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Quick verdict: Fireflies AI is the best meeting note taker I have tested for people who speak Hindi or Urdu. It wrote both languages correctly in their own scripts, and its English summary was the most accurate in my tests. The free plan is mainly a trial, though: 3 meetings, no downloads, and “unlimited” only if you let the bot join every meeting.
Best for: freelancers and small teams with meetings in English, Hindi or Urdu · Not for: anyone who wants a free plan for daily use · From: $10/month billed yearly, or $18 month to month · My score: 4.5 out of 5
In this Fireflies AI review, I share what happened when I tested Fireflies on the free plan on 16 October 2026. I recorded the same short test meeting I use for every meeting tool, with dates, a budget, names and action items, plus one line in Hindi and one in Urdu. Then I checked the transcript, the AI summary, AskFred (its AI chat), the free plan limits and what is locked behind the paid plans.
I ran the exact same recordings through Otter on the same day, so you will also see how the two compare when they hear identical audio.
How I tested Fireflies AI for this review
I recorded voice notes on my phone, converted them to MP3 and uploaded them with Fireflies’ Upload File option. I picked the language for each upload: English (Global), Hindi and Urdu. I did not test the meeting bot joining a live call this time, so this review covers transcription, summaries and the free plan, not the live bot.
- Test date
- 16 October 2026
- Plan
- Free plan (no trial, no card)
- Method
- 3 recorded files uploaded: English (1 min 15 s), Hindi (12 s), Urdu (13 s), one speaker
- English script
- “Good morning everyone. This is a test meeting for AI Tool Wise. Today we have three agenda items. First, the website launch on November 15. Second, a budget of $250 for new tools. Third, Ali will write two reviews by Friday. Ahmed, can you send the report to me by 5 PM? Our next meeting is on Monday at 10:30.”
- Also tested
- A mixed Roman Urdu and English line, AskFred, downloads, free plan limits and settings
You can read how I test every tool on my How I test page.
What is Fireflies AI?
Fireflies.ai is an AI meeting assistant. Its notetaker bot can join Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams calls, or you can upload a recording. It then writes a transcript, an AI summary with action items, and lets you ask questions about the meeting through AskFred. Fireflies says it transcribes more than 100 languages, and Hindi, Hindi (Latin) and Urdu are all in the language list I saw when uploading.
You can upload MP3, M4A, WAV, MP4 or WEBM files (the upload page says up to 500 MB for audio and 100 MB for video). Full plan details are on the official Fireflies pricing page.
Fireflies AI accuracy in English: my test results
Fireflies got almost all of my English script right. The numbers were perfect, which matters most in real meetings. It made three kinds of mistakes: it dropped one name, it changed one word, and it misheard two brand names.
| What I said | What Fireflies wrote | Result |
|---|---|---|
| November 15 | November 15th | Correct |
| $250 | $250 | Correct |
| 5 PM, Monday at 10:30 | 5pm, Monday at 10:30 | Correct |
| Ahmed, can you send the report… | Can you send the report… | Name dropped |
| the website launch on November 15 | the website launched on November 15th | Small change in meaning |
| should we test Fireflies and Otter | should we taste fireflies and water | Wrong |
The AI summary was well organized into Website Launch, Budget and Tools, and Deliverables. It kept the $250 budget and the Monday 10:30 meeting. But it repeated the transcript’s mistakes: it said the website “launched” (past tense) and listed a question about “tasting fireflies and water timing”.
The Action items box listed only Ali’s two reviews. When I asked AskFred “What are the action items from this meeting?”, it found both tasks, but it gave the report to me instead of Ahmed, because Ahmed’s name was missing from the transcript. When I asked “When is the next meeting and what is the budget?”, it answered Monday at 10:30 AM and $250, both correct.
Tip: Fireflies can only be as accurate as its transcript. Check names before you share a summary, and add them back with the transcript editor if one is missing.
Fireflies Hindi and Urdu test
This is where Fireflies stood out. When I chose Hindi for the upload, it wrote my sentence in Devanagari, word for word, both times I said it. When I chose Urdu, it wrote the sentence in proper Urdu script. One detail: I said the Urdu line twice, and Fireflies only wrote it once.
