Fireflies.ai vs Zoom AI Companion
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
Fireflies.ai rates higher overall, 3.8 out of 5 against Zoom AI Companion's 3.7, across our 13 weighted criteria. Fireflies.ai leads on transcription accuracy, ai analysis quality, real-time / live capability. Zoom AI Companion still wins on recording consent & compliance, data retention & training transparency, ease of use.
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
Zoom AI Companion
#13 of 28Zoom's built-in AI (formerly branded AI Companion), now reaching beyond Zoom meetings
- Pricing
- Free tier available; paid from $14.16/mo
- Platforms
- Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android
All 13 Criteria, Side by Side
| Criterion | Weight | Fireflies.ai | Zoom AI Companion | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Privacy & Data Security | High | 3 | 3 | Tie |
| Transcription Accuracy | High | 5 | 3 | Fireflies.ai |
| AI Analysis Quality | High | 5 | 4 | Fireflies.ai |
| Recording Consent & Compliance | Med | 2 | 4 | Zoom AI Companion |
| Data Retention & Training Transparency | Med | 3 | 4 | Zoom AI Companion |
| Real-Time / Live Capability | Med | 4 | 3 | Fireflies.ai |
| Recording Method | Med | 4 | 4 | Tie |
| Ease of Use | Med | 4 | 5 | Zoom AI Companion |
| Platform Support | Med | 4 | 5 | Zoom AI Companion |
| Offline Capability | Med | 1 | 1 | Tie |
| Integration Ecosystem | Med | 5 | 4 | Fireflies.ai |
| Knowledge Connection | Low | 5 | 5 | Tie |
| Pricing & Value | Low | 4 | 4 | Tie |
| Overall (weighted) | 3.8 | 3.7 | Fireflies.ai |
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…
- → Transcription Accuracy matters to you. Fireflies.ai scores 5/5 here against 3/5.
Best for sales teams who need deep CRM integration and conversation analytics, now with real-time meeting features layered on top.
Choose Zoom AI Companion if…
- → Recording Consent & Compliance matters to you. Zoom AI Companion scores 4/5 here against 2/5.
No longer Zoom-only, and no longer branded AI Companion: Zoom's built-in AI is a credible agentic assistant, but it stays cloud-bound and lacks the on-device processing and live coaching that set Hedy apart.
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
Zoom AI Companion at a glance
Strengths
- +Core AI features included at no extra cost with any paid Zoom Workplace plan
- +Optional ZoomMate tier adds custom agents, deep research, and live audio translation
- +My Notes captures Teams, Google Meet, and in-person conversations
- +Agentic features with cross-app retrieval and document drafting
Limitations
- −All processing happens in Zoom's cloud — no offline mode
- −No real-time coaching
- −Cross-platform capture is full on desktop/web but Zoom-and-in-person only on mobile
- −Best value still assumes you live inside Zoom Workplace