AI meeting notes , by Otter.ai, Inc. , since 2016
Otter.ai
AI meeting transcription with speaker ID, live captions and automated summaries
- WEB
- MOBILE
- PLUGIN
- API
What Otter.ai does
Otter.ai records and transcribes meetings in real time (Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, or in-person via mobile), producing speaker-labeled transcripts and an AI-generated summary with action items. Aimed at individuals and teams who want searchable meeting archives without a dedicated notetaker.
What you get: Real-time transcription, speaker identification, AI meeting summary, Otter AI Chat, live captions.
Typical jobs: Recurring team meetings; lecture/interview transcription; cross-team knowledge sharing.
Worth knowing: Long-running price/limit changes are a recurring trust issue cited across review sites.
What users complain about: Users report reduced minutes ('shrinkflation') and inconsistent transcript capture after 2024 plan changes (aitooldiscovery.com (Reddit roundup))
Pricing and plan limits
Verified August 2026| Plan | Monthly | Annual (per mo) | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | Free | Free | 300 transcription minutes/month; 3 lifetime audio/video file imports; 5 workspace members; 1 concurrent meeting |
| Pro | $16.99 | $8.33 | 1,200 in-app recording minutes/month; 10 file imports/month; 90 min max per meeting; 5 billed users; 2 concurrent meetings |
| Business | $30 | $19.99 | Unlimited meetings and in-app recordings; unlimited file imports; 4h max per meeting; 25 billed users; 3 concurrent meetings |
| Enterprise | not disclosed | n/a | Unlimited users; 4h max per meeting; 3 concurrent meetings; custom AI workflows |
Where it wins
- Very generous free-tier minute count compared to most rivals
- Mature product with broad language and integration support
- Live transcription view is genuinely useful during the call, not just after
Where it falls short
- Otter changed plan limits and pricing multiple times in 2024-2025, drawing 'shrinkflation' complaints from long-time subscribers
- Struggles with heavy accents, crosstalk and technical jargon, generating labeled-but-garbled 'Speaker 1/2' transcripts
- Bot can join meetings and auto-email full transcripts to external participants who never agreed to being recorded
How we scored it
Full methodology| Criterion | Weight | Score | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capability | 30% | 7.5 | 2.25 |
| Value for money | 25% | 6.5 | 1.63 |
| Ease of use | 15% | 8.5 | 1.27 |
| Maturity | 15% | 9.0 | 1.35 |
| Support & docs | 10% | 7.0 | 0.70 |
| Momentum | 5% | 5.5 | 0.28 |
| Weighted total | 100% | 7.5 | 7.50 |
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Chosen by editors, not sponsors
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