Hinty vs Otter.ai vs Fireflies: An Honest Comparison (2026)

Choosing an AI meeting assistant in 2026 feels like choosing a streaming service — there are too many options, they all sound the same, and the comparison tables on their websites magically show them winning in every category.

We're not going to do that.

This is an honest, side-by-side comparison of three popular AI tools: Hinty, Otter.ai, and Fireflies.ai. We'll tell you where Hinty shines, where it doesn't, and which tool might be the best fit for your specific situation.

No marketing fluff. No fake checkmarks. Just the truth.

The Big Picture: Three Different Philosophies

Before we dive into features, it's important to understand that these tools were built with fundamentally different goals:

| Tool | Core philosophy | Built for |
|------|----------------|-----------|
| Hinty | Real-time coaching — AI tells you what to say during the conversation | Individuals in high-stakes conversations |
| Otter.ai | Meeting documentation — capture everything, review later | Teams who need meeting records and summaries |
| Fireflies.ai | Meeting intelligence — analyze conversations at scale | Sales teams and managers who need analytics |

This matters because comparing them on a single feature list is like comparing a sports car to a minivan. They're both vehicles, but they serve different drivers.

Feature-by-Feature Comparison

Real-Time AI Coaching: The Biggest Difference

This is where Hinty was born — and where the gap between these tools is much wider than most comparison articles suggest.

The core question is: Does the AI automatically detect when someone asks you a question and show you a suggested answer — without you clicking anything?

| Feature | Hinty | Otter.ai | Fireflies.ai |
|---------|-------|----------|--------------|
| Proactive AI suggestions | ✅ Automatic | ❌ | ❌ Reactive (click/type required) |
| Auto-detects questions from the other speaker | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Document-powered answers (RAG) | ✅ PDF upload, works now | ❌ | ❌ "Coming soon" |
| Specialized conversation modes | ✅ 5 modes | ❌ | ❌ |
| Cost per AI suggestion | ✅ Included in minutes | N/A | 1 AI credit per query |

This is the fundamental difference that matters.

Hinty is proactive. The AI listens to your conversation, automatically detects when the other person asks a question, searches your uploaded PDF documents, and displays a suggested answer — all without you touching anything. You just talk and glance at the screen.

Fireflies is reactive. Their Live Assist panel shows 4 static buttons (Follow Up, Catch Up, Summarize So Far, Action Items) and dynamic topic cards based on the conversation. But to get any AI-generated answer, you must click a button or type a question into AskFred. Their own documentation states: "Click any card to view a quick summary or insight in AskFred" and "Ask manually – Want something specific? Just type your own question."

In practice, this means: if a client asks you "How is this machine built?", Hinty will automatically search your uploaded product documentation and show you an answer within seconds. With Fireflies, you'd need to stop, type the question into AskFred, wait for the response, and then answer your client. During a fast-paced conversation, that delay can be the difference between sounding prepared and looking lost.

What about Fireflies' Sales Assist? Fireflies has announced a "Sales Assist" feature that would let teams upload their own knowledge base for real-time answers. But as of February 2026, their FAQ page says: "Not yet — but coming soon!" — the feature doesn't exist yet. Hinty's document-powered RAG has been working since launch.

Otter's Sales Agent offers real-time coaching tips, but only for sales call scenarios — not general conversations, job interviews, or presentations.

Each AskFred query on Fireflies costs 1 AI credit. Free plan: 20 credits/month. Even Business plan ($19/month): only 30 credits. With Hinty, the AI can answer 50 questions in a single session and it all counts as audio minutes. No per-question charges, no credit anxiety.

Where Hinty falls short: Hinty doesn't proactively prepare meeting agendas or pre-meeting briefings like Otter's OtterPilot can. It activates when the conversation starts, not before.

Transcription Quality

All three tools offer high-quality transcription, but the approach differs:

| Feature | Hinty | Otter.ai | Fireflies.ai |
|---------|-------|----------|--------------|
| Real-time transcription | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Multi-speaker diarization | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Languages supported | 10+ | 20+ | 100+ |
| Free transcription mode | ✅ Chrome Extension | ✅ 300 min/month | ✅ Unlimited (800 min storage) |

Fireflies wins here with 100+ languages. Otter is strong in English transcription quality. Hinty focuses on fewer languages but adds a unique Translator mode — the AI can listen in one language and give you hints in another, which none of the competitors offer.

