Fireflies works by sending "Fred" — its meeting bot — into every call. That's fine for an internal standup. It's awkward for a sales call, a 1:1, a board meeting, a deal review. Kargoo never joins; it just listens to the audio your Mac is already playing.
If your concern is "who else hears this meeting?" — Fireflies routes through their servers and their AI. Kargoo routes through your Apple Silicon and nothing else.
| Kargoo | Fireflies.ai | |
|---|---|---|
| How it joins a meeting | Doesn't — silent system-audio capture | "Fred" bot joins as a participant |
| Visible to other attendees | No | Yes — listed in participant tray |
| Audio processing | On your Mac (Whisper) | Fireflies cloud |
| Storage | Local folder you choose | Fireflies cloud |
| Requires calendar integration | No | Recommended |
| Works offline | Yes | No |
| System-wide dictation | Yes | No |
| Price | $0 for 14 days · $8.99/mo Pro | $0 limited · $18/mo Pro |
HR review. Layoff prep. Earnings rehearsal. M&A discussion. Nothing leaves the room.
Transcription starts the moment the meeting ends, on your Neural Engine. No upload, no queue, no waiting.
Fireflies wants your full calendar. Kargoo just wants to listen to whatever's playing right now.
Free to download. Free 14-day trial. No account required.
Download for Mac · Free