> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.useraven.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Raven vs Fireflies
> A free, open-source Fireflies alternative - local-first, no per-seat fee or AI credits, with live in-call help. Your meetings stay on your machine.
Fireflies is a deep, integration-heavy notetaker built around a cloud archive of your calls. If you want 100+ integrations and a big searchable cloud, it's strong. But it's **per-seat**, meters advanced AI behind **AI credits**, and everything lives in **Fireflies' cloud**. Raven keeps meetings in a **local database**, has **no seat fee or credits**, adds **live help during the call**, and is **open source**.
## At a glance
| | Raven | Fireflies |
| ------------------------ | --------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Live in-call assist | **Yes** | No - after the call |
| Where your meetings live | Local SQLite | Fireflies' cloud archive |
| Advanced AI | **Unlimited** (your own key) | Metered by **AI credits** on top of the seat |
| Price | Free, open source (your own keys) | Free (limited storage + credits); Pro \$10/user/mo (annual), \$18 monthly; Business \$19/user/mo |
| Capture | Local, bot-free (Mac + Windows) | Notetaker bot (plus some browser/no-bot modes) |
| Open source | Yes | No |
## Price
Fireflies' free tier records and transcribes, but caps **storage** and hands you a small one-time pool of **AI credits** - the advanced summaries and AskFred draw them down, so heavy use pushes you to **Pro at \$10/user/mo** (annual; \$18 monthly) and integrations/CRM depth to **Business at \$19/user/mo**. Every tier is per seat.
Raven's AI is unlimited because you bill your own provider for usage - typically a few dollars a month - with no seat fee and no credit system.
## Where your meetings live
Fireflies stores your recordings and transcripts in its cloud so it can offer archive-wide search and integrations. Raven keeps everything in a **local SQLite database** on your machine - no account, no server - and its Ask feature searches your history from a **local** index. Audio only goes to the providers you chose with your own keys, and because Raven is open source, that path is auditable.
## What Fireflies does better (honestly)
* **Integration breadth** - 100+ apps, deep CRM (HubSpot/Salesforce/Zoho/Pipedrive), and AskFred.
* A big **cloud archive** with cross-meeting search and analytics on higher tiers.
* Mature mobile apps and team features.
If your workflow is "route meeting data into a dozen other tools," Fireflies is built for that.
## When Raven wins
* You don't want a **per-seat** subscription or **AI-credit** metering.
* You want meetings **on your machine**, not a cloud archive.
* You want **live help during** the call, not just a recap.
* You want to **audit** the tool (open source) and pay your AI provider **cents**.
## Switching from Fireflies
1. Export any transcripts you want to keep from Fireflies.
2. [Download Raven](https://useraven.ai/download), add your keys, enable meeting auto-start.
3. Run both for a week; cancel Fireflies once Raven covers your notes habit. (Importers are on the roadmap.)
Free, open source, Mac + Windows. Bring your own keys.
Raven vs the whole category, honestly ranked.
Fireflies pricing verified August 2026 (fireflies.ai/pricing). Vendors change pricing often - confirm before relying on a figure.