Where Hinty falls short: If you need transcription in Japanese, Arabic, or Mandarin, Fireflies has far broader language coverage.

Post-Meeting Features

This is where the competitors pull ahead significantly:

| Feature | Hinty | Otter.ai | Fireflies.ai |
|---------|-------|----------|--------------|
| Meeting summaries | ❌ | ✅ Automatic | ✅ Automatic |
| Action items extraction | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Search across all meetings | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Meeting analytics | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ Advanced |
| Talk-time ratio | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| CRM integration | ❌ | ⚠️ Limited | ✅ Salesforce, HubSpot |

Otter and Fireflies win here — decisively. If your primary need is to document meetings, generate summaries, extract action items, and search through past conversations, Hinty simply doesn't do this. It's not what the tool was built for.

Hinty focuses on what happens during the conversation, not after it. If you need both, you could technically use Hinty for real-time coaching alongside Otter or Fireflies for post-meeting documentation.

Platform Support

| Feature | Hinty | Otter.ai | Fireflies.ai |
|---------|-------|----------|--------------|
| Google Meet | ✅ Chrome Extension | ✅ | ✅ |
| Zoom | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Microsoft Teams | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Mobile app | ✅ Android & iOS | ✅ iOS & Android | ❌ Web only |
| In-person conversations | ✅ Mobile app | ✅ Mobile app | ❌ |
| Bot joins your meeting | ❌ (privacy-first) | ✅ OtterPilot | ✅ Fred bot |

Otter wins here with the broadest platform support plus OtterPilot that auto-joins your scheduled meetings.

Where Hinty is different: Hinty's Chrome Extension works on Google Meet without adding a visible bot to the call. No one in the meeting knows you're using AI.

Fireflies requires its "Fireflies.ai Notetaker" bot to join as a visible participant for Live Assist to work. Their documentation confirms: "The Fireflies.ai Notetaker must join your meeting for Live Assist to work." They do offer a Chrome Extension that works without the bot, but it's the only exception — all other methods (Web Dashboard, Mobile App, Desktop App) require the visible bot.

For some people, a visible bot is fine — they want automatic recording. For others (like job interviews, legal consultations, or sensitive negotiations), privacy is the whole point.

Hinty's mobile app also works for in-person conversations — something Fireflies can't do at all since it's web-only.

Team Collaboration

| Feature | Hinty | Otter.ai | Fireflies.ai |
|---------|-------|----------|--------------|
| Shared meeting notes | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Team workspaces | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Admin controls | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| API access | ❌ | ✅ Business+ | ✅ Business+ |
| SSO / HIPAA | ❌ | ✅ Enterprise | ✅ Enterprise |

Both competitors win here. Hinty is built for individuals, not teams. If you need shared workspaces, admin controls, or enterprise security features, Otter and Fireflies are the clear choice.

Pricing & The Hidden Cost of AI Credits

Here's where it gets interesting — and where the marketing numbers can be misleading:

| Plan | Hinty | Otter.ai | Fireflies.ai |
|------|-------|----------|--------------|
| Free | 30 min/month | 300 min/month | Unlimited transcription (800 min storage) |
| Starter | $9/month (360 min) | $8.33/month (annual) | $10/month (annual) |
| Mid-tier | $15/month (600 min) | $20/month (annual) | $19/month (annual) |
| Top tier | $22/month (840 min) | Custom enterprise | $39/month |

On the surface, Otter and Fireflies offer more generous free plans. But look deeper:

Fireflies' AI credit system changes everything. Every time you ask a question through AskFred or Live Assist, it costs 1 AI credit. Here's how many credits each plan includes:

| Fireflies plan | Monthly price | AI credits included | AskFred queries (1 credit each) |
|----------------|--------------|--------------------|-----------------------------------------|
| Free | $0 | 20 credits | 20 questions/month |
| Pro | $10 | 20 credits | 20 questions/month |
| Business | $19 | 30 credits | 30 questions/month |
| Enterprise | $39 | 50 credits | 50 questions/month |

Notice something odd? The $10/month Pro plan gives you the same 20 credits as the Free plan. And on the $19/month Business plan, you get just 30 AI-powered answers per month. If you average 3 meetings per week with 5 questions each, you'll burn through your monthly credits in two weeks. Need more? AI credit top-ups start at $29-49, and heavy users report spending $99-200/month extra.

