Otter.ai transcribes meetings automatically, either through a bot that joins your call or by capturing audio directly through its desktop, mobile and browser apps. It has a free plan and two priced paid tiers above it, so what decides whether it suits you is how many transcription minutes you need each month and whether you need CRM sync or enterprise-level compliance.
What is Otter.ai?
Otter.ai is a company headquartered in the United States. It runs as a cloud service reached through the web, a Windows or Mac desktop app, and iOS or Android mobile apps, with every version needing an account and processing meetings on Otter's servers.
What Otter.ai captures from a meeting
Otter can join a call as a bot, called OtterPilot, which auto-joins Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams to record audio, write notes, capture slides and generate a summary. It can also record without a bot, using its desktop or mobile apps to capture audio directly, including in-person meetings.
Transcription covers six languages: English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese and Chinese. A live transcript is available while the meeting is happening. Otter does not currently record video of a call, only audio playback.
AI meeting templates are included, at a Standard level on the free plan and an Advanced level from the Pro plan up. AI Chat lets you ask questions within a single meeting and across past meetings, and this is included from the free plan onward. Otter tracks keywords and speaker talk time, but it does not offer clip creation from a meeting. CRM sync, pushing transcripts, summaries and action items into Salesforce or HubSpot records, is available from the Business plan.
Working with other people
A team workspace is included from the free Basic plan. Pro caps the workspace at 5 billed users, Business at 25, and Enterprise removes the cap. An MCP server is available from the free plan, and Otter API and webhook access are added on the Enterprise plan. Otter runs on the web and has Windows, Mac, iOS and Android apps.
Otter.ai pricing: what each plan gives
Basic costs nothing and gives 300 transcription minutes a month, a 30 minute limit per conversation, 3 lifetime audio or video file imports, the 25 most recent conversations kept, 5 meetings per user of AI templates, and 1 concurrent meeting, alongside live transcription and AI Chat across meetings.
Pro costs $16.99 per user a month ($8.33 per user a month billed yearly) with room for 5 billed users, 1,200 minutes per user a month and Advanced AI meeting templates. Business costs $30 per user a month ($19.99 per user a month billed yearly), raises the workspace to 25 billed users and adds Salesforce, HubSpot and Zapier integrations. Enterprise is priced by quote and removes the workspace cap, adding the Otter API and webhooks, single sign-on, SCIM, Domain Capture and a HIPAA compliance add-on.
There is no free trial of a paid plan; the free Basic tier is the way to try Otter before subscribing.
Privacy and security
Otter uses a proprietary method to de-identify recordings and transcripts before using them to train its models, and this training is automatic, with no opt-out. Otter is SOC 2 Type 2 certified and has incorporated GDPR standards into its data practices. Single sign-on is available on the Enterprise plan, which also offers HIPAA compliance as an add-on. Support runs through a help center.
Who Otter.ai suits
Otter suits teams that want a free tier to start on and the flexibility to record with or without a bot across Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams, including in-person conversations picked up through its mobile apps.
It suits less well anyone who needs CRM sync to Salesforce or HubSpot without upgrading to the Business plan, anyone who wants video recordings of calls rather than audio playback, or anyone uncomfortable with recordings and transcripts training Otter's models with no opt-out offered.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Otter.ai cost?
The free Basic plan gives 300 transcription minutes a month at no cost. Paid plans start at Pro for $16.99 per user a month ($8.33 per user a month billed yearly) and rise to Business at $30 per user a month, with Enterprise priced by quote.
Can Otter.ai record a meeting without a bot?
Yes. Alongside OtterPilot, the bot that auto-joins Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams, Otter's desktop and mobile apps can capture audio directly without a bot, including in-person meetings.
Does Otter.ai sync with a CRM?
Yes, on the Business plan and above. It pushes transcripts, summaries and action items automatically into Salesforce or HubSpot records.
Does Otter.ai train on my recordings?
Yes. Otter de-identifies recordings and transcripts before using them automatically to train its models, and there is no opt-out.
