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Quick verdict: In my Fireflies vs Otter test, Fireflies wins. On the exact same recording it got the budget right, wrote Hindi and Urdu correctly in their own scripts, and its summary had fewer mistakes. Otter wins on the free plan: 300 minutes a month and free downloads, against Fireflies’ 3 meetings and no downloads.
Choose Fireflies if: any of your meetings are in Hindi or Urdu, or you will pay for accurate notes. · Choose Otter if: your meetings are in English and you want a free tool you can use every week.
Fireflies vs Otter is the question most people ask before choosing an AI meeting note taker. I tested both myself on their free plans on 16 October 2026, and I gave them exactly the same recording, so every difference below comes from the tools, not from the audio. For the full details of each tool, read my Fireflies AI review and my Otter AI review.
Fireflies vs Otter at a glance
| Feature | Fireflies | Otter |
|---|---|---|
| My score | 4.5/5 | 4/5 |
| English numbers and dates | All correct | Budget wrong ($250 became “two $50”) |
| Names | Dropped “Ahmed” | Changed “Ahmed” to “Emma” |
| Hindi and Urdu | Supported, correct scripts | Not supported |
| Mixed Urdu and English | Mostly lost | English words kept |
| Action items list | 1 of 2 tasks | Empty |
| Free plan | 3 meetings (or unlimited if the bot joins every meeting and shares every recap) | 300 minutes a month, 30 minutes per meeting |
| Downloads on free plan | Locked | Transcript, summary and audio |
| Cheapest paid plan | $18 monthly or $10 yearly | $16.99 monthly or $8.33 yearly |
| Languages | 100+ | 6 |
How I compared Fireflies and Otter
I recorded voice notes on my phone and turned them into MP3 files: a 1 min 15 s English test meeting, a Hindi line and an Urdu line. I uploaded the English, Hindi and Urdu files to Fireflies, choosing the language for each upload. For Otter, I joined the same three recordings into one file, because Otter’s free plan only allows 3 imports for the life of the account, and imported it with the language set to English (US).
- Test date
- 16 October 2026, both tools
- Plans
- Fireflies Free and Otter Basic, no trials, no card
- 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
- One Hindi line, one Urdu line, a mixed Roman Urdu and English line, half a minute of free talk, AI chat, exports
I did not test the meeting bots joining a live call, so this comparison covers transcription, summaries, AI chat and the free plans. My method for every tool is on the How I test page.
English accuracy: Fireflies vs Otter
Both tools got most of the English script right. The difference is in the details that matter most in a work meeting: numbers and names.
| What I said | Fireflies wrote | Otter wrote |
|---|---|---|
| the website launch on November 15 | the website launched on November 15th | the website launch on November 15 |
| a budget of $250 | a budget of $250 | a budget of two $50 |
| Ahmed, can you send the report… | Can you send the report… | Emma, can you send the report… |
| Monday at 10:30 | Monday at 10:30 | Monday at 10:30 |
| test Fireflies and Otter | taste fireflies and water | taste fireflies and water |
Winner: Fireflies. Getting the budget wrong is the more serious mistake, because a wrong number in meeting notes can cause real problems. Both tools struggled with names and with the two brand names.
Hindi and Urdu: the biggest difference
This is where the two tools are furthest apart. Fireflies lists more than 100 languages, including Hindi, Hindi (Latin) and Urdu, and you pick the language for each upload or meeting. Otter only transcribes English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese and Chinese.
| Test line | Fireflies | Otter |
|---|---|---|
| Hindi (said twice) | Perfect Devanagari, both times | Rough Roman-letter sounds |
| Urdu (said twice) | Correct Urdu script, but only once | Rough Roman-letter sounds, both times |
Winner: Fireflies, clearly. If even some of your meetings are in Hindi or Urdu, Otter is not an option.
Mixed Urdu and English meetings
Most meetings in Pakistan and India switch between Urdu or Hindi and English in the same sentence. I tested that with the line “Kal ki meeting mein hum budget discuss karenge, aur launch date final karenge”, recorded in my English file.
- Fireflies (language set to English) kept only “launch date” and “final”, and turned the rest into nonsense words.
- Otter wrote “Kargi meeting, ma’am, budget discuss karenge or launch date final king”. The English words survived and the Urdu came out as sounds.
Neither tool handled my half minute of free talk in mixed Urdu and English well. Small win for Otter, but neither is reliable for mixed-language meetings on the free plan. Fireflies has a Multi-Language Mode for this, but its pricing page lists it under the Business plan, and I did not test it.
