This article is based on my personal experience with both tools. The scenario was the same for each: onboarding, recording a session and asking help from AI. It is not a benchmark and not objective. If you believe anything is inaccurate, please get in touch and I'll correct it.
Today I'm going to run a simple test on XSpeak and Fireflies to better understand their differences, strong sides and features. I'll compare how they transcribe meetings, how suggestions work, their privacy, pricing, free tier and more. For the comparison I'll take my standard scenario: a performance review meeting with salary negotiations. Here's the script:
Scenario transcript
Manager: Hey, thanks for taking the time. I wanted to catch up on your performance review. Overall, I think you've had a really strong quarter.
Employee: Thanks, I appreciate that. Yeah, I feel like the project went well.
Manager: Absolutely. The client feedback was great, delivery was on time. You really stepped up. I've noted all of that in the review.
Employee: Good to hear. So, I actually wanted to bring up compensation. I think it might be a good time to discuss it.
Manager: I hear you. And honestly, your work has been solid. The challenge is that we've had a company-wide freeze on salary adjustments this cycle. It's not about your performance. It's a budget constraint across the board.
Employee: Oh. Okay...
Manager: I know it's not what you were hoping to hear. But it's the same situation for everyone on the team. What I can offer is revisiting this in six months. And in the meantime, we could look at other things. Maybe a conference budget, or a project you've been wanting to lead.TL;DR
Both apps are polished and work well. Key takeaways:
- Fireflies processes everything in the cloud and requires an account. XSpeak runs fully on-device and doesn't need an account.
- Transcription quality was strong in both. Fireflies felt slightly faster.
- AI help was solid in both. XSpeak's response was more detailed and actionable in my test.
- XSpeak is significantly cheaper at every tier.
- Fireflies is available on more platforms (Android, Windows, Web). XSpeak is Apple-only.
First setup comparison
Behavior described in this section is as of the test date. Verify on Fireflies' current app and XSpeak's current app before making a decision.
Fireflies
Fireflies is distributed directly through their website. I download it and move it to Applications. It takes 338 MB on disk. When I open the app it plays a short intro video with the Fireflies logo and sound. After that I see a login screen with no way to skip it. It also adds itself as a Login Item, so the app will start automatically on login. I log in with Google. It asks for access to some of my Google data including calendar. Once I log in, the app prompts for access to control Safari. I don't want that and don't need it for my use case, so I press Don't Allow. After that I see the main screen. The whole thing took around 1 minute.
XSpeak
XSpeak is distributed through the App Store. I download it from there and it takes 112 MB on my disk. I start the app and see the screen describing how the app handles my data. In short, nothing is shared or collected, everything is processed on-device. I continue. The next screen offers to create a voice profile so the app can recognize when I speak. I create one. The app asks for mic access and then asks me to read 5 short phrases aloud. After that I see the main screen. I like that I don't need a separate account to use the app. All steps took around 2 minutes.
| Fireflies | XSpeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Onboarding time | ~1 minute | ~2 minutes |
| Account required | Yes | No |
| Bundle size | 338 MB | 112 MB |
| Distribution | Fireflies | App Store |
Recording
Fireflies
I press the Quick Capture button. The app prompts for mic access, then for system audio access. I allow both. Transcription with speaker labels starts immediately. It's very fast and accurate, and speaker labels are assigned impressively well. Here's the result:
Fireflies transcript
Speaker 1: Hey, thank you for taking the time. I wanted to catch up on your performance review. Overall, I think you've had a really strong quarter.
Speaker 2: Thanks, I appreciate that. Uh, yeah, I feel like Project went well.
Speaker 1: Absolutely. The client feedback was great. Delivery was on time. You really stepped up. I've noticed all of that in the review.
Speaker 2: Good to hear. So I actually wanted to bring up compensation. I think it might be a good time to discuss it.
Speaker 1: I hear you, and honestly, your work has been solid. The challenge is that we've had a company-wide freeze on salary adjustment this cycle. It's not about your performance; it's budget constraints across the board.
