Otter vs Fireflies vs Fathom: Which AI Meeting Assistant Wins? (2026)

The Quick Verdict

If you're in a hurry, here's the summary:

Feature	Otter.ai	Fireflies.ai	Fathom
Best For	Searchable archives	Sales teams + CRM	Free individual use
Transcription	Excellent	Very Good	Very Good
Bot Joins Meeting	Yes	Yes	Yes
Real-Time Help	No	No	No
Free Tier	300 min/month	800 min/month	Unlimited
Paid Price	$16.99/month	$10/user/month	$29/month (teams)

My take: All three are solid transcription tools. But they all share the same fundamental limitation—they help you after the meeting, not during. If you need help in the moment, you'll want something different.

Now let me break down what I found after testing each one.

How I Tested

I used all three tools simultaneously for two months across:

• Client calls on Zoom and Google Meet
• Internal team syncs on Microsoft Teams
• Sales discovery calls
• 1:1s with my co-founder

I compared transcription accuracy, summary quality, ease of use, and how each tool handled real-world meeting scenarios. No cherry-picked examples—just honest observations from actual use.

Otter.ai: Best for Searchable Meeting Archives

Transcription Quality: Excellent Bot Visible: Yes ("Otter.ai" joins as participant) Pricing: Free (300 min/month), Pro $16.99/month, Business $30/user/month

Otter.ai has been around the longest and it shows. The transcription accuracy is genuinely impressive—I'd estimate 93-95% accuracy in good audio conditions. It handles multiple speakers well and the real-time transcript during meetings is smooth.

What I liked:

• Search across all meetings. This is Otter's killer feature. I could search "pricing discussion" and find every mention across months of calls. For someone who needs to reference past conversations frequently, this is valuable.
• Speaker identification. Otter correctly identified who said what about 85% of the time after initial training.
• Live transcript. You can see the transcript updating in real-time during the meeting, which some people find useful for following along.

What I didn't like:

• The bot is visible to everyone. "Otter.ai" joins your meeting as a participant. I've had clients comment on it, and it changes the dynamic of sensitive conversations.
• Summaries are hit-or-miss. The AI summaries sometimes missed key points or emphasized minor details. I learned to always review before sharing.
• Price adds up. At $16.99/month for individuals or $30/user/month for teams, it's not cheap—especially when the free tier is limited to 300 minutes.

Best for: Teams who need searchable meeting archives and don't mind visible bots. If your main goal is "I need to find what was said in that meeting three months ago," Otter delivers.

For detailed pricing breakdown, see our Otter.ai pricing guide.

Fireflies.ai: Best for Sales Teams

Transcription Quality: Very Good Bot Visible: Yes ("Fireflies.ai Notetaker" joins) Pricing: Free (800 min/month), Pro $10/user/month, Business $19/user/month

Fireflies.ai is built for sales teams, and it shows. The CRM integrations are the deepest I've seen—it can automatically push meeting notes, action items, and call summaries to Salesforce, HubSpot, and Pipedrive.

What I liked:

• CRM integration is seamless. After connecting HubSpot, every client call automatically logged notes to the right contact. This genuinely saved me 10-15 minutes of manual data entry per call.
• Conversation analytics. Talk-to-listen ratios, topic tracking, sentiment analysis—useful data for sales managers coaching their teams.
• Generous free tier. 800 minutes per month is meaningful. Most people can get real value without paying.
• Competitive pricing. $10/user/month for Pro is cheaper than Otter's comparable tier.

What I didn't like:

• Bot visibility. Same problem as Otter—"Fireflies.ai Notetaker" joins every meeting. Prospects notice.
• Feature overload. The dashboard has so many features that it took me a while to find what I actually needed. Simpler tools exist if you just want transcripts.
• Summaries after the fact. Like all these tools, insights arrive after the meeting ends—too late if you struggled during the call itself.

Best for: Sales teams who want automatic CRM updates and conversation analytics. If your workflow is "call → CRM update → follow-up," Fireflies streamlines it.

For detailed pricing breakdown, see our Fireflies pricing guide. I also wrote a full Fireflies review with more detail.

Fathom: Best Free Option for Individuals

Transcription Quality: Very Good Bot Visible: Yes ("Fathom Notetaker" joins) Pricing: Free for individuals (unlimited), Teams $29/month

Fathom is the newcomer that's disrupted the space with genuinely free unlimited transcription for individuals. No catch, no credit card required.

What I liked:

• Actually free. Unlimited transcription, unlimited meetings, no time limits. For individuals, this is unbeatable value.
• Fast summaries. Fathom often had summaries ready before the meeting even ended. It's noticeably quicker than Otter or Fireflies.
• Clean interface. Less cluttered than Fireflies. Easy to find what you need.
• Highlight clips. You can mark moments during the call and share short clips—useful for sharing key moments with teammates.

What I didn't like:

• Bot joins meetings. Same visibility issue as the others. "Fathom Notetaker" appears in the participant list.
• Limited integrations. Fewer CRM and tool integrations than Fireflies. If you need automatic Salesforce updates, look elsewhere.
• Teams plan jumps in price. Free for individuals, but $29/month for team features is a significant jump.

Best for: Individual contributors who want free, reliable transcription and don't need CRM integrations. If you're a solo consultant or freelancer, Fathom is hard to beat on value.

For detailed pricing breakdown, see our Fathom pricing guide.

Head-to-Head Comparisons

Otter vs Fireflies

Aspect	Otter.ai	Fireflies.ai	Winner
Transcription accuracy	93-95%	90-93%	Otter
CRM integrations	Basic	Excellent	Fireflies
Free tier	300 min/month	800 min/month	Fireflies
Search functionality	Excellent	Good	Otter
Price (Pro)	$16.99/month	$10/user/month	Fireflies

Bottom line: Otter for archives and search. Fireflies for sales workflows and CRM.

