Updated September 2026
The private Fireflies alternative
Fireflies is built for teams that want everything synced to the cloud and piped into a CRM. If what you actually want is notes that stay yours, sending every call to another company's servers is the opposite of that.
Windows 10 & 11 (64-bit) · Mac (Apple Silicon) · Free 7-day trial · No card, just your email.
| Private Notetaker | Fireflies | |
|---|---|---|
| Where meetings are processed | 100% on your device | Processes and stores your meetings on Fireflies' servers |
| Bots in your meetings | Never | Fred the notetaker bot joins by default; the Chrome extension (Google Meet) and desktop app record without a bot, and audio still goes to Fireflies' cloud |
| Works offline | Yes | No, it needs their cloud |
| How privacy is enforced | Architecture: audio never leaves your device | Policy: SOC 2 Type II, GDPR, and HIPAA programs |
| Where your meetings live | Only on your own disk | Recordings and transcripts stored in Fireflies' cloud |
| Price | $15/mo or $149 once, yours forever | $18/mo (or $10/mo billed annually) |
Fireflies facts and pricing as published 27 October 2026. Free plan with 400 min storage; 3 meetings unless the bot auto-joins.
Their privacy is a policy.
Ours is architecture.
Privacy by policy
Every cloud note taker
- Hosted in a chosen region, so you trust where the servers are
- Encrypted in transit and at rest, so you trust the keys are handled well
- Deleted on request, so you trust the deletion actually happens
- "We don't train on your data", so you trust the pledge outlives the roadmap
Privacy by architecture
Private Notetaker
- ✓Audio is captured, transcribed, and summarized on your hardware
- ✓There is no server holding your meetings to breach or subpoena
- ✓Nothing to delete, because nothing was ever collected
- ✓No pledge required. The data simply is not there
Don't take our word for it. Turn WiFi off and watch it keep working.
I built this for myself. I live in back-to-back client calls, and I was never comfortable piping confidential conversations about clients' revenue, ad accounts, and contracts through someone else's cloud just to get a summary. So I made a note taker where everything stays on my machine. I have used it every working day since. Now I am opening it up.
Simple pricing. Either way, it is all yours.
Available for Windows & Mac. Pay once or monthly, whichever suits you.
Monthly
Cancel anytime. The notes you took stay yours.
- ✓Unlimited meetings and recording time
- ✓Local transcription and AI summaries
- ✓Full-history search on your device
- ✓Windows and Mac, light and dark mode
- ✓No account required to take notes
Lifetime
Pay once, yours forever. Includes updates.
- ✓Unlimited meetings and recording time
- ✓Local transcription and AI summaries
- ✓Full-history search on your device
- ✓Windows and Mac, light and dark mode
- ✓No account required to take notes
- ✓Never a subscription
Prefer to try first? Download the app and use it free for 7 days. No card, just your email. Buying charges right away and is backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Fireflies questions, answered
Does Fireflies process meetings in the cloud? +
Yes. Fireflies processes and stores your meetings on Fireflies' servers. Recordings and transcripts live in its cloud. Private Notetaker transcribes and writes notes on your Mac or Windows PC, so audio never leaves the device.
Does Fireflies join meetings with a bot? +
By default, yes. Fred the notetaker bot joins your calls and appears in the participant list. On every plan, the Fireflies Chrome extension (Google Meet) and its Mac and Windows desktop app can record without a bot, but the audio still goes to Fireflies' cloud. Private Notetaker never joins: it captures audio locally on your machine, so nothing shows up as an extra attendee and nothing is uploaded.
What is the difference between Private Notetaker and Fireflies? +
Fireflies is built for teams that want meetings synced to the cloud and piped into a CRM. Private Notetaker is a local app: recording, transcription, and AI summaries run on your device, it works offline, and no bot joins. $15/mo or a $149 lifetime license, with a 7-day free trial and no card required. If what you want is notes that stay yours, the architecture is the difference.
Does Fireflies work offline? +
No. Fireflies needs its cloud. Private Notetaker transcribes and summarizes with no internet connection because the models run on your computer.
Where does Fireflies store recordings compared with Private Notetaker? +
Fireflies stores recordings and transcripts in its cloud. Private Notetaker stores recordings, transcripts, and notes as files on your own disk. Nothing is uploaded to any Private Notetaker server.
Is Fireflies HIPAA compliant? +
Fireflies publishes SOC 2 Type II, GDPR, and HIPAA programs. Its own documentation restricts HIPAA coverage and a signed BAA to the Enterprise plan; Free, Pro, and Business are not covered. Private Notetaker does not claim HIPAA certification. Audio is processed on your device and notes stay on your disk. That is an architecture fact, not a compliance badge. Check the requirements for your profession.
Further reading
- Fireflies.ai review (2026): the team system, and what the bot costs you
- Is Fireflies.ai safe? The tier that catches people out
- Granola AI vs Fireflies: personal notes or a team system
- Which AI notetakers are HIPAA compliant, and on which plan
- How to stop Otter, Read AI and Fireflies bots from joining your meetings
- HIPAA and AI note takers: what compliance requires
Your meetings are nobody else's business.
Download the AI note taker that keeps everything on your device. Free for 7 days. No card, no account, just your email.
Windows & Mac.