Looking for free alternatives to Fireflies.ai? I tested 15+ meeting transcription tools to find the best free options. Here are 7 excellent alternatives that offer great value without breaking the bank.
🏆 Top 7 Free Fireflies.ai Alternatives
1. Fathom - Best Overall Free Alternative
**Free Plan: Unlimited meetings forever** | **Paid: $29/month for teams**
- Completely free for individual users
- Unlimited meeting transcription
- AI summaries and highlights
- CRM integrations (Salesforce, HubSpot)
- Clean, professional summaries
**Why it beats Fireflies free plan:** Unlimited usage vs 800 minutes monthly limit
**Best for:** Sales teams, individual professionals, budget-conscious users
2. Otter.ai - Most Reliable Free Option
**Free Plan: 600 minutes/month** | **Paid: $8.33/month**
- Excellent mobile app (iOS & Android)
- Superior transcription accuracy (92%)
- Real-time collaboration features
- Works with Zoom, Google Meet, Teams
- Reliable performance and uptime
**Why choose over Fireflies:** Better mobile experience and reliability
**Best for:** Mobile workers, students, general business use
3. TL;DV - Best for International Teams
**Free Plan: 10 recordings/month** | **Paid: $16/month**
- Multi-language support (20+ languages)
- Video recording with highlights
- Timestamp comments and notes
- Clean, modern interface
- Good accuracy with accented English
**Why choose over Fireflies:** Better multi-language support
**Best for:** International teams, non-native English speakers, video-focused workflows
4. Tactiq - Best Chrome Extension
**Free Plan: 10 meetings/month** | **Paid: $8/month**
- Lightweight Chrome extension
- Works across all video platforms
- Quick setup (30 seconds)
- Export to Google Docs, Notion, Slack
- Speaker identification
**Why choose over Fireflies:** Simpler setup, works everywhere
**Best for:** Casual users, multi-platform needs, simplicity
5. Krisp - Best Audio Enhancement
**Free Plan: 120 minutes/month** | **Paid: $8/month**
- Superior noise cancellation
- Real-time audio enhancement
- Meeting transcription included
- Works with any video platform
- Talk time analytics
**Why choose over Fireflies:** Audio quality enhancement
**Best for:** Noisy environments, poor audio quality, presentation analytics
6. Zoom Native Transcription - Most Convenient
**Free Plan: Unlimited with Basic Zoom** | **Paid: Included with Zoom Pro**
- Built into Zoom (no third-party tools)
- Live captions during meetings
- Automatic transcript saving
- No additional software needed
- Privacy-focused (no external bots)
**Why choose over Fireflies:** No bot joining meetings, built-in convenience
**Best for:** Zoom-only users, privacy-conscious teams, simple needs
7. Google Meet Transcription - Simplest Option
**Free Plan: Unlimited with Google Meet** | **Paid: Enhanced with Workspace**
- Built into Google Meet
- No setup required
- Automatic transcript saving to Drive
- Multi-language support
- Privacy-first approach
**Why choose over Fireflies:** Zero setup, complete privacy
**Best for:** Google Workspace users, privacy-focused teams, basic transcription
📊 Feature Comparison Table
| Tool | Free Limit | Accuracy | Mobile App | CRM Integration |
|------|------------|----------|------------|----------------|
| **Fireflies.ai** | 800 min/month | 88% | Basic | Good |
| **Fathom** | Unlimited | 90% | None | Excellent |
| **Otter.ai** | 600 min/month | 92% | Excellent | Good |
| **TL;DV** | 10 recordings | 85% | Basic | Limited |
| **Tactiq** | 10 meetings | 82% | None | Basic |
| **Krisp** | 120 min/month | 92% | Good | None |
| **Zoom Native** | Unlimited | 78% | N/A | None |
| **Google Meet** | Unlimited | 75% | N/A | Google only |
🎯 Which Alternative Should You Choose?
Choose Fathom if:
- You want unlimited free usage
- You are in sales or client-facing roles
- CRM integration is important
- You primarily work on desktop
- Budget is your main concern
Choose Otter.ai if:
- You need mobile app access
- Reliability and uptime are crucial
- You want the best transcription accuracy
- Team collaboration matters
- You are a student or general business user
Choose TL;DV if:
- You have an international team
- Multi-language support is needed
- You want video clips and highlights
- Only 10 meetings/month fits your needs
Choose Built-in Options if:
- Privacy is your top concern
- You use only one platform (Zoom or Google Meet)
- You want zero setup complexity
- Basic transcription meets your needs