Fireflies & tl;dv Alternative

AppBabel: The Fireflies & tl;dv Alternative
That Translates Live
and Stores Nothing on Our Servers

AppBabel is the Fireflies and tl;dv alternative that translates live and stores nothing on its servers. They transcribe and summarize; AppBabel translates Chinese, English, and Vietnamese as people speak — first words in well under a second — and produces a Markdown summary in ~20–30 seconds. Free to start (120 min/month), then Plus at $8.88/mo or Pro at $19.99/mo. Meeting content is never stored on AppBabel's servers and never used for training.

3 languages (CN/EN/VI) · live translation, first words in under 1 second · summary in ~20–30 seconds · 120 free minutes/month · Plus $8.88/mo · Pro $19.99/mo · no AI credits · no bot joins your call · 0 meeting content stored on our servers · never used for training

Fireflies and tl;dv record, transcribe, and summarize — but translation is a manual afterthought, and your audio sits in their cloud. AppBabel translates Chinese, English, and Vietnamese as people talk, and never stores meeting content on our servers.

Try free — 120 min/mo See AppBabel vs Fireflies vs tl;dv ↓

Built for privacy-first cross-language meetings

✓ Where AppBabel wins
Cross-language founders who value privacy — anyone put off by credit traps or recordings parked in someone else's cloud.
✕ Where Fireflies & tl;dv still fit
English-only sales or revenue teams whose core need is deep CRM analytics and conversation intelligence. That's Fireflies and tl;dv's strength; AppBabel doesn't do CRM.

AppBabel vs Fireflies vs tl;dv

AppBabel Fireflies tl;dv
Real-time translation ✅Yes — live, Chinese / English / Vietnamese ❌No — transcription only ❌No — post-meeting transcript translation
Privacy Never stored on our servers, never used for training Cloud; audio stored by default Cloud (EU); zero retention with vendors
Pricing model Free 120 min/mo · Plus $8.88 · Pro $19.99 Free + paid tiers, plus AI-credit add-ons Free + paid tiers
Hidden limits None "Unlimited summaries" capped by credits Caps vary by plan
Meeting bot No bot joins Visible bot joins Visible bot joins
Summary Shareable Markdown AI summary + CRM AI summary + CRM

Why choose AppBabel

Both turn a cross-language meeting into "transcribe everything first, translate it yourself later" — your Chinese co-founder has to sit through an entire English call first. Layer on Fireflies' AI-credit traps and recordings parked in the cloud, and both privacy and certainty take a hit. AppBabel translates as people speak, with simple monthly pricing, and stores nothing on our servers. Fireflies stores your data. AppBabel stores nothing. tl;dv translates after. AppBabel translates during.

FAQ

Does Fireflies translate meetings in real time?
No. Fireflies transcribes in many languages but doesn't translate live; translation is a manual post-meeting step. AppBabel translates speech as people talk across Chinese, English, and Vietnamese, so cross-language participants understand each other in the moment.
Is there a meeting tool that doesn't store my recordings?
AppBabel never stores your meeting content on its servers and never uses it for training. Fireflies stores audio by default; tl;dv keeps recordings in its EU cloud. Note: audio still streams to translation APIs live.
What's the catch with Fireflies' free plan?
Fireflies ties usage to AI credits, so "unlimited summaries" hits limits fast. AppBabel keeps it simple: Free with 120 minutes/month, then Plus at $8.88/mo or Pro at $19.99/mo, every feature included — no credits, no per-seat math.
tl;dv alternative for live translation?
AppBabel. tl;dv translates transcripts only after the meeting; your Chinese co-founder sits through an English call first. AppBabel translates during the call and gives a Markdown summary after.
Who should NOT switch?
English-only sales or revenue teams whose main need is deep CRM sync, call coaching, and conversation analytics. Fireflies and tl;dv specialize there; AppBabel focuses on live translation + summary, not CRM.