# Fireflies vs Plaud: pricing, features, and which is better > Fireflies.ai and Plaud compared across pricing, capture, speaker labels, recordings, notes, sharing, automations, integrations, AI-agent access, and administration. - Canonical HTML: https://circleback.ai/compare/fireflies-ai-vs-plaud - Structured JSON: https://circleback.ai/compare/fireflies-ai-vs-plaud.json - Comparison directory: https://circleback.ai/compare - Language: en-US - Editorial perspective: Neutral competitor comparison. Circleback appears only as a clearly labeled third option. ## Short answer Fireflies emphasizes live help, native integrations, and team-wide follow-up. Plaud emphasizes portable hardware, desktop capture, summary templates, and Skills and Routines across conversations. Test both products on meetings that reflect your work, such as a customer call, planning session, or in-person conversation. Compare the notes, speaker labels, sharing defaults, and follow-up you still need to do by hand. ## Fireflies.ai at a glance Fireflies is one of the broadest meeting assistants: bot, desktop, mobile, integrations, search, API, and live or sales assistance. The nuanced bit is that its capture modes are not equivalent—bot-free desktop gives up recordings, named speakers, and Sales Assist. **Best for:** Teams that prioritize a large integration catalog, live assistance, sales workflows, flexible bot/desktop/mobile capture, and competitive pricing. **Less ideal for:** Teams that need the same recordings, speaker labels, and sales intelligence with or without a meeting bot. **Price:** Free; Pro from $10/user/month annually Prices are per user/month: Pro is $10 with annual billing or $18 month-to-month; Business is $19 or $29; Enterprise is $39 with annual billing. Storage, AI credits, video, advanced integrations, and governance differ by plan. **Free option:** Yes. Unlimited transcription requires both Auto-join and Share-all; otherwise initial transcription credits, storage limits, and plan-gated summaries or AI features apply. ### Fireflies.ai strengths - Bot, bot-free macOS/Windows, iOS/Android, uploads, and supported native meeting SDK paths. - A large integration catalog, public API, webhooks, remote MCP, AI apps, live assistance, and Sales Assist. - Automatically generated and assigned action items live in a team-wide task feed and can flow into tools such as Linear, Asana, Monday.com, and Microsoft Planner. - Competitive pricing and 100+ language claims make it accessible to distributed teams. - Meeting content is not used to train internal or external AI models, and compliance modes can retain the full record, text only, summary only, or summary plus audio. ### Fireflies.ai tradeoffs - Bot-free desktop mode stores no audio/video, labels speakers generically, and cannot run Sales Assist. - Fireflies says mobile recordings often do not auto-detect speakers, so in-person transcripts may need manual speaker relabeling. - The Google Meet SDK bot-free path asks attendees for approval, so “bot-free” does not always mean invisible or frictionless. - The advertised unlimited free transcription is conditional: users must enable both automatic bot joining and automatic sharing with every participant. Teams choosing tighter defaults fall back to a small transcription-credit allowance. - Meeting recaps default to workspace-wide access plus anyone with the link. Admins can enforce safer defaults and Enterprise rules can protect sensitive categories, but teams should configure this before broad rollout. - Two current Fireflies help articles disagree on whether Free includes 400 or 800 stored minutes, so confirm the live limit before relying on long-term free storage. - Advanced AI features use workspace-pooled credits that do not increase with seat count, so heavier teams may need a paid credit add-on. - The GraphQL API exposes transcripts and core meeting data but not Super Summaries or Custom Apps output. - Some advanced MCP search and retrieval tools are marked experimental. Data sent to an external AI is outside Fireflies’ zero-data-retention guarantee. - Company relationship context and general-purpose native automations are less cohesive than the sheer integration count suggests. ### Choose Fireflies.ai when - A large integration catalog and live assistance are high priorities. - You are happy to use the Fireflies bot when you need recordings, named speakers, and Sales Assist. - You want mobile and desktop capture at a lower entry price than many competitors. ## Plaud at a glance Plaud combines dedicated phone-mounted and wearable recorders with desktop capture and an AI workspace. Its Note family records calls and room audio, while NotePin models focus on in-person conversations. Plaud Intelligence adds templates, search, Agent actions, Skills, and Routines; transcription minutes and Agent credits are separate allowances. **Best for:** People who prefer a dedicated recorder or wearable, and teams that want Plaud’s capture hardware, templates, and Agent workflows in one ecosystem. **Less ideal for:** People who want in-person recording directly from their existing phone or Watch, or organizations that require SSO and flexible external meeting access. **Price:** Devices list at $159–$189; AI plans priced separately Standard device prices are $159 for Note or