Nobody likes taking meeting notes, and important details get lost. Otter.ai and Fireflies both record calls, transcribe them and write summaries with action items. Here is how they compare for small teams.
Quick comparison
| Factor | Otter.ai | Fireflies |
|---|---|---|
| Transcription and summaries | Yes | Yes |
| Joins video calls | Yes | Yes |
| Integrations | Common calendar and video apps | Wide range including CRMs |
| Free plan | Yes, with limits | Yes, with limits |
Otter.ai: simple and quick to start
Otter is easy to set up, connects to your calendar and joins meetings to take notes automatically. Good for owners and small teams that want working notes with little setup.
Fireflies: strong integrations
Fireflies connects with many business apps and lets you search across past meetings. It suits sales and client-service teams that want notes sent to their CRM or project tools.
Important: get consent
Recording laws vary by state, so tell participants you are recording and get their consent before using any meeting recorder.
How to choose
- Run both on the free plan for two real meetings.
- Compare the accuracy of the summaries and action items.
- Check which one connects to the apps you already use.
- Check current pricing on each vendor’s site.
Final thoughts
Either tool will save you note-taking time. Pick the one that fits your apps. More in our list of the best AI tools for small business.