Otter.ai
AI meeting assistant that transcribes, summarizes, and organizes conversations.
Pricing
About Otter.ai
Otter.ai is an AI meeting assistant that records conversations and turns them into transcripts, summaries, and action items. It joins calls on Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams, or records directly from a desktop app without needing a bot to join the meeting, and generates a searchable transcript along with an AI-written summary of decisions and next steps. Beyond transcription, Otter includes Otter AI Chat, which lets users ask questions across their meeting history and connected apps, and workflow automation that can push meeting content into tools like Salesforce, HubSpot, Slack, Jira, Notion, Google Docs, Dropbox, and Asana. Automatic transcription is available in several languages, including English, French, Spanish, Japanese, German, and Mandarin, and meetings can be organized into channels by team, project, or topic. The company reports over 40 million users, including teams at most Fortune 500 companies. Otter is used by sales teams, educators, students, media professionals, and recruiters who need accurate records of conversations without manually taking notes. It's available on the web, desktop apps for Mac and Windows, mobile apps for iOS and Android, and a Chrome extension. The free Basic plan is limited to 300 transcription minutes a month, with paid plans required for longer or more frequent meetings.
At a glance
- Company
- Otter.ai
- Platforms
- Web, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, Chrome Extension
- Integrations
- Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Salesforce, HubSpot, Slack, Jira, Notion
- Last verified
- August 2026
★Among the most viewed AI tools in Productivity — ranked #11 of 828.
Who It's For
- •Professionals and teams who frequently attend meetings.
- •Students and educators for lecture and discussion transcription.
- •Journalists and researchers for interview transcription.
- •Anyone who needs accurate and organized notes from spoken conversations.
How It Works
- 1Otter.ai uses advanced speech-to-text AI to transcribe conversations in real-time.
- 2It integrates with virtual meeting platforms (Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams) to automatically join and record meetings.
- 3The AI identifies speakers and generates a searchable transcript.
- 4It can automatically generate summaries, action items, and key takeaways from the transcribed content.
- 5Users can highlight, comment, and share transcripts with others.
How to Use Otter.ai
- 1Connect Otter.ai to your calendar and preferred meeting platforms.
- 2Allow Otter to join your virtual meetings to record and transcribe automatically.
- 3Alternatively, click 'Record' directly within the Otter app for in-person meetings or audio files.
- 4Access the transcribed notes and summaries in your Otter account after the meeting.
- 5Use the search function to find specific information within transcripts, highlight important points, and share with teammates.
Key Features
- •Automatic meeting transcription
- •AI-generated summaries and action items
- •Bot-free desktop recording
- •Live transcription during calls
- •Otter AI Chat for querying meeting history
- •Workflow automation to CRM and collaboration tools
- •Speaker identification
Use Cases
- •Capturing and summarizing business meetings
- •Lecture transcription for students
- •Interview transcription for media and recruiting
- •Sales call documentation
Our verdict on Otter.ai
3.0/5 · 4 sources · reviewed August 23, 2026
Otter.ai is a capable live transcription and meeting-notes tool that works well for individuals and students on clear audio, but businesses should know it is currently facing multiple federal lawsuits over recording meeting guests without their consent, and paid plans have been cut back sharply while staying the same price. It is a reasonable pick for casual, low-stakes note-taking; it is a riskier pick for anyone recording confidential or client conversations.
What users praise
- Live, real-time transcription during calls is genuinely useful for following along and catching details in the moment, not just after the fact.
- Automatic meeting summaries and a chat feature for pulling specific details out of a transcript save time compared to scrolling a full transcript.
- For personal use or simple transcription needs, the free plan is workable and the product does what it promises without added complexity.
What users complain about
- Multiple federal class-action lawsuits filed in 2025 allege Otter records everyone in a meeting, including guests who never signed up for Otter and were never asked for consent, and that those recordings are used to train Otter's AI models.
- The lawsuits argue Otter shifts the legal responsibility for getting consent onto the account holder who invited the bot, rather than obtaining it itself, leaving meeting guests recorded without ever being asked.
- One widely discussed case describes the meeting bot joining and recording confidential meetings even after the user believed they had turned the feature off, then emailing an inaccurate summary to every participant, with no response from support.
- Transcription accuracy drops noticeably with strong accents, industry jargon, background noise, or people talking over each other, and speaker labels frequently come back generic or mixed up between people.
- Paid plan minute allowances have been cut sharply in recent years without a matching price cut, which users describe as getting less for the same money.
Not for: Anyone recording confidential, client, or legally sensitive conversations, since Otter's bot can join and record meeting guests who never consented and this practice is now the subject of active class-action lawsuits.
How it compares
- Fireflies.ai — Reviewers comparing the two note that Fireflies covers more languages and platforms and centers on searchable, org-wide meeting archives, which suits teams that want every meeting logged and cross-referenced rather than just transcribed live.
- Fathom — Fathom's free plan is unlimited where Otter's free tier is capped at 300 minutes a month, which matters given user complaints about Otter's shrinking minute allowances.
Pros & Cons
Advantages
- •Highly accurate real-time transcription, even with multiple speakers.
- •Seamless integration with popular meeting platforms, simplifying workflow.
- •Excellent searchability and organization of meeting notes, making information easily retrievable.
- •Generates concise summaries and action items, significantly reducing post-meeting work.
Disadvantages
- •Free plan has limitations on monthly transcription minutes.
- •Accuracy can be affected by poor audio quality or strong accents.
- •Requires internet connectivity for real-time transcription and most features.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Otter.ai?
Otter. ai is an AI meeting assistant that records conversations and turns them into transcripts, summaries, and action items.
How much does Otter.ai cost?
Otter.ai has a free plan; paid plans start at $8.33.
Is Otter.ai free?
Yes, Otter.ai offers a free plan you can start with.
What are the best Otter.ai alternatives?
Popular Otter.ai alternatives include Fireflies.ai, Fathom, Grain.
What is Otter.ai used for?
Otter.ai is commonly used for Capturing and summarizing business meetings, Lecture transcription for students, Interview transcription for media and recruiting.
What platforms does Otter.ai support?
Otter.ai is available on Web, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, Chrome Extension.
Information Accuracy
Please note: While we regularly update all tool information including descriptions, features, pricing, and other details, this information may change over time as tools evolve and update their offerings. For the most current and accurate information, we recommend visiting the official website directly. Our goal is to provide you with comprehensive and up-to-date information to help you make informed decisions.