Fireflies.ai alternativeA Fireflies alternative with nothing to connect.
Fireflies does a lot, with a bot or its desktop app. ClearMeet does less and keeps it simple: no bot, no calendar access, and your audio stays on your PC. Here's where each one fits.
Free for 5 meetings a month. For Windows 10 and 11.
Last updated September 29, 2026 by the ClearMeet team at ClearMakes
What is ClearMeet, as a Fireflies alternative?
ClearMeet is an AI meeting assistant for Windows. Like Fireflies' desktop app, it listens through your computer with no bot and gives live help. It turns speech into text on your own PC, needs no access to your calendar, and has every feature on its Free plan for 5 meetings a month. Pro is $20 a month.
Why do people look for a Fireflies alternative?
Reviewers mention the bot being awkward in sensitive calls, the paid plans feeling expensive for light use, and the access it asks for. Fireflies' desktop app fixes the bot part.
On review sites, people say the bot can feel intrusive in sensitive or informal conversations, that paid tiers feel expensive for individuals, and that speakers are sometimes mislabelled (Capterra reviews of Fireflies). One reviewer was unhappy that it wanted access to their whole Google calendar (Trustpilot).
ClearMeet and Fireflies, side by side
Both have a Windows desktop app that works without a bot and helps during the call. Fireflies is cheaper on paid plans and does more; ClearMeet keeps the audio on your PC and needs nothing connected.
| What | ClearMeet | Fireflies.ai |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest paid plan | Pro $20 a month, or $16 a month billed yearly | Pro $18 a month, or $10 a month billed yearly |
| Free plan | 5 meetings a month, up to 2 hours each, with every feature | 400 minutes of storage and 20 AI credits, once |
| How it hears the call | No bot: it hears your PC's sound and your microphone, and turns speech into text on your PC | A note taker that joins the call (Fred), or a desktop app that records your computer's sound without a bot |
| Help during the call | Short answers to say, from the call and your own files; live notes and action items | Live Assist in the desktop app: live notes, answers and suggestions |
| Hidden from screen shares | Most screen shares, on every plan | The Live Assist pane is hidden during screen sharing by default |
| Needs your calendar | No | Its bot uses your calendar to join meetings |
| Joins meetings you don't attend | No | Yes, with its bot |
| Runs on | Windows 10 and 11 only | Windows and Mac desktop app, web, mobile |
When is Fireflies the better choice?
When you want a note taker that joins meetings for you, a Mac or phone app, or the lowest yearly price. Fireflies also connects to more tools.
Pick Fireflies if
- You want notes from meetings you can't attend, through its bot.
- You use a Mac, or want mobile and web apps.
- You want the lowest yearly price: $10 a month for Pro.
- You want meeting notes sent on to your other work tools.
Pick ClearMeet if
- You never want a bot, and don't want to connect your calendar.
- You want your call's audio to stay on your PC.
- You want every feature free for 5 meetings every month.
- You want short answers you can say, from your own files.
How to switch from Fireflies to ClearMeet
Install ClearMeet and press Start in your next call. If Fireflies' bot joins your meetings automatically, turn that off first so you don't have both.
- In Fireflies, stop its note taker from joining your meetings by itself, or remove its calendar access.
- Download ClearMeet for Windows and sign in with Google, Microsoft or your email.
- Add your own files to Notes, so answers can use them.
- In your next call, press Start on the ClearMeet bar.
ClearMeet writes down English speech only, for now. Recording laws differ by place: tell people when you record or transcribe a call.
Questions
Does Fireflies work without a bot?
Yes, in its desktop app. Fireflies can send its note taker, Fred, into your meetings, or record your computer's sound from its desktop app on Windows and Mac without a bot.
Is ClearMeet cheaper than Fireflies?
No, not on paid plans: Fireflies Pro is $18 a month, or $10 billed yearly; ClearMeet Pro is $20, or $16 billed yearly. ClearMeet's Free plan gives every feature for 5 meetings every month.
Does ClearMeet need my calendar?
No. ClearMeet doesn't connect to your calendar or your meeting app. You press Start when a call begins, and it listens through your PC.
Can ClearMeet record meetings I don't attend?
No. ClearMeet only works on your own computer while you're in the call. Fireflies' bot can join meetings for you; if you need that, Fireflies fits better.
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No bot, no calendar, just your call.
Free for 5 meetings a month, with every feature. For Windows 10 and 11.