Fireflies.ai vs Hedy
Both scored against the same 13 criteria, from the same hands-on testing. Here is where each one actually wins.
Last updated October 2026 · 28 tools ranked
Hedy rates higher overall, 4.7 out of 5 against Fireflies.ai's 3.8, across our 13 weighted criteria. Hedy leads on offline capability, recording consent & compliance, privacy & data security. Fireflies.ai still wins on integration ecosystem, knowledge connection.
Fireflies.ai
#6 of 28AI meeting assistant with CRM integration and conversation intelligence
- Pricing
- Free tier available; paid from $10/mo
- Platforms
- Web, Chrome extension, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android
Hedy
#1 of 28AI meeting coach with full on-device AI and real-time intelligence
- Pricing
- Free tier available; paid from $12.99/mo
- Platforms
- macOS, iOS, Windows, Android, Web, watch
All 13 Criteria, Side by Side
| Criterion | Weight | Fireflies.ai | Hedy | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Privacy & Data Security | High | 3 | 5 | Hedy |
| Transcription Accuracy | High | 5 | 5 | Tie |
| AI Analysis Quality | High | 5 | 5 | Tie |
| Recording Consent & Compliance | Med | 2 | 5 | Hedy |
| Data Retention & Training Transparency | Med | 3 | 5 | Hedy |
| Real-Time / Live Capability | Med | 4 | 5 | Hedy |
| Recording Method | Med | 4 | 5 | Hedy |
| Ease of Use | Med | 4 | 4 | Tie |
| Platform Support | Med | 4 | 4 | Tie |
| Offline Capability | Med | 1 | 5 | Hedy |
| Integration Ecosystem | Med | 5 | 4 | Fireflies.ai |
| Knowledge Connection | Low | 5 | 4 | Fireflies.ai |
| Pricing & Value | Low | 4 | 5 | Hedy |
| Overall (weighted) | 3.8 | 4.7 | Hedy |
Overall is a weighted average, not a mean: high-weight criteria count triple and low-weight criteria count once. See the formula.
Choose Fireflies.ai if…
- → Integration Ecosystem matters to you. Fireflies.ai scores 5/5 here against 4/5.
- → Knowledge Connection matters to you. Fireflies.ai scores 5/5 here against 4/5.
Best for sales teams who need deep CRM integration and conversation analytics, now with real-time meeting features layered on top.
Choose Hedy if…
- → Offline Capability matters to you. Hedy scores 5/5 here against 1/5.
- → Recording Consent & Compliance matters to you. Hedy scores 5/5 here against 2/5.
- → Privacy & Data Security matters to you. Hedy scores 5/5 here against 3/5.
- → Data Retention & Training Transparency matters to you. Hedy scores 5/5 here against 3/5.
The only meeting assistant among the 28 we tested with a built-in option to run its entire AI pipeline (transcription, summaries, and real-time coaching) on-device on supported hardware, making it the privacy and reliability leader for 2026.
Fireflies.ai at a glance
Strengths
- +Excellent CRM integrations
- +Strong conversation analytics
- +Good search across meetings
- +Real-time features now built in (live notes, voice-activated web search)
Limitations
- −Cloud-only processing
- −Bot joins calls by default (bot-free options exist for Google Meet and the desktop app)
- −Named in Illinois biometric privacy (BIPA) litigation; a motion to dismiss is pending
- −Advanced AI features metered by a credit system on top of seat pricing
Hedy at a glance
Strengths
- +Built-in option to run the entire AI pipeline on-device: transcription, summaries, and coaching
- +No meeting bot: silent system-audio capture on any platform
- +Works fully offline with Local AI on supported hardware
- +Apple Watch app records meetings on its own, or shows live coaching while the iPhone records
Limitations
- −Deep two-way CRM syncs still rely on Zapier/API rather than native connectors
- −Full on-device AI needs recent Apple Silicon, a capable Windows GPU, or a recent phone (Android needs a supported GPU and roughly 8 GB of memory)
Go deeper
Fireflies.ai vs Hedy: CRM-First vs Privacy-FirstOur long-form analysis of this matchup, beyond the scorecard.