The weak spot is mixed speech. In my English file I also said one Roman Urdu line, “Kal ki meeting mein hum budget discuss karenge, aur launch date final karenge”, and then spoke freely for half a minute in the Urdu and English mix most of us use in Pakistan and India. With the language set to English, Fireflies kept only “launch date” and “final”, and turned the rest into nonsense words.
Two more things I noticed. The Hindi and Urdu files were too short for a summary (“Meeting does not have enough transcript to generate a summary”), so test it with a real meeting before you rely on it. And topic trackers are only available for meetings in English.
Tip: Pick the meeting language before you upload or before the bot joins. If your meetings switch between Urdu and English, Fireflies has a Multi-Language Mode, but the pricing page lists it under the Business plan. I saw it in the upload language list on the free plan but did not test it.
Fireflies free plan: what you really get
The pricing page says the free plan includes “unlimited transcription”, with an asterisk. Setting up my account explained the asterisk.
- Unlimited only with a trade-off. Free transcripts are unlimited only if the bot joins all your meetings with a video link and sends the recap to everyone on the invite. That is risky for client or private calls.
- Otherwise, 3 free meetings. With that switch off, my dashboard showed “3 Free meetings”. After my three uploads it showed 2, so uploads seem to count too.
- No downloads. The download window shows PDF, DOCX, SRT, CSV, JSON, MD and MP3, but when I chose a format and clicked Download, Fireflies asked me to upgrade.
- Other limits: 400 minutes of storage, recordings up to 2 hours, 20 AI credits for AskFred and AI Skills, and limited AI summaries.
Watch out for two defaults. The bot’s auto-record was on for meetings I host, so it would have used my free meetings on calendar calls. And new meetings were shared with “Teammates & anyone with link” by default. I changed both before testing.
Watch out: at the end of signup, Fireflies offers a 7-day Business trial. It needs a credit card, and the small print says billing “may increase with usage” after credits run out. You can close it with the X and stay on the free plan.
Fireflies AI pricing in 2026
Prices checked on Fireflies’ official pricing page on 16 October 2026. Prices are per seat, in US dollars, and taxes may be added depending on your country.
| Plan | Monthly billing | Yearly billing | Key limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | 3 meetings (or unlimited with join-all/share-all), 400 min storage, no downloads |
| Pro | $18/month | $10/month$120 per year | Unlimited AI summaries, 8,000 min storage, downloads, video recording |
| Business | $29/month | $19/month$228 per year | Unlimited storage, Multi-Language Mode, conversation intelligence, team analytics |
| Enterprise | Annual only | $39/month$468 per year | Security and admin features for large teams |
Which plan to choose: for one person, Pro on yearly billing is the sensible start. It unlocks downloads and unlimited summaries for $10 a month. Choose Business only if you need Multi-Language Mode for meetings that switch between languages, or team analytics.
Fireflies AI pros and cons
Pros
- Wrote Hindi in Devanagari and Urdu in Urdu script correctly
- Numbers, dates and times in my English test were all right
- Well organized AI summary, and AskFred answered both of my questions
- Choose the language per upload, with Hindi, Hindi (Latin) and Urdu available
- Works with Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams, plus file uploads
Cons
- Free plan is only 3 meetings unless the bot joins every meeting and shares every recap
- No downloads at all on the free plan
- Mixed Urdu and English speech failed in English mode
- Dropped a name, which put a task on the wrong person
- Default sharing is “anyone with link”, and the signup trial needs a card
Who should use Fireflies (and who should skip it)
Fireflies is a good fit if you are a freelancer, agency or small team with client calls in English, or meetings fully in Hindi or Urdu. It is also a good pick if you will pay for Pro, because downloads and unlimited summaries are what make it useful every day.
Skip Fireflies if you want a free note taker for daily use, if you need to download your notes without paying, or if your meetings constantly switch between Urdu and English and you do not want the Business plan.
