Callbox
Continue with Google

The best Fireflies.ai alternatives

The best Fireflies.ai alternative for calls in a browser is Callbox: no bot in the call, the audio and transcript saved to your own Google Drive, and one plan for the whole team. Granola records the Zoom and Teams desktop apps with no bot, and Fathom has the most generous free plan.

Updated . Callbox makes this guide and ranks itself first where it fits; every fact about another product links to its source, checked on .

Start freeAdd to Chrome

Why do people look for a Fireflies.ai alternative?

Mostly for the bot and the limits. Fireflies.ai records by default with Notetaker, which joins the call as a visible participant. On the free plan you get 400 minutes of storage in total and no downloads, and on paid plans every teammate you add is a paid seat.[1][2][3][4]

At a glance

The best Fireflies.ai alternatives compared
RankProductBest forPaid plans from
1Callboxno bot, recordings in your own Drive, and a team on one planPro: $29 a month, or $290 a year
2Granolabot-free notes on the desktop, Zoom and Teams apps includedBusiness: $14 a user a month, billed monthly only[7][16][13][15]
3Fathoma free bot recorder with summaries and an APIPremium: $20 a user a month, or $16 a month billed yearly[17]
4Otter.aia live transcript and a bot, with a bot-free desktop appPro: $16.99 a user a month, or $8.33 a user a month billed yearly[27]
5Bluedota bot-free extension with summaries in over 100 languagesBasic: $18 a user a month, or $14 a user a month billed yearly[40]
6tl;dvvideo recordings with a bot, kept in EuropePro: $29 a seat a month, or $216 a seat a year, which is $18 a month[63][52][64][54][62]
7Tactiqtext transcripts from captions, for one personPro: $12 a month, or $96 a year billed yearly[67][69]
8Read AImeeting reports and coachingPro: $19.75 a user a month, or $15 a user a month billed yearly[78][90]

How we ranked them

  1. How it records: a bot in the call, a desktop app or a browser extension
  2. What it keeps: an audio or video file you can download, or only text
  3. Where your recordings are kept, and whether they stay yours
  4. An MCP server and API for your own AI agent
  5. What one person and a team of five pay

The ranking

  1. 1. Callbox

    Best for no bot, recordings in your own Drive, and a team on one plan

    Callbox records Meet, Zoom and Teams in Chrome with no bot, keeps the audio file, and saves it with a Google Doc transcript to your own Google Drive instead of a vendor's cloud. Its MCP server lets your own AI agent search, read and write notes on every plan, and a team's members pay nothing. It does not record the Zoom or Teams desktop apps.

    Bot in the call
    None: it records from your own Chrome tab, so nobody new joins the call
    The recording itself
    An audio file you play and download; the video too, on paid plans
    Where recordings are kept
    Your own Google Drive: the audio and a Google Doc transcript, a folder per project
    AI agents and API
    MCP server that reads and writes, on every plan; API keys and webhooks on paid plans
    Free plan
    Unlimited recordings, saved to Google Drive; 5 hours of transcription a month, subject to availability
    Paid plans from
    Pro: $29 a month, or $290 a year
    See Callbox pricing

  2. 2. Granola

    Best for bot-free notes on the desktop, Zoom and Teams apps included

    Granola records from its Mac or Windows app with no bot, the Zoom and Teams desktop apps included, and writes notes from what you type and the transcript. It keeps no audio. Business is $14 a user a month, billed monthly only.[5][6][7]

    Bot in the call
    None: the desktop app captures audio from your computer, so no bot joins the call[5]
    The recording itself
    None kept: no recording to play or download; the phone apps cache audio only until it is transcribed[5][7][8]
    Where recordings are kept
    Granola's AWS servers in the US, no EU or UK residency; to Drive only as text, via Zapier on paid plans[9][10][11][12]
    AI agents and API
    MCP server that reads notes and adds them to folders (30 days, no transcripts, on Basic); API, webhooks on Business[13][14][15]
    Free plan
    Basic: no daily transcription limit; the app shows the last 30 days of notes; chat with the Auto model only; no API[7][16]
    Paid plans from
    Business: $14 a user a month, billed monthly only[7][16][13][15]
    Callbox vs Granola

