Free alternative to Fireflies.ai
Home › Guides · Last checked 2026-10-22 · Facts verified from each project's docs unless marked tested
The closest free alternative to Fireflies.ai is Meetily Community Edition, a free MIT-licensed desktop app that records your mic and system audio, transcribes locally with Whisper or Parakeet and writes summaries with a local Ollama model. Nothing has to leave your computer and no notetaker bot joins the call. The catch: speaker identification is listed as a coming-soon Meetily PRO feature, Linux users build from source, and you need a decent machine to run the models.
| Fireflies.ai Free | Meetily Community Edition | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | $0; Pro $10/seat/mo billed annually (Fireflies pricing) | Free |
| Storage | 400 minutes per team | Your own disk |
| AI summaries | Limited; 20 AI credits | Unlimited with a local Ollama model |
| How it joins | Notetaker bot or Chrome extension | Records mic plus system audio on your computer |
| Speaker features | Speaker talk-time analytics in its plan table | Speaker identification not in the free edition (PRO, coming soon) |
| Catch | Data on Fireflies' servers; summary limits | Windows/Apple Silicon installers only; local models need a capable machine |
Set it up
- Download the Windows x64 setup .exe or the Apple Silicon .dmg from Meetily releases. On a Mac, drag Meetily to Applications.
- Install Ollama and pull a model for summaries, or point Meetily at a cloud provider you already use.
- Pick your mic and system audio devices, start recording when the meeting starts and watch the live transcript.
- When the call ends, generate the summary. You can also import an existing audio file to transcribe it (a beta feature).
The catches
- No speaker labels: transcripts aren't split by speaker in the free edition.
- Hardware: macOS builds use Metal and CoreML, and Windows builds use Vulkan. CUDA needs your own source build.
- Linux: no installer; build from source.
- Upsell: the README promotes Meetily PRO. You don't need it for local notes.
When Fireflies is still worth paying for
If your team wants meeting notes shared in one workspace, CRM integrations or conversation intelligence, Fireflies' paid plans do that out of the box. Meetily wins when you want unlimited transcripts and summaries for free and don't want call audio on someone else's servers.
Sources: Meetily README and GitHub license (MIT), Meetily releases (v0.4.1), Fireflies pricing (all checked 2026-10-22). We have no affiliate link with either. See all free voice tools or read Whisper vs Otter.
FAQ
What does Fireflies' free plan include?
Its pricing page (checked 2026-10-22) lists the Free plan at $0 with unlimited transcription (marked with an asterisk), limited AI summaries, 400 minutes of storage per team and 20 AI credits. Pro is $10 per seat a month billed annually or $18 billed monthly, with unlimited summaries and 8,000 minutes of storage per seat.
Is Meetily really free?
The Community Edition is. The README says it's MIT-licensed and will remain free and open source, with local transcription, AI summaries and core features. Meetily PRO is a separate paid product built on a different codebase.
Which platforms does it run on?
The latest release (v0.4.1, September 2026) ships a Windows x64 installer and an Apple Silicon macOS .dmg. The Windows build needs an AVX2-capable CPU. Linux users build from source with the repo's build scripts.
Does it work with Zoom, Meet and Teams?
It captures your microphone and system audio together, so it records whatever call app you use. It doesn't send a bot into the meeting the way Fireflies does.
Do I have to use a local AI model for summaries?
No. Ollama running locally is the recommended option, but the README also lists Claude, Groq, OpenRouter, OpenAI and any OpenAI-compatible endpoint. Pick a cloud provider and your transcript goes to that provider for the summary.
Do I need permission to record?
Yes, follow your local consent laws and tell people the call is being recorded. A local tool doesn't change that.