NotePin, $179 for NotePin S, and $189 for Note Pro; promotions may lower these prices. Pro costs $99.99/year or $17.99/month; Unlimited costs $239.99/year or $29.99/month. Team requires at least two seats and costs $25/user/month with annual billing or $35 with monthly billing. Launch offers reduce those rates to $20 for the first year or $28 through November 30, 2026, respectively. Agent credits are separate from transcription. **Free option:** Starter is free with a device and includes 300 transcription minutes/month. Pro includes 1,200/month; Unlimited and Team allow up to 24 hours/day. Unused monthly minutes do not roll over. Paid Team users can record on desktop without buying hardware. ### Plaud strengths - Choose a phone-mounted recorder for calls and meetings or a wearable for in-person conversations. The devices capture independently and provide physical recording controls. - Desktop capture combines audio, highlights, typed notes, and screenshots. Use templates to format summaries and ask questions across recordings. - Plaud offers MCP and CLI access to recordings and transcripts, plus Skills, Routines, connected Agent actions, and a managed Team workspace. ### Plaud tradeoffs - Portable hardware capture adds a device to buy and charge. NotePin models do not record phone calls; that requires Note or Note Pro. Team desktop capture does not require hardware. - An unlimited transcription plan does not mean unlimited Agent use. Ask Plaud, connected actions, Skills, and Routines consume separate credits; the launch grant does not renew monthly. - Team sharing is limited to workspace members, and SSO is not yet supported. Existing AutoFlows do not migrate automatically to Routines. ### Choose Plaud when - You want a dedicated phone-mounted or wearable recorder with physical controls. - You value summary templates, highlights, screenshots, and Agent-generated documents. - You want Plaud hardware and desktop recordings in a managed workspace with MCP and CLI access. ## Feature comparison | What matters | Fireflies.ai | Plaud | | --- | --- | --- | | Capture options | Broad support — Bot, bot-free desktop, mobile, and SDK-based capture. Fireflies has unusually broad capture. The modes differ: desktop bot-free capture works across apps but drops stored media and named speaker labels; the bot preserves the richer meeting record. | Broad support — Dedicated recorders, bot-free desktop, and imports. Press and hold a device’s recording control to start. Note and Note Pro capture calls and room audio; NotePin and NotePin S capture in-person conversations. Desktop records computer audio without a meeting bot and offers manual, prompted, or automatic recording. Team users can record on desktop without hardware; individual Starter activation requires a bound device. | | Desktop and mobile | Broad support — Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, and Android. Desktop supports system-audio recording and live assistance. Mobile supports in-person recording, reviewing meetings, search, sharing, and tasks. | Available with limits — Recorders, iOS, Android, web, macOS, and Windows. Mobile apps manage devices and recordings; web and desktop provide access to the same account or workspace. Desktop records from a Mac or Windows computer. Without a Plaud device, Team capture is through desktop or audio imports. A native Apple Watch recorder is not documented; NotePin is separate wearable hardware. | | In-person capture and speaker labels | Broad support — Mobile and desktop room capture. iOS and Android can capture in-person conversations. Fireflies documents that mobile recordings often do not auto-detect speakers, so names may need manual correction. Bot-free desktop can also hear room/system audio, with its own media and generic-label caveats. | Broad support — Portable hardware with automatic speaker labels. All four Note/NotePin models record in-person conversations and support speaker-labeled transcription. NotePin S has a tactile button and highlight control; the original NotePin uses a pressure-sensitive control and lacks device highlights. Both need charging and transfer recordings for processing. Neither NotePin model supports phone-call recording. | | Recordings, playback, and clips | Available with limits — Bot mode saves AV; bot-free desktop saves neither. This is the key evaluation detail: bot meetings can preserve audio/video and named speakers, while desktop bot-free mode produces notes/transcript without recording files and uses Speaker 1/Speaker 2 labels. | Available with limits — Saved audio, highlights, exports, and desktop screenshots. Keep and play back audio, export recordings and text, and mark important moments. Desktop can attach screenshots and typed notes to enrich summaries. Screenshots are not a continuous meeting-video recording. MCP and CLI can retrieve audio download links, full speaker-labeled transcripts, and generated notes. | | Notes, action items, and search | Broad support — Notes, search, and a workspace-wide assigned task feed. Fireflies offers meeting search, AI apps, and live assistance. It automatically creates and assigns meeting tasks, lets teams manage all accessible tasks in one feed, and can turn action items into trackable work in several project tools. Usage credits and plan gates still apply