Earkeep
The Fireflies.ai alternative that stays on your device
Last updated: · Reviewed quarterly
Fireflies.ai is built for sales teams: a bot joins the call and the transcript lands in your CRM. Earkeep runs quietly on your device, hears what your computer hears, and adds no participant to the room.
14-day full trial, no account required.
- No bot joins your call
- Transcribed on your device, never uploaded
- €39 once, not $18-29 per seat
The short answer
For sales calls that must land in a CRM, Fireflies wins, with a generous free tier and 40-plus integrations. For knowledge work captured without thinking, in your own files, Earkeep.
Why people look for a Fireflies.ai alternative
Nothing to invite, nothing to start
Fireflies must be added before a call starts, misses in-person talks, and is a visible participant that people "turn off… as a matter of courtesy", per Reddit.
Earkeep records mic and system audio in the background with no button and no avatar. You mark the meeting on the timeline afterwards, or let a connected calendar do it.
Transcribed on your device, not in a cloud
Fireflies processes and stores everything in its cloud, a concern reviewers flag in regulated industries. Earkeep transcribes in memory on your device and leaves plain text files.
Agents that read the real file, not a copy in someone's cloud
Fireflies launched an MCP server in 2026, real competition on something Earkeep has had from the start. The difference is underneath: theirs reaches a cloud store, while Earkeep's MCP server and ACP agents read transcripts that never left the machine.
Side by side
| Capability | Earkeep | Fireflies.ai |
|---|---|---|
| Always-on capture | Continuous, in the background | Only meetings its bot joins |
| Bot-free | No visible participant | Joins Zoom, Teams, Meet, Webex and more |
| Records a meeting you can't attend | Only what your device hears | The bot goes without you |
| Audio processed on your device | Never leaves your own disk | Fully cloud-processed |
| Captures in-person meetings | Any audio on the device | Only the bot's feed of the call |
| Retroactive spans | Or marked by your calendar | Structured per call, live |
| AI summary when it ends | Via an agent you connect | Auto-generated, with custom templates |
| Labels who said what | Not yet | Speaker identification, and search by speaker |
| Your own agents can read it | ACP agents plus MCP, over local files | MCP server, but over Fireflies' cloud store |
| Logs meetings to your CRM | Via your agent's own connections | Salesforce and HubSpot, automatically |
| Share with people who weren't there | Via your agent, where your team reads | Soundbites: shareable clips of the moment |
| Mobile app | Desktop only | iOS and Android |
| Free tier that doesn't expire | 14 days free, then €39 once | Widely rated the most generous of the bots |
| Pricing | €39 once, one device, no subscription | Free tier; Pro $18/user/mo ($10 annually); Business $29/user/mo ($19 annually); Enterprise from $39+ |
| Platform | macOS 13+, Windows 10+ | Web, iOS, Android |
Built inNo, but an agent you connect canPartlyNot available
What each one costs by year five
Switching takes an afternoon
- Install it, then let a normal day happen. It captures from the start. There is no import: your Fireflies transcripts stay in Fireflies.
- Mark yesterday, or connect a calendar. Drag a span across the timeline, or connect Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, Outlook or any ICS URL.
- Drop the seats you stop using. The 14-day trial needs no email or account. Keep Fireflies for calls that must reach a CRM if you need to.
Which one fits you
Choose Earkeep if
You want everything captured without a bot in the room, and the record to be yours.
- Much of what matters is said in person or outside a video call
- Client conversations mean the audio must not leave your device
- You never want to invite anything before a call
- You'd rather pay €39 once than per seat as headcount grows
- Your own agents should read the transcript directly
Choose Fireflies.ai if
Fireflies is built for a job Earkeep does not try to do, and it's worth saying so plainly.
- Deep CRM auto-logging. Sales calls logged into Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive or Zoho with summary and next steps.
- A generous free tier. Unlimited transcription with 800 minutes of storage, if a bot in the room is fine.
- Conversation analytics. Talk-to-listen ratio, monologues, filler words and sentiment across a team.
- Team collaboration. Comments, reactions, mentions and shareable highlights.
- Calls you can't attend. The bot goes without you, on web, iOS and Android.
Earkeep fits product managers, product owners, project managers, UX researchers and engineering leads.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Earkeep a good Fireflies.ai alternative?
Yes, if you want the record rather than the bot and CRM pipeline. It does not log to Salesforce or HubSpot, attend meetings you skip, label speakers or run on a phone.
Does Fireflies work without a bot joining the call?
No. It records by joining supported video platforms as a visible bot, so it misses any call it hasn't been added to and every in-person conversation.
Is Fireflies' free plan actually usable?
Yes: unlimited transcription, 800 minutes of storage and 3 public channels. Paid plans start at $18/user/month ($10 billed annually).
Does Fireflies' MCP server change the local-first argument?
No. It queries transcripts already on Fireflies' servers. Earkeep's MCP server and ACP agents read transcripts made on your device that never left your disk.
Can I use Earkeep for sales calls with CRM logging?
Earkeep has no CRM integrations. If auto-logging to Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive or Zoho is the job, choose Fireflies.
Is Earkeep really a one-time purchase?
Yes: €39 once for one device, with all 1.x updates, after a 14-day full trial with no account, and a 14-day money-back guarantee.
Try the difference yourself
14-day full trial, no account required.