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The best Otter.ai alternatives

The best Otter.ai alternative for calls in a browser is Callbox: no bot in the call, every recording in your own Google Drive, and team members who pay nothing. Fathom has the most generous free plan, Fireflies.ai works most like Otter, and Granola records the Zoom and Teams desktop apps with no bot.

Updated . Callbox makes this guide and ranks itself first where it fits; every fact about another product links to its source, checked on .

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Why do people look for an Otter.ai alternative?

Mostly for Otter's limits. Its free Basic plan transcribes up to 300 minutes a month and stops each transcript at 30 minutes, it transcribes six languages, its Notetaker joins calls as a participant, and a team pays for every member it invites.[1][2][3][4]

At a glance

The best Otter.ai alternatives compared
RankProductBest forPaid plans from
1Callboxcalls in a browser, a team on one plan, and recordings in your own DrivePro: $29 a month, or $290 a year
2Fathoma free plan with no cap on minutesPremium: $20 a user a month, or $16 a month billed yearly[5]
3Fireflies.aiOtter's bot and summaries, with no cap on transcription on paid plansPro: $18 a seat a month, or $10 a seat a month billed yearly ($120 a year)[13][16][20]
4Granolathe Zoom and Teams desktop apps, with no botBusiness: $14 a user a month, billed monthly only[24][23][31][32]
5tl;dvvideo recordings with a bot, kept in EuropePro: $29 a seat a month, or $216 a seat a year, which is $18 a month[37][33][44][35][43]
6Bluedota bot-free extension in over 100 languagesBasic: $18 a user a month, or $14 a user a month billed yearly[48]
7Read AImeeting reports and coachingPro: $19.75 a user a month, or $15 a user a month billed yearly[60][70]
8Tactiqtext transcripts for one person, at the lowest yearly price herePro: $12 a month, or $96 a year billed yearly[74][76]

How we ranked them

  1. How it records: a bot in the call, a desktop app or a browser extension
  2. The limits Otter users hit: minutes, length per meeting, languages
  3. Where your recordings are kept, and whether they stay yours
  4. What one person and a team of five pay
  5. Built-in summaries, or an MCP server and API for your own AI agent

The ranking

  1. 1. Callbox

    Best for calls in a browser, a team on one plan, and recordings in your own Drive

    Callbox records Meet, Zoom and Teams in Chrome with no bot, and saves the audio and a Google Doc transcript to your own Google Drive. It transcribes 25 European languages on its own engine, or 99 with your own key, and a team's members pay nothing because the owner's plan covers them. It does not record the Zoom or Teams desktop apps, and it writes no summaries itself.

    Bot in the call
    None: it records from your own Chrome tab, so nobody new joins the call
    Where recordings are kept
    Your own Google Drive: the audio and a Google Doc transcript, a folder per project
    Transcription
    25 European languages on Callbox's engine, 99 with your own key; speaker names in Meet and Teams
    Teams
    No member limit, and members pay nothing: the owner's plan covers the team
    Free plan
    Unlimited recordings, saved to Google Drive; 5 hours of transcription a month, subject to availability
    Paid plans from
    Pro: $29 a month, or $290 a year
    See Callbox pricing

  2. 2. Fathom

    Best for a free plan with no cap on minutes

    Fathom's free plan has unlimited recordings, transcription and storage for one user, in 38 languages, where Otter Basic stops at 300 minutes a month. Like Otter, it records with a notetaker that joins the call, and its bot-free Mac app is still rolling out. Team features start at $15 a user a month billed yearly, 2 users minimum.[5][6][1][7][8]

    Bot in the call
    Yes: "NAME's Fathom Notetaker" joins; bot-free in the Mac 3.0 app, in rollout, and a limited Teams alpha on Windows[7][8]
    Where recordings are kept
    Fathom's own cloud, with all data stored in the United States; no native Google Drive integration[9][10]
    Transcription
    38 languages with no hour cap on any plan; the bot-free Mac app does English and 19 more[6][5][8]
    Teams
    Per user: Team is $19 a user a month or $15 billed yearly, 2 users minimum; none on Free[5]
    Free plan
    Unlimited recordings, transcription and storage for 1 user; advanced summaries for 5 calls a month; no action items or team features[5][11]
    Paid plans from
    Premium: $20 a user a month, or $16 a month billed yearly[5]
    Callbox vs Fathom

  3. 3. Fireflies.ai

    Best for Otter's bot and summaries, with no cap on transcription on paid plans

    Fireflies.ai works most like Otter: a bot joins Zoom, Google Meet and Teams, and summaries come built in. Its paid plans have no cap on meeting transcription, it lists over 100 languages with English primary and the rest in beta, and Pro is $10 a seat a month billed yearly. Every teammate is a paid seat.[12][13][14]

    Bot in the call
    Yes, by default: Fireflies.ai Notetaker joins as a visible participant; no bot on its Meet extension or desktop app[12][15]
    Where recordings are kept
    Fireflies' cloud: 400 minutes in total on Free, 8,000 a seat on Pro; copies can sync to Google Drive[16][17]
    Transcription
    100+ languages, English primary and the rest in beta; meetings that mix languages on Business and up[14][13]
    Teams
    Priced per seat: every teammate you add counts as one; volume discounts above 50 members[13]
    Free plan
    New accounts: 3 meeting transcriptions, unlimited with Auto Join on; 400 minutes stored in total; 2 hours a meeting; no downloads[18][19][13]
    Paid plans from
    Pro: $18 a seat a month, or $10 a seat a month billed yearly ($120 a year)[13][16][20]
    Callbox vs Fireflies.ai

