Otter AI alternatives (2026): bot-free options, prices and privacy
Last updated
Otter is one of the best-known AI note takers, but it works by sending a notetaker into your Zoom, Meet or Teams call, and its free plan stops at 30 minutes a conversation. If you want notes without a bot in the participant list, or simply more room on a free plan, here’s what Otter costs, how it handles your data, and the alternatives.
Why people look for a Otter alternative
- The bot: Otter’s notetaker joins calls as a participant, often automatically from your calendar. Clients see it, and some ask for it to be removed.
- Free plan limits: Basic gives 300 transcription minutes a month and caps each conversation at 30 minutes. Only the 25 most recent conversations are kept.
- Training: Otter trains its own models on de-identified user data.
- Consent: a proposed class action filed in August 2025 alleges Otter recorded meeting participants who hadn’t agreed to it. The case is about people in the call who don’t use Otter themselves.
What Otter costs
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | $0 | 300 transcription minutes a month, 30 minutes per conversation, 3 file imports in total, the 25 most recent conversations kept. One meeting at a time and 20 chat queries a month. |
| Pro | $8.33 per user / month billed yearly ($16.99 monthly) | 1,200 minutes a month, 90 minutes per conversation, 10 file imports a month, unlimited history, two meetings at a time, advanced templates and search, Salesforce, HubSpot and Zapier integrations. |
| Business | $19.99 per user / month billed yearly ($30 monthly) | Unlimited meeting transcription, 4 hours per conversation, unlimited file imports (6,000 import minutes a month), three meetings at a time, custom AI workflows, admin tools and usage analytics, bulk export. |
| Enterprise | Custom | Everything in Business plus SSO, SCIM and domain capture, the Otter Sales Notetaker, custom CRM and dialer integrations, the Otter API and webhooks, video replay for Zoom and Google Meet, and an optional HIPAA add-on. |
Every plan includes the notetaker for Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet, live transcription, speaker identification and the mobile apps. The pricing page shows yearly prices first; paying monthly roughly doubles Pro ($16.99) and adds half again to Business ($30).
Every plan is covered on the Otter AI pricing page, including the free plan’s limits.
How Otter handles your data
- Storage: data is stored on AWS S3 with AES-256 server-side encryption. The page doesn’t name a region.
- Training: Otter de-identifies user data before training its models, and says recordings and transcripts aren’t reviewed by people. Its outside AI providers don’t train on customer data.
- Compliance: Otter reports SOC 2 Type 2 and says it follows HIPAA and GDPR requirements. HIPAA is an optional add-on on Enterprise.
- Deleting: deleted conversations go to the trash and are removed for good after 30 days, or sooner if you empty the trash yourself.
Otter alternatives and their prices
Prices below are each vendor’s own starting paid plan, checked on the date at the top of this page. They change often — follow the sources at the end before you decide.
| Tool | How it works | Paid plans from | Free option |
|---|---|---|---|
| Granola | Bot-free; captures audio from your device | $14 per user / month | Basic plan, notes from the last 30 days |
| Fireflies | A notetaker (Fred) joins your calls; the Chrome extension records without it | $10 per seat / month billed yearly ($18 monthly) | 400 minutes of stored meetings per team, limited summaries |
| Fathom | Joins as a bot, or bot-free capture (in beta, Mac) | $16 per user / month billed yearly ($20 monthly) | Unlimited recordings and transcriptions |
| Read AI | A notetaker joins your calls, often from another invitee’s calendar | $15 per user / month billed yearly ($19.75 monthly) | 5 meetings a month, up to 1 hour each |
| QuietNote | Bot-free; records and transcribes on your computer (Mac; Windows planned) | €8 / month or €79 / year (half price for waitlist members) | No free plan |
How to choose
- Bot or no bot: if the notetaker in the participant list is the problem, pick a tool that captures from your device: Granola, Fathom’s bot-free mode or QuietNote.
- How long your meetings run: Otter’s free plan stops at 30 minutes and Pro at 90. Check the per-meeting cap, not just the monthly minutes.
- Who else is in the call: with clients, patients or candidates, read each vendor’s security page: where data is stored, and whether your meetings train their models.
If a bot-free note taker is what you’re after, see how it works. Switching but Otter keeps showing up in meetings? Our guide shows how to remove AI meeting bots.
Related guides
- Otter AI pricingOtter’s plans and prices, where the free plan stops, and what it does with your meetings.
- Granola AI alternativesWhy people look for an alternative to Granola, what it costs, and bot-free options with their prices.
- Fireflies alternativesWhy people look for an alternative to Fireflies, what it costs, and bot-free options with their prices.
- Best AI note takersOtter, Fireflies, Fathom, Read AI, Granola and QuietNote side by side: how each records, the free plan and the price.
- Remove meeting botsStop Read AI, Otter and Fireflies from joining Zoom, Teams and Google Meet, and block bots when you host.
- Recording consentWho has to agree before you record a meeting in the US, the UK, the EU and the Netherlands, and how to tell people.
- Record a Zoom meetingZoom's local and cloud recording, who can start them, what participants see, and how to record a Zoom call on a Mac without a bot.
Questions
Is Otter AI safe to use?
Otter reports a SOC 2 Type 2 audit and AES-256 encryption at rest. The bigger questions are about consent and training: its notetaker joins calls as a participant, and Otter trains its own models on de-identified user data. A proposed class action filed in August 2025 alleges it recorded meeting participants without their consent. Decide based on who else is in your meetings.
Does Otter train AI on my meetings?
Otter’s privacy and security page says it uses “a proprietary method to de-identify user data before training our models”. It also says no customer data is used to train its outside AI providers’ models.
Is there a free Otter alternative?
Yes. Granola’s Basic plan is $0 and captures from your device without a bot, with notes from the last 30 days. Fathom’s free plan includes unlimited recordings, with bot-free capture in beta on Mac. QuietNote records and transcribes on your Mac.
Which Otter alternatives don’t use a bot?
Granola captures audio from your own device instead of joining the call. Fathom offers a bot-free mode in beta on Mac, and Fireflies can record through its Chrome extension without its bot. QuietNote is bot-free too.
How do I stop Otter from joining my meetings?
Change Otter’s auto-join setting to “Meetings I manually select”, or disconnect your calendar. Our guide to removing AI meeting bots has the steps for Otter, Fireflies and Read AI.
Sources
Checked on the “Last updated” date above. Vendors change their settings and prices often; follow the links for the current version.