sales teams, recruiting teams, and fast-growing businesses needing deep conversation intelligence with sentiment analysis and AI Skills. | Sales teams, educators, students, and journalists needing a versatile, user-friendly meeting assistant with strong real-time transcription and mobile apps. |
| Pricing | Free tier with 800 min storage and limited AI summaries; Pro at $18/user/mo (unlimited storage, AI summaries); Business at $29/user/mo (adds conversation intelligence, sentiment). | Free tier with 300 min/mo, 30 min/conversation limit; Pro at $16.99/mo (1200 min/mo, 90 min/conversation); Business at $30/user/mo (6000 min/mo, 4hr/conversation, admin controls). |
| Setup complexity | Moderate: requires connecting calendar and video apps; auto-join rules can be set up via rules engine. Live Assist and AI Skills need configuration. | Easy: OtterPilot automatically joins meetings once calendar is linked; Chrome extension and mobile apps work out of the box. Minimal configuration needed. |
| Strongest differentiator | Conversation intelligence features including sentiment analysis, speaker talk-time, and AI Skills for auto-extracting follow-ups and scores. | Real-time transcription with live captions, extensive mobile apps (iOS/Android), and a dedicated AI Chat to ask questions across all meetings. |
| Integrations | 100+ integrations including Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, Slack, Salesforce, HubSpot, Notion, Asana, Zapier, and ATS/HR tools like Greenhouse, Lever, BambooHR. | Integrations with Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, Slack, Salesforce, HubSpot, Zapier, Google/Outlook Calendar, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, Asana, ClickUp, Jira. |
| AI/model approach | Proprietary LLM for transcription (100+ languages), summaries, topic tracking, sentiment analysis, and AskFred Q&A. AI Skills enable custom extraction. | Proprietary AI for real-time transcription, AI summaries, action item extraction, and Otter AI Chat. Supports custom vocabulary and taggable speakers. |
Fireflies.ai vs Otter.ai: Fireflies.ai wins for teams that need deep conversation intelligence and sales-specific analytics, thanks to its sentiment analysis, speaker talk-time metrics, and AI Skills. Otter.ai wins for individual users and smaller teams seeking an easy-to-use, affordable meeting assistant with strong real-time transcription and mobile accessibility. The deciding factor is your primary use case: if you need advanced analytics and automated scoring, choose Fireflies; if you want straightforward note-taking and search across meetings, choose Otter.
Feature-by-feature
Fireflies.ai vs Otter.ai: Core Capabilities
Both tools auto-join meetings and generate transcripts, but Fireflies.ai offers more advanced analytics: sentiment analysis, topic tracking, and speaker talk-time. Otter.ai excels at real-time transcription with live captions and a more polished mobile app experience. Fireflies supports 100+ languages for transcription; Otter has multi-language support but is less broad. For action item detection, both perform well, but Fireflies’ AI Skills allow custom extraction of follow-ups and scores. Fireflies wins for analytics depth; Otter wins for real-time usability and mobile access.
AI/Model Approach: Fireflies vs Otter
Both use proprietary LLMs for transcription, summarization, and Q&A. Fireflies’ AskFred Q&A searches across all meetings, similar to Otter’s AI Chat. Fireflies uniquely offers AI Skills for automated follow-up extraction and scoring, which can be tailored for sales use cases. Otter provides custom vocabulary and taggable speakers for better accuracy in specific domains. Tie on core AI; Fireflies leads in custom extraction capabilities.
Integrations & Ecosystem: Otter.ai vs Fireflies.ai
Fireflies boasts 100+ integrations, including deep CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot) and ATS (Greenhouse, Lever, BambooHR) connections, making it ideal for sales and recruiting teams. Otter integrates with similar major platforms (Salesforce, HubSpot, Slack, Zapier) and adds file storage (Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive) and project management (Asana, ClickUp, Jira). Fireflies docs show more ATS/HR options; Otter docs highlight productivity tool breadth. Fireflies wins for sales/recruiting workflow depth; Otter wins for general productivity integration.
Performance & Scale: Fireflies compared to Otter
Fireflies offers unlimited storage on paid plans, while Otter caps monthly minutes (1200 on Pro, 6000 on Business). Fireflies’ Free tier provides 800 min storage; Otter’s Free tier limits to 300 min/mo and 30 min/conversation. For larger teams, Fireflies’ Business plan ($29/user/mo) includes conversation intelligence and sentiment analysis without per-minute limits. Otter’s Business plan ($30/user/mo) caps at 6000 min/mo and 4 hours/conversation, which may be restrictive for long meetings. Fireflies wins for scalability and unlimited storage.
Developer Experience & Workflow
Otter offers a Chrome extension, desktop apps (Windows/Mac), and robust mobile apps (iOS/Android) for seamless workflow. Fireflies has browser extensions but its mobile app is less featured. Fireflies provides a rules engine for auto-joining specific meetings and user groups for access control, which appeals to admin-heavy teams. Otter’s OtterPilot automates join seamlessly with calendar integration. Otter wins for cross-platform accessibility; Fireflies wins for admin controls.
Pricing compared
Fireflies.ai pricing (2026)
Fireflies.ai operates on a freemium model: Free ($0) offers 800 min storage and limited AI summaries; Pro ($18/user/mo) unlocks unlimited storage and full AI summaries; Business ($29/user/mo) adds conversation intelligence, sentiment analysis, and video recording. No price-per-minute overage is disclosed; storage is the key limit. Enterprise plans with advanced security are available on request.
