Otter.ai vs Sembly
Sembly scores 6.5 to Otter.ai's 6.4 among the AI meeting assistants we rate, and is the better pick for 2 of the 4 kinds of buyer below.
Sembly wins, 6.5 to 6.4
Otter has a free Basic plan; Sembly's no-cost tier is a trial, not a free plan, and its cheapest paid plan costs $17 a month against Otter's $16.99. Sembly transcribes 45 languages against Otter's 6, and keeps the meeting video, which Otter does not. Otter trains its AI on your data with no opt-out, while Sembly lets you opt out of training. Both include AI on their cheapest paid plan and track talk time.
Pick Otter.ai if you want a genuine free plan with no trial limits.
Pick Sembly if you need more languages or want to opt out of AI training.
Best for
Who each one suits, decided on the criteria that matter to that buyer and the checked facts where the two differ.
- Keeps the meeting video: Sembly yes, Otter.ai no
- Languages it transcribes: 45 languages against 6 languages
- Meeting apps it records: 4 meeting apps against 3 meeting apps
- Where it runs: 5 platforms against 1 platform
- API: Otter.ai yes, Sembly does not say
- Free plan: Otter.ai yes, Sembly no
- Does not train AI on your data: Unless you opt out against No
- Ways to reach support: 2 support channels against 1 support channel
- Tells participants it is recording: Sembly yes, Otter.ai does not say
How they score
Both are scored the same way, against the other AI meeting assistants we rate, from facts on each vendor's own pages. They split the criteria 2 each.
Where they differ
Every point where the two vendors' published facts disagree, with a link to where each fact was read. "Not published" means the vendor does not say either way.
Published by only one of them
Where they match (6)
Pricing, plan by plan
Every plan each vendor publishes, monthly and yearly where both are offered.
Otter.ai
Sembly
Pros and cons
From each tool's full review, written from the same checked facts.
Otter.ai
- The free Basic plan runs forever and includes live transcription and AI Chat across meetings.
- Meetings can be captured with a bot that auto-joins Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams, or without one through desktop and mobile apps, including in-person conversations.
- It is SOC 2 Type 2 certified and has incorporated GDPR standards into its data practices.
- The Enterprise plan adds single sign-on and a HIPAA compliance add-on.
- Recordings and transcripts are automatically de-identified and used to train Otter's models, with no opt-out.
- Video recording of meetings is not offered, only audio playback.
- CRM sync with Salesforce and HubSpot only becomes available on the Business plan and above.
Sembly
- Sembly is SOC 2 Type II certified.
- Meetings can be captured in person too, through the mobile app's audio recorder or by uploading MP3, WAV or MP4 files.
- Basic already includes AI notes, tasks and basic AI chat, metered by monthly credits rather than sold as an add-on.
- Sembly can push meeting notes directly to a connected CRM such as Salesforce or HubSpot.
- There is no free plan, only a Free Trial limited to 1 meeting hour total.
- Video capture, custom note templates and multi-meeting AI chat all require the Pro plan or above.
- Training opt-out is automatic only for Enterprise; every other plan must opt out itself.
Otter.ai vs Sembly: common questions
Which is better, Otter.ai or Sembly?
Sembly scores 6.5 and Otter.ai 6.4 out of 10 among the AI meeting assistants we rate. Sembly is ahead on what it captures and privacy and trust. Otter.ai is ahead on where it works and pricing.
Is Otter.ai or Sembly cheaper?
Otter.ai's cheapest paid plan is $16.99/mo (Pro) and Sembly's is $17/mo (Basic). Compare what each plan includes below before going on price alone.
Do Otter.ai and Sembly have a free plan?
Otter.ai does and Sembly does not.
What can Otter.ai do that Sembly cannot?
On the facts both vendors publish: free plan.
What can Sembly do that Otter.ai cannot?
On the facts both vendors publish: keeps the meeting video.
