Fireflies.ai offers a comprehensive cloud-based meeting assistant that works across all major platforms by sending a bot to join calls automatically. Its strengths include ease of setup, accurate transcription in 100+ languages, and quick delivery of AI-generated summaries and action items. The tool provides solid value with its free tier and extensive platform coverage, though users often find summaries too high-level and transcription can struggle with accents or technical terminology.

Granola takes a different approach as a local Mac application that captures system audio without disrupting meetings with visible bots. Users appreciate its clean, Apple Notes-like interface and the ability to jot quick notes during meetings that get enhanced into structured summaries afterward. However, it's currently limited to Mac users only, lacks mobile apps, and offers relatively few integrations compared to more established competitors.

Fireflies.ai suits larger teams and sales organizations that need robust CRM integration and don't mind having a bot participant visible in meetings. Its broad platform support and collaboration features make it ideal for distributed teams requiring consistent meeting documentation across different tools. The pricing tiers accommodate various team sizes, from individuals using the free plan to enterprises needing advanced analytics.

Granola appeals to individual professionals and small teams who prefer discreet note-taking and work primarily on Mac systems. Its local processing approach attracts users concerned about privacy or those who want to avoid the social dynamics of having bots in meetings. While both tools provide basic integrations and automated summaries, neither offers the deep workflow automation or comprehensive task management features that would truly transform meeting outcomes into actionable business results.

Comparison table

What users say about Fireflies.ai and Granola

Users consistently praise Fireflies.ai for its exceptional transcription accuracy and seamless integration into meetings, with reviewers noting that it is a reliable transcription tool with over 95% accuracy that automatically joins and transcribes virtual meetings. Many users express strong satisfaction with the platform's capabilities, with one reviewer stating they use Fred Fireflies in every meeting and would literally be lost without him now. The tool is widely appreciated for its comprehensive features, with users highlighting that Fireflies.ai is a great tool that makes work easier by recording meetings, taking detailed notes, and providing helpful chatbot assistance for summarization.

Granola receives a more nuanced reception from users, with reviewers providing detailed feedback about both the platform's strengths and areas for improvement. One comprehensive review shares insights gained from extensive testing, offering thoughts after 20+ meetings and diving deep into what users liked and disliked about the platform. The review approach suggests that while Granola has potential, users have mixed experiences with the tool's performance and features. User feedback indicates that Granola is still developing its market position compared to more established meeting transcription solutions.

Users often switch away from Fireflies.ai due to limitations in transcription accuracy, particularly when dealing with heavy accents, technical jargon, or complex audio scenarios. Several users on G2 have reported issues with misidentified speakers and missed slang, which can significantly impact the usefulness of meeting transcripts. This becomes especially problematic for teams that frequently discuss technical topics or include participants with diverse linguistic backgrounds, where precise transcription is crucial for effective follow-up and documentation.

The quality of AI-generated summaries presents another significant concern for users considering alternatives. While Fireflies.ai produces summaries quickly, many users find them too high-level and lacking the nuanced tone or specific phrasing from the original conversation. This generic approach to summarization can result in important contextual details being lost, making the summaries less valuable for teams that need comprehensive and detailed meeting documentation. Users seeking more personalized or detailed summaries often find themselves disappointed with the standardized output format.

Feature limitations in the free tier and overall functionality restrictions also drive users to explore other options. The free plan gates important features like video recording to higher-tier subscriptions, which can be limiting for budget-conscious users or small teams. Additionally, some users find the interface cluttered and become overwhelmed by excessive email notifications, creating a less-than-ideal user experience. These combined limitations in both functionality and user experience often push users toward alternatives to Fireflies.ai that offer more comprehensive features or cleaner interfaces without significant paywalls.

Users switch away from Granola primarily due to its limited platform compatibility. The tool is currently Mac-only, which creates a significant barrier for Windows users who need cross-platform functionality. This restriction becomes particularly problematic in mixed-device teams where some members cannot access the tool at all, forcing organizations to seek alternatives to Granola that work across all operating systems.

The absence of mobile applications represents another major limitation that drives users to competitors. Without iOS or Android apps, users cannot access their meeting notes on mobile devices, which is increasingly important for professionals who need to reference or share notes while on the go. This mobile gap becomes especially apparent when compared to alternatives that offer full mobile functionality, making Granola less suitable for modern, mobile-first workflows.

Granola's minimal integration ecosystem also pushes users toward more comprehensive solutions. While the tool offers basic calendar sync and limited Notion export capabilities, it lacks the extensive integrations with CRM systems, project management tools, and communication platforms that many businesses require. Organizations that rely heavily on tools like HubSpot, Salesforce, or Slack often find Granola's integration limitations too restrictive for their existing workflows, leading them to choose AI meeting alternatives with more robust connectivity options.

Using Fireflies.ai

Does Fireflies.ai work for in-person meetings?

Yes, Fireflies.ai works for in-person meetings through its mobile app, which can record in-person meetings and voice notes.

Does Fireflies.ai require a meeting bot to join the meeting?

Yes, Fireflies.ai requires a meeting bot to join the meeting. The cloud-based AI meeting assistant called "Fred" joins meetings as a bot participant to record, transcribe, and summarize discussions across platforms like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and Webex.

What do users say about the quality of Fireflies.ai transcriptions?

Users generally report good transcription quality, with many noting that it accurately captures meeting content even in other languages like Dutch. However, some users mention that transcription accuracy can decrease with heavy accents or technical jargon, and there are occasional issues with misidentified speakers or missed slang.

How does Fireflies.ai help users follow up on action items?

Fireflies.ai delivers summaries and bullet-point action items within minutes after a call, which users find extremely helpful for follow-ups. The platform also offers integrations with project management and CRM tools, and has partial automation capabilities that can auto-log notes to CRM systems and create tasks in platforms like Asana.

Does Fireflies.ai integrate with software like Hubspot, Salesforce, or Linear?

Yes, Fireflies.ai offers dozens of integrations including native HubSpot and Salesforce integrations, as well as Slack and other platforms. It also supports additional integrations through Zapier.

Using Granola

Does Granola work for in-person meetings?

Partially. The Mac app can capture in-room audio locally, but there's no mobile app yet (Android/iOS versions are coming soon).

Does Granola require a meeting bot to join the meeting?

No. Granola runs on your computer and listens to meetings without needing a bot in the call. It works discreetly with no meeting intrusion by capturing system audio.

What do users say about the quality of Granola transcriptions?

Users report that Granola produces quality notes and well-organized summaries. They appreciate the "set and forget" note-taking approach, knowing that Granola will deliver quality notes afterward that can be tailored via templates.

How does Granola help users follow up on action items?

Granola enhances your brief notes by producing structured meeting notes with sections like key takeaways and next steps. It also offers an AI assistant that can answer questions or generate follow-up content, such as drafting an email summary of the meeting.

Does Granola integrate with software like HubSpot, Salesforce, or Linear?

Limited integrations are available. Calendar sync is included, Notion export is available, and HubSpot integration is in beta. However, Granola doesn't have extensive integrations compared to other tools.

Another alternative: Circleback

Circleback provides best-in-class AI-powered meeting notes and automations. We support over 100 languages and automatic participant identification in both in-person and online meetings.

• Automatically-identified and assigned action items

• AI-enabled search across all meetings

• Automations with 100+ app integrations

• Industry-leading security with SOC 2 Type II, EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework, and HIPAA compliance

• Ability to capture both online and in-person meetings with desktop and mobile apps