My Journey with Fireflies AI and its Best Alternatives
Explore my experience with Fireflies AI and discover some top alternatives that provide better functionality, like ActionGPT.
The first time I used Fireflies AI, it felt like I had been making the wrong choices picking out meeting tools all my life. I remember thinking, “How have I survived meetings all these years without this?”
It made me learn to appreciate meetings better—I even grew to love meetings. I no longer had to frantically jot down every word or worry about missing key points during those hours-long Google Meet calls. Fireflies was always silently, efficiently, and accurately transcribing everything. It wasn’t just impressive—it was a relief.
It was fast, accurate, and, to be honest, it made meetings feel more productive and less stressful.
There were countless times when I found myself spacing out during a call (who hasn’t been there, right?), and instead of panicking later about what I missed, I’d simply check my Fireflies transcription. It had become my go-to safety net for when details slipped through the cracks. It was like having a second brain during meetings, recording every word so I didn’t have to. It allowed me to focus on the conversation without worrying about note-taking, and its searchable transcripts were a lifesaver when I needed to revisit a discussion or clarify a point.
But here’s where things get interesting.
In the last few months, I fell out of love with Fireflies.
No, the tool didn't suddenly change something I loved or shoot up the subscription fees. On the contrary, nothing much changed and that’s been one of my problems.
As great as Fireflies has been, there’s been this nagging feeling lately. I’ve noticed that while it continues to serve its original purpose, innovation seems to have slowed down. Sure, there have been a few new features sprinkled here and there, but in comparison to newer tools, it feels like Fireflies might be losing its edge. It’s almost as if while we’ve been relying on Fireflies to get us through meeting after meeting, the rest of the world kept evolving, and so did our workflows.
Take real-time, on-the-spot transcription, for instance. More and more, we need tools that not only capture our conversations but give us summaries as we speak. Imagine a scenario where you can see a breakdown of key points while the meeting is still happening, not having to wait until it’s over to digest the information. Fireflies, despite all its strengths, doesn’t quite deliver in that area. It’s great for post-meeting recaps, but if you’re looking for instant insights, you might find yourself a little frustrated.
And then there’s the matter of accuracy in less-than-ideal conditions. We’ve all been in meetings where audio quality isn’t the best, and in those situations, Fireflies’ transcription can sometimes fall short. Other AI notetakers have started to address this by improving accuracy in challenging environments and introducing new features that adapt to different accents, audio qualities, or complex terminologies. Fireflies, on the other hand, seems to be treading water. Don’t get this wrong, Fireflies is still a solid tool.
So, the big question is: if Fireflies AI has been great but now feels a bit behind, are there better alternatives that address these growing needs? Well, let’s take a look.
Best Fireflies AI Alternatives
While Fireflies AI has certainly paved the way for smarter meetings, the landscape has evolved, and several tools have stepped in to fill the gaps. If you’re finding that Fireflies just isn’t keeping pace with your needs anymore, here are a few alternatives that might be exactly what you’re looking for.
1. ActionGPT: Most Powerful and Versatile Fireflies.ai Alternative
One of Fireflies' most glaring shortcomings is its lack of real-time summaries, but this is where ActionGPT takes center stage. ActionGPT offers real-time transcription with customizable intervals of 20, 60, 90, and 120 seconds. This means you don’t have to wait until after the meeting to get your notes—ActionGPT presents you with the transcription of what’s being said at your preferred intervals, ensuring you stay informed and engaged throughout the discussion.
But ActionGPT doesn’t just stop at transcription. It’s equipped with versatile functionalities that go beyond capturing audio. You can switch between different transcription modes, depending on your needs at the moment. For example, if you’re looking for answers to questions posed during a meeting, ActionGPT’s question-answering mode will provide real-time responses. Similarly, its idea generation mode helps fuel creative conversations, while the concept explanation mode simplifies complex topics as they are being discussed. You’re not just left with a transcription—you can take immediate action based on the conversation.
Another standout feature is its ability to handle custom files. Users can upload documents related to the meeting or discussion, and ActionGPT will cross-check the transcription with these files for added contextual accuracy. Whether you’re navigating complex discussions or seeking specific details, ActionGPT aligns its insights with the context of the documents you provide.
For global teams, ActionGPT supports note-taking in multiple languages, including English, Chinese, Hindi, Spanish, French, Arabic, Bengali, and Portuguese. Its broad linguistic range makes it perfect for teams across different regions and cultures.
