# Fireflies AI alternative: 4 tools that write real docs

URL: https://ohboiler.com/compare/fireflies-ai-alternative
Type: comparison
Locale: en
Published: 2026-07-23
Updated: 2026-07-24

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> Four real alternatives to Fireflies AI, compared on price, transcription languages, how they join the call, and what actually lands in your inbox once the meeting ends.

## Alternatives to fireflies-ai

**Winner:** ticnote

**Verdict:** TicNote is the pick if the meeting itself was never the point, the document that comes out of it was. Fathom is the pick if price is the only variable that matters. Otter still earns its seat for anyone who reads live. Tl;dv is the sales-coaching budget option. Fireflies AI remains competent, it is simply no longer the only competent option.

**Methodology:** Every tool on this page was set up with a working account between late June and mid-July 2026, using the same three recurring meetings across Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams: a 15-minute standup, a 45-minute client call, and a 90-minute planning session. We logged what each tool produced within ten minutes of the call ending (transcript, summary, action items, or a Shadow Agent document in TicNote's case), checked the published pricing pages for the free-tier limits stated above, and cross-referenced G2 and Capterra review volume and average rating to sanity-check the custom_score against public sentiment rather than our test sample alone. Screenshots of each homepage were captured directly for this article, current as of July 2026.


### Criteria

| Criterion | ticnote | otter-ai | fathom | tldv |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free tier (300 min/mo), then roughly $15-29/mo | Free tier (300 min/mo, 30-min cap per meeting), then $8.33-16.99/mo | Free tier, unlimited, no expiry; $16-20/mo Premium | Free tier, unlimited recordings; roughly $18/mo Pro |
| Transcription languages | 120 languages | English-first, limited multilingual support | English-first, limited multilingual support | 30+ languages |
| How it joins the call | Chrome extension, no bot invited | Bot joins, with live captioning | Bot, or bot-free capture (beta on Mac) | Bot joins Zoom, Meet, Teams |
| What you get after the call | Transcript plus Shadow Agent documents: reports, slides, calendars | Transcript plus a simple AI summary | Transcript, call summary, and action items | Transcript plus AI insights and coaching notes |
| CRM and workflow integrations | None yet: this is a workspace, not a CRM tool | Salesforce and HubSpot, limited depth | Slack, Salesforce, HubSpot, Notion, Asana | CRM sync on the Business tier |

### Per-product notes

- **tldv** — best for: Sales teams that want Gong-style coaching without Gong-tier pricing, score: 3.9/5
  Worth a look specifically for sales teams who want coaching insight on a smaller budget.
- **fathom** — best for: Individuals and small teams who want a genuinely free notetaker with no expiry, score: 4.1/5
  The strongest free option on this list, if you never plan to pay for a notetaker.
- **ticnote** — best for: Knowledge workers who need a finished document, not just a transcript, score: 4.4/5
  The only tool here that hands you a finished document instead of raw notes to summarise yourself.
- **otter-ai** — best for: Individuals who want live captions while the meeting is still running, score: 3.7/5
  Best when you read the transcript live and only need a plain summary afterward.
- **fireflies-ai** — best for: Sales and RevOps teams already living inside a CRM, score: 3.9/5
  Still a safe pick for CRM-heavy sales teams, but the credit ceiling wears thin fast.

## FAQ

### What is the best free alternative to Fireflies AI?

Fathom, for pure value: its free tier has no meeting cap, no seat limit and no expiry on history, which is unusual in this category. Tl;dv also offers unlimited free recording, though with fewer AI-report features included at that tier.

### Does TicNote replace Fireflies AI completely?

For teams whose main use of Fireflies is CRM-linked sales analytics, not entirely: Fireflies still has the deeper native Salesforce and HubSpot integrations. For teams that mainly need a usable document after the call, TicNote's Shadow Agent goes further than Fireflies does today.

### Which Fireflies AI alternative works best for sales teams specifically?

Tl;dv for coaching on a budget, thanks to its talk-time and objection tracking across a full call history. Fireflies AI itself remains competitive here too, given its native CRM depth.

### Can I avoid having a bot join my meetings?

Yes, with TicNote (a Chrome extension captures the call directly, so nothing joins as a visible participant) or Fathom, which offers a bot-free capture option currently in beta on Mac.

### How many languages do these tools transcribe?

TicNote leads at 120 languages. Fireflies AI covers 60+. Tl;dv covers 30+. Otter.ai and Fathom are English-first, with more limited multilingual support.

### What do you actually receive after the meeting ends?

All five produce a transcript and some form of AI summary. Fathom adds action items automatically. Fireflies and tl;dv add analytics and coaching notes. TicNote is the outlier: its Shadow Agent can generate an actual report, slide deck or calendar entry from the meeting sources, not just a summary of them.

### Is Fireflies AI still worth using in 2026?

For sales and RevOps teams with dashboards already built on its conversation intelligence, yes. For anyone newly choosing a meeting AI tool without that existing investment, the four alternatives above each remove at least one of its current limitations.