Fluent vs Fireflies. Send no one.
Fireflies is a thorough notetaker with deep search and integrations across a team's meetings. To capture each one, it sends its Notetaker bot to join the call as a participant.
Fluent sends no one. It captures the room from a device you already carry.
How each one gets the audio
Fireflies
- Sends its Notetaker bot to join the video call.
- Strong cross-meeting search and team integrations.
- Visible in the participant list; records the call stream.
- Audio routes through Fireflies' servers.
- In person, you record in the Fireflies phone app; bot-free desktop and Chrome options exist too.
Fluent
- Captures the room through a pendant or your phone's mic.
- Never joins the call; never appears in the participant list.
- Works in person, on walks, at lunch, in the hallway.
- Audio lives in your own account, encrypted at rest, never used to train models.
- Summary, action items by speaker, attributed transcript, cross-meeting patterns, an MCP server.
Fireflies is built for a team that meets on video and wants every call searchable. Fluent is built for the individual whose important conversations happen in person, and who wants them to add up to commitments, people profiles and coaching.
Fireflies and Fluent, side by side
| Fireflies | Fluent | |
|---|---|---|
| Paid plans | Pro $18/seat/mo, or $10 billed yearly. Business $29, or $19 yearly | Pro $9.99/mo, or $83.99/yr. Premium $19.99/mo, or $167.99/yr |
| Free plan | Unlimited transcription, limited AI summaries, 400 minutes of storage | 5 conversations a month |
| How it captures | Notetaker bot joins calls; bot-free desktop app; Chrome extension that records in the browser; phone app; uploads | Your iPhone mic or a paired Limitless or Omi pendant |
| In-person meetings | Yes, with the mobile app | Yes — what it is built for |
| Bot in your calls | Yes by default (its Notetaker bot); the desktop app records without it | Never |
| Works with a pendant | No | Yes — Limitless and Omi |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, Chrome extension | iPhone (iOS 26+) |
| Trains AI on your data | Not by default, per Fireflies | Never used to train models |
Checked October 8, 2026 · Sources: Fireflies pricing, Fireflies, Fireflies desktop, Fireflies security, Fluent pricing, Fluent FAQ
Re-checked October 14, 2026: Fireflies' bot is now named the Fireflies Notetaker.
The conversations a bot can't reach
Its Notetaker bot follows a calendar invite. Fireflies' phone app can record an in-person meeting too, but you start it each time, and the output is a transcript and summary of that conversation, built for searching a team's meetings.
Fluent captures the room from your iPhone or a pendant you already wear, then turns it into follow-through: the commitments each person made, a profile of everyone you talk to, and coaching from what was actually said. You don't need a pendant to start: Fluent records from your iPhone.
The honest boundary: Fluent will not join your Zoom call to record the far-side stream — that's the bot's job, and the bot is the thing we deliberately don't build. See how AI meeting notes work without a bot.
Who each one is for
Fireflies is for you if…
- Your team runs on scheduled video calls and wants them searchable in one place.
- You need deep CRM and workflow integrations across a sales or recruiting team.
- You want clean far-side audio on remote calls, from its Notetaker bot or the desktop app.
Fluent is for you if…
- Your consequential conversations happen in person, on walks and over lunch.
- You want commitments, people profiles and coaching, not a library of transcripts.
- You already wear a Limitless or Omi pendant, or want to start from your iPhone.
Questions
Can Fireflies record in-person meetings?
Yes, with its mobile app: you start a recording on your phone. Fireflies has no pendant support, so all-day capture isn't its model. Fluent records from your iPhone or a Limitless or Omi pendant.
Does Fluent join my Zoom or Teams calls?
No. Fluent never joins a call. On a remote call it records what your room hears through your iPhone or pendant. Fireflies' bot taps the call stream for cleaner far-side audio, and it appears in the participant list.
What does Fluent do that Fireflies doesn't?
Fireflies makes each meeting searchable across a team. Fluent builds a personal record that compounds: commitments tracked across conversations, people profiles that deepen over months, daily insights and conversation coaching.
Keep reading
Fireflies alternatives
Five tools people move to from Fireflies.
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The other bot-first notetaker, compared the same way.
Otter vs Fireflies
The two bot-based incumbents, head to head.
Record from your iPhone
Capture a meeting without a pendant or a bot.
Fathom vs Fireflies
Two bot-first notetakers, compared with sources.
tl;dv alternatives
Otter, Fireflies, Fathom, Granola and Fluent compared for tl;dv users.
Pricing
Free tier, Pro $9.99/mo, Premium $19.99/mo.
AI meeting notes in 2026
How to choose a meeting notes app, bot or no bot.
AI note taker for in-person meetings
Lunches, site visits and 1:1s, recorded on your iPhone or a pendant, with no bot to invite.
No notetaker bot. Just the notes.
Nothing joins the room. The notes are waiting when the meeting ends.
Download Fluent for iPhone