Perhaps one of the best things about ActionGPT is that it’s free forever and available as a Chrome extension. This gives it a versatility that tools like Fireflies simply don’t have. ActionGPT doesn’t need to “attend” your meetings by securing a spot and letting other attendees know it's present and recording. Because it operates through your browser, it works not only for meetings on platforms like Zoom or Google Meet, but also for transcribing YouTube videos, Twitter live sessions, video tutorials, podcasts, or any audio stream you come across in your browser. This versatility opens up a wide range of use cases, far beyond the typical meeting transcription tool.
2. Otter.ai: A Quick and Reliable Fireflies.ai Alternative
When it comes to AI meeting note tools, Otter.ai is a name that comes up often, and for good reason. It's a solid alternative to Fireflies.ai, especially for those looking for quick transcription rather than a full suite of AI-powered meeting insights. If you’re focused primarily on getting your conversations transcribed fast and accurately, Otter.ai might just be the better pick for you.
When I first tried Otter.ai, I was impressed by how quickly the transcription was available after a meeting—it was pretty much instant. The AI-generated summaries were short and easy to skim, making it great for quickly reviewing meeting notes. However, Otter.ai does lack some of the deeper AI-driven insights that tools like Fireflies offer, such as sentiment analysis. But if your priority is simply converting voice to text and you don’t need advanced analytics, Otter.ai could be the perfect fit.
Key Features
Live Transcription with Otter Bot
Otter.ai offers real-time transcription for calls, interviews, podcasts, and more through its Otter Bot, which can automatically join and transcribe conversations as they happen.
Custom Vocabulary
You can add industry-specific terms or company jargon to Otter’s dictionary to improve its accuracy when transcribing specialized conversations.
Adjustable Playback Speeds
Otter allows you to play back your recordings at different speeds, ranging from 0.5x to 3x, so you can skim through or slow down the audio as needed (though this feature is not available in the free version).
Pros
- Real-Time Transcription: Unlike Fireflies, Otter can transcribe voice notes and meetings as they happen, giving you access to live, searchable meeting notes.
- Timestamps, Edits, and Highlights: Otter provides timestamps for easy navigation, along with the ability to highlight key parts of the transcription and make edits for greater clarity.
- Keyword Search in Transcripts: Otter’s built-in search function allows you to quickly find specific words or phrases in your transcripts, making it easy to revisit important parts of a conversation.
Cons
- No AI Sentiment Analysis: While Fireflies.ai offers sentiment analysis to gauge the emotional tone of a conversation, Otter does not currently have this feature.
- English-Only Transcription: At the moment, Otter only supports transcription in English, which could be a limitation for multilingual teams.
- Occasional Speaker Identification Errors: Otter’s speaker identification feature is not always perfect, and it can sometimes mix up who said what during a conversation.
Pricing
Otter.ai offers four pricing tiers:
- Free Plan: 300 monthly transcription minutes
- Pro Plan: $10 per user per month, 1,200 transcription minutes
- Business Plan: $20 per user per month, 6,000 transcription minutes
- Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing and tailored solutions for larger organizations.
3. MeetGeek: A Feature-Rich, Business-Oriented Alternative to Fireflies.ai
If you’re looking for a Fireflies.ai alternative that offers more than just meeting transcription, MeetGeek could be the tool for you. It not only captures meeting insights and generates AI summaries but also allows you to create shareable clips from your calls. Whether you’re analyzing participant involvement, meeting punctuality, or even sentiments, MeetGeek covers over 40 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), offering a much deeper dive into your meeting data.
One thing that really stands out about MeetGeek is its ability to let you customize KPIs, particularly if you’re on the Business plan. Imagine you have a quarterly all-hands presentation that follows a specific template. With MeetGeek, you can set custom KPIs to track the most important metrics from these meetings, helping you gather valuable insights tailored to your exact needs.
Key Features
AI Meeting Minutes
MeetGeek generates an AI-driven summary of your meetings, including key highlights and action items. This makes it easier to follow up and review the most important takeaways without sifting through the entire transcript.
Shareable Content
One of MeetGeek’s more useful features is its ability to create and share meeting highlights. You can extract the most important clips from longer meetings and share them with your team, ensuring everyone stays aligned, even if they weren’t present for the full call.