to advanced AI apps and assistant capabilities. | Broad support — Templates, action items, and questions across recordings. Plaud generates speaker-labeled transcripts, default summaries, and action items. Template summaries offer different views of a conversation. Ask Plaud searches across transcribed files with references; Agent can create documents and take actions in connected apps. Default meeting outputs use transcription allowances, while Agent questions and new work use separate credits. | | People, companies, and context | Available with limits — Meeting channels and cross-meeting search. The meeting library is searchable and collaborative, but the product is less centered on a unified relationship timeline combining meetings, email, calendar, people, and companies. | Available with limits — Recording knowledge base and connected Agent context. Plaud Intelligence organizes recordings into a searchable knowledge base. Agent can use shared Team recordings and connected tools to answer questions and complete tasks. The cited documentation does not establish dedicated person/company pages with rolling summaries and email relationship timelines. | | Automatic sharing and workspace defaults | Broad support — Enterprise rules can auto-route, share, and enforce privacy. Enterprise admins can match meeting title, host, participants, or internal/external type, then route to a channel, share with users or teams, or enforce privacy. Recaps default to teammates plus anyone with the link; review that setting before rollout. | Available with limits — Personal sharing, Team member access, and Routines. Personal plans include sharing and exports. Team files are private until shared with workspace members, with member-restricted links rather than public external links. Routines can deliver notes through connected tools, but this does not grant access to the source recording or establish workspace-wide sharing defaults. | | Automations | Broad support — Meeting rules, AI apps, CRM workflows, and automatic task handoff. Fireflies can automatically create and assign tasks, then route them to Linear, Asana, Monday.com, Planner, Salesforce, and other systems with meeting filters on eligible plans. It also supports specialized AI apps. The experience spans several feature systems rather than one simple general condition/action canvas. | Broad support — Conditional Routines, Skills, and connected actions. Plaud Intelligence replaces AutoFlow with Routines, which can run on schedules or conditions such as a completed recording. Skills define reusable tasks and can be shared on Team. Existing AutoFlows do not carry over automatically. Running Skills and Routines consumes Plaud Credits, separate from transcription minutes. | | Integrations | Broad support — 100+ integrations plus Zapier and API. Breadth is a major advantage across CRM, collaboration, storage, dialers, and productivity tools. Verify the plan required for each connector and direction of sync. | Broad support — Agent connectors, Zapier, and developer tools. Agent lists Slack, Gmail, Google Docs, Google Calendar, Outlook, Notion, Linear, and Zapier connectors. More Microsoft 365 integrations and a Salesforce note-sync connector are described as upcoming. Connected Agent actions use credits. MCP and CLI provide another route for assistants and custom workflows. | | API, MCP, CLI, and data portability | Broad support — GraphQL API, webhooks, and a rich remote MCP server. Fireflies exposes transcripts and core meeting data through GraphQL plus webhooks for custom integrations. Its OAuth or API-key remote MCP server can retrieve full transcripts, summaries, action items, active meetings, analytics, soundbites, channels, and user data; it can also share, rename, organize, and clip meetings. Some advanced search and fetch tools remain experimental. Super Summary and Custom Apps data are still absent from the documented GraphQL API, and content passed into an external AI follows that provider’s retention terms. | Available with limits — MCP and CLI retrieval; separate Embedded SDK/API. Plaud MCP and CLI retrieve recording metadata, speaker-labeled transcripts, summaries, and audio links. CLI search matches recording names across up to 500 recent files, rather than semantic transcript search. The Embedded device SDK and transcription API are separate offerings; the cited docs do not establish a full REST API for the consumer workspace. | | Security, privacy, and admin | Broad support — Business and Enterprise governance. Enterprise adds SSO/SCIM, Rules Engine governance, custom retention, and private storage. Its Super Admin role can access every workspace meeting, including “Only Me” content—useful for compliance, but a material privacy-policy decision. Fireflies says meeting content is never used for internal or external model training. | Available with limits — Security certifications and Team administration. Plaud lists SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001/27701, GDPR, and HIPAA support. Team adds billing, seat and device management, secure offboarding, and workspace-level data residency. Content remains private until shared. The Team FAQ says SSO is not yet supported; a workspace has a two-seat minimum. | | Languages | Broad support — 100+ languages advertised. Fireflies