Fireflies vs Fathom

Aspect	Fireflies.ai	Fathom	Winner
Free tier	800 min/month	Unlimited	Fathom
Summary speed	Good	Excellent	Fathom
CRM integrations	Excellent	Limited	Fireflies
Ease of use	Complex	Simple	Fathom
Team features	Strong	Basic	Fireflies

Bottom line: Fathom for individuals who want simple and free. Fireflies for teams who need integrations.

Otter vs Fathom

Aspect	Otter.ai	Fathom	Winner
Transcription accuracy	93-95%	90-93%	Otter
Free tier	300 min/month	Unlimited	Fathom
Search across meetings	Excellent	Good	Otter
Summary speed	Moderate	Fast	Fathom
Price	$16.99/month	Free (individuals)	Fathom

Bottom line: Otter if you're willing to pay for best-in-class transcription and search. Fathom if you want free and fast.

The Problem They All Share

After two months of testing, here's what became clear: all three tools solve the same problem the same way.

They all:

• Join your meeting as a visible bot
• Record and transcribe after the fact
• Send you summaries when the meeting ends
• Help you remember what happened

They all don't:

• Help you during the meeting when you're struggling
• Provide context from previous conversations before the call
• Suggest responses when you freeze on a tough question
• Work invisibly without other participants knowing

If your problem is "I need documentation of what was said," these tools work fine. Pick based on price and features.

But if your problem is "I freeze in meetings" or "I forget context and struggle to respond well," transcription after the fact doesn't help. You need something that works during the conversation, not after.

What I'd Actually Choose (By Scenario)

After testing all three extensively, here's what I'd recommend for specific situations:

"I'm a solo consultant on a budget"

Choose: Fathom

Free unlimited transcription is unbeatable. You don't need CRM integrations or team features. Fathom gives you clean summaries fast, and you keep your money for things that matter more to your business.

"I run a sales team and need CRM automation"

Choose: Fireflies

The CRM integrations are genuinely good. Automatic call logging to Salesforce or HubSpot saves real time. The conversation analytics help with coaching. Yes, there's a visible bot, but sales calls often have recording disclosures anyway.

"I need to search across hundreds of past meetings"

Choose: Otter

Otter's search is the best in the business. If your workflow involves frequently referencing past conversations—"what did we agree on pricing in that call three months ago?"—Otter's archive search justifies the premium.

"I have sensitive client conversations"

Choose: None of these

Visible bots change the dynamic of sensitive conversations. Clients notice. Some feel uncomfortable. If you're a lawyer, therapist, financial advisor, or anyone dealing with confidential matters, bot-free alternatives exist for a reason.

"I want to perform better during meetings, not just document them"

Choose: Something else entirely

This is the gap none of these three fill. They're documentation tools. They don't help when you freeze on a tough question, forget context from last month's call, or struggle to find the right words in the moment. If that's your problem, transcription after the fact won't solve it.

How to Decide: A Simple Framework

Still not sure? Ask yourself these three questions:

1. What's my primary goal?

• Document meetings → Any of these three work
• Improve performance during meetings → Look elsewhere

2. Do visible bots matter?

• No, recording is expected → Otter, Fireflies, or Fathom
• Yes, clients or context is sensitive → Bot-free options

3. What's my budget?

• $0 → Fathom (individuals) or Fireflies free tier
• $10-20/month → Fireflies Pro or Otter Pro
• Enterprise budget → Consider Gong or Chorus

This framework covers 90% of decisions. Don't overthink it—pick one, use it for a month, and switch if it doesn't fit.

When to Consider Something Different

I'm biased—I'm co-founder of Convo—but here's my honest take:

Use Otter, Fireflies, or Fathom if:

• Your main need is meeting documentation
• You want searchable archives of past conversations
• You need automatic CRM updates (Fireflies)
• You don't mind visible bots
• Price is the primary concern (Fathom)

Consider Convo if:

• You want help during the meeting, not just after
• You need context from past conversations before the call starts
• You freeze when tough questions come up
• Visible meeting bots bother you or your clients
• Privacy matters (local processing, no cloud recording)

The tools solve different problems. Most "AI meeting assistant" comparisons miss this distinction.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which has the best transcription accuracy? Otter.ai edges out the others with 93-95% accuracy in good conditions. Fireflies and Fathom are close at 90-93%. All three struggle with heavy accents, background noise, or multiple people talking over each other.

Which is best for free? Fathom, without question. Unlimited free transcription for individuals. Fireflies' 800 min/month free tier is second best. Otter's 300 minutes is the most limited.

Do the bots bother meeting participants? In my experience, yes—sometimes. I've had clients ask "what's that Otter bot?" and prospects comment on being recorded. For sensitive conversations or relationship-building calls, visible bots create friction. If this matters to you, look for bot-free alternatives.

Can I use these for Zoom, Google Meet, and Teams? Yes, all three work with major platforms. Otter and Fireflies have the broadest compatibility. Fathom is slightly more limited with Microsoft Teams.

Which has the best CRM integration? Fireflies, by a significant margin. Native integrations with Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive, and others. Automatic logging of calls, notes, and action items. If CRM sync is critical, Fireflies is the choice.

Are there alternatives without bots? Yes. Convo, Granola, and a few others capture audio locally without joining as a meeting participant. See my Mac AI meeting assistants guide for options.

What about Gong and Chorus? Gong and Chorus are enterprise-focused revenue intelligence platforms. Much more expensive, much more complex. Overkill for most teams—designed for large sales organizations with dedicated RevOps. I'd only consider them if you have 50+ sales reps and a dedicated admin to manage the platform.