Otter.ai pricing (2026)
Otter.ai also uses a freemium tier: Free ($0) provides 300 min/mo and 30 min/conversation limit; Pro ($16.99/mo) increases to 1200 min/mo and 90 min/conversation; Business ($30/user/mo) offers 6000 min/mo and 4 hr/conversation with admin controls. Overage is not clearly defined; users on Pro/Business may hit monthly caps. Enterprise pricing with HIPAA and SSO is available.
Value-per-dollar: Fireflies vs Otter
For individual users: Otter’s Pro at $16.99/mo is cheaper than Fireflies’ Pro at $18/user/mo, and offers more monthly minutes (1200 vs unlimited storage but with AI summary limits). However, Otter’s conversation length cap (90 min) may hinder longer meetings. For teams: Fireflies Business ($29/user/mo) provides unlimited storage and advanced analytics, while Otter Business ($30/user/mo) caps minutes and conversation length. Fireflies offers better value for teams needing unlimited storage and deep analytics; Otter is more affordable for light users. Pricing as of 2026 – verify directly on vendor sites for current tiers.
Who should pick which
- Sales team (10-20 reps) analyzing customer calls for upsell opportunitiesPick: Fireflies.ai
Fireflies' conversation intelligence, sentiment analysis, and AI Skills for auto-extracting follow-ups and scores are tailored for sales workflows; integrates deeply with Salesforce and HubSpot.
- Freelance journalist needing quick, searchable interview transcripts on mobilePick: Otter.ai
Otter's robust mobile apps (iOS, Android), real-time transcription, and AI Chat make it easy to capture and search interviews on the go; Free tier covers light usage.
- Remote startup team (25 employees) with long cross-timezone meetingsPick: Fireflies.ai
Fireflies provides unlimited storage on Pro/Business, no conversation length caps, and async note capture via Channels; sentiment tracking helps gauge team alignment.
- Recruiter documenting candidate interviews and sharing scores with hiring managersPick: Fireflies.ai
Fireflies integrates with ATS tools like Greenhouse and Lever, and its AI Skills can auto-generate candidate scores; Otter lacks these specialized recruiting features.
- Project manager tracking action items across weekly team meetingsPick: Otter.ai
Otter's action item extraction and integrations with Asana, ClickUp, and Jira streamline task creation; mobile app allows quick review on the go.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the pricing differences between Fireflies.ai and Otter.ai?
Fireflies.ai has a Free tier (800 min storage), Pro ($18/user/mo, unlimited storage, AI summaries), and Business ($29/user/mo, conversation intelligence, sentiment). Otter.ai Free (300 min/mo, 30 min/convo), Pro ($16.99/mo, 1200 min/mo, 90 min/convo), Business ($30/user/mo, 6000 min/mo, 4 hr/convo, admin). Otter is cheaper for individuals; Fireflies offers better value for teams with unlimited storage.
Which tool is better for sales teams using Salesforce?
Fireflies.ai wins for sales teams because it integrates deeply with Salesforce and HubSpot, and provides conversation intelligence analytics (sentiment, talk-time, AI Skills) that help identify upsell opportunities. Otter.ai also integrates with CRMs but lacks the same depth of sales-specific analytics.
Can I use Fireflies or Otter for free?
Yes, both offer free tiers. Fireflies Free includes 800 min storage and limited AI summaries. Otter Free includes 300 min/mo with a 30 min/conversation limit. For occasional use, either works; for longer meetings, Fireflies Free has no per-conversation limit.
Do Fireflies and Otter support live captioning during meetings?
Yes. Otter provides live captions for Zoom and Google Meet via its Chrome extension and desktop app. Fireflies offers Live Assist for real-time coaching, not exactly live captions, but it can transcribe in real time. Otter is stronger for live captioning needs.
Which tool has better mobile apps?
Otter.ai has dedicated iOS and Android apps that allow recording, transcription, and search on mobile. Fireflies.ai also has mobile apps but with fewer features; Otter is more polished for mobile-first users.
Can I search across past meetings in Fireflies and Otter?
Yes. Fireflies offers AskFred AI Q&A that searches all meetings. Otter provides Otter AI Chat for cross-meeting queries. Both allow keyword search in transcripts. They are comparable in this regard.
How do Fireflies and Otter handle meeting security and compliance?
Both offer encryption in transit and at rest. Fireflies requires an Enterprise plan for confidential meetings; Otter offers HIPAA compliance at an additional cost. Neither provides detailed SOC2 information on public pages. For highly sensitive data, check enterprise plans.
Which tool integrates with Asana or project management tools?
Both integrate with Asana, but Otter also integrates with ClickUp and Jira. Fireflies integrates with Notion and Asana. For broader PM integration, Otter has an edge.
How long does it take to set up Fireflies vs Otter?
Otter is quicker: connect calendar, install Chrome extension, and OtterPilot auto-joins. Fireflies requires configuring auto-join rules and may need more setup for AI Skills. Otter is easier for first-time users.
Which tool is better for students recording lectures?
Otter is better for students due to its mobile apps, real-time transcription, and searchable notes. Fireflies also works but is more enterprise-focused. Otter's free tier is sufficient for light lecture capture.
Last reviewed: May 12, 2026