Fireflies vs Otter vs Fathom: Best AI Meeting Notetaker
Fireflies vs Otter vs Fathom: Best AI Meeting Notetaker
Fireflies vs Otter vs Fathom: which AI meeting notetaker wins in 2026?
Choosing the right AI meeting notetaker in 2026 means looking past marketing fluff at three practical realities: how generous the free tier really is, how deep the AI assistant goes, and whether it plugs into your no-code stack without a paid upgrade. For this comparison, we’re cutting through the noise. If you’re wondering how to choose an AI meeting notetaker, the answer depends on your workflow: Fathom offers the most generous free plan for solopreneurs, Fireflies provides the deepest integration library for power users, and Otter is built for teams that live in Salesforce and HubSpot. We break down the real limits and costs below to help you pick the right tool. See all our head-to-head comparisons in our compare hub or browse our full no-code tool directory.
How we tested these AI meeting notetakers
This review is based on the vendor’s official documentation, pricing pages, and published benchmarks — we did not run the tool hands-on. We verified current pricing tiers, free-plan storage and minute limits, feature lists, integration catalogs, and security certifications from primary vendor URLs. We did not test real-world transcription accuracy, call latency, mobile app UX, or AI voice quality. All external links in this article point to official sources confirmed as live in August 2026. Last reviewed: August 2026.
What is Fireflies, Otter, and Fathom?
Fireflies.ai is an AI assistant platform for meeting automation with a focus on deep integration breadth and a credit-based AI economy Fireflies. Otter.ai is a meeting transcription and AI assistant tool that has pivoted toward sales-focused agents and deep CRM connections Otter. Fathom is a free-forever meeting recorder and AI assistant focused on simplicity and live-call capture for individuals Fathom.
Fireflies.ai at a glance
Widely reported as founded in 2016, Fireflies has pivoted from a pure transcription tool to a full AI assistant platform. It now serves over one million companies and emphasizes a broad feature set including Voice Agents, AI Skills (over 100 templates), and its AI assistant, AskFred. Its core differentiator is a credit-based economy where AI actions consume one-time, team-pooled credits Fireflies.
Otter.ai at a glance
Otter launched in February 2018 and reached general availability in May 2018 Otter Press. It now reports $100 million in annual recurring revenue and has transcribed over one billion meetings. Its 2026 pivot is focused on sales and support workflows with features like Live Assist, a dedicated SDR Agent, and an MCP server for custom automations Otter Press.
Fathom at a glance
Fathom serves over 300,000 companies and focuses on providing an unlimited free tier for live meeting capture Fathom. Its major 2026 releases include Account-Wide Ask Fathom, native ChatGPT and Claude integrations, and a bot-free capture mode. It remains the only tool of the three that cannot process pre-recorded file uploads Fathom.
Fireflies vs Otter vs Fathom: head-to-head comparison
The core comparison hinges on free-tier generosity, language support, and integration depth. Fireflies leads with over 100 language options, while Fathom offers the most storage. For paid plans, Otter provides the lowest annual price, but Fireflies offers the most apps on its free tier.
| Feature | Fireflies.ai | Otter.ai | Fathom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free transcription | Unlimited | 300 min/mo | Unlimited |
| Free storage | 400 min/team | 25 conversations | Unlimited forever |
| Free AI queries | 20 credits (one-time) | 20 AI Chat/mo | 5 calls/mo Ask Fathom |
| Cheapest paid (annual) | $10/seat/mo | $8.33/user/mo | $16/mo |
| Languages | 100+ | 6 | 38 Fathom |
| Max meeting (paid) | Up to 4 hr (Enterprise) | 4 hr (Business) | No published cap |
| Integrations | 100+ apps (all plans) | Salesforce/HubSpot/Zapier (Pro+) | Zapier/Make/Slack + ChatGPT/Claude |
| Security | SOC 2, HIPAA (Enterprise) | SOC 2, HIPAA add-on | SOC 2, HIPAA BAA (Enterprise) |
Fireflies Pros & Cons
- Pros: Most language support (100+), integration library available on all plans, flexible AI credit add-ons.
- Cons: Free plan lacks transcript downloads, upload limits (100 MB/150 min) and storage (400 min) are restrictive, AI credit economy can be confusing.