Speaker 2: Um, okay.
Speaker 1: I know it's not what you were hoping to hear, but it's the same situation for everyone on the team. What I can offer is revisiting this in six months, and in the meantime, we could look at other things. Maybe a conference budget or a project you've been wanting to lead.XSpeak
I press Start Recording and see a disclaimer reminding me that it's my responsibility to comply with local recording laws and get consent from other participants. I have consent, so I press Agree. Recording begins and transcription starts appearing immediately. It's just a little bit slower than Fireflies, mostly unnoticeable. The transcript is pretty accurate and speakers are labeled correctly as well. Here's the result:
XSpeak transcript
Other: Plus, the one.
Other: Hey, thanks for taking the time.
Other: I wanted to catch up on your performance review.
Other: Or I think you've had a really strong quarter.
You: Thanks.
You: I appreciate it.
You: Oh, yeah, I feel like project went well.
Other: Absolutely.
Other: The client feedback was great.
Other: Delivery was on time.
Other: You really stepped up.
Other: I noticed all of that in the review.
You: Good to hear.
You: So I actually wanted to bring up compensation.
You: I think it might be a good time to discuss it.
Other: I hear you, and honestly, your work has been solved.
Other: The challenge is that we've had a company wide free its own salary adjustment this cycle.
Other: It's not about your performance, it's budget constraints across the board.
You: Um, okay.
Other: I know it's not what you are hoping to hear, but it's the same situation for everyone on the team. What they can offer is revisiting this in 6 months.
Other: And in the meantime, we could look at other things.
Other: Maybe a conference budget or a project you've been wanting to read.AI analysis
Fireflies
I'll use the AskFred feature to get help during the recording. My first message is a simple "Help me", and the response is a generic overview of what AskFred can do, not tailored to my situation at all. I clarify: "Help me get a salary raise". The second response is more useful. It recaps the situation (strong quarter, company-wide freeze, 6-month revisit, conference budget and a lead-a-project offer) and ends with a short suggestion: document my accomplishments this quarter, prepare a case for the 6-month review, and lean on the conference budget and project leadership in the meantime. The suggestion is on-point. However, I personally don't find it very detailed and wouldn't benefit much, since it's not clear how to document my current accomplishments. It also doesn't help me negotiate the raise now, but that's understandable. The response feels like a summary with a short suggestion attached.
XSpeak
Let's ask XSpeak for help. I write "Help me" in the Ask Anything text field. Here's the response:
XSpeak response
Based on the transcript, here is a breakdown of your current situation and actionable next steps:
Current Status
- Review Outcome: Your performance was positively acknowledged by the other speaker. Delivery, client feedback, and initiative were all noted as strong points.
- Compensation Request: You requested a salary adjustment based on this performance review and strong quarter.
- Outcome: The other speaker confirmed that company-wide salary adjustments are currently restricted due to budget constraints. They explicitly stated this applies to the entire team, not just you personally.
- Immediate Offer: They suggested revisiting compensation in 6 months or exploring non-monetary benefits (e.g., conference budgets, project resources).
Recommended Actions
- Formalize the Conversation: Ask for a written summary or email chain confirming this decision and the timeline (6 months). This ensures there is no ambiguity about when to expect a follow-up.
- Evaluate the "Non-Monetary" Offer: Determine if projects or conference budgets are realistic requests. If these feel like token gestures, be prepared to walk away from that specific offer if the 6-month mark does not yield a salary increase.
- Document Your Achievements: Compile the specific examples of work mentioned in your review (client feedback, on-time delivery) into a dossier. If the 6-month window passes without action, you will have concrete evidence of your value to present in a future review.
- Plan Your Exit Strategy: If the company cannot adjust salaries even after 6 months, begin updating your resume and networking. Since salary adjustments are constrained across the board for everyone on this team, you may need to look elsewhere where your performance can be rewarded immediately.