advertises broad transcription coverage. Real-world speaker separation and accuracy still depend on capture mode, room acoustics, accents, and vocabulary. | Broad support — 112 transcription languages. Plaud documents transcription in 112 languages with speaker labeling and custom vocabulary. Validate performance on the languages, accents, and specialized terminology you use; the supported-language count is not an independent accuracy comparison. | Ratings describe documented breadth rather than overall product quality: - **Broad support:** Broad native support across the product or relevant paid plans. - **Available with limits:** Documented support with meaningful scope, mode, or plan limits. - **Narrow or indirect:** Narrow, indirect, beta, or substantially plan-gated support. - **Not documented:** No current first-party documentation for a native option. ## Detailed analysis ### Capture options **Both products document broad support for capture options, with different scope and plan limits.** **Fireflies.ai:** Bot, bot-free desktop, mobile, and SDK-based capture. Fireflies has unusually broad capture. The modes differ: desktop bot-free capture works across apps but drops stored media and named speaker labels; the bot preserves the richer meeting record. Evidence: [Fireflies bot-free desktop recording](https://guide.fireflies.ai/articles/6666374717-how-to-record-meetings-without-a-bot-on-the-fireflies-desktop-app), [Fireflies desktop app](https://guide.fireflies.ai/articles/1208704416-getting-started-with-the-fireflies-desktop-app). **Plaud:** Dedicated recorders, bot-free desktop, and imports. Press and hold a device’s recording control to start. Note and Note Pro capture calls and room audio; NotePin and NotePin S capture in-person conversations. Desktop records computer audio without a meeting bot and offers manual, prompted, or automatic recording. Team users can record on desktop without hardware; individual Starter activation requires a bound device. Evidence: [Plaud devices](https://www.plaud.ai/pages/plaud-device-comparison), [Plaud recording controls](https://support.plaud.ai/hc/en-us/articles/55643286546329-How-to-Record), [Plaud desktop](https://www.plaud.ai/pages/plaud-desktop), [Plaud desktop requirements](https://support.plaud.ai/hc/en-us/articles/53795026112409-Device-binding-required-notice-on-Plaud-Desktop), [Plaud Team requirements](https://support.plaud.ai/hc/en-us/articles/57466295856537-What-is-Plaud-Team). ### Desktop and mobile **Fireflies has broader documented support for desktop and mobile.** **Fireflies.ai:** Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, and Android. Desktop supports system-audio recording and live assistance. Mobile supports in-person recording, reviewing meetings, search, sharing, and tasks. Evidence: [Fireflies desktop app](https://guide.fireflies.ai/articles/1208704416-getting-started-with-the-fireflies-desktop-app), [Fireflies mobile app](https://guide.fireflies.ai/articles/8937818258-learn-about-fireflies-mobile-app). **Plaud:** Recorders, iOS, Android, web, macOS, and Windows. Mobile apps manage devices and recordings; web and desktop provide access to the same account or workspace. Desktop records from a Mac or Windows computer. Without a Plaud device, Team capture is through desktop or audio imports. A native Apple Watch recorder is not documented; NotePin is separate wearable hardware. Evidence: [Plaud desktop](https://www.plaud.ai/pages/plaud-desktop), [Plaud desktop requirements](https://support.plaud.ai/hc/en-us/articles/53795026112409-Device-binding-required-notice-on-Plaud-Desktop), [Plaud Team requirements](https://support.plaud.ai/hc/en-us/articles/57466295856537-What-is-Plaud-Team). ### In-person capture and speaker labels **Both products document broad support for in-person capture and speaker labels, with different scope and plan limits.** **Fireflies.ai:** Mobile and desktop room capture. iOS and Android can capture in-person conversations. Fireflies documents that mobile recordings often do not auto-detect speakers, so names may need manual correction. Bot-free desktop can also hear room/system audio, with its own media and generic-label caveats. Evidence: [Fireflies mobile app](https://guide.fireflies.ai/articles/8937818258-learn-about-fireflies-mobile-app), [Fireflies speaker labels](https://guide.fireflies.ai/articles/4994477228-how-to-edit-speaker-labels-or-names-in-a-transcript). **Plaud:** Portable hardware with automatic speaker labels. All four Note/NotePin models record in-person conversations and support speaker-labeled transcription. NotePin S has a tactile button and highlight control; the original NotePin uses a pressure-sensitive control and lacks device highlights. Both need charging and transfer recordings for processing. Neither NotePin model supports phone-call recording. Evidence: [Plaud devices](https://www.plaud.ai/pages/plaud-device-comparison), [Plaud recording controls](https://support.plaud.ai/hc/en-us/articles/55643286546329-How-to-Record), [Plaud plans](https://www.plaud.ai/pages/plaud-ai-plan-pricing). ### Recordings, playback, and clips **Both products support recordings, playback, and clips, with different scope and plan limits.