Fireflies vs Otter vs tl;dv in 2026: which to pick
The 3 AI transcription leaders compared without marketing: accuracy, CRM integrations, price, languages. The decision grid for 90% of teams.
Three tools dominate AI transcription in 2026: Fireflies, Otter, tl;dv. They look identical on the product page but are radically different in use. Here’s the grid.
Fireflies: the sales/CRM machine
The most advanced on objection extraction, sentiment, and push to HubSpot/Salesforce. 30+ languages. Free plan limited (800 min/month transcribed, no long-term storage). Pro at $18/month/user. Default pick for sales teams.
Otter: the general-purpose meeting standard
Excellent for internal meetings, product teams, journalists. The live-transcript interface is the most polished on the market. But structured extraction (actions, objections) is poorer than Fireflies. English much better than other languages. $17/month/user.
tl;dv: the cheap option that fits solos
Unlimited transcription on the free plan, paid for advanced features (export, integrations). Ideal solo freelancer or consultant who just wants a clean transcript after each call without CRM push. $25-49/month for teams.
Key takeaways
- If you do B2B sales: Fireflies, no hesitation. ROI from the CRM push alone.
- If you’re solo and just want transcripts: free tl;dv.
- If you do lots of long English interviews: Otter.
Frequently asked questions
Are my data private?
Yes. Fireflies stores encrypted, GDPR and SOC 2 compliant. You can delete an individual meeting any time and exclude participants.
Can I run multiple tools in parallel?
Technically yes, in practice no: 2 bots joining the same call creates confusion, and you pay twice.
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Disclosure: links to Fireflies are affiliate links. If you sign up through them, I earn a commission at no extra cost to you.