Note: The other speaker has been clear that the decision is driven by budget, not performance. If this 6-month window feels too long given your financial needs or market value, you may choose to decline the offer and begin a job search immediately.
I like this response a lot. It prioritizes my well-being and considers all the options. It also describes in detail how to document everything. I'm impressed. Even more impressive that XSpeak does this with a local AI model.
Features
Let's compare the features relevant to this scenario. Both tools cover the main ground. Fireflies also supports importing audio files, which XSpeak doesn't.
| Fireflies | XSpeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Live transcription | ✓ | ✓ |
| Speaker identification | ✓ | ✓ |
| AI analysis | ✓ | ✓ |
| AI chat | ✓ | ✓ |
| System audio capture | ✓ | ✓ |
| Live AI insights | ✓ | ✓ |
| File import | ✓ | ✗ |
| Custom AI skills | ✓ | ✓ |
Features reflect what I found in each app at the test date. Verify current features on Fireflies' website and XSpeak's website before making a decision.
Privacy
This is where the two tools are very different. Fireflies transcribes and analyzes conversations in the cloud, while XSpeak does everything locally on your device.
| Fireflies | XSpeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Transcription engine | Cloud | On-device |
| AI engine | Cloud | On-device |
| Internet required | Yes | No |
| Account required | Yes | No |
| Microphone permission | Required | Required |
| Screen Recording permission | No | No |
| System audio access | Required | Optional |
Free plan
Fireflies gives unlimited transcription minutes if Auto-join and Share-all is enabled. It also gives 800 minutes of storage and 20 AI credits, which you can use for AI analysis. XSpeak has unlimited transcription time with storage limited only by your local disk space, but AI analysis requires the Pro plan.
| Fireflies | XSpeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Transcription time | Unlimited (conditional) | Unlimited |
| Storage | 800 minutes | Local disk space |
| AI analysis | 20 AI credits | Requires Pro |
Free plan limits are as of the test date. Verify current limits on Fireflies' website and XSpeak's website before making a decision.
Pricing
Fireflies has Free, Pro, Business and Enterprise plans. XSpeak only has Free and Pro plans, so I'm comparing Pro to Pro here. XSpeak also has a lifetime option, which Fireflies doesn't.
| Fireflies Pro | XSpeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly | $18 | $3.99 |
| Yearly | $120 | $19.99 |
| Lifetime | Not available | $49.99 |
Prices are as of the test date. Verify current pricing on Fireflies' pricing page and XSpeak's pricing before making a decision.
Platforms
Both XSpeak and Fireflies support the major Apple platforms, but Fireflies is also available on Android, Windows and the Web.
| Fireflies | XSpeak | |
|---|---|---|
| macOS | ✓ | ✓ |
| iOS | ✓ | ✓ |
| Android | ✓ | ✗ |
| Windows | ✓ | ✗ |
| Web | ✓ | ✗ |
Platform support is as of the test date. Verify current platforms on Fireflies' website and XSpeak's website before making a decision.
Final thoughts
Fireflies impressed me with its transcription speed (which probably depends on internet connection) and speaker identification quality. It has a clear user interface and many useful features. The AI gave me advice that was on-point, though I wasn't fully satisfied: I missed details on how to actually execute the advice. On the other hand, Fireflies depends on an internet connection, transcribes and analyzes conversations in the cloud, and is more expensive than XSpeak.
XSpeak transcription and speaker identification quality were good. Transcription speed was good too, a tiny bit slower than Fireflies but mostly unnoticeable. The interface is simple and focused. AI analysis worked exceptionally well in my test. XSpeak works fully locally and processes data on-device.
I believe Fireflies is a good choice if you're fine with cloud processing of your conversations, you want a more feature-rich app, and you need cross-platform coverage. If you want a fully local and private app for meeting notes and real-time help, XSpeak might be the better choice.
Looking for more comparisons? See my XSpeak vs Hedy and XSpeak vs Otter write-ups.
XSpeak is not affiliated with Fireflies.AI Corp.