** **Fireflies.ai:** Bot mode saves AV; bot-free desktop saves neither. This is the key evaluation detail: bot meetings can preserve audio/video and named speakers, while desktop bot-free mode produces notes/transcript without recording files and uses Speaker 1/Speaker 2 labels. Evidence: [Fireflies bot-free desktop recording](https://guide.fireflies.ai/articles/6666374717-how-to-record-meetings-without-a-bot-on-the-fireflies-desktop-app). **Plaud:** Saved audio, highlights, exports, and desktop screenshots. Keep and play back audio, export recordings and text, and mark important moments. Desktop can attach screenshots and typed notes to enrich summaries. Screenshots are not a continuous meeting-video recording. MCP and CLI can retrieve audio download links, full speaker-labeled transcripts, and generated notes. Evidence: [Plaud devices](https://www.plaud.ai/pages/plaud-device-comparison), [Plaud desktop](https://www.plaud.ai/pages/plaud-desktop), [Plaud plans](https://www.plaud.ai/pages/plaud-ai-plan-pricing), [Plaud Agent credits](https://www.plaud.ai/pages/piplcrinto), [Plaud MCP](https://docs.plaud.ai/plaud-mcp-cli/mcp), [Plaud CLI](https://docs.plaud.ai/plaud-mcp-cli/cli). ### Notes, action items, and search **Both products document broad support for notes, action items, and search, with different scope and plan limits.** **Fireflies.ai:** Notes, search, and a workspace-wide assigned task feed. Fireflies offers meeting search, AI apps, and live assistance. It automatically creates and assigns meeting tasks, lets teams manage all accessible tasks in one feed, and can turn action items into trackable work in several project tools. Usage credits and plan gates still apply to advanced AI apps and assistant capabilities. Evidence: [Fireflies pricing guide](https://guide.fireflies.ai/articles/3734844560-learn-about-the-fireflies-pricing-plans), [Fireflies AI credits](https://guide.fireflies.ai/articles/9606045468-fireflies-billing-terms), [Fireflies Tasks Feed](https://guide.fireflies.ai/articles/1574234155-learn-about-the-tasks-feed). **Plaud:** Templates, action items, and questions across recordings. Plaud generates speaker-labeled transcripts, default summaries, and action items. Template summaries offer different views of a conversation. Ask Plaud searches across transcribed files with references; Agent can create documents and take actions in connected apps. Default meeting outputs use transcription allowances, while Agent questions and new work use separate credits. Evidence: [Plaud plans](https://www.plaud.ai/pages/plaud-ai-plan-pricing), [Plaud cross-recording questions](https://support.plaud.ai/hc/en-us/articles/51041335681689-Ask-Across-All-Files-Ask-Plaud), [Plaud Skills and Routines](https://www.plaud.ai/blogs/news/plaud-intelligence-skills-routines), [Plaud Agent credits](https://www.plaud.ai/pages/piplcrinto). ### People, companies, and context **Both products support people, companies, and context, with different scope and plan limits.** **Fireflies.ai:** Meeting channels and cross-meeting search. The meeting library is searchable and collaborative, but the product is less centered on a unified relationship timeline combining meetings, email, calendar, people, and companies. Evidence: [Fireflies pricing guide](https://guide.fireflies.ai/articles/3734844560-learn-about-the-fireflies-pricing-plans). **Plaud:** Recording knowledge base and connected Agent context. Plaud Intelligence organizes recordings into a searchable knowledge base. Agent can use shared Team recordings and connected tools to answer questions and complete tasks. The cited documentation does not establish dedicated person/company pages with rolling summaries and email relationship timelines. Evidence: [Plaud cross-recording questions](https://support.plaud.ai/hc/en-us/articles/51041335681689-Ask-Across-All-Files-Ask-Plaud), [Plaud Intelligence Team update](https://www.plaud.ai/blogs/news/get-ready-new-plaud-intelligence-for-team), [Plaud Skills and Routines](https://www.plaud.ai/blogs/news/plaud-intelligence-skills-routines). ### Automatic sharing and workspace defaults **Fireflies has broader documented support for automatic sharing and workspace defaults.** **Fireflies.ai:** Enterprise rules can auto-route, share, and enforce privacy. Enterprise admins can match meeting title, host, participants, or internal/external type, then route to a channel, share with users or teams, or enforce privacy. Recaps default to teammates plus anyone with the link; review that setting before rollout. Evidence: [Fireflies Rules Engine](https://guide.fireflies.ai/articles/4608292950-learn-about-the-rules-engine-feature), [Fireflies recap privacy defaults](https://guide.fireflies.ai/articles/5319481450-how-to-configure-privacy-settings-for-your-meeting-recaps). **Plaud:** Personal sharing, Team member access, and Routines. Personal plans include sharing and exports. Team files are private until shared with workspace members, with member-restricted links rather than public external links. Routines can deliver notes through connected tools, but this does not grant access to the source recording or establish workspace-wide sharing defaults. Evidence: [Plaud plans](https://www.plaud.ai/pages/plaud-ai-plan-pricing), [Plaud Team sharing](https://support.plaud.ai/hc/en-us/articles/57138357578649-Sharing-content-in-Plaud-Team), [Plaud Intelligence Team update](https://www.plaud.ai/blogs/news/get-ready-new-plaud-intelligence-for-team), [Plaud Skills and Routines](https://www.plaud.ai/blogs/news/plaud-intelligence-skills-routines). ### Automations **Both products document broad support for automations, with different scope and plan limits.