Menutes vs Fireflies.ai – Which Is Better? (2026)
Fireflies.ai is a meeting intelligence platform that uses a bot (Fred) to join and record virtual meetings. It provides transcription, AI summaries, and a searchable conversation database. Fireflies integrates with major CRMs and project management tools for workflow automation.
TL;DR
Menutes is built for in-person meetings with device-based recording, 50+ language support, and EU data hosting. Fireflies.ai focuses on virtual meetings with CRM integrations and workflow automation. Choose Menutes for in-room capture and European compliance; choose Fireflies for sales-heavy virtual workflows.
What is Fireflies.ai?
Fireflies.ai is a meeting intelligence platform that uses a bot (Fred) to join and record virtual meetings. It provides transcription, AI summaries, and a searchable conversation database. Fireflies integrates with major CRMs and project management tools for workflow automation.
Feature comparison at a glance
| Feature | Menutes | Fireflies.ai |
|---|---|---|
| In-person meeting recording | Native: record from any device microphone | Not supported, requires virtual meeting platform |
| Virtual meeting recording | System audio recording and browser extension | Bot joins Zoom, Meet, Teams, Webex automatically |
| AI summaries | Structured minutes with decisions and action items | AI-generated summaries, action items, and topic tracking |
| CRM integration | Email sharing for follow-ups | Native Salesforce, HubSpot, and CRM push |
| Languages supported | 50+ languages | 69+ languages (transcription), English-focused summaries |
| Data hosting | EU infrastructure (GDPR native) | US-based (AWS) |
| Free plan | 5 hrs/month, 30-day history | Limited credits, 800 min storage |
| Paid pricing | From €10/month | From $18/user/month (Pro) |
How do AI meeting summaries compare?
Both Menutes and Fireflies.ai generate AI summaries, but they structure output differently. Menutes produces formal meeting minutes with clearly labeled sections: decisions made, action items assigned, and next steps. This format is ready to share with stakeholders immediately.
Fireflies.ai generates a more conversational summary with topic segmentation, action items, and questions raised during the meeting. It also offers an AI assistant (AskFred) that lets you query your meeting transcripts using natural language, a feature particularly useful for sales teams reviewing call histories.
For teams that need formal meeting documentation (board meetings, client reviews, compliance), Menutes' structured output saves significant editing time. For sales teams who want to search across hundreds of recorded calls, Fireflies' conversational AI and CRM push are more relevant.
Which platform handles in-person meetings better?
This is where the two platforms diverge most significantly. Menutes is specifically designed for in-person meeting capture. You open the app on your phone or laptop, press record, and the AI handles speaker identification and transcription in real time, even in challenging room acoustics.
Fireflies.ai requires a virtual meeting platform (Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, or Webex) to function. Its bot joins the call as a participant to record. For teams that primarily meet in person, whether in conference rooms, offices, or on-site, Fireflies simply doesn't cover this use case.
For organizations transitioning to hybrid work where some meetings are virtual and others are in-person, Menutes provides a single solution. With Fireflies, you'd need a separate tool for any meeting that doesn't happen on a video call.
How do pricing and value compare?
Menutes Premium is €10/month per user with unlimited transcription and unlimited meeting history. Team plans are €9/user/month. There are no per-seat minimums or annual commitment requirements.
Fireflies.ai Pro starts at $18/user/month (billed annually), and the Business plan is $29/user/month. The free tier offers limited credits and 800 minutes of storage. Fireflies' pricing scales quickly for larger teams.
For a 10-person team on annual billing: Menutes costs €90/month versus Fireflies Business at $290/month. That's a 69% cost reduction while still getting core transcription, AI summaries, and speaker identification. The savings are even more significant for organizations with 50+ users.
Who should choose Menutes over Fireflies?
Choose Menutes if you hold in-person meetings regularly, need GDPR-compliant data handling, want structured meeting minutes, or operate primarily in non-English languages. Menutes is also the clear winner on price for teams of any size.
Choose Fireflies.ai if your workflow revolves around sales calls on Zoom, you need CRM push integrations (Salesforce, HubSpot), or you want to build a searchable database of virtual meeting recordings. Fireflies' strength is in sales and revenue team workflows.
For general-purpose meeting transcription across both in-person and virtual contexts, Menutes offers better coverage and value.
The verdict
Menutes and Fireflies.ai target different meeting types. Menutes handles in-person meetings natively, costs up to 69% less, and keeps your data in the EU. Fireflies.ai is a strong choice for sales teams on virtual calls who need CRM integrations. If you're not in a sales-centric, Zoom-first workflow, Menutes is the more versatile and affordable option.
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5 hours of free transcription per month. No credit card required. Works for in-person and virtual meetings.
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