Verdict

Is Fireflies the better recorder for a team that wants unlimited transcription and an API?

Fireflies lists unlimited transcription on every plan (the Free plan's listing carries an asterisk the page does not explain). Pro and Business cost $10 and $19 per seat a month billed annually, or $18 and $29 month-to-month.

Who should consider it. Consider it if you want a meeting bot or Chrome extension plus an API, and will pay per seat for storage.

Start here: first steps with Fireflies.ai

Editorial guidance based on the vendor details we recorded. We have not tested Fireflies.ai, and we do not describe its screens or settings.

Who should start with it: Teams recording many meetings that want unlimited transcription on paid seats.
Before you create an account: Pick one real job, for example "Transcribe meetings", and prepare invented or non-sensitive input for the first try.
Read the vendor's data and privacy terms. Our privacy review checklist lists what to look for.
Commercial-use terms: we have not verified them. Read the vendor's terms for the plan you will use.
Which plan to start with: Start on the free plan. The limits we recorded: Unlimited transcription (asterisked on the page); limited AI summaries; 400 minutes of storage per team; 20 AI credits.
A first small task: Try a small version of a real case like this one: A sales team that wants call analytics and topic trackers (Business).
How to tell whether it helps: Time the job by hand first. Then record minutes taken, minutes of editing and anything the plan limits. Use the trial scorecard.
Common first-week mistakes: Adding seats before you know the tool works for you, or missing a seat minimum.
Building a routine on a free limit that resets daily or never, without checking which.
Putting private or customer data in before reading how the vendor handles it.
When to consider another tool: Teams on Free that need long retention: storage is 400 minutes per team.
Organisations that need HIPAA or SSO: both are listed on Enterprise only.
Alternatives: Otter.ai, Fathom. Reasons to switch.

What Fireflies.ai actually does

Joins Zoom, Google Meet and Teams (and more) with a bot, or records through a Chrome extension without one.
Transcribes in 100+ languages, with real-time notes and meeting search.
Summarises meetings with AI and answers questions about them through AskFred.
Paid tiers add video recording, assistants, voice agents and an action-item manager. Business adds conversation intelligence and team analytics.
Offers a GraphQL API.

Source: Fireflies.ai pricing page (opens in a new tab), Fireflies API docs (opens in a new tab).

Who it suits, and who should look elsewhere

Good fits

A sales team that wants call analytics and topic trackers (Business).
A solo consultant on Pro who records through the Chrome extension without a bot.

Scenarios are illustrative, based on plan limits and documented features.

Consider alternatives if

Teams on Free that need long retention: storage is 400 minutes per team.
Organisations that need HIPAA or SSO: both are listed on Enterprise only.

Practical workflows

Illustrative: built from documented features, not from testing.

Turn a call into action items

Outcome: A summary and task list after a recorded call

Connect your calendar so the bot joins the meeting (or use the Chrome extension).
Open the transcript and AI summary after the call.
Move action items into the task manager (listed from Pro).
Search the meeting later by topic or keyword.

Strengths and limitations

Strengths Vendor-documented

Unlimited transcription is listed on every plan (the Free plan's listing carries an unexplained asterisk)
Month-to-month and annual prices are both published
API access with published rate limits

Limitations and cautions Documented limits and editorial guidance

Free plan storage is 400 minutes per team
AI credits are small allowances (20 to 50)
HIPAA, SSO and SCIM are listed on Enterprise only

Hands-on testing

Not tested by us yet, so this page describes what the vendor documents. How testing is recorded.

Pricing

Free

Free plan

Unlimited transcription (asterisked on the page); limited AI summaries; 400 minutes of storage per team; 20 AI credits

Free trial

Not stated

No free trial is mentioned.

