Fireflies.ai vs Otter.ai

Fireflies.ai starts $18/seat/mo (free + per-seat (annual discount) + AI credits); Otter.ai starts $8.49/seat/mo (billed annually) (free + flat per-seat (minute-capped on lower tiers)). Pick Fireflies.ai for CRM sync + search; pick Otter.ai for transcription + AI chat. Pricing verified against each vendor's live page (2026-06-04).

Pick Fireflies.ai if you want CRM sync + search; pick Otter.ai if you want transcription + AI chat. They bill on different models (free + per-seat (annual discount) + AI credits vs free + flat per-seat (minute-capped on lower tiers)), so the cheaper one flips depending on how you run agents. The math is below.

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Head to head

Every attribute, both tools, side by side.

Fireflies.ai

CRM sync + search
pricing modelfree + per-seat (annual discount) + AI credits
entry price$18/seat/mo
free tierFree forever: unlimited transcription, 800 mins of storage per seat, limited AI summaries, no recording. Bot still joins calls.
self-hostNo
mcpNone
the gotchaThe seat price is not the whole bill. The Free and Pro plans cap storage (800 mins/seat on Free, 8,000 mins/seat on Pro), and every plan includes only a small AI credit pool (20 on Pro, 30 on Business, 50 on Enterprise) that limits AskFred and AI-app actions, so power users pay for credit add-ons. The cheap $10 Pro price is annual-only; paying monthly is $18. The bot also visibly joins the call as a participant, which is a privacy flag for some external meetings.
Visit Fireflies.ai →
VS

Otter.ai

transcription + AI chat
pricing modelfree + flat per-seat (minute-capped on lower tiers)
entry price$8.49/seat/mo (billed annually)
free tierBasic plan: 300 transcription minutes/mo, capped at 30 minutes per conversation, and only 3 lifetime audio/video file imports. Includes live transcription, speaker ID, and Otter AI Chat.
self-hostNo
mcpNone
the gotchaThe "unlimited" transcription everyone associates with Otter only exists on Business ($19.99/seat/mo annually) and Enterprise. Free is 300 min/mo with a 30-min-per-meeting cap and 3 lifetime imports, and Pro is 1,200 min/mo. The notetaker also joins as a visible participant named "Otter.ai" that all attendees see and are notified recording is active, so it is not a silent recorder, and it auto-leaves after about 12 minutes of silence. API access and SSO are gated to Enterprise.
Visit Otter.ai →

The real pricing math

One workflow, 6 steps, run hourly (about 720 runs a month). Same job, two billing shapes.

Fireflies.aifree + per-seat (annual discount) + AI credits
billable unit1 free + seat (annual discount) + AI credits per run
720 runs720 billed units
entry plan$18/seat/mo
free tierFree forever: unlimited transcription, 800 mins of storage per seat, limited AI summaries, no recording. Bot still joins calls.

A team of 10 on the Business plan billed annually is $19/seat/mo, so $190/mo (about $2,280/yr). Billed monthly that same plan jumps to $29/seat, or $290/mo (about $3,480/yr), so paying monthly costs roughly 53% more. The catch is the AI credit pool: Business ships only 30 AI credits, which gates heavier AskFred and AI-app usage, so high-volume teams end up buying credit add-ons on top.

Otter.aifree + flat per-seat (minute-capped on lower tiers)
billable unit1 free + flat seat (minute-capped on lower tiers) per step
6 steps × 720 runs~4,320 billed units
entry plan$8.49/seat/mo (billed annually)
free tierBasic plan: 300 transcription minutes/mo, capped at 30 minutes per conversation, and only 3 lifetime audio/video file imports. Includes live transcription, speaker ID, and Otter AI Chat.

A team of 5 on the Business plan billed annually pays $19.99/seat/mo, so $99.95/mo (about $1,199/yr). Billed monthly instead, Business jumps to $30/seat (5 seats = $150/mo). A solo user on Pro pays $8.49/mo annually but $16.99/mo if paying month-to-month, roughly double. The catch: only Business and Enterprise give unlimited meeting transcription; Pro caps you at 1,200 in-app recording minutes/mo and Basic at just 300, and the headline annual rates require a yearly commitment paid upfront.

// worked estimate from each pricing model · run your own numbers in the real-cost calculator →

Choose Fireflies.ai if

  • You want a bot that auto-joins every call, transcribes it, and syncs structured notes into your CRM and task stack.
  • You prefer a fully managed cloud tool with no infra.
  • You're comfortable with its free + per-seat (annual discount) + AI credits billing.
  • Best for CRM sync + search.

Choose Otter.ai if

  • You want an established, low-cost notetaker that auto-joins calls, transcribes well, and lets you query the meeting afterward with AI chat.
  • You prefer a fully managed cloud tool with no infra.
  • You're comfortable with its free + flat per-seat (minute-capped on lower tiers) billing.
  • Best for transcription + AI chat.

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Questions

Fireflies.ai vs Otter.ai: which is cheaper?

Fireflies.ai starts from $18/seat/mo; Otter.ai starts from $8.49/seat/mo (billed annually). But they bill differently (free + per-seat (annual discount) + AI credits vs free + flat per-seat (minute-capped on lower tiers)), so the real winner depends on your usage shape, not the sticker price.

Can you self-host Fireflies.ai or Otter.ai?

Fireflies.ai: No. Otter.ai: No.

Fireflies.ai vs Otter.ai: which should I pick?

Pick Fireflies.ai for CRM sync + search; pick Otter.ai for transcription + AI chat.