  3. 3. Fathom

    Best for a free bot recorder with summaries and an API

    Fathom's free plan records and transcribes without limit for one user, with a notetaker that joins the call as Fireflies.ai's does, and summaries on every plan. Its public API, webhooks and MCP server are on every plan, Free included.[17][18][19]

    Bot in the call
    Yes: "NAME's Fathom Notetaker" joins; bot-free in the Mac 3.0 app, in rollout, and a limited Teams alpha on Windows[18][20]
    The recording itself
    Video with the bot on every plan, downloaded as MP4; an MP3 audio download is "available soon"[17][21]
    Where recordings are kept
    Fathom's own cloud, with all data stored in the United States; no native Google Drive integration[22][23]
    AI agents and API
    Public API, webhooks and an MCP server on every plan, Free included[17][19]
    Free plan
    Unlimited recordings, transcription and storage for 1 user; advanced summaries for 5 calls a month; no action items or team features[17][24]
    Paid plans from
    Premium: $20 a user a month, or $16 a month billed yearly[17]
    Callbox vs Fathom

  4. 4. Otter.ai

    Best for a live transcript and a bot, with a bot-free desktop app

    Otter Notetaker joins calls as Fireflies.ai's bot does, and Otter's Mac and Windows desktop app records without it. Otter shows a live transcript on every plan. Its free plan transcribes up to 300 minutes a month, 30 minutes per transcript, in one of six languages.[25][26][27][28][29]

    Bot in the call
    Yes: Otter Notetaker joins Zoom, Meet and Teams as a participant. The desktop app records without it[25][26]
    The recording itself
    The audio, exported as mp3 on every plan; video replay for Zoom and Meet only on Enterprise[27][30]
    Where recordings are kept
    Otter's storage on AWS in the US; Google Drive export by hand, one conversation at a time, or automatic on Enterprise[31][32]
    AI agents and API
    MCP server with 3 tools (search, fetch, user info), OAuth only; API and webhooks on Enterprise[33][34][35]
    Free plan
    Basic, with up to 300 minutes a month, 30 minutes per transcript, 3 imports in total and your 25 most recent conversations[28]
    Paid plans from
    Pro: $16.99 a user a month, or $8.33 a user a month billed yearly[27]
    Callbox vs Otter.ai

  5. 5. Bluedot

    Best for a bot-free extension with summaries in over 100 languages

    Bluedot's Chrome extension records with nothing in the participant list, and its desktop apps record the Zoom and Teams apps. Like Fireflies.ai, it writes summaries and transcribes over 100 languages. Its free plan covers 5 meetings for the life of the account.[36][37][38][39][40]

    Bot in the call
    Optional: a calendar bot joins Zoom and Meet as "[Your name]'s AI NoteTaker"; the extension records without one[41][42][43][36]
    The recording itself
    Video and audio on Pro and up, audio only on Basic; downloads as .webm, or MP4 after a small edit[40][44][45]
    Where recordings are kept
    Bluedot's cloud on AWS, in the EU by default; Google Drive only imports, with no export to it[46][47][48]
    AI agents and API
    An MCP server with 8 tools that read data, and webhooks, both listed from the paid Basic plan[49][50][40]
    Free plan
    5 meetings for the life of the account, then view and share only; Chrome extension, desktop and mobile apps, Slack, Notion, Zapier and Make[40][51]
    Paid plans from
    Basic: $18 a user a month, or $14 a user a month billed yearly[40]
    Callbox vs Bluedot

  6. 6. tl;dv

    Best for video recordings with a bot, kept in Europe

    tl;dv's bot records video of Meet, Zoom and Teams calls, and its free plan allows 40 recordings a week, with full AI notes on your first 10 meetings. It keeps your calls in its cloud in Europe, and its MCP server is read-only, on Pro and up.[52][53][54][55][56]

