Our verdict · 7.9/10 Good
A mature, easy meeting notetaker. Compare transcription minute limits and integrations with alternatives.
Key takeaways
- Best for: Teams with frequent internal meetings.
- Strongest area: Ease of use (9.0/10). Weakest: Security & privacy (7.4/10).
- Price: Free plan; paid from around $8–17 / user / month — free plan available.
- Watch out for: Minute limits on lower plans.
What is Otter.ai?
Otter joins Zoom, Google Meet and Teams calls to transcribe in real time, generate summaries and capture action items. It also offers an AI chat over your meeting history.
Otter.ai is made by Otter.ai and is reviewed here as a meeting assistant. It is priced on a freemium basis, and our editorial score is 7.9 out of 10, calculated from six weighted criteria.
Who it’s for — and who should skip it
Choose Otter.ai if
- Teams with frequent internal meetings
- Real-time transcription
- Interview notes
Not for you if
- Heavy CRM integration needs
- Languages beyond those supported
Key features
See text as people speak.
Automatic recaps and action items.
Auto-joins calendar meetings.
Ask questions across meetings.
- Zoom
- Google Meet
- Microsoft Teams
- Slack
- Salesforce
Pros & cons
What we like
- Real-time transcripts
- Easy setup
- Searchable history
- AI chat over meetings
Watch out for
- Minute limits on lower plans
- Fewer CRM integrations
- Accuracy depends on audio
Pricing & true cost
| Plan | Indicative price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | Free | Up to 1 user |
| Pro | ≈ $8 / user / mo | Billed annually |
| Business | ≈ $20 / user / mo | Billed annually |
| Enterprise | Custom quote | — |
Pricing watch-out: Monthly minute limits apply.
True cost at 5, 10 and 25 seats
Cheapest paid plan that fits each team size, from indicative list prices checked October 30, 2026. Excludes tax, add-ons, onboarding fees and promotional discounts.
Pricing watch-outs
- Quote-only tier. Enterprise has no public price. Ask for a written quote that includes onboarding and support fees.
- Steep tier jump. Moving from Pro to Business raises the per-user price from $8 to $20 (2.5×). Check which features force the upgrade.
Contract questions to ask before you sign
- Does the plan auto-renew, and how many days’ notice do you need to cancel?
- Is the advertised price for annual billing? What is the month-to-month price?
- Is the first-year price a promotion? What will renewal cost, and is it capped?
- Is there a minimum number of seats, or a charge for inactive users?
- Are onboarding, implementation or premium-support fees extra?
- How do we export all our data if we leave, and in what format?
General questions for any vendor — not findings about this product. Build a full checklist with our requirements builder.
Indicative USD pricing, last checked October 30, 2026. Vendors change prices and promotions often — always confirm on their website. Model your own numbers with our SaaS TCO calculator.
Score breakdown
| Criterion | Weight | Score | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Features & fit | 25% | 8.0 | 2.00 | |
| Ease of use | 15% | 9.0 | 1.40 | |
| Value for money | 15% | 8.0 | 1.20 | |
| Support & reliability | 10% | 7.4 | 0.70 | |
| Security & privacy | 20% | 7.4 | 1.50 | |
| Integrations & ecosystem | 15% | 7.6 | 1.10 | |
| Overall | 100% | Weighted for AI tools products | 7.9 | |
Security & compliance facts
| Item | Status | Question to ask Otter.ai |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-factor authenticationStops most account takeovers from reused or phished passwords. | Not verified by us | Can admins enforce MFA for every user, on every plan? |
| Single sign-on (SAML/OIDC)Lets you remove a leaver’s access everywhere from one place. | Not verified by us | Is SSO included on the plan we are buying, or only on enterprise tiers? |
| SOC 2 Type II reportIndependent audit of the vendor’s security controls — often required by larger customers. | Not verified by us | Can we see your current SOC 2 Type II report (under NDA if needed)? |
| ISO/IEC 27001 certificationInternational standard for running an information-security programme. | Not verified by us | Which legal entity and services does your ISO 27001 certificate cover? |
| GDPR data processing agreementNeeded if you handle personal data of people in the EU/UK. | Not verified by us | Do you offer a signed DPA and list your sub-processors? |
| HIPAA business associate agreementRequired before US healthcare businesses store protected health information. | Not verified by us | Will you sign a BAA, and on which plans? |
We have not yet verified these items for Otter.ai against a primary source, so we don’t claim them either way. Check Otter.ai’s trust or security page and ask for documents in writing.
Before you buy any meeting assistant
Check Otter.ai against the same list we use for every meeting assistant — and confirm each point on the plan you intend to buy, not the top tier.
- Works with your meeting platforms
- Speaker identification
- CRM / project tool integrations
- Admin controls and retention settings
- Transcription minutes on your plan
See every ranked option in AI Meeting Assistants.
Otter.ai alternatives
Pick an alternative by what matters to you
- Better integrationsAAvomaIntegrations score 8.6 vs 7.6
- Stronger on securityAAvomaSecurity & privacy score 8.2 vs 7.4
- Higher overall score
FathomOverall 8.4 vs 7.9
Computed from our published scores and indicative pricing for tools in the same category as Otter.ai. Scores are editorial; see the methodology.
Editor’s picks
AI notetaker with deep CRM and workflow integrations.
Head-to-head comparisons
Featured in: Best AI Note Takers for Meetings, Best Free AI Note Takers
Review history
- Scored under methodology v2.0 (six weighted criteria, computed overall score).
Otter.ai FAQ
Does Otter work with Google Meet?
Yes, Otter supports Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams.
Does Otter.ai have a free plan?
Yes. Otter.ai offers a free plan. Paid plans start at Free plan; paid from around $8–17 / user / month (indicative — check the vendor for current pricing).
Who is Otter.ai best for?
Otter.ai is best for: teams with frequent internal meetings; real-time transcription; interview notes.
How much does Otter.ai cost for a team of 10?
On indicative list prices, the cheapest paid plan that fits 10 users (Pro) works out at roughly $80 per month, or about $960 per year, before tax, add-ons and discounts.
How is the Otter.ai score calculated?
The 7.9/10 overall score is a weighted average of six sub-scores — features & fit, ease of use, value, support & reliability, security & privacy, and integrations — using the published weights for AI products. Affiliate relationships have no input. See our methodology page for the full rubric.
What are the best alternatives to Otter.ai?
Popular alternatives include Fireflies.ai. See our comparisons for side-by-side verdicts.