** **Fireflies.ai:** Meeting rules, AI apps, CRM workflows, and automatic task handoff. Fireflies can automatically create and assign tasks, then route them to Linear, Asana, Monday.com, Planner, Salesforce, and other systems with meeting filters on eligible plans. It also supports specialized AI apps. The experience spans several feature systems rather than one simple general condition/action canvas. Evidence: [Fireflies Rules Engine](https://guide.fireflies.ai/articles/4608292950-learn-about-the-rules-engine-feature), [Fireflies pricing guide](https://guide.fireflies.ai/articles/3734844560-learn-about-the-fireflies-pricing-plans), [Fireflies Tasks Feed](https://guide.fireflies.ai/articles/1574234155-learn-about-the-tasks-feed), [Fireflies Linear integration](https://guide.fireflies.ai/articles/8360629677-how-to-integrate-linear-with-fireflies). **Plaud:** Conditional Routines, Skills, and connected actions. Plaud Intelligence replaces AutoFlow with Routines, which can run on schedules or conditions such as a completed recording. Skills define reusable tasks and can be shared on Team. Existing AutoFlows do not carry over automatically. Running Skills and Routines consumes Plaud Credits, separate from transcription minutes. Evidence: [Plaud Skills and Routines](https://www.plaud.ai/blogs/news/plaud-intelligence-skills-routines), [Plaud Agent credits](https://www.plaud.ai/pages/piplcrinto). ### Integrations **Both products document broad support for integrations, with different scope and plan limits.** **Fireflies.ai:** 100+ integrations plus Zapier and API. Breadth is a major advantage across CRM, collaboration, storage, dialers, and productivity tools. Verify the plan required for each connector and direction of sync. Evidence: [Fireflies integration directory](https://fireflies.ai/integrations), [Fireflies Linear integration](https://guide.fireflies.ai/articles/8360629677-how-to-integrate-linear-with-fireflies). **Plaud:** Agent connectors, Zapier, and developer tools. Agent lists Slack, Gmail, Google Docs, Google Calendar, Outlook, Notion, Linear, and Zapier connectors. More Microsoft 365 integrations and a Salesforce note-sync connector are described as upcoming. Connected Agent actions use credits. MCP and CLI provide another route for assistants and custom workflows. Evidence: [Plaud Intelligence Team update](https://www.plaud.ai/blogs/news/get-ready-new-plaud-intelligence-for-team), [Plaud Skills and Routines](https://www.plaud.ai/blogs/news/plaud-intelligence-skills-routines). ### API, MCP, CLI, and data portability **Fireflies has broader documented support for API, MCP, CLI, and data portability.** **Fireflies.ai:** GraphQL API, webhooks, and a rich remote MCP server. Fireflies exposes transcripts and core meeting data through GraphQL plus webhooks for custom integrations. Its OAuth or API-key remote MCP server can retrieve full transcripts, summaries, action items, active meetings, analytics, soundbites, channels, and user data; it can also share, rename, organize, and clip meetings. Some advanced search and fetch tools remain experimental. Super Summary and Custom Apps data are still absent from the documented GraphQL API, and content passed into an external AI follows that provider’s retention terms. Evidence: [Fireflies API](https://docs.fireflies.ai/introduction), [Fireflies MCP tools](https://docs.fireflies.ai/mcp-tools/overview). **Plaud:** MCP and CLI retrieval; separate Embedded SDK/API. Plaud MCP and CLI retrieve recording metadata, speaker-labeled transcripts, summaries, and audio links. CLI search matches recording names across up to 500 recent files, rather than semantic transcript search. The Embedded device SDK and transcription API are separate offerings; the cited docs do not establish a full REST API for the consumer workspace. Evidence: [Plaud MCP](https://docs.plaud.ai/plaud-mcp-cli/mcp), [Plaud CLI](https://docs.plaud.ai/plaud-mcp-cli/cli), [Plaud developer platform](https://docs.plaud.ai/overview). ### Security, privacy, and admin **Fireflies has broader documented support for security, privacy, and admin.** **Fireflies.ai:** Business and Enterprise governance. Enterprise adds SSO/SCIM, Rules Engine governance, custom retention, and private storage. Its Super Admin role can access every workspace meeting, including “Only Me” content—useful for compliance, but a material privacy-policy decision. Fireflies says meeting content is never used for internal or external model training. Evidence: [Fireflies pricing guide](https://guide.fireflies.ai/articles/3734844560-learn-about-the-fireflies-pricing-plans), [Fireflies storage limits](https://guide.fireflies.ai/articles/4777633252-learn-about-meeting-storage-limits), [Fireflies Rules Engine](https://guide.fireflies.ai/articles/4608292950-learn-about-the-rules-engine-feature), [Fireflies data safety](https://guide.fireflies.ai/articles/2154538358-policy-on-keeping-information-safe), [Fireflies compliance recording modes](https://guide.fireflies.ai/articles/3598930706-set-up-transcript-only-mode-for-compliance), [Fireflies