5 min
setup time
50+
integrations
100+
languages
Free plan
800 min storage
Fireflies.ai works by sending a bot called Fred to your meetings. Once you connect your calendar, Fred joins automatically, records and transcribes the audio, and delivers a formatted summary to your email within minutes of the call ending.
Setup takes about 5 minutes. After that, it runs automatically - you do not need to do anything before each meeting.
You do not need to install any software. Fireflies.ai is fully web-based. The bot joins as a participant from Fireflies servers - you just authorize it to access your calendar.
Create Your Fireflies.ai Account
Go to fireflies.ai and click "Get started free". Sign up with your Google account (recommended) or email. The Google sign-in connects your Google Calendar automatically as part of the signup flow.
After signing in, you will be taken to the dashboard. The first thing you will see is a prompt to connect your calendar - do this immediately, it is the key step that enables auto-join.
Connect Your Calendar for Auto-Join
If you signed up with Google, your Google Calendar is already connected. Fireflies will show you upcoming meetings it detected. For Outlook/Microsoft 365 calendar: go to Settings > Integrations > Calendar and click "Connect" next to Microsoft Calendar. Authorize access.
Once connected, Fireflies shows your upcoming meetings. You will see a "Fred will join" status next to each. For past meetings or recordings you want to transcribe, use the Upload button.
Invite Fred to a Specific Meeting (Manual Method)
If auto-join is off or you want to add Fred to a one-off meeting: in the Fireflies dashboard, click "Add to meeting" and paste the meeting URL (Zoom, Meet, or Teams link). Or email fred@fireflies.ai with the meeting invite details.
Review Your Notes After the Meeting
Within 5 minutes of the meeting ending, you will receive an email with a link to the meeting summary. The summary includes: a brief overview, key topics covered, action items with assignees, and a full transcript.
To access all your meetings: go to fireflies.ai and click "Meetings" in the left sidebar. Each meeting shows the date, duration, number of speakers, and a summary preview.
Connect Fireflies to Your Other Tools
Go to Settings > Integrations. Fireflies has 50+ native integrations. Most commonly used: Slack (send summaries to a channel after each meeting), HubSpot or Salesforce (auto-log meeting notes to contact records), Notion (push transcripts to a database), and Zapier (connect to anything else).
For Slack: click Connect next to Slack, authorize, and choose which channel should receive meeting summaries. For CRM: connect HubSpot or Salesforce and configure which meetings should sync (all meetings, or only meetings with contacts in your CRM).
Fireflies.ai is at its best when it is running automatically on every meeting and pushing summaries to your other tools. The 5-minute setup is worth doing properly - connecting calendar, configuring auto-join, and wiring up at least one integration.
Free plan covers most individual use cases. Only upgrade to Pro if you need AskFred AI search, custom vocabulary, or CRM integrations. Run on free for 30 days before deciding.
Deciding between Fireflies and a competitor? See MeetGeek vs Fireflies for a detailed feature and pricing comparison.
Tools Used in This Guide
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I stop Fireflies from joining my meetings?
Go to Settings > Fred Bot > Auto-join settings. Change "All meetings" to "Only when invited" or "None". You can also remove Fred from a specific meeting by finding it in your calendar integrations and toggling Fred off for that event.
Does Fireflies.ai tell other participants it is recording?
Fred joins as a visible participant named "Fireflies.ai Notetaker" - it is visible in the attendee list and on screen. Participants are aware. Most meeting platforms also show a recording indicator when Fred is active. Fireflies does not record silently.
How accurate is Fireflies transcription?
85-92% accuracy on clear audio in standard English. Accuracy drops on heavy accents, fast speech, and technical jargon (though you can add a custom vocabulary list on Pro plans). Fireflies supports 100+ languages, though accuracy is best on English and major European languages.
What is AskFred?
AskFred is Fireflies's AI search feature that lets you query your entire meeting history in natural language. You can ask "When did we discuss the pricing change?" or "What did Sarah say about the product roadmap?" and AskFred searches across all your transcribed meetings. It requires a Pro plan.
Can I use Fireflies on Google Meet for free?
Yes. Fireflies free plan works on Google Meet, Zoom, and Teams. The free plan includes 800 minutes of meeting storage. Fred joins as a bot participant, same as on paid plans. The main free plan limitation is storage (800 total minutes) and no AskFred search.