    Bot in the call
    Yes by default: a bot named after you, such as "Grace's AI Notetaker", joins as a visible participant[52][57]
    The recording itself
    Video with the bot, audio only without it; downloads need Pro, Free recordings only in the 4 weeks before deletion[53][58][54]
    Where recordings are kept
    tl;dv's cloud in Europe; Free recordings kept 3 months, paid ones until you delete the account[55][59]
    AI agents and API
    A read-only MCP server, a REST API in alpha and webhooks, all on Pro and up[56][60][61]
    Free plan
    40 recordings a week; full AI notes on your first 10 meetings only; kept 3 months, downloadable in the last 4 weeks[54][55][62]
    Paid plans from
    Pro: $29 a seat a month, or $216 a seat a year, which is $18 a month[63][52][64][54][62]
    Callbox vs tl;dv

  7. 7. Tactiq

    Best for text transcripts from captions, for one person

    Tactiq's extension turns the captions of Meet, Zoom and Teams into a transcript with no bot, and keeps no audio. Pro is $96 a year for one user with unlimited transcripts.[65][66][67]

    Bot in the call
    None: no bot joins; Tactiq can notify attendees in chat, and its plan list keeps notice controls for paid plans[66][68][69]
    The recording itself
    None: Tactiq "does not record or store the audio from your meetings"[66]
    Where recordings are kept
    Text in Tactiq's cloud, on Google Cloud; optional Google Doc copies in one Drive folder, no audio[70][71]
    AI agents and API
    Read-only MCP server with OAuth sign-in; its help and pricing pages differ on which plans get it; a Zapier trigger[72][67][73]
    Free plan
    10 meeting credits and 5 AI credits a month; archiving frees credits; with none left, new transcripts are preview only[74][75]
    Paid plans from
    Pro: $12 a month, or $96 a year billed yearly[67][69]
    Callbox vs Tactiq

  8. 8. Read AI

    Best for meeting reports and coaching

    Read AI's bot joins Zoom, Teams and Google Meet, and after each meeting it writes a summary, action items and key questions, with coaching. Its free plan covers 5 meeting transcripts a month, and playing back a recording needs an Enterprise plan.[76][77][78][79]

    Bot in the call
    Yes: "read.ai meeting notes" joins Zoom, Teams and Meet as a participant; on Meet, Read AI can record without it[76][80][81]
    The recording itself
    Playback and MP4 downloads on Enterprise and Enterprise+ only; Free recordings deleted after 180 days[82][79]
    Where recordings are kept
    Read AI's cloud, on AWS in Northern Virginia; a text-only Google Doc per meeting can go to your Drive[83][84]
    AI agents and API
    MCP server (open beta) and read-only API on every plan, OAuth only; webhooks on paid plans[85][86][87][88][89]
    Free plan
    5 meeting transcripts a month, counting reports others share with you; meetings up to 1 hour; no uploads or playback; recordings deleted after 180 days[78][90][82]
    Paid plans from
    Pro: $19.75 a user a month, or $15 a user a month billed yearly[78][90]
    Callbox vs Read AI

Which Fireflies.ai alternatives record without a bot?

Four of the eight record with no bot by default: Callbox and Tactiq from a Chrome extension, Granola from its desktop app, and Bluedot from its extension, which adds nothing to the participant list. Of these four, Callbox and Bluedot keep the audio, Granola keeps notes and Tactiq a text transcript.[66][5][36][40]

The other four send a bot by default, and each has a bot-free mode with limits. Otter's Mac and Windows desktop app records without its bot, and Otter exports the audio as mp3 on every plan. tl;dv and Read AI record without a bot in their desktop apps, and Fathom in its Mac app, which is still rolling out.[26][30][91][92][20]

Which Fireflies.ai alternative keeps recordings in Google Drive?

Callbox: it saves every recording to your own Google Drive, the audio and a Google Doc transcript in a folder per project, and the files stay there if you cancel. Fireflies.ai keeps calls in its own cloud and can sync copies to Google Drive.[3][93]

The others keep calls in their own cloud. Tactiq can save Google Doc copies of transcripts to one Drive folder, with no audio, Read AI a text-only Google Doc per meeting, and Bluedot only imports from Google Drive.[71][84][48]

Which Fireflies.ai alternative costs least for a team?

