Fireflies.ai Problems & Issues
Real user-reported problems, complaints, and limitations for Fireflies.ai. Based on analysis of 14 signals.
Issues by Category
Bot is impossible to remove once it joins
Users describe Fireflies as 'worm-like' and 'malware' because it automatically joins meetings without consent and is extremely difficult to remove. Even after deactivating accounts, uninstalling, asking IT for help, or requesting it to stop, it keeps coming back. IT administrators find it incredibly difficult to block.
Summaries too high-level and lose important nuance
Users find AI summaries tend to be too high-level and lack nuanced detail needed, often losing the original phrasing or tone of important discussions. Quality limitations of AI-generated content are a primary reason users switch away from Fireflies. Critical context gets oversimplified.
Struggles with accents, jargon, and overlapping speech
Transcription accuracy is inconsistent with heavy accents, technical jargon, slang, and overlapping speech. Platform leads to missed words and misidentified speakers, often requiring manual corrections. No automatic language detection is a huge drawback for multilingual teams.
Auto-join causes friction with clients
Settings like auto-joining all calendar meetings can cause friction - some clients dislike when an unknown bot joins their calls. Disabling mid-call requires multiple steps. There's no easy way to add it to ad-hoc or last-minute meetings when you do want it.
Duplicate recordings when multiple team members have accounts
When multiple people from the same company have Fireflies accounts, users get several duplicate recordings. There's no smart deduplication - the system invites multiple bots. Users wish it would only invite one recorder and share among the group, wasting storage and creating confusion.
Can be excluded by meeting participants
Fireflies relies on attendee permission to join meetings and can be excluded by participants. When kicked, meeting capture quality drops significantly. This creates inconsistent coverage depending on who's in the meeting and their comfort with recording bots.
Confusing download process for transcripts
The download process is confusing with multiple steps to choose summary options, timestamps, and branding preferences. It's unclear which files contain transcripts versus summaries, especially when conversation names contain special characters. Users struggle to get the right output format.
Billing traps with grey cancel buttons and surprise charges
Users report cancel buttons being greyed out, forcing multiple support contacts resulting in unwanted charges. One user signed up for a free trial but was charged for 5 users on a Business plan at $179/month - described as impossible to query or refund. Others were charged after deleting accounts.
Confusing credits system makes free plan misleading
The free plan's 800 minutes is tied to a confusing 'credits' system that varies by signup method - website gives 3 credits, mobile app gives 10. Credits are consumed for summaries and transcription, making actual usage far more limited than advertised. Storage limit of 800 minutes adds another constraint.
Pro plan 'unlimited' features don't actually work
Users report that 'Unlimited AI summaries' in Pro plan don't work due to design flaws. Meaningful analytics appear to be treated as additional paid layer rather than included in Pro. Marketing is misleading about 'unlimited' features - storage and AI credits run out faster than expected.
Expensive compared to alternatives
Users find Fireflies expensive especially with unclear costs and additional charges for features. Some note competitors or integrated options like Zoom's native transcription offer similar features at lower prices. Pro at $10/month seems reasonable until hidden limits appear.
BIPA class action lawsuit over biometric data collection
In December 2025, a class-action lawsuit (Cruz v. Fireflies.AI) was filed alleging illegal collection of biometric voiceprint data without written consent. The lawsuit claims Fireflies records every meeting participant including people who never agreed to terms of service, violating Illinois' strict BIPA law.
Continues sending summaries after users opt out
Users report Fireflies as 'incredibly intrusive' - even after attempting to remove it, the bot continues taking notes and emailing summaries to meeting attendees who never subscribed. People receive summaries of their conversations without ever consenting to being recorded.
Shockingly bad customer service
Users report shockingly bad customer service - being transferred around, having to explain issues multiple times, and waiting days for engineering responses. Support focuses on closing chats rather than resolving issues. Lack of phone support and slow email responses make urgent issues impossible to resolve.
Regret Patterns
Common reasons users regret choosing Fireflies.ai.
Bot impossible to remove after trial
Users who tried Fireflies discovered they couldn't remove it afterward. The bot kept rejoining meetings even after account deactivation. IT departments couldn't fully block it. What started as a trial became a persistent uninvited guest in all company meetings.
Charged for 5 users when expecting free trial
Users signing up for what they thought was a free trial were charged for multiple users on a Business plan at $179/month. The billing was described as impossible to query or refund. Free trial terms were unclear, leading to significant unexpected charges.
Client relationships damaged by uninvited bot
The auto-join feature caused Fireflies to unexpectedly appear in client meetings. Clients were uncomfortable with being recorded without prior notice. Trust was damaged when an unknown bot joined sensitive discussions, harming business relationships.
Discovered lawsuit after deploying company-wide
Organizations that deployed Fireflies company-wide learned about the BIPA class-action lawsuit afterward. They now face potential compliance issues for having recorded employees and clients without proper consent. Removing the already-deployed tool proved extremely difficult.
Pro plan 'unlimited' features didn't work
Users upgraded to Pro expecting unlimited AI summaries only to find the feature didn't work due to design flaws. Storage limits still applied. The 'unlimited' marketing was misleading - users felt deceived and support wasn't helpful in resolving the issue.
Charged after deleting account
Users who deleted their Fireflies accounts continued to see charges on their credit cards. The deletion didn't properly cancel billing. Resolving the ongoing charges required credit card disputes since customer support was unresponsive to refund requests.
When Fireflies.ai Breaks Down
Specific scenarios where Fireflies.ai fails or underperforms.
Attempting to remove Fireflies from organization
IT administrators find it nearly impossible to fully remove Fireflies. Even after deactivating accounts, revoking permissions, and blocking domains, the bot finds ways to rejoin meetings. Users describe it as 'worm-like' behavior requiring extreme measures to eliminate.
Client meeting with auto-join enabled
An unknown recording bot suddenly appears in a sensitive client meeting. The client is uncomfortable and asks why they weren't notified. Disabling the bot mid-call requires multiple steps. Trust is damaged and the meeting is disrupted.
Trying to cancel subscription
Users wanting to cancel find the cancel button greyed out. Support tickets go unresolved for days. Charges continue while waiting for response. Eventually users must dispute through credit card companies since Fireflies doesn't process the cancellation.
Multiple team members have accounts
Several team members independently created Fireflies accounts. Now every meeting has multiple bots joining, creating duplicate recordings. Storage fills quickly with redundant transcripts. There's no automatic deduplication.
Meeting with heavy accents or technical jargon
A meeting with international participants or specialized terminology produces an unusable transcript. Speakers are misidentified, words are missed, and context is lost. Manual corrections take longer than writing notes from scratch.
Needing urgent support for billing issue
Users with urgent billing problems find no phone support and slow email responses. They're transferred between support agents, having to re-explain the issue multiple times. Days pass without resolution while charges continue.
Privacy compliance audit discovers consent issues
A compliance audit reveals Fireflies has been recording meeting participants without proper consent documentation. The BIPA lawsuit details raise concerns. The organization faces potential liability for non-compliant recording practices.