Enterprise controls](https://guide.fireflies.ai/articles/4771323041-learn-about-fireflies-enterprise-plan). **Plaud:** Security certifications and Team administration. Plaud lists SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001/27701, GDPR, and HIPAA support. Team adds billing, seat and device management, secure offboarding, and workspace-level data residency. Content remains private until shared. The Team FAQ says SSO is not yet supported; a workspace has a two-seat minimum. Evidence: [Plaud Team requirements](https://support.plaud.ai/hc/en-us/articles/57466295856537-What-is-Plaud-Team), [Plaud Team administration](https://www.plaud.ai/pages/plaud-team), [Plaud plans](https://www.plaud.ai/pages/plaud-ai-plan-pricing). ### Languages **Both products document broad support for languages, with different scope and plan limits.** **Fireflies.ai:** 100+ languages advertised. Fireflies advertises broad transcription coverage. Real-world speaker separation and accuracy still depend on capture mode, room acoustics, accents, and vocabulary. Evidence: [Fireflies pricing guide](https://guide.fireflies.ai/articles/3734844560-learn-about-the-fireflies-pricing-plans). **Plaud:** 112 transcription languages. Plaud documents transcription in 112 languages with speaker labeling and custom vocabulary. Validate performance on the languages, accents, and specialized terminology you use; the supported-language count is not an independent accuracy comparison. Evidence: [Plaud plans](https://www.plaud.ai/pages/plaud-ai-plan-pricing). ## A third option to consider: Circleback Circleback records online meetings with a meeting bot or bot-free desktop app, then turns them into detailed notes, speaker-labeled transcripts, and automatically assigned action items. Automatic sharing, search, and automations turn those meetings into shared company memory. People and AI agents can use the same complete record through the app, API, MCP, and CLI. In-person conversations captured on mobile or Apple Watch, plus imported recordings, flow through the same system. Circleback can also search connected apps and take action in them. It is built for people and AI agents: the same complete meeting data available to a person is available programmatically to ChatGPT, Claude, other agents, and internal tools through the API, MCP, and CLI. Free; Pro from $15/user/month annually; Business from $25/user/month annually; Enterprise $35/user/month, billed annually. ## Frequently asked questions ### Which is better: Fireflies.ai or Plaud? Fireflies emphasizes live help, native integrations, and team-wide follow-up. Plaud emphasizes portable hardware, desktop capture, summary templates, and Skills and Routines across conversations. ### Which is less expensive, Fireflies.ai or Plaud? Fireflies.ai: Free; Pro from $10/user/month annually. Plaud: Devices list at $159–$189; AI plans priced separately. Compare the paid seats, included usage, recording access, and admin features you actually need. ### Can Fireflies.ai and Plaud record without a bot? Fireflies.ai: Bot, bot-free desktop, mobile, and SDK-based capture. Plaud: Dedicated recorders, bot-free desktop, and imports. Check whether your preferred recording method preserves video and speaker labels. ### Which is better for a whole company? Compare automatic sharing, permissions, retention, and the defaults admins can enforce. Fireflies: Enterprise rules can auto-route, share, and enforce privacy. Plaud: Personal sharing, Team member access, and Routines. ### Can I access and move the full meeting data? Fireflies: GraphQL API, webhooks, and a rich remote MCP server. Plaud: MCP and CLI retrieval; separate Embedded SDK/API. Check the selected plan, authentication model, transcript scope, export format, and retention window for the workflow you need. ### How was this comparison researched? We use first-party pricing pages, product pages, help docs, and release notes for both products. Links appear in each feature comparison and in the Sources section. ## Methodology Circleback reviews first-party pricing pages, product pages, help docs, and release notes. Prices and features change; confirm the details that matter to your decision in the linked sources. Every feature dimension links to the exact first-party documents used for that claim. Ratings describe documented breadth, not an overall score or winner. This page is a neutral competitor-to-competitor comparison. There are no paid placements or affiliate rankings. ## First-party sources ### Fireflies.ai sources - [Fireflies pricing guide](https://guide.fireflies.ai/articles/3734844560-learn-about-the-fireflies-pricing-plans): July 2026 prices and plan structure. - [Fireflies unlimited free transcripts](https://guide.fireflies.ai/articles/8632872350-how-to-get-unlimited-meeting-transcripts-on-fireflies-ai-s-free-plan): Auto-join and Share-all requirements for unlimited free transcription. - [Fireflies storage limits](https://guide.fireflies.ai/articles/4777633252-learn-about-meeting-storage-limits): Current storage limits by plan; its Free figure conflicts with an older Free-plan article. - [Fireflies bot-free desktop recording](https://guide.fireflies.ai/articles/6666374717-how-to-record-meetings-without-a-bot-on-the-fireflies-desktop-app): No AV files, generic speakers, and