Callbox, because it bills only the owner; Fireflies.ai and most alternatives bill every member. Five people on Fireflies.ai Pro pay 5 × $10 = $50 a month billed yearly, on Granola Business 5 × $14 = $70, and on Fathom Team 5 × $15 = $75 billed yearly.[4][7][17]

One Callbox Pro plan, $290 a year ($24.17 a month), covers all five with 100 hours of transcription a month to share, where Fireflies.ai Pro has no cap on meeting transcription. Ten people on Fireflies.ai Business pay 10 × $19 = $190 a month billed yearly, against $82.50 for Callbox Business with 500 hours. For one person, Fireflies.ai Pro costs less than Callbox Pro.[4]

Questions

What is the best Fireflies.ai alternative?

For calls in a browser, Callbox: no bot, the audio and transcript in your own Google Drive, and one plan for the whole team. For the Zoom and Teams desktop apps with no bot, Granola. For a free plan with a bot, Fathom.

Is there a free Fireflies.ai alternative?

Yes. Fathom's free plan has unlimited recordings and transcription for one user. Callbox Free records as many calls as you want to your Google Drive with no bot, and transcribes 5 hours a month, subject to availability.

Which Fireflies.ai alternatives record the Zoom and Teams desktop apps?

Granola and Bluedot record them with no bot, from their Mac and Windows apps, and Otter's desktop app records them too. Callbox does not: it records calls in a Chrome tab.

Which Fireflies.ai alternative saves recordings to Google Drive?

Callbox saves the audio and a Google Doc transcript of every call to your own Google Drive, in a folder per project. Tactiq and Read AI can copy text transcripts to Google Docs in your Drive, with no audio.

Which Fireflies.ai alternative costs least for one person?

Tactiq Pro, at $96 a year for text transcripts, costs less than Fireflies.ai Pro at $120 a year, and Fathom's free plan costs nothing. Callbox Pro is $290 a year; it costs less only for a team, because its members pay nothing.

Record your next call to your Drive

Callbox records Meet, Zoom and Teams calls from your own Chrome tab, with no bot in the call, and saves each one to your Google Drive. Start on Free in a minute.

