Mahdar · Fireflies alternative
A Fireflies alternative that keeps your meetings in the UAE.
Fireflies is a capable AI notetaker in more than 100 languages, but it processes meetings on its servers in the United States. Mahdar stores and processes recordings on your own servers or in a UAE cloud region, and the chair approves the minutes before anything is shared.
- Stored and processed in the UAE
- Nothing is shared until it is approved
- Arabic and English, by speaker
Mahdar · Steering committee
Live · 00:47:12Chair · 00:46:58
نوافق على الميزانية بشرط مراجعة التكاليف في الربع القادم.
Finance director · 00:47:05
I’ll bring the revised cost plan to the next meeting.
Decision: budget approved, subject to a cost review next quarter.
Action · Finance director · revised cost plan · due 15 Dec
Authorized vendor to
- Ministry of Finance
- Ministry of Interior
- DGE Abu Dhabi
- Etihad Aviation
- EDGE Group
Delivered for
- Hindustan Unilever
- Nokia
- Linde
- USA Today
- JSL
Procurement-ready
- Emirati national company
- National ICV certificate
- Abu Dhabi Government Procurement Gate
- UAE Ministry of Finance, federal procurement
- Registered ADNOC vendor
Side by side
Mahdar and Fireflies compared
Fireflies facts come from its own help guide, security page and blog, checked on 14 November 2026.
| What you get | Mahdar | Fireflies.ai |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Boards, committees and executive meetings that need approved minutes | Notes, summaries and search across a team's meetings |
| Where recordings are stored | Your servers or a UAE cloud region | US cloud by default; on Enterprise, a storage region you choose or your own AWS or Google Cloud bucket |
| Where meetings are processed | On your servers or in the UAE cloud region | Fireflies' servers in the United States, whichever storage you choose |
| Arabic | Arabic and English live, with right-to-left screens and minutes | Arabic among 100+ languages; a beta mode for mixed-language meetings on Business and Enterprise |
| Before minutes are shared | The secretary edits, the chair approves, and nothing goes out before approval | AI summaries and action items generated for each meeting |
Be fair to Fireflies
When Fireflies is the better choice
Fireflies does a lot well. If these describe you, it may be all you need.
Many languages across a global team
Fireflies transcribes and summarises in more than 100 languages.
A ready notetaker for online calls
It joins meetings on Google Meet, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Webex and other platforms.
Choosing the storage region is enough
If your rules cover where recordings are stored but not where they are processed, Enterprise Private Storage does that.
Where Mahdar fits
When Mahdar is the better choice
Stored and processed in the UAE
Recordings, transcripts and minutes stay on your servers or in a UAE cloud region, and are processed there too.
Minutes the chair approves
The secretary edits the draft, the chair approves it, and nothing goes out before that.
Arabic and English, live
Both languages transcribed as people speak, with speakers identified for members who consent.
Members arrive prepared
A brief for each member's role, drawn from the meeting papers.
Questions with permission
Members ask Mahdar privately; if it has a point for the room, it asks the chair first.
Actions, polls and votes
Each member sees their own actions, and polls and votes are recorded with the minutes.
How it works
Before, during and after every meeting
- 01
Prepare
Mahdar reads the agenda and papers and sends each member a brief for their role.
- 02
Follow
In the room or online, Mahdar transcribes and attributes what is said, in Arabic and English.
- 03
Draft
As the meeting ends, the draft minutes, decisions and actions are ready for the secretary.
- 04
Approve
The chair approves, the minutes are distributed and every action is tracked to closure.
Sources
Where the Fireflies facts come from
Fireflies' own pages, checked on 14 November 2026. Products change, so check the current pages before you decide.
Book a demo
See Mahdar minute a meeting
We run a short sample meeting with your team in Arabic and English, and show the brief, the live transcript and the draft minutes it produces.
- A live demo, not slides
- On your minutes template
- Under NDA if you need one
4.9/5 average rating · 98% client satisfaction · 150+ clients served
FAQ
Fireflies alternative: questions buyers ask
Does Fireflies support Arabic?
Yes. Fireflies lists Arabic among the 100+ languages it transcribes and summarises, and among the 60+ languages in its Multi-Language Mode, a beta for meetings that mix languages, available on the Business and Enterprise plans.
Where does Fireflies store and process data?
By default, in US cloud infrastructure. On the Enterprise plan, Private Storage lets you choose the storage region or bring your own AWS or Google Cloud bucket, but Fireflies says processing still happens on its servers in the United States.
What is a good Fireflies alternative for the UAE?
If recordings and minutes must be stored and processed in the UAE, meetings are held in Arabic and English, and minutes must be approved before they are shared, Mahdar is built for that.
Who approves the minutes in Mahdar?
You decide. Usually the secretary edits the draft and the chair approves it. Nothing is published or distributed until it is approved, and every step is in the audit log.
Can Mahdar keep data in the UAE?
Yes. Mahdar runs on your own servers, or in a UAE cloud region we run for you. Recordings, transcripts and minutes stay in the country.
Does Mahdar work for online meetings?
Yes. Mahdar follows meetings in the room or online, and syncs with Outlook calendars to pick up meetings and attendees.
Keep your meetings, and their minutes, in the UAE
Book a live Mahdar demo for your board or committee.
Book a Mahdar demo