Hinty's approach is radically different: you pay for audio minutes, and within those minutes, the AI can answer as many questions as your conversation generates — automatically, without clicking anything. A 30-minute meeting with 40 questions from your counterpart costs the same as a 30-minute meeting with 3 questions. No per-query charges, no credit anxiety, no clicking.

Where Hinty falls short: The free plan (30 minutes) is limited compared to Otter's 300 minutes. If you just need basic transcription without AI coaching, you get more for free elsewhere.

Transparency: What's Under the Hood?

This is something most comparison articles ignore, but it matters if you care about where your audio data goes:

| Aspect | Hinty | Otter.ai | Fireflies.ai |
|--------|-------|----------|--------------|
| STT providers disclosed | ✅ Speechmatics, Deepgram, ElevenLabs | ❌ Proprietary | ❌ Undisclosed |
| LLM provider disclosed | ✅ Groq (Llama 3.1) | ❌ | ❌ |
| Vector search disclosed | ✅ Pinecone | ❌ | ❌ |
| Data retention policy | ✅ Published | ⚠️ General | ⚠️ "0-day retention with AI vendors" |

Hinty openly states which APIs process your audio: Speechmatics and Deepgram for transcription with speaker diarization, ElevenLabs for the Translator mode, Groq for AI suggestions, and Pinecone for document search. You know exactly where your data flows.

Otter and Fireflies don't disclose their AI providers. Fireflies mentions a "0-day data retention policy with AI vendors" on their security page, but doesn't name those vendors. If you're a lawyer discussing client cases or a business handling sensitive negotiations, knowing exactly which companies process your audio isn't a nice-to-have — it's a requirement.

The Uncomfortable Truth: Where Hinty Loses

We promised honesty, so here it is. Hinty is not the best choice if you need:

1. Post-meeting documentation — No summaries, no action items, no searchable meeting library. Otter and Fireflies are years ahead here.

2. Zoom or Teams support — Hinty's Chrome Extension only works on Google Meet. If your company lives in Zoom or Teams, Hinty can't help (yet).

3. Team-wide deployment — No shared workspaces, no admin panel for team managers, no CRM integration. This is an individual tool.

4. 100+ languages — Hinty supports around 10 languages. Fireflies supports 100+.

5. Meeting analytics at scale — If you want to analyze talk patterns across hundreds of calls, Fireflies and Gong are built for this. Hinty isn't.

Where Hinty Wins (And Why It Exists)

Hinty was built for a scenario that Otter and Fireflies largely ignore: you're in a conversation right now and you need help.

1. Truly proactive AI — no clicking required — This is the #1 difference. Hinty automatically detects when someone asks you a question and shows a suggested answer. Fireflies' Live Assist requires you to click buttons or type queries into AskFred. During a live conversation, that extra step matters enormously.

2. Document-powered answers that actually work today — Upload a contract, a case study, or a product spec. When someone asks you a question, Hinty searches your documents and suggests an answer — live. Fireflies has announced a similar feature ("Sales Assist") but their own FAQ says: "Not yet — coming soon!"

3. 5 conversation modes — Default, Business, Exchanging Opinions, Presentation Q&A, and Job Interview. Each mode has a specialized AI prompt tuned for that scenario. Competitors use one-size-fits-all.

4. Translator mode — The AI listens in English but gives you hints in Polish (or any of 10 languages). Designed for multilingual professionals. Unique to Hinty.