Cheapest paid plan

Pro

From $10/seat/mo (currency not named), billed annually, or $18 (currency not named) month-to-month

Show all 4 plans and limits

Fireflies.ai plans, prices and limits
Plan	Price and billing	Limits and inclusions
Free Free	Free	Unlimited transcription (asterisked on the page); limited AI summaries; 400 minutes of storage per team; 20 AI credits
Pro	$18/seat/mo (currency not named), billed monthly $10/seat/mo (currency not named), billed annually	Unlimited transcription and AI summaries; 8,000 minutes of storage per seat; 20 AI credits; video recording
Business	$29/seat/mo (currency not named), billed monthly $19/seat/mo (currency not named), billed annually	Unlimited storage; 30 AI credits; conversation intelligence; team analytics; recording limit 3 hours; 720p video
Enterprise	$39/seat/mo (currency not named), billed annually (Annual billing only)	50 AI credits; SSO and SCIM; audit logs; HIPAA; private storage

How usage is counted

Free: 400 minutes of storage per team, limited AI summaries, 20 AI credits.
Pro: 8,000 minutes of storage per seat. Business and Enterprise: unlimited storage, with 30 and 50 AI credits.
API rate limit: 60 requests a minute per paid seat, pooled up to 1,200.

Pricing model: Per seat or user
Currency: Shown as "$"; the vendor's page does not name the currency
Commercial use: Not verified
API: Yes · The docs describe a GraphQL API. The pricing page lists API access with rate limits of 60 requests a minute per paid seat, pooled up to 1,200.
Pricing checked: 20 Oct 2026 · Vendor pricing page (opens in a new tab)

Enterprise buyers of 50+ members can ask for volume discounts, per the page.
Rechecked on 21 October 2026: the pricing page, its FAQ and its footnotes name no currency, so the "$" is shown as listed and never treated as USD.

Prices are shown as each vendor lists them. Where a vendor shows only a "$" sign, its page does not name the currency, and vendors may show a local currency or regional price. Confirm on the vendor's page before buying.

Alternatives

Otter.ai

Reason to consider it: Free-plan limits are itemised in full, with 300 transcription minutes a month.

API: Otter.ai not verified; Fireflies.ai documented.
Paid prices are in different, unnamed or not comparable currencies, so they are not compared here.

Compare Fireflies.ai with Otter.ai

Fathom

Reason to consider it: The free plan lists unlimited recordings and transcriptions.

Paid prices are in different, unnamed or not comparable currencies, so they are not compared here.

Compare Fireflies.ai with Fathom

Compare Fireflies.ai with Otter.ai and Fathom

Frequently asked questions

Does Fireflies.ai have a free plan?

Yes. The free plan lists: Unlimited transcription (asterisked on the page); limited AI summaries; 400 minutes of storage per team; 20 AI credits.

How much does Fireflies.ai cost?

The lowest-priced paid plan is Pro: from $10/seat/mo (currency not named), billed annually, or $18 (currency not named) month-to-month. Annual-billing prices are shown per month but are paid yearly. Pricing was checked 20 Oct 2026.

Does Fireflies.ai have an API?

Yes. The docs describe a GraphQL API. The pricing page lists API access with rate limits of 60 requests a minute per paid seat, pooled up to 1,200.

Can I use Fireflies.ai output commercially?

We have not verified the commercial-use terms. That is a gap in our research, not a statement about the product. Read the vendor's terms before publishing output commercially.

Keep comparing

Sources and update history

Source	What it covered	Checked
Fireflies.ai pricing page (opens in a new tab)	Plans, prices, storage, credits, features	20 Oct 2026
Fireflies API docs (opens in a new tab)	Existence of the GraphQL API	20 Oct 2026

Not yet verified

These are gaps in our research, not claims about the product.

What the asterisk on Free "unlimited transcription" refers to
How AI credits are consumed
Whether a paid-plan trial exists
Refund policy

Research note

Vendor-documented: prices, plan limits, features and terms are taken from the sources above on the dates shown.
Editorial interpretation: the verdict, good fits, tradeoffs and workflows are our reading of those facts. None of it comes from testing the tool.
Unverified: anything listed under "Not yet verified" is a gap in our research, not a claim about the product.

Update history

20 Oct 2026 · Initial research from the vendor's official pages.
21 Oct 2026 · Rechecked currency wording and billing basis on the official pricing page.

Spotted something out of date? Tell us.