Otter Pros & Cons
- Pros: Lowest annual price for paid plans, deep Salesforce/HubSpot integration for sales teams, new SDR Agent for sales workflows.
- Cons: Very limited language support (6), restrictive 30-minute cap on free conversations, heavy 51% price discount only applies to annual billing.
Fathom Pros & Cons
- Pros: Unlimited free storage forever, simple and clean interface, native AI assistant integrations (ChatGPT, Claude).
- Cons: No file upload support, Mac/Windows only, one meeting at a time, cheapest paid plan is the most expensive of the three.
Free-tier showdown: which AI meeting notetaker is truly free?
Fathom is the only AI meeting notetaker with unlimited free recordings, transcription, and storage “forever,” but its free plan is restricted to live calls only. Fireflies offers unlimited transcription but caps storage at 400 minutes per team, while Otter limits you to 300 minutes per month with a strict 30-minute cap per conversation. Fireflies provides 20 one-time AI credits for the team, Otter allows 20 AI Chat queries per user per month, and Fathom gives 5 calls per month with its Ask Fathom assistant.
| Gotcha | Fireflies Free | Otter Free | Fathom Free |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transcription | Unlimited | 300 min/mo | Unlimited |
| Storage | 400 min/team Fireflies | 25 conversations | Unlimited forever Fathom |
| Meeting length cap | 2 hours | 30 minutes | No published cap |
| AI assistant access | 20 credits (one-time) | 20 queries/mo | 5 calls/mo + summaries |
| File uploads | Yes (100 MB/150 min cap) | 3 lifetime imports | No |
| Platform | Web, Zoom, Meet, Teams | Web, Zoom, Meet, Teams | Mac/Windows, Zoom, Meet, Teams |
The free plan for Fireflies restricts transcript downloads to paid users and imposes a 3,000-minute source rate limit with a $0.01 per minute overage Fireflies Guide. Otter’s free plan limits you to just 3 lifetime file imports and only retains your 25 most recent conversations Otter. Fathom’s free tier has no file uploads, can only record one meeting at a time, and requires you to be present in the live call on a Mac or Windows machine Fathom.
Pricing comparison: Fireflies vs Otter vs Fathom (2026 annual rates)
Otter offers the cheapest paid tier at $8.33 per user per month on an annual plan, making it the best value for teams committed to yearly billing. Fireflies sits in the middle at $10 per seat per month annually, while Fathom’s individual plan is the most expensive at $16 per month on an annual basis. Remember, Fathom’s free plan is the most generous, so the higher paid price may be a worthwhile trade-off.
| Tier | Fireflies Fireflies | Otter Otter | Fathom Fathom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Pro / Premium | $10/seat/mo (annual) | $8.33/user/mo (annual) | $16/mo (annual) |
| Business / Team | $19/seat/mo (annual) | $19.99/user/mo (annual) | $25/user/mo (annual) |
| Enterprise | $39/seat/mo (annual) | Custom | Custom |
The gap between Otter’s monthly and annual pricing is significant: you pay $16.99 per month if billed monthly but only $8.33 per month if billed annually, a 51% savings. This makes Otter’s annual commitment a critical decision point. Fireflies’ pricing is based on per-seat costs, and its AI features use a separate, add-on credit economy where you can purchase 50 credits for $5 up to 10,000 credits for $600, with credits being team-pooled and transcription never consuming credits Fireflies Guide.
Automation & integrations: plugging into your no-code stack
Fireflies wins on raw integration breadth, offering over 100 apps including Zapier, Slack, HubSpot, Salesforce, Notion, and Airtable on all plans, including the free tier Fireflies. This is crucial if you need a no-code audit and want connections without an immediate upgrade. Fathom takes a different approach, focusing on modern AI integrations with native ChatGPT and Claude connections, alongside Zapier, Make, Slack, and a public API Fathom. Otter’s integration strength is in CRM depth, with Salesforce, HubSpot, and Zapier available from the Pro tier, though these are user-limited (1 on Basic, 5 on Pro, unlimited on Business).
Fireflies: broad but basic on free The free plan gives you access to the full 100+ app integration library, which is rare. This means you can connect to tools like Zapier, Slack, and Notion from day one without paying. For more complex workflows, our Zapier Agents review explores how to build on that.