5. No bot in the meeting — Hinty's Chrome Extension captures audio without adding a visible participant. Fireflies requires its "Fireflies.ai Notetaker" bot to join as a visible participant (except via their Chrome Extension). During job interviews or sensitive negotiations, having a bot in the room changes the dynamic entirely.

6. In-person conversations — The mobile app works with face-to-face meetings, not just video calls. Try doing that with Fireflies.

7. Pay for minutes, not questions — With Fireflies, every AskFred query burns 1 credit. 20 credits/month on the free plan = 20 questions and you're done. With Hinty, a 30-minute session with 50 questions costs the same as one with 5 questions. Simple per-minute pricing, no credit anxiety.

8. Full transparency on AI providers — Hinty tells you exactly which services process your audio: Speechmatics, Deepgram, ElevenLabs, Groq, Pinecone. Competitors keep their AI stack hidden. If your data is sensitive, you deserve to know where it goes.

So Which One Should You Pick?

Here's our honest recommendation:

Pick Hinty if:

You need AI to help you during conversations (coaching, not just recording)

You want to use your own documents as a knowledge base

You work in high-stakes scenarios: job interviews, legal consultations, sales calls, exams

You value privacy (no bot joining your calls)

You need multilingual support with real-time translation

Pick Otter.ai if:

Your main need is meeting documentation and summaries

You use Zoom, Teams, and Google Meet (all three)

You want a bot that auto-joins and records every meeting

You need team collaboration features

You want the best English transcription quality

Pick Fireflies.ai if:

You need conversation analytics at scale (sales teams, managers)

You require 100+ language support

You want CRM integration (Salesforce, HubSpot)

You need enterprise features (SSO, HIPAA, API access)

You want "Talk to Fireflies" AI search across all meetings

Or pick two:

Here's a setup we've seen some users adopt: Hinty + Otter (or Fireflies). Use Hinty for real-time coaching during the conversation, and Otter/Fireflies for post-meeting documentation. They serve different purposes and don't conflict.

What's Next for Hinty?

We're working on expanding platform support and adding more post-meeting features. But our priority will always be making you better during the conversation — not just documenting what happened after it's over.

That's the gap we fill. And we think it's worth filling.

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Want to try real-time AI coaching for yourself? Start with Hinty's free plan — 30 minutes, no credit card required.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Hinty a replacement for Otter.ai or Fireflies?

Not exactly. Hinty focuses on real-time coaching during conversations, while Otter and Fireflies focus on post-meeting documentation and analytics. They solve different problems and can even be used together.

Can Hinty record and transcribe Zoom meetings?

Currently, Hinty's Chrome Extension works with Google Meet. The mobile app works with any in-person conversation. Zoom and Teams support is planned but not available yet.

Does Hinty store my meeting recordings?

Hinty processes audio in real time for transcription and coaching, but the focus is on the live session, not building a library of recordings. If you need a searchable meeting archive, Otter or Fireflies are better options.

Why is Hinty's free plan only 30 minutes?

Because Hinty's 30 minutes include real-time AI coaching, document search, and transcription — not just transcription alone. The cost per minute is higher because you're getting more per minute. We'd rather give you 30 powerful minutes than 300 basic ones.

Can I use Hinty and Otter at the same time?

Yes. Some users run Hinty for real-time suggestions and Otter for meeting documentation during the same Google Meet call. They don't interfere with each other.

Does Fireflies Live Assist automatically suggest answers like Hinty does?

No. Fireflies Live Assist shows topic cards and buttons during the meeting, but you must click a button or type a question into AskFred to get an AI-generated answer. Hinty automatically detects questions from the other speaker and shows suggested answers without any interaction. This is a fundamental architectural difference — Hinty is proactive, Fireflies is reactive.

Can Fireflies search my uploaded documents during a meeting?

Not yet. As of February 2026, Fireflies' FAQ states that the ability to upload your own knowledge base for real-time answers ("Sales Assist") is "coming soon." Hinty's document-powered RAG (upload PDFs, get answers during conversations) has been available since launch.

Is Hinty's Translator mode available on all plans?

Yes, Translator mode is available on all plans including Free. It uses the same audio minutes as regular coaching sessions.