The GDPR-compliant Fireflies alternative from Germany
Fireflies.ai processes meeting data primarily in the USA. MeetingIQ keeps transcription, summaries and task detection 100% in the EU, with a data processing agreement (DPA), a consent gate and automatic audio deletion.
Fireflies.ai vs. MeetingIQ
The comparison covers structural differences in data protection, not individual features.
| Criterion | Fireflies.ai | MeetingIQ |
|---|---|---|
| Company headquarters | USA (Fireflies.AI Corp., Delaware) | Germany (NeuralMedic GmbH) |
| Where data is stored | Default: USA (AWS, GCP). EU storage only with Enterprise, and processing still takes place in the USA | Exclusively in the EU (hosted by Hetzner in Falkenstein, Germany) |
| Governing law | Law of the US state of Delaware | German law, place of jurisdiction Ingolstadt |
| US CLOUD Act | Applies, as a US company | Does not apply (EU provider, EU data) |
| Bot in your calendar | Joins all calendar meetings by default | Default: only meetings you approve |
| Custom retention periods | Enterprise plan only | Original audio: 24 hours by default, configurable per workspace |
Information on Fireflies.ai as stated on its own pages, as of 5 November 2026: Terms of service, Data storage, Auto-join, Pricing. Trademarks belong to their respective owners.
Switching from Fireflies: what to watch for
1. Disconnect the bot from your calendar
Fireflies joins all calendar meetings by default. Disconnect the calendar first, otherwise the bot will keep turning up in your meetings.
2. Save the transcripts you need
Export what you have to keep for retention reasons. Everything else does not need to move with you.
3. Close the account
According to its own privacy policy, Fireflies deletes account-related personal data within 30 days. Its terms of service exempt copies kept for archiving, backups and legal obligations.
Why the server location is decisive
EU only, no third-country transfer
If audio and transcripts stay in the EU, the laborious third-country transfer under Schrems II does not arise: no standard contractual clauses, no transfer impact assessment needed.
No US CLOUD Act
Purely EU-based providers are not subject to the US CLOUD Act. Confidential board, legal and healthcare meetings are therefore protected from access by authorities in third countries.
DPA and proof of consent built in
The data processing agreement under Art. 28 GDPR is ready to sign in your account. Consents are logged with a timestamp, so you have proof if there is ever a dispute.
Data minimisation by default
Original audio is deleted after 24 hours by default (Art. 5(1)(c) GDPR). You set the retention period for each workspace yourself.