Sales Assist limitation. - [Fireflies desktop app](https://guide.fireflies.ai/articles/1208704416-getting-started-with-the-fireflies-desktop-app): Capture modes, Live Assist, and bot versus botless behavior. - [Fireflies mobile app](https://guide.fireflies.ai/articles/8937818258-learn-about-fireflies-mobile-app): iOS/Android in-person recording, search, sharing, and tasks. - [Fireflies speaker labels](https://guide.fireflies.ai/articles/4994477228-how-to-edit-speaker-labels-or-names-in-a-transcript): Manual corrections and the mobile-recording speaker-detection caveat. - [Fireflies API](https://docs.fireflies.ai/introduction): GraphQL authentication, user/admin scope, available meeting data, and current Super Summary/Custom Apps gaps. - [Fireflies MCP tools](https://docs.fireflies.ai/mcp-tools/overview): Remote MCP authentication, full meeting-data access, read/write tools, and experimental-tool status. - [Fireflies AI credits](https://guide.fireflies.ai/articles/9606045468-fireflies-billing-terms): Workspace-pooled credit allowances, non-seat scaling, and add-on behavior. - [Fireflies Tasks Feed](https://guide.fireflies.ai/articles/1574234155-learn-about-the-tasks-feed): Automatic task generation and assignment, all-team task views, completion, reassignment, and project-tool handoff. - [Fireflies Linear integration](https://guide.fireflies.ai/articles/8360629677-how-to-integrate-linear-with-fireflies): Automatic issue creation, project and status routing, assigned-task filtering, and meeting-rule conditions. - [Fireflies integration directory](https://fireflies.ai/integrations): Current first-party directory advertising 100+ integrations across CRM, project, collaboration, storage, and other categories. - [Fireflies Rules Engine](https://guide.fireflies.ai/articles/4608292950-learn-about-the-rules-engine-feature): Enterprise conditions and actions for routing, automatic sharing, privacy enforcement, and deletion. - [Fireflies recap privacy defaults](https://guide.fireflies.ai/articles/5319481450-how-to-configure-privacy-settings-for-your-meeting-recaps): Default teammates-and-link visibility, narrower audience choices, and retroactive privacy changes. - [Fireflies data safety](https://guide.fireflies.ai/articles/2154538358-policy-on-keeping-information-safe): No-training and third-party zero-retention commitments plus governance controls. - [Fireflies compliance recording modes](https://guide.fireflies.ai/articles/3598930706-set-up-transcript-only-mode-for-compliance): Full-record, text-only, summary-only, and summary-plus-audio retention modes. - [Fireflies Enterprise controls](https://guide.fireflies.ai/articles/4771323041-learn-about-fireflies-enterprise-plan): SSO, SCIM, private storage, retention, and Super Admin access behavior. ### Plaud sources - [Plaud devices](https://www.plaud.ai/pages/plaud-device-comparison): Model-specific controls, phone-call/in-person capture, charging, storage, and list prices. - [Plaud recording controls](https://support.plaud.ai/hc/en-us/articles/55643286546329-How-to-Record): Press-and-hold recording and model-specific highlight controls. - [Plaud plans](https://www.plaud.ai/pages/plaud-ai-plan-pricing): Individual and Team prices, transcription allowances, launch offers, and included features. - [Plaud desktop](https://www.plaud.ai/pages/plaud-desktop): Bot-free capture, meeting detection, recording modes, screenshots, highlights, and typed notes. - [Plaud desktop requirements](https://support.plaud.ai/hc/en-us/articles/53795026112409-Device-binding-required-notice-on-Plaud-Desktop): Individual Starter activation requires a device bound to the account. - [Plaud Team requirements](https://support.plaud.ai/hc/en-us/articles/57466295856537-What-is-Plaud-Team): Two-seat minimum, roles, privacy, and Team desktop capture without hardware. - [Plaud Team administration](https://www.plaud.ai/pages/plaud-team): Team management, data residency, and the FAQ stating SSO is not yet supported. - [Plaud Team sharing](https://support.plaud.ai/hc/en-us/articles/57138357578649-Sharing-content-in-Plaud-Team): Private-by-default recordings and member-only file sharing and links. - [Plaud cross-recording questions](https://support.plaud.ai/hc/en-us/articles/51041335681689-Ask-Across-All-Files-Ask-Plaud): Questions across transcribed recordings and source-file references. - [Plaud Skills and Routines](https://www.plaud.ai/blogs/news/plaud-intelligence-skills-routines): Conditional automation, shared Skills, Agent credit costs, and AutoFlow migration limits. - [Plaud Intelligence Team update](https://www.plaud.ai/blogs/news/get-ready-new-plaud-intelligence-for-team): Shared Agent context, launch connectors, forthcoming integrations, and account updates. - [Plaud Agent credits](https://www.plaud.ai/pages/piplcrinto): Transcription versus Agent usage, nonrenewing launch grants, and paid credit top-ups. - [Plaud MCP](https://docs.plaud.ai/plaud-mcp-cli/mcp): Recording, summary, transcript, and audio-link retrieval through authenticated MCP. - [Plaud CLI](https://docs.plaud.ai/plaud-mcp-cli/cli): Command-line retrieval and name-based search limited to 500 recent recordings. - [Plaud developer platform](https://docs.plaud.ai/overview): Distinguishes the Embedded device SDK/transcription API from access to Plaud account data.