Overheard
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Overheard vs Fireflies.ai
Fireflies.ai is a cloud meeting assistant built around a bot, the Fireflies Notetaker, that joins your calls; paid plans add a desktop app that can record without it. Overheard is a free, open-source Mac app that only ever records from your Mac and keeps every meeting as files Claude can read.
you need a team workspace with analytics and CRM integrations, Windows or phone apps, a bot that attends meetings you skip, or SSO and compliance for a company rollout.
you're on a Mac, want bot-free recording without paying per seat, want your meetings on your own disk, and use Claude Code, Claude Desktop or Codex.
Side by side
| Overheard | Fireflies.ai | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, MIT licensed | Free plan; Pro, Business and Enterprise billed per seat |
| Bot in the call | Never — records your Mac's audio | Fireflies Notetaker joins by default; bot-free recording via the desktop app or Chrome extension |
| Bot-free on the free plan | Yes, it's the only mode | Desktop app is for Pro, Business and Enterprise |
| Account | None | Required |
| Where notes live | Plain Markdown and WAV files in ~/Meetings | Fireflies' cloud |
| Transcription | On your Mac, or ElevenLabs with your own key | Fireflies' cloud |
| MCP for Claude | Built in, local, plus actions you can turn on | Official MCP connector on every plan, with API rate limits |
| Platforms | Mac with Apple Silicon, macOS 14.2+ | Web, Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, Chrome |
| Team features | No | Shared channels, analytics, CRM sync, SSO on Enterprise |
| Source code | Open, on GitHub | Closed |
Where Fireflies is better
Built for teams. Fireflies is made for sales and customer teams: shared channels, conversation analytics, CRM and Zapier integrations, and SSO, SCIM and audit logs on Enterprise. Overheard has none of that — it's one person's recorder.
A notetaker that attends for you. The Fireflies bot can join a meeting you aren't in. Overheard records only what plays on your Mac.
Every platform. Fireflies works in the browser, on Windows and on phones. Overheard is Mac-only.
Where Overheard is better
Bot-free by design, and free. With Fireflies, recording without the bot means the desktop app on a paid seat. Overheard has only one mode: it records the call from your Mac with Core Audio process taps, your voice on its own track, and it costs nothing. How the recording works.
Your meetings stay yours. Every meeting is a folder in ~/Meetings with the audio, transcript and summary as plain files. With on-device transcription the audio never leaves your Mac — no vendor retention policy to read.
Claude without rate limits. Overheard's MCP server runs on your Mac and reads your files directly, so Claude Code, Claude Desktop and Codex can search every meeting as often as you like. There's also a Claude Code plugin with recap, follow-up and to-do commands. Read how it works.
No AI credits. Summaries and chat use the Claude Code or Codex subscription you already have, or Apple Intelligence on-device.
Switching
Overheard starts from your next call. If you have audio files of older meetings, drop them into Overheard's Import to have them transcribed and searchable alongside the new ones. You can run both side by side while you decide.
Sources: Fireflies pricing, recording without a bot on the Fireflies desktop app, Fireflies desktop app launch, Fireflies MCP server, all opened on 31 October 2026. Fireflies doesn't list per-seat prices as text on its pricing page, so check it for current figures. Overheard is not affiliated with Fireflies.ai.