Start freeAdd to Chrome

Sources

  1. Fireflies.ai Help: How Fireflies joins and records your meetingsguide.fireflies.ai
  2. Fireflies.ai Help: Free plan featuresguide.fireflies.ai
  3. Fireflies.ai Help: Transcription credits, storage and rate limitsguide.fireflies.ai
  4. Fireflies.ai pricingfireflies.ai
  5. Granola Help: Transcriptiondocs.granola.ai
  6. Granola Help: AI-enhanced notesdocs.granola.ai
  7. Granola pricingwww.granola.ai
  8. Granola Help: Transcription on iPhonedocs.granola.ai
  9. Granola Help: Security, privacy and data FAQsdocs.granola.ai
  10. Granola Help: Integrations with Granoladocs.granola.ai
  11. Zapier: Granola meeting notes to Google Drivezapier.com
  12. Granola Help: Zapierdocs.granola.ai
  13. Granola Help: MCPdocs.granola.ai
  14. Granola API: Introductiondocs.granola.ai
  15. Granola API: Webhooksdocs.granola.ai
  16. Granola Help: Subscriptions and billingdocs.granola.ai
  17. Fathom pricingwww.fathom.ai
  18. Fathom Help: recording and Notetaker settingshelp.fathom.video
  19. Fathom API: FAQdevelopers.fathom.ai
  20. Fathom Help: Fathom 3.0 bot-free recordinghelp.fathom.video
  21. Fathom Help: downloading a recordinghelp.fathom.video
  22. Fathom Help: security, compliance and datahelp.fathom.video
  23. Fathom integrationswww.fathom.ai
  24. Fathom Help: Free vs Premiumhelp.fathom.video
  25. Otter.ai Help: Otter Notetaker overviewhelp.otter.ai
  26. Otter.ai Help: Otter desktop app for Mac and Windowshelp.otter.ai
  27. Otter.ai pricingotter.ai
  28. Otter.ai Help: Limits on the Basic free planhelp.otter.ai
  29. Otter.ai Help: Supported languageshelp.otter.ai
  30. Otter.ai Help: Export conversationshelp.otter.ai
  31. Otter.ai Help: Data security and privacy policieshelp.otter.ai
  32. Otter.ai Help: Export to Google Drivehelp.otter.ai
  33. Otter.ai Help: Otter MCP serverhelp.otter.ai
  34. Otter.ai Help: Otter.ai public APIhelp.otter.ai
  35. Otter.ai Help: Workspace webhookshelp.otter.ai
  36. Bluedot Chrome extensionwww.bluedothq.com
  37. Bluedot desktop appwww.bluedothq.com
  38. Bluedot AI Note Taker on the App Storeapps.apple.com
  39. Bluedot Help: How to change your default transcript languagehelp.bluedothq.com
  40. Bluedot pricingwww.bluedothq.com
  41. Bluedot Help: How to record meetings with a bothelp.bluedothq.com
  42. Bluedot Help: Troubleshooting Zoom bot issueshelp.bluedothq.com
  43. Bluedot Help: Troubleshooting Google Meet bot issueshelp.bluedothq.com
  44. Bluedot Help: How to download a recordinghelp.bluedothq.com
  45. Bluedot Help: How to download a recording as an MP4 filehelp.bluedothq.com
  46. Bluedot securitywww.bluedothq.com
  47. Bluedot privacy policywww.bluedothq.com
  48. Bluedot Help: How to connect Bluedot to Google Drivehelp.bluedothq.com
  49. Bluedot Help: Bluedot MCP overviewhelp.bluedothq.com
  50. Bluedot Help: How to set up webhookshelp.bluedothq.com
  51. Bluedot home pagewww.bluedothq.com
  52. tl;dv blog: tl;dv honest reviewtldv.io
  53. tl;dv Help: Recording without a botintercom.help
  54. tl;dv Help: What are the limits of the Free plan?intercom.help
  55. tl;dv privacy policytldv.io
  56. tl;dv MCP server on GitHubgithub.com
  57. tl;dv Help: Updating your profileintercom.help
  58. tl;dv Help: How to download your recordingintercom.help
  59. tl;dv security commitmenttldv.io
  60. tl;dv Help: APIintercom.help
  61. tl;dv Help: Webhooksintercom.help
  62. tl;dv terms of service: fair use policytldv.io
  63. tl;dv pricingtldv.io
  64. tl;dv blog: tl;dv vs MeetGeektldv.io
  65. Tactiq Help: Install the Tactiq extensionhelp.tactiq.io
  66. Tactiq home pagetactiq.io
  67. Tactiq pricingtactiq.io
  68. Tactiq Help: Notify attendees you're transcribinghelp.tactiq.io
  69. Tactiq Help: Choosing a plan and pricinghelp.tactiq.io
  70. Tactiq privacy policytactiq.io
  71. Tactiq Help: Google Drive integrationhelp.tactiq.io
  72. Tactiq Help: Connecting the Tactiq MCP serverhelp.tactiq.io
  73. Zapier: Tactiq integrationszapier.com
  74. Tactiq Help: What are meeting credits?help.tactiq.io
  75. Tactiq Help: How AI credits workhelp.tactiq.io
  76. Read AI Help: What meeting platforms does Read support?support.read.ai
  77. Read AI Help: What are the different paid plans that Read offers?support.read.ai
  78. Read AI plans and pricingwww.read.ai
  79. Read AI Help: How do I download meeting reports, transcripts and more?support.read.ai
  80. Read AI Help: Customizing the Read Assistant name shown in meetingssupport.read.ai
  81. Read AI Help: Using Read's Google Meet native recordingsupport.read.ai
  82. Read AI Help: I'm downgrading my plan. Will I still have access to past meeting reports?support.read.ai
  83. Read AI Help: Security and privacy overviewsupport.read.ai
  84. Read AI Help: Saving meeting notes to Google Docssupport.read.ai
  85. Read AI Help: Read AI API and MCP overviewsupport.read.ai
  86. Read AI Help: MCP Serversupport.read.ai
  87. Read AI Help: API referencesupport.read.ai
  88. Read AI Help: API keys and authenticationsupport.read.ai
  89. Read AI Help: Getting started with webhookssupport.read.ai
  90. Read AI Help: What does Max Recording Duration mean?support.read.ai
  91. tl;dv Help: Record meetings on any platform, with or without a botintercom.help
  92. Read AI Help: How to use Read's desktop app for Windows and Macsupport.read.ai
  93. Fireflies.ai Help: Integrate Fireflies with Google Driveguide.fireflies.ai