TL;DR
What is the new Fireflies Fred?
Fireflies has turned Fred, its AI meeting notetaker, into a wider work assistant for email, Slack, scheduling and phone calls. Its free plan now covers voice typing, with a free scheduler and screen recorder on the way. Try the free tools first, and check the credit costs before you cancel any paid app.
What did Fireflies announce?
Fireflies.ai launched "the new Fred" on November 11, 2026, calling it an "AI teammate." Fred used to join your Zoom, Google Meet or Microsoft Teams calls and write up notes. The company now wants him working across the rest of your day.
CEO Krish Ramineni pitched it as one subscription replacing several: "Most teams pay for separate tools for meeting notes, scheduling, email assistants, Slack bots, voice typing and enterprise search." Fireflies says more than 1 million organizations and 20 million people use it.
What's free, and what costs extra?
| Feature | What it does | Plan, per Fireflies |
|---|---|---|
| Meeting notes | Notes in Zoom, Meet and Teams, with a bot or, via the desktop app, without one | Free plan |
| Fireflies Talk | Unlimited voice typing in any app | Free |
| Fireflies Scheduler | Booking links; ask Fred to move or block meetings | Free (rolling out over the next couple of weeks) |
| Fireflies Clips | Screen recorder in the Chrome extension that turns clips into how-to guides | Free (rolling out over the next couple of weeks) |
| Email and Slack assistants | Sorts your inbox, drafts replies for you to review, sums up long Slack threads | Paid, subject to usage credits |
| FredBots | Ongoing jobs, like watching competitors or following up with customers | Paid, subject to usage credits; waitlist |
| Voice agents | Take calls for you, such as candidate screenings or support calls | Paid, subject to usage credits |
Fireflies says paid plans start at US$10 per user per month, billed annually, before tax (price checked Nov 12, 2026). The release doesn't say how many credits each plan includes, so the real cost of the email, Slack and agent features depends on how much you use them.
Fred also connects to more than 240 apps, up from over 100, including more than 100 MCP connectors. MCP is a common standard that lets an AI assistant plug into other software, like your CRM or project tracker.
What is Fireflies Fly?
Fly is Fireflies' first piece of hardware: a small device that clips to the back of your phone and takes notes on phone calls, WhatsApp calls and in-person chats. It's expected early next year, with a waitlist open now.
Fireflies' own release says users should make sure everyone knows when they're recording and follow local recording rules.
Does Fireflies train AI on your meetings?
Fireflies says it doesn't use customer content to train generative AI models, and its vendors are contractually barred from doing so. Customers own their data and can delete it, and admins control access and how long data is kept.
X reactions
Two users sizing up who Fred is now competing with:
Fred started as an AI meeting notetaker. Now he's coming for a lot more.
— Akash (@Akasheth_) November 11, 2026
Meeting notes, voice typing, scheduling, workplace search and even sharing updates.
Feels like @meetgranola, @WisprFlow, @Calendly have some new competition.
Fireflies is making Fred a lot more than just https://t.co/b5NvCHb36O
Everyone's trying to build an AI that can do everything and fireflies basically gave their notetaker a pikachu upgrade lol
— Shravani (@shrav_10) November 11, 2026
if fred can write my follow-up emails after meetings, i’m sold https://t.co/2H7J628QWR
Our take
The free tools are the real news for small teams. Unlimited voice typing, a booking-link scheduler and a screen recorder are things plenty of freelancers and shop owners pay for separately today, and Fireflies is giving them away to get you into its app.
The AI that does actual work, drafting emails and running calls, sits behind credits, and Fireflies hasn't spelled out how far a plan's credits go. Until it does, treat the US$10 starting price as the entry fee, not the full bill. One app that knows your meetings, inbox and Slack could save time, but it also means one company holds all of it, so read the privacy settings before you connect everything.
— Artificially Nerdy
What to do this week
- Try Fireflies Talk on the free plan before paying for another voice-typing app. Granola also offers free voice typing on Mac if you want to compare.
- Join the Scheduler waitlist if you pay for a booking-link tool, then compare once it arrives.
- Ask about credits first. Before buying a paid plan for email or Slack help, find out how many credits it includes and what a draft or a call uses.
- Recording calls or meetings? Tell everyone you're recording, every time, and follow local recording rules.
- Connect apps one at a time and review what Fred can see in each before adding the next.
FAQ
Is Fireflies free?
Yes, there's a free plan with meeting notes and core features, including scheduling, voice typing and screen recording. Email and Slack assistants, voice agents and FredBots are paid extras that use credits.
Does Fireflies need a bot in my meeting?
Not anymore. The Fireflies desktop app can take notes without a visible bot joining the call.
Which meeting apps does Fireflies work with?
Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams, per Fireflies' announcement.
When can I get FredBots?
Fireflies says FredBots started becoming available on November 11, with a waitlist at fireflies.ai/fredbots.
Sources
- Fireflies.ai press release: Fireflies.ai Evolves From AI Notetaker to AI Teammate — GlobeNewswire, November 11, 2026, 9:00am ET. Features, free vs paid, US$10 starting price, credits, 240+ apps, Fly, recording line, privacy, user numbers, CEO quote.
- Fireflies blog: Meet Fred, your AI teammate — product overview.
- Fireflies pricing page — current plans.
- Akash on X — November 11, 2026, 1:26pm ET.
- Shravani on X — November 11, 2026, 2:49pm ET.