Fireflies vs Otter: the same audio, different results
I uploaded exactly the same recordings to Otter’s free plan on the same day (full results in my Otter AI review). Here is the short version; every detail is in my Fireflies vs Otter comparison.
| Test | Fireflies | Otter |
|---|---|---|
| “$250” | Correct | “two $50” |
| Hindi and Urdu | Correct, in native scripts | Not supported (rough Roman letters) |
| Mixed Roman Urdu line | Mostly lost | Written phonetically in Roman letters |
| Action items list | 1 of 2 tasks | Empty |
| Downloads on free plan | Locked | Transcript, summary and audio (txt, mp3) |
| Free allowance | 3 meetings | 300 minutes a month, 30 minutes per meeting |
| Cheapest paid plan | $18 monthly or $10 yearly | $16.99 monthly or $8.33 yearly |
In short: Fireflies is more accurate and handles Hindi and Urdu, while Otter’s free plan is more generous.
What other reviewers say about Fireflies
To give you the full picture, I compared my test with what real users rate Fireflies on the big review sites.
| Source | Rating | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| G2 | 4.7/5 (754 reviews) | Mostly small businesses |
| Capterra | 4.9/5 (735 reviews) | Ease of use 4.8, customer service 4.5 |
Why my score (4.5) is a little lower: most G2 and Capterra reviewers are English-speaking businesses on paid plans. I tested the free plan, and I weigh what matters to readers in Pakistan and India: Hindi and Urdu support, mixed-language meetings and whether you can use it without paying. Fireflies does very well on Hindi and Urdu, but the 3-meeting free plan, locked downloads and weak mixed-language handling cost it points.
Ratings checked on 16 October 2026.
Fireflies AI review FAQ
Is Fireflies AI free?
Yes, there is a free plan with no time limit. In my account it gave 3 free meetings, unless you turn on “unlimited free transcripts”, which means the bot joins all your meetings and shares every recap with everyone on the invite. Downloads are not included.
Does Fireflies support Hindi and Urdu?
Yes. In my test it wrote Hindi in Devanagari and Urdu in Urdu script correctly. Choose the language before you upload or record. Mixed Urdu and English speech did not work well with the language set to English.
Can I download transcripts on the Fireflies free plan?
No. The download window shows the formats, but clicking Download asks you to upgrade. Downloads start with the Pro plan.
How much is Fireflies Pro?
$18 a month on monthly billing, or $10 a month billed yearly ($120 a year), per seat, as checked on 16 October 2026.
Is Fireflies or Otter better?
In my test, Fireflies was more accurate and the only one of the two that handled Hindi and Urdu. Otter’s free plan is more generous and lets you download your notes. If you need one free tool for English meetings, try Otter; if you will pay or need Hindi and Urdu, choose Fireflies.
Is this Fireflies review sponsored?
No. Fireflies did not pay for this review or see it before it was published. I tested it on my own free account. Some links on this page are affiliate links; see my affiliate disclosure.
Final verdict: is Fireflies AI worth it?
To sum up this Fireflies AI review: Fireflies is worth it if you will pay for Pro, or if your meetings are in Hindi or Urdu. It was the most accurate meeting note taker in my tests, it wrote Hindi and Urdu in their own scripts, and AskFred answered my questions correctly. Treat the free plan as a trial, not a daily tool: 3 meetings, no downloads, and “unlimited” only if you give up some privacy.
My score: 4.5 out of 5. Check names in your transcripts, set the meeting language before every call, and change the default sharing setting before you invite the bot to client meetings.
Looking for more tools? Browse all my AI tool reviews.
Sources checked for this Fireflies AI review
All facts below were checked on 16 October 2026. Plans and limits change often, so confirm on the official pages before you buy.
- Fireflies pricing page: plan prices, storage, recording limits, features per plan
- Fireflies help: supported languages: 100+ languages, auto-detect and Multi-Language Mode
- Fireflies help: storage and rate limits: upload limits per month
- G2 Fireflies.ai reviews and Capterra Fireflies reviews: user ratings
- My own hands-on test of Fireflies on the free plan, 16 October 2026
