Fireflies.ai vs Shortwave
Fireflies.ai (freemium, AI Score 8.7/10) vs Shortwave (freemium, AI Score 8.3/10). Side-by-side pricing, features, pros and cons, and which to pick.
The verdict
Side-by-side specs
| Spec | Fireflies.ai | Shortwave |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Productivity | Productivity |
| Pricing model | freemium | freemium |
| Headline pricing | Freemium — Pro $10/user/mo, Business $19/user/mo | Freemium |
| Free tier | Limited transcription credits with 800 minutes of storage and basic AI summaries | Basic AI features with limited daily queries |
| AI Score | 8.7/10 | 8.3/10 |
| Best for | — | — |
| Editor's pick | ✓ Yes | — |
| Use cases | — | productivity research |
| Date added | 2026-04-30 | 2025-09-15 |
Pros and cons
Fireflies.ai
Productivity · freemium
Pros
- ✓Joins meetings automatically via calendar integration — no manual recording needed
- ✓Strong CRM integrations with Salesforce and HubSpot for auto-logging meeting notes
- ✓Conversation intelligence features like sentiment analysis and talk-time ratios
- ✓AskFred chatbot lets you search across your entire meeting history in natural language
Cons
- ×Free tier is restrictive — limited credits run out fast for regular users
- ×Transcription accuracy dips with heavy accents or overlapping speakers
- ×Meeting bot joining can feel intrusive to external participants who weren't expecting it
- ×Advanced analytics and CRM sync locked behind Business tier at $19/user/mo
Shortwave
Productivity · freemium
Pros
- ✓Most AI-integrated email client available
- ✓Excellent thread summarization
- ✓Natural language search is powerful
- ✓Clean, modern interface
Cons
- ×Gmail-only (no Outlook or other providers)
- ×Free tier is quite limited
- ×Newer product with smaller user base
- ×Some AI features can be slow
FAQ
Is Fireflies.ai better than Shortwave? ▾
Fireflies.ai scores 8.7/10 in our evaluation versus Shortwave at 8.3/10. Fireflies.ai edges ahead overall, but "better" depends on your use case — see the verdict block above.
Does Fireflies.ai or Shortwave have a free tier? ▾
Both offer free access. Fireflies.ai: Limited transcription credits with 800 minutes of storage and basic AI summaries. Shortwave: Basic AI features with limited daily queries.
Should I choose Fireflies.ai or Shortwave in 2026? ▾
If you want our editor's pick for this category pick Fireflies.ai. If you need: productivity, research pick Shortwave. Both are credible — neither is a wrong choice.
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Updated 2026-06-27. Spec data sourced from official product pages and tracked in our public directory at /tools.