Fireflies vs Otter: Best AI Meeting Transcription (2026)

Overview

Fireflies.ai and Otter.ai are the two most popular AI meeting transcription tools. Both automatically join your meetings, transcribe conversations, and generate AI summaries. Fireflies.ai focuses on CRM integration and sales intelligence, while Otter.ai excels at real-time collaboration and note-taking. Here's how they compare.

Feature Comparison

Transcription Accuracy & Speed

Fireflies.ai delivers strong transcription:

• 90%+ accuracy for English
• Supports 69+ languages
• Speaker identification
• Custom vocabulary for industry terms
• Timestamps and topic segmentation
• Audio/video file upload support

Otter.ai pioneered real-time transcription:

• 95%+ accuracy with custom vocabulary
• Real-time transcription during meetings
• Speaker identification with voice profiles
• Live captions for accessibility
• Custom vocabulary training
• Supports English primarily (expanding)

Winner: Otter.ai for accuracy and real-time features; Fireflies.ai for language support.

AI Summaries & Intelligence

Fireflies.ai offers deep meeting intelligence:

• AI-powered meeting summaries
• Action items and key decisions extraction
• Sentiment analysis
• Topic tracking across meetings
• Custom AI filters for specific information
• Meeting analytics and talk-time ratios
• AskFred AI chatbot for querying meeting history

Otter.ai provides smart summaries:

• OtterPilot automated summaries
• Action items detection
• Key topics and highlights
• Chat-like interface to query transcripts
• Meeting insights dashboard
• Follow-up email generation

Winner: Fireflies.ai for deeper analytics and intelligence features.

Integrations & Workflows

Fireflies.ai excels at CRM integration:

• Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive sync
• Slack, Notion, Asana integration
• Zapier and native API
• Auto-push meeting notes to CRM
• Calendar integration (Google, Outlook)
• Supports Zoom, Teams, Google Meet, Webex

Otter.ai focuses on collaboration:

• Zoom, Teams, Google Meet integration
• Slack integration
• Calendar sync
• iOS and Android apps
• Chrome extension
• Limited CRM integration

Winner: Fireflies.ai for CRM and business tool integrations.

Pricing Comparison

Fireflies.ai Pricing (2026):

• Free: 800 min storage, AI summaries
• Pro: $18/month (unlimited storage)
• Business: $29/month (advanced analytics)
• Enterprise: Custom pricing

Otter.ai Pricing (2026):

• Basic: Free (300 min/month)
• Pro: $16.99/month (1200 min/month)
• Business: $30/month (6000 min/month)
• Enterprise: Custom pricing

Winner: Tie — both have generous free tiers. Fireflies.ai is slightly cheaper at Pro; Otter.ai offers more minutes at Business tier.

Use Case Recommendations

Choose Fireflies.ai if you:

• Need CRM integration (sales teams)
• Want deep meeting analytics and sentiment analysis
• Work in multilingual environments
• Need to query meeting history with AI
• Want automated CRM updates from meetings

Choose Otter.ai if you:

• Need real-time transcription during meetings
• Prioritize accuracy above all else
• Want live collaboration on meeting notes
• Prefer a clean, simple interface
• Need mobile-first meeting notes (commuters, field work)

FAQ

Which is more accurate?

Otter.ai generally has a slight edge in English transcription accuracy (95%+ vs 90%+), especially with custom vocabulary training. Fireflies.ai is better for non-English languages.

Can both tools join meetings automatically?

Yes, both can automatically join scheduled meetings via calendar integration. You don't need to invite them manually for recurring meetings.

Do they work with phone calls?

Fireflies.ai can dial into phone calls and transcribe them. Otter.ai primarily works with video meeting platforms, though it can transcribe uploaded audio files.

Which is better for sales teams?

Fireflies.ai is clearly better for sales teams due to its CRM integrations, deal intelligence features, and automated follow-up capabilities.

Can I use them for in-person meetings?

Both have mobile apps that can record and transcribe in-person meetings. Otter.ai's real-time transcription works particularly well for live events and lectures.

Final Verdict

Fireflies.ai is the winner for sales teams and businesses that need deep CRM integration, meeting analytics, and multilingual support. Otter.ai is better for individuals, journalists, students, and teams that prioritize real-time transcription accuracy and a clean note-taking experience. Both are excellent tools — your choice depends on whether you need business intelligence or pure transcription quality.