Otter: CRM-focused with an MCP server Otter’s Pro plan provides critical CRM syncs for sales and support teams. Beyond standard integrations, it also offers an MCP server, which opens up more advanced, custom API-based automations. This aligns with the patterns we cover in our n8n getting-started guide.
Fathom: modern AI and workflow tools Fathom’s integrations are focused on flexibility and AI. Its support for Make, covered in our Make review, and its public API make it highly extensible. The native ChatGPT and Claude integrations allow you to pipe meeting insights directly into your favorite AI workflows.
2026 features: what’s new this year?
All three tools have pivoted from passive transcription to active AI assistants. Fathom launched bot-free capture and account-wide search. Otter introduced real-time live assistance and a sales development representative agent. Fireflies expanded its platform with voice-based agents and a library of pre-built AI templates.
Fathom: bot-free capture + account-wide Ask Fathom
Fathom’s flagship 2026 feature is bot-free capture, which allows recording without a visible meeting bot. As of April 2026, this is in beta and only available on Mac Fathom. The company also launched Account-Wide Ask Fathom in February 2026, enabling you to search across all team recordings. These features are paired with new native integrations for ChatGPT and Claude.
Otter: Live Assist + SDR Agent + MCP server
Otter released Live Assist in July 2026 for real-time meeting support. It also introduced an SDR Agent designed to automate sales outreach tasks and an MCP server for custom API integrations. These additions, detailed in their press releases, mark a clear shift toward being an active sales assistant platform Otter Press.
Fireflies: Voice Agents + AI Skills
Fireflies launched Voice Agents, allowing you to interact with an AI during a call, and AI Skills, a library of over 100 templates for automating specific meeting follow-up actions. These features are part of its push to be a comprehensive AI assistant platform beyond simple transcription Fireflies.
How do I choose an AI meeting notetaker?
Your choice depends on three factors: free-tier generosity, the depth of the AI assistant you need, and how well the tool plugs into your existing automation stack. A solo founder should prioritize unlimited free storage, a small team should value broad integrations, and a sales-heavy operation needs deep CRM sync and agent features.
Solo founder / solopreneur
Pick Fathom. Its free plan offers unlimited recordings and storage “forever,” which is unmatched for an individual user. The main caveats are that it only works for live calls on Mac/Windows, cannot process uploaded files, and you can only record one meeting at a time. The 5 monthly Ask Fathom calls are sufficient for occasional deep dives.
Small team (2–10 people)
Pick Fireflies. The Pro plan at $10 per seat per month is the sweet spot for teams needing broad integrations and 100+ language support from Day 1. The team-pooled AI credit system allows you to distribute AI actions based on need. It avoids the per-user, tiered limitations of Otter’s integrations.
Sales-heavy operation
Pick Otter. If your team lives in Salesforce or HubSpot, Otter’s native CRM sync from the Pro tier is essential. The SDR Agent and Live Assist features are built for sales and support workflows. The price is unbeatable at $8.33 per user per month annually, but requires a 51% savings commitment versus monthly billing Otter.
Quick decision table
| If you value… | Pick this tool |
|---|---|
| Unlimited free storage | Fathom |
| 100+ language support | Fireflies |
| Lowest annual paid price | Otter |
| Native ChatGPT/Claude | Fathom |
| Salesforce/HubSpot sync | Otter |
| Broadest free-tier integrations | Fireflies |
| No bot in the meeting | Fathom (beta) |
FAQ
Is Otter.ai free?
Yes, Otter offers a free Basic plan with 300 transcription minutes per month, no rollover. The free tier includes a strict 30-minute cap per conversation, limits you to 3 lifetime file imports, and only retains your 25 most recent conversations. You also get 20 AI Chat queries per user per month Otter.
Which AI meeting notetaker is free forever?
Fathom is the only one that is truly free forever for live calls. It offers unlimited recordings, transcriptions, and storage at no cost for as long as you use it. However, it only works for live Zoom, Google Meet, and Teams calls, has no file upload capability, and is limited to Mac and Windows users Fathom.
Can Fathom record without a bot joining the call?
Yes, Fathom launched a bot-free capture feature in April 2026. This feature is currently in beta and is only available on Mac. It captures audio directly from your system without adding a visible bot participant to the call, but it still only records when you are present in the live meeting Fathom.
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