Keyword Search
MeetGeek’s search function allows you to quickly find specific details in your past meeting transcripts, making it much easier to revisit key topics or action items without going through the entire recording.
Pros
- Transcription with KPI Data: MeetGeek goes beyond simple transcription. It not only captures the conversation but also provides insights into key meeting metrics, giving you a much more comprehensive overview of how the meeting went.
- Centralized Meeting Information: It consolidates all your Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams information into one searchable location, so you can easily access past meetings and related data.
- Seamless Integrations: MeetGeek integrates with tools like Trello, Slack, and Notion, making it simple to share your meeting takeaways with the rest of your team.
Cons
- No Personalized KPIs: Although MeetGeek provides custom KPIs, it doesn’t allow you to create your own from scratch, which could be limiting for teams with unique meeting goals.
- Not Ideal for Basic Transcription: If you’re just looking for a simple, no-frills transcription tool, MeetGeek might feel a bit overcomplicated due to its array of advanced features.
- Occasional Transcription Errors: The transcription isn’t always perfect, and sometimes errors or misinterpretations can occur, particularly with more complex audio.
Pricing
MeetGeek offers four pricing tiers:
- Basic Plan: Free
- Pro Plan: $19 per user per month
- Business Plan: $39 per user per month
- Enterprise Plan: $59 per user per month
4. TL;DV: Fireflies.ai Alternative for Long Meetings and Bookmarking
If you’re juggling long meetings regularly, you know how challenging it can be to keep track of every detail and ensure follow-ups. This is where tl;dv truly shines. It’s crafted to simplify the process, making it easier to manage lengthy discussions and stay organized.
With tl;dv, you can navigate through extensive meetings effortlessly. The AI-powered search feature allows you to quickly find relevant parts of the discussion based on specific terms, saving you from sifting through hours of footage. Additionally, you can create short clips from these long meetings, making it simple to share key insights with your team without overwhelming them with the full transcript.
One of the standout features is the bookmarking capability, which lets you mark and revisit critical points in the meeting. This makes it easier to follow up on specific details or action items without having to replay entire sessions.
While tl;dv is excellent for managing long meetings and offers flexibility in use, it’s worth noting that it may struggle with complex or technical discussions. You might need to revisit the original content for full clarity. Overall, tl;dv is a versatile tool that enhances meeting productivity, offering both detailed search functionalities and practical bookmarking options.
Which Fireflies Alternative to Choose? It All Comes Down to Your Needs
When choosing a Fireflies alternative, you’re likely looking for something that fits seamlessly into your workflow, offering features tailored to your specific needs. Each tool has its strengths, and the best choice depends on what you prioritize most in your meeting management.
- Otter.ai: Best known for its speed and efficiency in live transcription. If you’re looking for quick, accurate voice-to-text conversion and don’t require advanced AI insights, Otter.ai is a strong choice. It excels in providing instant transcriptions and skimmable AI summaries.
- MeetGeek: A feature-rich alternative that goes beyond simple transcription. It offers KPI tracking and integrates well with tools like Trello and Slack. MeetGeek is ideal if you need detailed meeting analytics and easy sharing of insights across platforms.
- tl;dv: Excellent for handling long meetings with its AI-powered search and summarization features. It’s great if you need to extract specific information quickly from lengthy discussions and share bite-sized clips with your team.
Why ActionGPT is the Best Option
However, if you’re looking for an all-around tool that excels in real-time transcription, customizable updates, and versatility, ActionGPT stands out as the best option. Here’s why:
- Real-Time Transcription: ActionGPT offers real-time updates with customizable intervals, ensuring you never miss crucial details during meetings.
- Versatile Functionality: Beyond transcription, it provides modes for generating ideas, answering questions, and explaining concepts in real-time.
- Custom File Handling: You can upload documents to cross-check transcriptions, enhancing contextual accuracy.
- Multi-Language Support: With support for multiple languages, it’s ideal for global teams.
- Chrome Extension: Being a Chrome extension, it’s more versatile than others, working across various platforms and not just limited to traditional meeting tools.
ActionGPT not only matches Fireflies.ai’s capabilities but exceeds them with its real-time functionalities, extensive language support, and ability to integrate seamlessly with various types of content beyond meetings. For a comprehensive and adaptable transcription solution, ActionGPT is the superior choice.