Otter.ai vs Fireflies.ai: Which AI Meeting Assistant is Best in 2026?

In the remote work era, taking notes during a Zoom call is obsolete. AI meeting assistants now record, transcribe, and summarize your calls automatically. But between the two market leaders, which one should you pay for?

If you are still trying to listen, type, and present at the same time during meetings, you are setting yourself up for failure. AI has solved this problem. Meeting bots join your calls (Zoom, Teams, or Meet) and act as your personal stenographer.

The two biggest players are Otter.ai and Fireflies.ai. While they seem similar on the surface, they serve two very different types of users.

The Core Difference: Otter is designed for Individuals (Students, Journalists, Freelancers) who need great mobile access. Fireflies is designed for Teams (Sales, Engineering, Management) who need CRM integrations.

Contender 1: Otter.ai (The User-Friendly Choice)

Otter was one of the first on the scene, and it excels at simplicity. It is primarily a "Dictation" app that evolved into a meeting bot.

Best Features:

• Slide Capture: If someone shares a screen during a meeting, Otter automatically screenshots the slide and inserts it into the transcript. This is a game-changer for lectures and webinars.
• Mobile App: Otter has a fantastic iOS/Android app. You can record in-person coffee chats just as easily as virtual meetings.
• Real-time Transcript: You can watch the text appear as people speak, which is great for accessibility.

Contender 2: Fireflies.ai (The Powerhouse)

Fireflies (often called "Fred" by its users) is less about the transcript and more about the data. It is built to integrate with your tech stack.

Best Features:

• CRM Integration: Fireflies pushes meeting notes directly into Salesforce, HubSpot, or Slack. You don't have to copy-paste.
• Sentiment Analysis: It analyzes the call to tell you if the client was angry, happy, or neutral.
• Soundbites: You can create "Snips" of the meeting to share just the important 30 seconds with your team.
• Workflow Automation: "If a task is mentioned, create a card in Trello/Asana."

Head-to-Head Comparison

Feature	Otter.ai	Fireflies.ai
Target Audience	Individuals & Education	Sales & Enterprise Teams
Integrations	Basic (Zoom, Calendar)	Advanced (Zapier, Salesforce, Slack)
Video/Visuals	Yes (Slide Capture)	Yes (Video Recording)
Pricing	Cheaper Entry	Higher (Team focused)
Languages	English Focused	60+ Languages

When to Choose Otter

Choose Otter if you are a student recording lectures, a journalist recording interviews on your phone, or a freelancer who just wants a simple record of what was said. The Slide Capture feature makes it unbeatable for visual learners.

When to Choose Fireflies

Choose Fireflies if you run a business. If you need your meeting notes to trigger automations, or if you need to analyze how much your sales reps are talking vs. listening (Talk-to-Listen Ratio), Fireflies provides the analytics that Otter lacks.

The "Ask" Feature: Both tools now have "Chat with Meeting" features. You can ask "What deadlines did we agree on?" and the AI will scan the transcript and answer you. In 2026, this is the standard.

Conclusion

Stop relying on your memory. In a world of back-to-back calls, having a searchable "Second Brain" for your conversations is the ultimate productivity hack.

If you want a smart recorder, get Otter. If you want a workflow automation tool, get Fireflies.

Download January Skills: Meeting Assistant Setup Guide