A Fireflies alternative for people who want local meeting files

Can you download a Fireflies transcript on the free plan?

Fireflies' download guide says transcript, summary and recording downloads require Pro or above. Supported transcript formats include PDF, DOCX, SRT, CSV, JSON and Markdown. So Fireflies does provide portable files, with a plan requirement.

If you already have meetings in Fireflies, first work out which records you need to keep and which download features your account has. Downloading an archive and choosing a tool for next week's calls are separate decisions. Installing Oatmeal will not unlock a Fireflies account or import all of its history automatically.

Unlimited transcription has conditions

The Fireflies pricing page lists unlimited free transcription with an asterisk, limited summaries and 400 storage minutes per team. Its free-transcription guide explains the Auto-join condition for eligible new accounts from September 1, 2026. Earlier accounts can have different terms.

Read the rules for your account before assuming that a transcript allowance also means unlimited summaries, downloadable recordings or unlimited storage. Those are different parts of a plan. A useful test is to record one ordinary meeting and try every step you will need afterward, including saving a copy outside the app.

A bot-free mode does not decide this comparison

Fireflies now supports capture without a bot through Take Notes in its desktop app, alongside the option to invite its meeting bot. Its desktop guide covers both. You may be able to solve an unwanted-bot problem without switching services.

Oatmeal also captures through your Windows computer. It keeps your recording, transcript and generated notes as local files. The practical difference to evaluate is where you want your archive and how you want to use it. A cloud team library may be more convenient when colleagues need shared access. Local files may fit a person who already keeps client work in folders and manages their own backups.

AI credits are separate from basic transcription

Fireflies' AI-credit explanation says credits cover advanced features rather than standard transcription, note-taking or recap emails. It also says its Tasks feature is free. Purchased credits renew monthly and unused credits do not roll over.

That matters when you compare bills. Do not add an imagined per-meeting credit charge to Fireflies or call every AI output an extra fee. List the features you use and check which plan or credit allowance pays for each one.

Oatmeal takes a different approach. Its software has a 30-day evaluation followed by a required one-time license. You supply an Anthropic API key for notes and pay its usage charges separately. Optional Deepgram transcription uses your own key and incurs provider charges too. The license price does not include an unlimited cloud-AI allowance.

Follow-up for a GoHighLevel contact

If your client work lives in GoHighLevel, Oatmeal can create tasks from meeting action items when that connector is configured. It matches meeting context to a contact and keeps the full transcript and summary out of the CRM. You can use it without a CRM as well.

Check the first tasks carefully. A correct summary does not prove that the contact match, assignee or due date is right. Use a short test conversation where the next step is obvious, then review the result in the contact record. The standalone download does not include our internal approval inbox or automated client recap workflow.

Fireflies may be the better fit when your team already works in its shared meeting library and integrations. The comparison is useful only if it solves the part of your process that is taking time.

Local storage still includes cloud processing for AI notes

Oatmeal sends the transcript, enabled screenshots and relevant connected CRM context to Anthropic for notes. Adding Deepgram allows audio transcription and speaker separation there. If the local engine is unavailable or does not support the selected language, Deepgram can receive the microphone track too. On Point Tech does not receive the meeting content.

Fireflies says it does not use meeting content to train AI models and prohibits its vendors from doing so. See its data-policy explanation. Storage location, provider access and model training are separate questions; a fair comparison keeps them separate.

Before downloading Oatmeal, allow for the initial engine download, about 750 MB, and API-key setup. Its current Windows installer is unsigned. Evaluate a call using your normal headset, open the saved files and review the notes. For screen recordings, check retention too: the default removes screen video after 14 days unless the meeting is pinned.

Keep comparing

• AI Meeting Notetakers Compared: Limits, Files and Follow-up
• AI Meeting Notes Cost Calculator