Independent verdicts on paid AI plans. Prices re-checked every day. We may earn a commission from "Visit" links. How we make money
shouldipay.ai

Comparison · prices checked every day

Otter.ai vs Fireflies.ai: which is worth paying for?

The current plans and our verdict on each tool, side by side. Prices come from each vendor's own pricing page and are checked every day.

The short answer

Choose Otter.ai if…

  • you need a free plan with 300 monthly transcription minutes and 300 imported file minutes per user
  • you want to join up to 3 concurrent meetings with the Business plan at $30/month per user
  • you require up to 4 hours of max transcription time per conversation

Choose Fireflies.ai if…

Our pick for most people

  • you want unlimited transcription on the Free plan instead of a per-user minute cap
  • you need the Pro plan at $18/month per user for 8,000 minutes of storage per seat
  • you want the Business plan at $29/month per user for unlimited storage and team analytics

Bottom line: Fireflies.ai is the better choice for users who want unlimited transcription and generous storage limits.

Key differences

  • Otter.ai offers a free plan with 300 monthly transcription minutes per user, while Fireflies.ai offers unlimited transcription on its free plan. pricing pageSource · vendor pagePricing page (fireflies.ai), checked Sep 27, 2026.Go to sources ↓
  • Otter.ai charges $16.99/month per user for its Pro plan, whereas Fireflies.ai charges $18/month per user for its Pro plan. pricing pageSource · vendor pagePricing page (otter.ai), checked Sep 24, 2026.Go to sources ↓
  • Otter.ai allows up to 3 concurrent meetings on its Business plan at $30/month per user. pricing pageSource · vendor pagePricing page (otter.ai), checked Sep 24, 2026.Go to sources ↓
  • Fireflies.ai charges $29/month per user for its Business plan, which includes unlimited storage and team analytics. pricing pageSource · vendor pagePricing page (fireflies.ai), checked Sep 27, 2026.Go to sources ↓
  • Otter.ai limits the free plan to 3 lifetime audio/video file imports per user. pricing pageSource · vendor pagePricing page (otter.ai), checked Sep 24, 2026.Go to sources ↓
  • Fireflies.ai limits the free plan to 400 minutes of storage per team. pricing pageSource · vendor pagePricing page (fireflies.ai), checked Sep 27, 2026.Go to sources ↓

Plans and limits side by side

PlansOtter.aiFireflies.ai
Business plansBasic $0Workspace Size 5, Max number of concurrent meetings 1, Meeting & recording transcription…Pro $16.99/user/moWorkspace Size 5 billed users, Max number of concurrent meetings 2, Meeting & recording t…Business $30/user/moWorkspace Size 25 billed users, Max number of concurrent meetings 3, Meeting & recording…Enterprise CustomWorkspace Size Unlimited, Max number of concurrent meetings 3, Meeting & recording transc…Free $0Transcription Unlimited, AI summaries Limited, Storage 400 mins/team, AI credits 20, Reco…Pro $18/user/moTranscription Unlimited, AI summaries Unlimited, Storage 8,000 mins/seat, AI credits 20,…Business $29/user/moTranscription Unlimited, AI summaries Unlimited, Storage Unlimited, AI credits 30, Record…Enterprise $39/user/mo or $468/user/yrTranscription Unlimited, AI summaries Unlimited, Storage Unlimited, AI credits 50, Record…

From each vendor's own pricing page · Otter.ai checked Sep 27, 2026 · Fireflies.ai checked Sep 27, 2026.

Our tests

We have not run our task suite on Otter.ai or Fireflies.ai yet, so this comparison has no test scores.

Questions people ask

Which tool is better for small teams on a budget?

Otter.ai's Pro plan costs $16.99/month per user, while Fireflies.ai's Pro plan costs $18/month per user. Both offer significant features over their free tiers.

Does either tool offer a free plan?

Yes. Otter.ai has a free plan with 300 monthly transcription minutes per user. Fireflies.ai has a free plan with unlimited transcription but limited storage.

What is the maximum transcription time per conversation?

Otter.ai allows up to 90 minutes on the Pro plan and 4 hours on the Business plan. Fireflies.ai allows up to 2 hours on the Pro plan and 3 hours on the Business plan.

How many concurrent meetings can I join?

Otter.ai allows 1 concurrent meeting on the free plan, 2 on the Pro plan, and 3 on the Business plan. Fireflies.ai's concurrent meeting limits are not explicitly stated in the provided sources.

Sources

Drafted with AI from these pages, our tests and the linked user reports, and checked automatically against them before publishing: every price, score and report above is tied to the tool it is about.

Otter.ai

Fireflies.ai

Each tool's verdict and plans

Otter.ai

DEPENDS DEPENDS — worth it for some people

Otter's free plan is generous for light users, but paying is essential for teams needing higher limits, unlimited history, and advanced integrations.

Based on pricing & docs — not yet tested by us

Cheapest paid
$16.99/user/mo
What's free
$0
Our test score
—

Basic

$0

Pro

$16.99/user/mo

Business

$30/user/mo

Enterprise

Custom

Fireflies.ai

YES YES — worth paying for Re-checking after a price change

The free plan’s 400-minute storage limit fills up fast; paying unlocks unlimited storage and AI summaries.

Based on pricing & docs — not yet tested by us

Cheapest paid
$18/user/mo
What's free
$0
Our test score
—

Free

$0

Pro

$18/user/mo

Business

$29/user/mo

Enterprise

$39/user/mo

or $468/user/yr

How we make money

The "Visit" buttons go through shouldipay.ai/go/ and may be affiliate links, but commissions never decide a verdict or a comparison: the evidence does. Affiliate disclosure