The Truth About "Free Forever" Plans 💣
Every meeting AI tool claims to have a generous free plan. Here's what they don't tell you in their marketing materials - thereal limitations, hidden restrictions, and actual user experiencesfrom people who've hit these walls in production.
🦦 Otter.ai: The 300-Minute Reality Check
✅ What They Promise
- • "Free plan available"
- • Real-time transcription
- • Searchable notes
- • 300 minutes per month
❌ The Hidden Reality
- • 30-minute max per conversation- stops mid-meeting!
- • Only 3 lifetime file imports (not per month)
- • Your 25 most recent conversations only - older ones deleted
- • 300 minutes = just 5 one-hour meetings per month
- • Was 600 minutes until late 2022 (reduced by half)
👨💼 Real User Experience
"The 30-minute maximum duration per conversation means the service will stop transcribing mid-meeting for any call longer than half an hour, making it unreliable for most professional scenarios."
Bottom line:If you're running more than 1 meeting a week, you'll likely run out of your 300-minute allowance. The 30-minute limit makes it unusable for standard business meetings.
🔥 Fireflies.ai: The "Unlimited" Asterisk
✅ What They Promise
- • "Unlimited transcription*"
- • 800 minutes storage
- • AI summaries
- • Free forever plan
❌ The Hidden Reality
- • Must invite ALL participantsto every meeting for unlimited
- • Otherwise limited to 10 transcriptions per month
- • Only 20 AI summary credits per month
- • 800-minute storage cap fills up quickly
- • Bot joins all meetings (can't turn off)
- • 2-hour max per meeting recording
👩💻 Real User Experience
"This app is a scam. They auto-enroll you in AI credits and just keep charging you. All functionalities are hidden and difficult to access." - User Review
The asterisk reality: The "unlimited transcription" requires you to invite all meeting participants to Fireflies after every single call. If you want unlimited without forcing participants to join, you're limited to just 10 transcriptions per month.
Privacy concerns:For unlimited transcription, Fireflies must join all your meetings whether you like it or not, sending recaps to every participant.
📺 tl;dv: The Most Honest "Unlimited"
✅ What Actually Works
- • Truly unlimited meetings and recordings
- • Unlimited basic transcription
- • Manual timestamped notes
- • No credit card required
- • 30+ language transcription
⚠️ The Limitations
- • Only 10 AI-powered summaries for lifetime
- • After 10 meetings, only first 10 minutes get AI notes
- • Recordings stored for 3 months only
- • Very limited integrations
- • No custom transcription terms
⚡ Real User Experience
"Sometimes the note-taker bot doesn't show up in meetings when I'm using the free version. It's honestly frustrating because you're sitting there, expecting it to do its thing, and then—nothing." - G2 Review
Honest assessment:The free plan is genuinely generous for basic transcription but the 10 AI note lifetime limit makes it restrictive for professionals. Suitable for very light users who need basic transcription only.
🔍 Other "Free" Plans: Quick Reality Check
Supernormal
Free plan for individuals
Very limited features, pushes toward $19/month Pro plan quickly
MeetGeek
Free plan available
Limited meeting storage and analysis, quick upgrade pressure to $19-59/month
Notta
Free plan
Limited minutes, upgrade pressure to Pro $8.17/month for 1,800 minutes
Fellow
Free (5 recaps)
Only 5 AI recaps total, then $7+ for Pro plan
Tactiq
Free plan
Limited features, quick upgrade to $10-15/month
Parrot AI
Free + Paid
Very limited free tier, designed to push toward paid plans
🎭 Common Free Plan Tricks to Watch For
1. The "Unlimited*" Asterisk
What they say:"Unlimited transcription!"
What they mean:Unlimited until you hit storage limits, credit limits, or participant requirements. Always read the fine print.
2. The Time Bomb Limit
What they say:"Record your meetings!"
What they mean:We'll stop recording mid-meeting when you hit time limits. Otter's 30-minute max is the worst offender.
3. The Credit System Trap
What they say:"AI summaries included!"
What they mean:You get a tiny number of AI credits that run out fast, then you're stuck with basic transcripts.
4. The Storage Shell Game
What they say:"Store your meetings!"
What they mean:For 3 months, or until you hit storage limits, then your old meetings disappear or get archived.
5. The Privacy Trade-off
What they say:"Unlimited features!"
What they mean:Only if you force all meeting participants to join our platform or receive our bot invitations.
⚖️ The Honest Verdict
Here's the truth:
🏆 Most honest free plan:tl;dv actually gives you unlimited basic transcription without tricks. But AI features are severely limited.
🎭 Most misleading:Fireflies' "unlimited*" plan that forces bot participation on all meeting attendees for true unlimited access.
💣 Biggest disappointment:Otter's 30-minute limit that stops transcribing mid-meeting, making it unusable for real business meetings.
💡 Reality check:All free plans are designed to get you hooked, then push you to paid tiers. That's not necessarily bad, but know what you're getting into.
💼 For Actual Business Use
If you need reliable meeting AI for regular business use, budget for a paid plan from day one. Free plans work for very light usage or testing, but they're not sustainable for professional scenarios with multiple weekly meetings.
🧠 Smart Free Plan Strategy
✅ Use Free Plans For:
- • Testing accuracy with your meeting types
- • Evaluating user interface and workflow
- • One-off important meetings (when you have credits)
- • Learning which features you actually need
- • Occasional personal meeting notes
❌ Don't Rely on Free Plans For:
- • Regular business meetings (you'll hit limits fast)
- • Long meetings over 30 minutes (Otter stops mid-meeting)
- • Team collaboration features (severely limited)
- • Meeting archives (storage limits kick in)
- • Professional AI summaries (credit limits)
🔗 Related Comparisons
Ready to Skip the Free Plan Frustration? 🚀
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