Fireflies.ai vs Otter.ai Comparison 2026
Fireflies joins a call and hands back a transcript and summary with action items pulled out, free forever with unlimited transcription capped by 400 minutes of team storage, then $18 a month, or $10 billed annually, per seat. Otter does a similar job with search across everything you have recorded, free for 300 minutes a month, then $16.99, or $8.33 billed annually. Otter's paid tier is a little cheaper on both cadences. Fireflies gives more room on the free plan itself, since its limit is storage rather than a hard monthly minute cap.
Meeting notes that write themselves
Searchable transcripts of calls and recordings
At a glance
- Otter.ai starts cheaper, at $16.99.
- Both have a genuinely free tier.
Side by side
Fireflies.ai | Otter.ai | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (they differ) | From $18 | From $16.99 |
| Pricing model | Free plan, paid tiers | Free plan, paid tiers |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Billing | Monthly or annual | Monthly or annual |
| Free trial | None | None |
| API |
Fireflies.ai
Meeting notes that write themselves
Fireflies joins a call, records it, and hands back a transcript and a summary with the action items pulled out, which turns a sponsor call into a record you can search later. The free plan gives unlimited transcription and an API, which is unusually generous. Storage is what it rations, and the free tier's 400 minutes covers a few weeks at most.
Otter.ai
Searchable transcripts of calls and recordings
Otter sits in a meeting or takes a file and returns a transcript with the speakers separated, which is where show notes, a follow-up post or a list of clips can start. Search across everything you have ever recorded is the part people keep paying for. Three hundred free minutes a month is five hours, so a weekly interview show fits and a daily one does not.
Our note
Otter for talking, Descript for publishing. If the transcript is the product this is faster and cheaper, and if the transcript is how you edit the audio, pay for Descript instead and skip this one.
Only on this side
Why people weigh these two
- Otter.ai instead of Fireflies.ai
- Otter.ai gives searchable transcripts of calls and recordings from $17 with a free tier, the closest swap for automatic meeting notes.
- Fireflies.ai instead of Otter.ai
- Fireflies.ai writes meeting notes automatically inside the call itself, built for recurring team meetings rather than the interview shows Otter is priced around.
Which one should you pick
Pick Fireflies if you take brand calls and want a searchable record, without counting minutes month to month, since its free plan is rationed by storage rather than a hard cap.
Pick Otter if you are an interview podcaster or anybody whose recordings need to become text: show notes, subtitles, a written post. Three hundred free minutes a month is five hours, enough for a weekly show but not a daily one. Its own editorial guidance is Otter for talking and Descript for publishing, so if the transcript is how you edit the audio, look at Descript instead of either of these.
Common questions
- Which is cheaper on the paid tier?
- Otter, on both cadences: $16.99 a month against Fireflies' $18 paying month to month, or $8.33 against $10 if both are billed annually. The gap is small either way.
- Which free plan gives more room?
- Fireflies, in shape if not always in practice: its free transcription is unlimited and rationed by 400 minutes of team storage rather than a hard monthly cap. Otter's free plan caps usage at 300 minutes a month, about five hours, which fits a weekly show but not a daily one.
- Which one is better for a podcast that needs show notes and subtitles?
- Otter, by its own editorial guidance: it is for talking, turning recordings into searchable text for show notes or a written post. If the transcript is how you actually edit the audio, that guidance points to Descript instead of either of these.
- Does either include an API on the free plan?
- Fireflies does, which is unusually generous. Otter's API and webhooks are Enterprise only, well above its $16.99 Pro tier.
Ratings are the average of reviews readers left. The facts are stated by each tool’s own listing and are not verified by CloutStack. How we make money.