Cohearo vs Fireflies.ai: Privacy First
At a glance
| Feature | Fireflies.ai | Cohearo |
|---|---|---|
| Bot joins calls | Yes | No — device audio capture |
| Linux app | No | Yes — native desktop client |
| Offline recording | No | Yes |
| Privacy | Bot visible to all participants | Completely invisible |
| Pricing | From $24/user/month | From $19.99/month |
| Output quality | Summaries with action items | Structured documents per template |
Why Fireflies doesn't work for sensitive meetings
Fireflies.ai requires a bot to join your calendar events. This means:
- Everyone on the call sees a bot participant
- External clients may object to a visible recording tool
- The bot transcribes everything — including pre- and post-meeting chatter
- You can't use it for internal-only conversations that aren't on a calendar
Cohearo sidesteps all of these. You press record on your device, capture what you need, and stop when you want. Total control.
Platform support
Fireflies works on web, mobile, and has a limited desktop app — but no Linux support. If your team uses Linux (engineering, DevOps, data science), Fireflies won't work for them.
Cohearo supports Linux, macOS, and Windows as first-class desktop platforms.
Pricing comparison
Fireflies charges per user: $24/user/month for the Business plan. For a 10-person team, that's $240/month.
Cohearo's Professional plan is a flat $19.99/month — no per-user pricing.
The bottom line
For teams that value privacy, work on Linux, or need structured documentation (not just summaries), Cohearo is the better fit. Start for free.