Summaries, action items and AI chat
| Test | Fireflies | Otter |
|---|---|---|
| Summary | Well organized; said “launched” (past tense) | Well organized; said “$50” and “Emma” |
| Action items list | Ali’s reviews only | Empty |
| “What are the action items?” | Both tasks, but the report went to “You” | Both tasks, but the report went to “Emma” |
| “When is the next meeting and what is the budget?” | Monday 10:30 AM, $250 | Monday 10:30 a.m., and claimed the summary says $250, while it says $50 |
Winner: Fireflies. Its notes were more trustworthy, and AskFred did not contradict its own summary.
Free plan: Fireflies vs Otter
| Free plan | Fireflies Free | Otter Basic |
|---|---|---|
| How much you get | 3 meetings (unlimited only if the bot joins all meetings and shares every recap) | 300 minutes a month |
| Longest meeting | 2 hours | 30 minutes |
| File uploads | Allowed, counted against your free meetings | 3 for the life of the account |
| Downloads | Locked (upgrade message) | Transcript and summary (txt), audio (mp3) |
| AI chat | 20 AI credits | 20 questions a month |
| Signup trial | 7-day Business trial, card required | 14-day Business trial, card required |
Winner: Otter. You can actually use it every week for free and keep your notes. Fireflies’ free plan is better seen as a trial. Both offer a Business trial right after signup that needs a card; you can skip it and stay free.
Fireflies vs Otter pricing in 2026
Prices checked on both official pricing pages on 16 October 2026. Prices are per user or seat, in US dollars, and taxes may be added depending on your country.
| Plan | Fireflies | Otter |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 |
| Pro, monthly | $18/month | $16.99/month |
| Pro, yearly | $10/month$120 per year | $8.33/monthabout $100 per year |
| Business, monthly | $29/month | $30/month |
| Business, yearly | $19/month$228 per year | $19.99/monthabout $240 per year |
Otter is about $20 a year cheaper on Pro. Otter’s pricing page also showed first-time offers on monthly billing (Pro at $8.49 a month, Business at $24 for 3 months). What you unlock matters more than the small price gap: Fireflies Pro adds downloads and unlimited summaries, and Otter Pro removes the 30-minute meeting limit and adds PDF and DOCX exports.
Privacy and default settings
Check the settings of both tools before you invite a bot to client calls.
- Fireflies: unlimited free transcripts require letting the bot join all meetings with a video link and sending recaps to everyone on the invite. In my account, auto-record was on for meetings I host, and new meetings were shared with “Teammates & anyone with link” by default.
- Otter: once you connect a calendar, its notetaker can join your upcoming meetings automatically. You can change this under AI Notetaker settings.
In both tools, tell people when a meeting is being recorded.
Which should you choose?
| If you… | Choose |
|---|---|
| Have meetings in Hindi or Urdu | Fireflies |
| Want a free tool for English meetings every week | Otter |
| Need accurate numbers in your notes | Fireflies |
| Want to download notes without paying | Otter |
| Have meetings longer than 30 minutes and will not pay | Fireflies (2-hour limit), but only 3 meetings |
| Want the cheapest paid plan | Otter |
Fireflies vs Otter FAQ
Is Fireflies or Otter better?
In my test, Fireflies was more accurate and the only one that handled Hindi and Urdu, so it is my overall pick (4.5/5 vs 4/5). Otter has the better free plan.
Which is better for Hindi or Urdu meetings?
Fireflies. It wrote Hindi in Devanagari and Urdu in Urdu script correctly. Otter does not support either language.
Which has the better free plan?
Otter: 300 minutes a month and free downloads. Fireflies gives 3 meetings and no downloads, unless you let its bot join every meeting.
Is Otter cheaper than Fireflies?
Slightly. Otter Pro is $16.99 a month or $8.33 a month yearly; Fireflies Pro is $18 a month or $10 a month yearly, as checked on 16 October 2026.
Is this comparison sponsored?
No. Neither company paid for it or saw it before it was published. I tested both on my own free accounts. Some links are affiliate links; see my affiliate disclosure.
Final verdict: Fireflies or Otter?
To sum up this Fireflies vs Otter comparison: Fireflies is the better meeting note taker, and the only choice of the two if your meetings are in Hindi or Urdu. It got the numbers right, wrote both South Asian languages correctly and gave more trustworthy summaries. Otter is the better free tool for English-only meetings, with 300 minutes a month and free downloads.
My scores: Fireflies 4.5/5 and Otter 4/5. Whichever you choose, check names and numbers before you share the notes.
Try Fireflies free Try Otter free
See all my AI meeting note taker reviews.
Sources checked for this Fireflies vs Otter comparison
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 and Otter pricing page: prices and plan limits
- Fireflies help: supported languages and Otter help: supported languages
- Otter help: Business free trial
- My own hands-on test of both tools with the same recording, 16 October 2026
