Otter.ai
Otter.ai is an AI meeting assistant that automatically joins calls, transcribes conversations in real time, generates summaries and action items, and makes past meetings searchable.
What is Otter.ai?
Otter.ai is an AI meeting assistant built around a narrower job than general-purpose assistants: it records, transcribes, summarizes, and organizes conversations. The official help documentation describes Otter Notetaker as a tool that can connect to a calendar, automatically join meetings, capture shared slides, and send summaries after a call. It works with Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams, and also supports in-person recording through its apps.
Otter is not a general chatbot or a full productivity suite. Its value depends on how much of your work happens in meetings or recorded conversations, and on whether your usage fits within the plan’s minute, import, and history limits. The free Basic plan is workable for occasional short meetings, but its 300-minute monthly cap, 30-minute per-conversation cap, and 3 lifetime file imports create hard boundaries that most recurring users will hit quickly.
How does Otter.ai work?
Users connect a calendar or start a recording manually. On supported plans, OtterPilot can join Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams calls automatically, record the audio, and produce a live transcript. Users can also import pre-recorded audio or video files, subject to plan-specific import limits.
During and after the conversation, Otter identifies speakers, generates a summary with action items and outlines, and makes the transcript searchable. Otter AI Chat lets users ask questions about past meetings, but the number of queries is capped by plan. Outputs can be reviewed, edited, shared through Channels, and exported in formats such as txt, pdf, docx, and srt.
Use Cases
- Automatically capturing and summarizing recurring team meetings on Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams
- Transcribing interviews, webinars, or in-person conversations for later review
- Searching past meetings for decisions, action items, or specific speaker comments
- Sharing meeting notes with teammates through Channels without manually copying individuals
- Creating a searchable record of client or internal calls where transcription is permitted
Pricing
Pricing model: Freemium
| Plan | Price | Billing | Included usage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | Free | — | 300 meeting transcription minutes per month; 30 minutes max per conversation; 3 audio/video file imports lifetime; 25 most recent conversations; 20 Otter AI Chat queries per user per month (3 per conversation); transcription in English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, and Chinese. | — |
| Pro | $8.33 | per user per month, billed annually | 1,200 meeting transcription minutes per month; 90 minutes max per conversation; 10 file imports per month; unlimited conversation history; 50 Otter AI Chat queries per user per month; custom vocabulary up to 100 names + 100 terms per user. | — |
| Business | $19.99 | per user per month, billed annually | Unlimited meeting transcription; 6,000 imported file minutes per month; 4 hours max per conversation; unlimited conversation history; 200 Otter AI Chat queries per user per month; shared custom vocabulary across team. | — |
| Enterprise | Custom | — | Custom limits and enterprise controls; contact Otter sales for pricing and terms. | — |
Common Limitations
- Basic plan transcription limit · The Basic plan includes 300 transcription minutes per month and a 30-minute maximum per conversation. If a recording exceeds 30 minutes, only the first 30 minutes are transcribed; the full transcript requires a paid plan. Deleted conversations still count toward the monthly minute limit.
- Free plan file import limit · Basic allows only 3 pre-recorded audio/video file imports per account over the lifetime of the account, not per month. This makes the free tier unsuitable for recurring upload-based transcription workflows.
- Conversation history on Basic · Only the 25 most recent conversations are accessible on the Basic plan. Older conversations are archived, not deleted, but cannot be accessed without upgrading.
- AI Chat query caps · Otter AI Chat is limited to 20 queries per user per month on Basic, 50 on Pro, and 200 on Business. There is also a per-conversation query cap (for example, 3 per conversation on Basic), so heavy Q&A use may hit limits even within the monthly allowance.
- Commercial use depends on plan terms · The enterprise Software Services Agreement authorizes use for the customer’s business purposes, while the general Terms of Service govern individual and non-enterprise use. Users should review the terms applicable to their plan before relying on Otter for commercial workflows.
- No general-purpose public API under standard plans · Otter offers an MCP server integration for AI assistants such as Claude, ChatGPT, and Cursor, but it does not provide a self-serve general public API with standard meeting-assistant subscriptions. API-like access is separate from the website product and should not be assumed to be included.
Key Features
- Real-time transcription
- Automatic meeting join (OtterPilot)
- AI-generated summaries and action items
- Speaker identification
- Otter AI Chat for meeting Q&A
Otter.ai vs. Fireflies.ai and Notta
This comparison uses official pricing and feature information available as of the research date. It focuses on documented free-plan limits, paid-plan starting prices, and meeting-capture scope rather than subjective accuracy rankings.
| Tool | Positioning | Key differences | Best fit | Pricing note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Otter.ai Official pricing Basic plan limits (official help) | AI meeting assistant for automated transcription, summaries, and searchable meeting history. | Strong real-time transcription and OtterPilot auto-join, with AI Chat for meeting Q&A; free plan is tightly limited to 300 minutes/month, 30 minutes per conversation, and 3 lifetime file imports. | Individuals and teams that want a dedicated meeting notetaker with automatic join, speaker-labeled transcripts, and searchable past meetings. | Free Basic; Pro from $8.33/user/month billed annually; Business from $19.99/user/month billed annually. |
| Fireflies.ai Official pricing TechRepublic comparison (Sep 2026) | AI meeting assistant with unlimited transcription and team storage on paid plans. | Offers unlimited transcription even on its free tier, but the free plan caps team storage; paid plans start at $10/seat/month billed annually and add more storage and AI summaries. | Teams that prioritize unlimited transcription volume and can work within the storage and AI-summary limits of each plan. | Free plan with unlimited transcription and limited AI summaries; Pro from $10/seat/month billed annually. |
| Notta Official site TechRepublic comparison (Sep 2026) | AI transcription and meeting notes tool with multilingual support. | Emphasizes multilingual transcription and translation; its free plan has tighter monthly and per-conversation limits than Otter’s, at 120 minutes/month and 3 minutes per conversation. | Users who need multilingual meeting transcription or interview-style recordings and can work within stricter free-plan limits. | Free plan with 120 minutes/month and 3 minutes per conversation; Pro from $8.17/month billed annually. |
Comparison checked against official product information on 2026-11-05. Features and pricing may change.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Otter.ai join meetings automatically?
Yes, on supported plans and calendars. OtterPilot can join Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams meetings and write notes automatically. Availability depends on the plan and calendar connection.
What are the main limits of the free Basic plan?
Basic includes 300 transcription minutes per month, a 30-minute maximum per conversation, 3 lifetime file imports, access to only the 25 most recent conversations, and 20 Otter AI Chat queries per user per month. Deleted conversations still count toward the monthly transcription limit.
Does Otter.ai support languages other than English?
Yes. Otter’s pricing page lists transcription support for English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, and Chinese. Language availability may depend on the plan and feature.
Is there an API for developers?
Otter offers an MCP server integration for compatible AI assistants, but a self-serve general public API is not part of standard meeting-assistant subscriptions. Developers should verify current access and pricing separately with Otter.
Can I use Otter.ai for commercial work?
Commercial use depends on the applicable terms. The enterprise Software Services Agreement authorizes use for business purposes, while individual terms may impose different conditions. Users should review the terms for their specific plan.
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