Fireflies.ai costs $18/mo.
These cost $0.
3 free alternatives to Fireflies.ai, checked for license, recent activity and real adoption. Each one tells you the catch, so you can switch with your eyes open.
Fireflies.ai vs Free Alternatives Matrix
Quick side-by-side comparison · $0/mo vs $18/mo
| Alternative | Type | License | Where It Runs | Stars | Head-to-Head |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenWhispr | open source | MIT | Local or hosted | ★ 5.2k | Fireflies.ai vs OpenWhispr → |
| Speakr | open source | AGPL-3.0 | Self-host | ★ 3.6k | Fireflies.ai vs Speakr → |
| Fathom | free | proprietary, free | Hosted | ★ $0 forever | Fireflies.ai vs Fathom → |
The picks
2 open source · 1 free to use · ranked by fit
- 01
OpenWhispr
open sourceMITLocal or hosted5.2kaug 2026One installer records meetings without a bot, labels speakers, summarizes them and keeps the archive searchable.
The catch vs Fireflies.aiIt lacks Fireflies' mature managed bot and team analytics, while reliable capture depends on desktop audio permissions and routing.
Install, platforms & data +
- platforms
- desktopone-click install
- install
- Install the signed macOS DMG, Windows EXE or Linux package, grant audio/accessibility permissions and choose local, cloud or BYOK processing
- setup
- Meeting capture needs OS audio permissions and a model download or cloud/API choice; macOS also needs Accessibility and Screen Recording/System Audio permission
- engines
- Local Whisper via whisper.cpp; NVIDIA Parakeet and Nemotron via sherpa-onnx; local LLMs via llama.cpp; BYOK OpenAI, Groq, xAI, Mistral, Tinfoil, OpenRouter, Corti, Anthropic/Google and OpenWhispr Cloud
- your data
- Notes and history in local SQLite with recordings/model caches in app directories; optional sync uses OpenWhispr Cloud/Neon PostgreSQL, while cloud or BYOK audio goes to the selected provider
- checked
- 2026-08-11
- 02
Speakr
open sourceAGPL-3.0Self-host3.6kjul 2026A polished self-hosted call archive with transcription, summaries, search and chat; zero subscription, nonzero server.
The catch vs Fireflies.aiIt has no managed calendar bot or automatic conferencing integrations; capture, uptime and every external integration are yours to operate.
Install, platforms & data +
- platforms
- webself-hostedself-host, real ops
- install
- Download the example Docker Compose and .env, add transcription/text-model credentials or endpoints, set the admin account and run docker compose up -d
- setup
- Docker is mandatory for the easy path, and the operator must supply API keys or deploy a separate GPU ASR container plus reverse proxy/TLS
- engines
- ASR via self-hosted WhisperX, OpenAI transcription, Mistral Voxtral, AssemblyAI, VibeVoice or custom endpoints; LLMs via any OpenAI-compatible endpoint including OpenRouter, OpenAI, Gemini, LocalAI or Ollama
- your data
- SQLite in the mounted instance directory, audio in mounted uploads or S3-compatible storage, and optional auto-exports such as Markdown and SRT files
- checked
- 2026-08-11
- 03
Fathom
freeproprietary, freeHostedUnlimited recording, transcription, basic summaries, clips and search for one person; the revenue-team machinery remains paid.
The catch vs Fireflies.aiThe free plan is individual-first and lacks Fireflies' richer team analytics, CRM workflow automation and broad cross-meeting collaboration.
Install, platforms & data +
- platforms
- desktopwebthey host it
- install
- Hosted signup, connect Google or Outlook Calendar, and install or authorize Fathom's meeting capture app or bot
- setup
- Authorizing calendar, microphone or screen capture and the visible meeting bot or beta bot-free recorder
- engines
- Fathom's proprietary AI plus third-party subprocessors including Anthropic, OpenAI and Google; individual model names are not disclosed
- your data
- Meeting audio/video, transcripts, notes and calendar/attendee metadata in Fathom's US-hosted cloud; recordings remain until deleted on free plans and can be downloaded or exported
- checked
- 2026-08-11
Frequently Asked Questions
Direct answers · Fireflies.ai open-source replacements
What is the best free alternative to Fireflies.ai?+
The top free alternative to Fireflies.ai is OpenWhispr (open source, MIT). One installer records meetings without a bot, labels speakers, summarizes them and keeps the archive searchable. Other popular Fireflies.ai replacements include Speakr, Fathom.
Can I self-host a free replacement for Fireflies.ai?+
Yes. Of the 3 free alternatives to Fireflies.ai, 2 can be self-hosted on your own server or local machine: OpenWhispr (MIT), Speakr (AGPL-3.0).
How much does switching from Fireflies.ai to a free alternative save?+
Fireflies.ai starts at $18/month per seat ($216/year). Switching a 5-person team to a free alternative like OpenWhispr saves $1,080 per year in software subscription fees.
Should I vibe-code or build my own Fireflies.ai clone from scratch?+
Our build verdict for Fireflies.ai is KINDA (the core, yes. the polish, no). The summarizer is easy; the meeting bot, calendar routing, integrations, team search, and admin layer make it more than a one-prompt clone.
What is the catch when switching from Fireflies.ai to OpenWhispr?+
It lacks Fireflies' mature managed bot and team analytics, while reliable capture depends on desktop audio permissions and routing.
