Afterword vs Fireflies · checked 26 Oct 2026
Afterword vs Fireflies. No Fred in the call.
Fireflies sends its Notetaker bot into your meetings and keeps them in its cloud. Afterword records from your Mac, transcribes on it, and saves the note as a file you own.
Line by line.
From Fireflies' own pricing page and from how Afterword is built. Tap a row for the detail.
Fireflies' FAQ describes "the Fireflies Notetaker Bot name that joins your meeting." It also offers recording with a Chrome extension without the bot.1
Afterword writes markdown to a folder on your Mac. Fireflies says its database "is hosted in a virtual private cloud."1
Fireflies: "Today sign in is only possible via Google Auth or Outlook Auth."1 Afterword asks for no calendar access.
Afterword transcribes on your Mac and needs the internet once, to activate. Fireflies works in the cloud.
Fireflies has talk-time analytics, sentiment, topic trackers and CRM integrations.1 Afterword is built for one person's notes.
Afterword needs macOS 26 on Apple silicon. Fireflies lists a desktop app and Android and iOS apps.1
Pick the one that fits.
Fireflies is built for teams; Afterword for one person's Mac.
Fireflies, if
- Your team wants call analytics and coaching.
- You need CRM sync and an API.
- You need SOC 2 or HIPAA paperwork.
- You take calls on many devices.
Afterword, if
- You don't want a bot in your calls.
- You don't want to hand over your calendar.
- Your notes live in Obsidian or plain files.
- Your calls should never leave your Mac.
Questions.
Yes. Afterword records Zoom, Meet and Teams from your Mac's own audio, so no notetaker joins, and the transcript is made on your Mac.
No. It notices when a call starts on your Mac, so there's no calendar sign-in.
It's built for one person. A yearly license covers 3 of your Macs. Teams that want shared analytics are better served by Fireflies.
Try a week with no Fred.
Download it, pick a folder, join your next call. $39 once, or $29 a year after seven days free.
- 01
Fireflies pricing page and FAQ: the Notetaker bot that joins your meeting, recording with a Chrome extension without the bot, a database "hosted in a virtual private cloud", Google or Outlook sign-in only, analytics and integrations, desktop and mobile apps. fireflies.ai/pricing
Checked 26 October 2026; features may have changed. Fireflies is a trademark of its owner. Afterword isn't affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Fireflies.ai. Spot something out of date? Tell us and it gets fixed.