Fireflies alternative.
A9 Voice vs Fireflies.
Both take meeting notes on Windows, and both can record with no bot in the call. A9 Voice differs on price (Notes $49 once, not $10 to $18 a month), speaker names that work without a bot, offline models on your PC, your own keys, Markdown files. Fireflies differs on team workspaces, integrations and saved video.
Windows 10 and 11, 64-bit. One small installer, no admin rights.How they compare.
Fireflies works on Windows, with a bot or with its desktop app. The big differences are the price model, what you get when no bot joins, and where the work happens. A9 Voice runs speech on your PC; Fireflies runs in its cloud.
| A9 Voice | Fireflies | |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Windows 10 and 11, 64-bit | Desktop app for Windows 10 and up and macOS 12 and up, iOS and Android apps, a Chrome extension, and a bot that joins Zoom, Google Meet and Teams. Source, source |
| Free plan limits | Transcribe (dictation): no word limit and no account. Notes: free for 30 days, then $49 once. | Free: limited AI summaries, 400 minutes of storage per team and 20 AI credits. Source |
| Paid price | Notes $49 once, after a 30-day free trial. Transcribe stays free. | Pro $18 a seat a month, or $10 a seat a month billed annually. Business $29, or $19 billed annually. Enterprise $39, billed annually only. Source, source |
| Joins the call as a bot? | No: records your mic and your computer’s audio | Either. Its Notetaker bot joins as a participant; the desktop app’s Take Notes captures your device audio with no bot. Source |
| Names speakers how | Tag a voice once, or let it learn voices (opt-in); names show live, with no bot | Speaker labels with the bot. With no bot you get Speaker 1 and Speaker 2. Source |
| Speech on your PC (offline) | Yes: Parakeet V2 and Whisper models, no key and no internet | Not listed for the desktop app. Its mobile app can record offline and upload later. Source |
| Your own API keys | Yes, or none: models run on your PC | Not listed in its plans or help pages |
| Where notes are stored | Markdown files on your PC, in a folder you pick | Fireflies’ cloud: plans list storage of 400 minutes per team on Free, 8,000 minutes per seat on Pro and unlimited on Business and up. A no-bot recording keeps notes and transcript only, with no audio or video. Source, source |
| Team features | None: built for one person on one PC | Team workspaces and channels. Business: team analytics for admins, user groups. Enterprise: SSO and SCIM, audit logs, super admin role, private storage, HIPAA compliance. Source |
When Fireflies is the better pick.
Pick Fireflies if you need more than one person’s notes, or the recording itself.
You’re rolling out to a team
Fireflies has team workspaces and channels, team analytics and user groups on Business, and SSO, SCIM and audit logs on Enterprise. A9 Voice has no team features.
You want the recording and the labels
With its bot, Fireflies saves audio and video and labels speakers. A9 Voice names speakers you tag and keeps notes as files, but it isn’t a shared recording library.
You want integrations or other devices
Fireflies lists 100+ integrations to CRM, ATS, ERP and project tools, plus AI Skills and Voice Agents, and it has iOS, Android and Mac apps. A9 Voice runs on Windows 10 and 11 only.
When A9 Voice is the better pick.
Pick A9 Voice if you work on Windows and would rather own your tools than rent them.
You only use Windows
It’s built for Windows 10 and 11 and nothing else, with no Mac or phone app to compete for attention.
You want names without a bot
Fireflies’ no-bot capture labels people Speaker 1 and Speaker 2. A9 Voice names them live, with nothing joining the call.
You want offline, or your own keys
Run speech models on your PC with no internet, or use your own provider keys and pay those providers directly.
You want notes as files
Every note is a folder of Markdown on your PC, so Claude, ChatGPT or any tool that reads files can use it.
What a year costs.
For one person, Fireflies Pro is $120 a year billed annually. A9 Voice Notes is $49 once, plus whatever your own providers charge, which is $0 on models that run on your PC.
| A9 Voice | Fireflies Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| First year | $49, plus provider costs | $120 billed annually ($10 × 12), or $216 billed monthly ($18 × 12) |
| Each year after | Provider costs only | $120 or $216 again |
| Provider costs | About 24 cents per 27-minute meeting and about 4 cents per hour of dictation on your own keys; $0 on models that run on your PC | Included in the plan |
An example: ten 27-minute meetings a month at 24 cents is $2.40 a month, or $28.80 a year. The first year is $49 + $28.80 = $77.80 against $120. Fireflies’ free plan costs nothing too, with limited AI summaries and 400 minutes of storage per team.
Our arithmetic from list prices checked on October 13, 2026. The 24-cent and 4-cent figures come from our own test, explained in the first answer on the features page; your usage will differ.Moving over takes three steps.
You can have A9 Voice dictating in a few minutes. Your Fireflies account can stay where it is until you’re happy.
1. Install
One small installer, no admin rights. Getting started walks through the first dictation.
2. Add your names and jargon
Put the words you use in the Dictionary so they come out spelled your way. How the Dictionary works.
3. Turn on Notes for your call apps
Pick Teams, Zoom or another call app and A9 Voice records when it opens the mic. How recording a meeting works.
Questions
Is there a free Fireflies alternative for Windows?
Yes. Transcribe, the dictation half of A9 Voice, is free with no word limit and no account. Notes, the meeting half, is free for 30 days and then costs $49 once. Fireflies has a free plan too, with limited AI summaries and 400 minutes of storage per team. If you use cloud keys you pay those providers directly; models that run on your PC cost nothing per use.
Does A9 Voice join my call as a bot?
No. It records your microphone and your computer’s audio on your PC, so nothing joins the call or shows in the participant list. Fireflies’ Notetaker bot does join as a participant, though its desktop app can capture without one. Nothing announces the recording from A9 Voice, so tell the people on the call: you’re responsible for any consent your location requires.
Does Fireflies need a bot?
No. Its desktop app, on Windows 10 and up and macOS 12 and up, can capture your device audio with Take Notes while nothing joins the call. In that mode you get Speaker 1 and Speaker 2 rather than names, and no saved audio or video. Fireflies can still tell participants through consent notifications.
Can my team use A9 Voice?
Each person can install it, but it has no shared workspace, admin controls or SSO: it’s built for one person on one PC, and every note is a folder on that PC. If you need shared notes, channels or team analytics, Fireflies is the better fit.
Can I use A9 Voice and Fireflies together?
Yes, they are separate apps. Record each meeting with only one of them so you don’t end up with two sets of notes, and keep the Fireflies bot off any call where you record with A9 Voice.
Try it next to what you use now.
Transcribe is free. Notes is free for 30 days, then $49 once. One small installer, no admin rights needed.
Download free Windows 10/11, 64-bit · Manual · Pricing · All comparisons