Is Otter.ai free vs Fireflies.ai?

Otter.ai offers a free plan (600 transcription minutes/month). Fireflies.ai offers a free plan (800 mins storage, 3 summaries/month).

Updated June 2025 · Tested In-House

Otter.ai vs Fireflies.ai

Q: Is Otter.ai better than Fireflies.ai?

Otter.ai scores higher overall (8.8/10 vs 8.7/10) in AICompare's independent testing. However, the best choice depends on your specific use case. Otter.ai excels at meeting transcription, while Fireflies.ai is stronger for sales teams logging call data.

Q: What is the main difference between Otter.ai and Fireflies.ai?

Otter.ai is best for meeting transcription and interview documentation. Fireflies.ai excels at sales teams logging call data and managers needing meeting accountability. They serve different primary use cases.

Which AI tool is better in 2025? We tested both across real workflows — here's everything you need to know before choosing.

Our Winner

🦦

Otter.ai

8.8

Overall Score

Free + Paid

Full Review →

🦟

Fireflies.ai

Fireflies

8.7

Overall Score

Free + Paid

Full Review →

AICompare Verdict

Otter.ai wins overall with a 8.8/10 score vs Fireflies.ai's 8.7/10. Otter.ai leads on Output Quality and Reliability, while Fireflies.ai holds an edge on Ease of Use. Choose Fireflies.ai if you specifically need sales teams logging call data.

Otter.ai vs Fireflies.ai: Score Breakdown

Criteria	🦦 Otter.ai	🦟 Fireflies.ai	Winner
Output Quality	8.7/10	8.6/10	Otter.ai
Ease of Use	9.3/10	9.4/10	Fireflies.ai
Value for Money	8.9/10	9/10	Fireflies.ai
Reliability	9/10	8.8/10	Otter.ai
Feature Depth	8.9/10	9/10	Fireflies.ai
Overall Score	8.8/10	8.7/10	Otter.ai

Feature Comparison

Feature	🦦 Otter.ai	🦟 Fireflies.ai
Free Plan	✓ Yes	✓ Yes
Free Tier Details	600 transcription minutes/month	800 mins storage, 3 summaries/month
Paid Plan (starting)	$17/mo (Pro)	$18/mo (Pro)
API Access	✓ Yes	✓ Yes
Mobile App	✓ Yes	✓ Yes
Browser Extension	✓ Yes	✓ Yes
Company Founded	2016	2019
Monthly Users	2M+	600K+

Detailed Pros and Cons

🦦 Otter.ai

Strengths

Real-time transcription accuracy
Speaker identification
Automatic meeting summaries
Action item extraction

Weaknesses

Accuracy drops with heavy accents
Storage limits on free plan
Business plan required for team features

🦟 Fireflies.ai

Strengths

Automatic meeting joining
AskFred conversational Q&A on transcripts
CRM integrations (Salesforce, HubSpot)
Search across all past meetings

Weaknesses

AI sometimes joins uninvited meetings
Search quality varies
Free tier quite limited

Otter.ai vs Fireflies.ai: Which Should You Choose?

Choose Otter.ai if you need:

→Meeting transcription
→Interview documentation
→Sales call analysis
→Content from spoken word
→Remote team collaboration

Try Otter.ai ↗

Choose Fireflies.ai if you need:

→Sales teams logging call data
→Managers needing meeting accountability
→Remote teams documenting decisions
→Anyone with back-to-back meetings

Try Fireflies.ai ↗

Otter.ai vs Fireflies.ai: FAQ

Is Otter.ai better than Fireflies.ai?+

Otter.ai scores higher in our overall ranking (8.8/10 vs 8.7/10). Otter.ai outperforms on output quality and reliability. However, Fireflies.ai offers better value for money that make it the right choice for certain use cases.

Can I use both Otter.ai and Fireflies.ai for free?+

Both Otter.ai and Fireflies.ai offer free plans. Otter.ai's free tier includes 600 transcription minutes/month. Fireflies.ai's free tier offers 800 mins storage, 3 summaries/month.

Which is better for beginners — Otter.ai or Fireflies.ai?+

Fireflies.ai scores higher for ease of use (9.4/10 vs 9.3/10), making it the more beginner-friendly choice.

What's the main difference between Otter.ai and Fireflies.ai?+

Otter.ai is optimized for meeting transcription and interview documentation. Fireflies.ai is better suited for sales teams logging call data and managers needing meeting accountability. The key differentiator is Otter.ai's real-time transcription accuracy.