  4. 4. Granola

    Best for the Zoom and Teams desktop apps, with no bot

    Granola records from its Mac or Windows app with no bot, the Zoom and Teams desktop apps included, and turns what you type and the transcript into notes. It has no daily transcription limit, even on Basic, but keeps no recording to play or download. Business is $14 a user a month.[21][22][23][24]

    Bot in the call
    None: the desktop app captures audio from your computer, so no bot joins the call[21]
    Where recordings are kept
    Granola's AWS servers in the US, no EU or UK residency; to Drive only as text, via Zapier on paid plans[25][26][27][28]
    Transcription
    31 languages on desktop, 17 on mobile, no daily limit; speaker names in Meet and the Zoom and Teams apps[29][23][30]
    Teams
    Every active member is a paid seat, admins included: $14 a user a month on Business[23][24]
    Free plan
    Basic: no daily transcription limit; the app shows the last 30 days of notes; chat with the Auto model only; no API[24][23]
    Paid plans from
    Business: $14 a user a month, billed monthly only[24][23][31][32]
    Callbox vs Granola

  5. 5. tl;dv

    Best for video recordings with a bot, kept in Europe

    tl;dv's bot records video of Meet, Zoom and Teams calls, and its free plan allows 40 recordings a week, with full AI notes on your first 10 meetings. It keeps your calls in its cloud in Europe. Pro is $18 a seat a month billed yearly.[33][34][35][36][37]

    Bot in the call
    Yes by default: a bot named after you, such as "Grace's AI Notetaker", joins as a visible participant[33][38]
    Where recordings are kept
    tl;dv's cloud in Europe; Free recordings kept 3 months, paid ones until you delete the account[36][39]
    Transcription
    Over 30 languages; multi-language calls and custom vocabulary on Business; no live transcript[40][33][41]
    Teams
    Per seat: each member who needs paid features pays; free members keep the Free limits[42]
    Free plan
    40 recordings a week; full AI notes on your first 10 meetings only; kept 3 months, downloadable in the last 4 weeks[35][36][43]
    Paid plans from
    Pro: $29 a seat a month, or $216 a seat a year, which is $18 a month[37][33][44][35][43]
    Callbox vs tl;dv

  6. 6. Bluedot

    Best for a bot-free extension in over 100 languages

    Bluedot's Chrome extension records with nothing in the participant list, its desktop apps record the Zoom and Teams apps, and it transcribes over 100 languages, auto-detected, where Otter lists six. Its free plan covers 5 meetings for the life of the account, and Basic is $14 a user a month billed yearly, audio only, up to 1 hour per recording.[45][46][47][2][48]

    Bot in the call
    Optional: a calendar bot joins Zoom and Meet as "[Your name]'s AI NoteTaker"; the extension records without one[49][50][51][45]
    Where recordings are kept
    Bluedot's cloud on AWS, in the EU by default; Google Drive only imports, with no export to it[52][53][54]
    Transcription
    Over 100 languages, auto-detected; speaker names in Meet and Teams, and in Zoom only with the desktop app[47][55]
    Teams
    Each user who records pays; free members can view recordings and make up to 5 recordings[48][56]
    Free plan
    5 meetings for the life of the account, then view and share only; Chrome extension, desktop and mobile apps, Slack, Notion, Zapier and Make[48][57]
    Paid plans from
    Basic: $18 a user a month, or $14 a user a month billed yearly[48]
    Callbox vs Bluedot

  7. 7. Read AI

    Best for meeting reports and coaching

    Read AI's bot joins Zoom, Teams and Google Meet, and after each meeting it writes a summary, action items and key questions, with coaching. Its free plan covers 5 meeting transcripts a month, up to 1 hour each. Pro is $15 a user a month billed yearly, and playing back a recording needs an Enterprise plan.[58][59][60][61]

    Bot in the call
    Yes: "read.ai meeting notes" joins Zoom, Teams and Meet as a participant; on Meet, Read AI can record without it[58][62][63]
    Where recordings are kept
    Read AI's cloud, on AWS in Northern Virginia; a text-only Google Doc per meeting can go to your Drive[64][65]
    Transcription
    Up to 36 languages; speaker names when the bot records, none from the desktop or phone apps[66][67]
    Teams
    Per seat: every Workspace member pays, all on the same plan; Free users cannot join a Workspace[60][68][69]
    Free plan
    5 meeting transcripts a month, counting reports others share with you; meetings up to 1 hour; no uploads or playback; recordings deleted after 180 days[60][70][71]
    Paid plans from
    Pro: $19.75 a user a month, or $15 a user a month billed yearly[60][70]
    Callbox vs Read AI

  8. 8. Tactiq

    Best for text transcripts for one person, at the lowest yearly price here

    Tactiq's extension turns the captions of Meet, Zoom and Teams into a transcript with no bot, and keeps no audio. Pro is $96 a year for one user with unlimited transcripts, the lowest yearly price on this list.[72][73][74]

    Bot in the call
    None: no bot joins; Tactiq can notify attendees in chat, and its plan list keeps notice controls for paid plans[73][75][76]
    Where recordings are kept
    Text in Tactiq's cloud, on Google Cloud; optional Google Doc copies in one Drive folder, no audio[77][78]
    Transcription
    From the call's captions in the browser, from system audio in the Mac app; more than 30 languages[72][79][80]
    Teams
    Per seat: each member needs a license; Team is $200 a user a year, for 1 to 20 users[76][74]
    Free plan
    10 meeting credits and 5 AI credits a month; archiving frees credits; with none left, new transcripts are preview only[81][82]
    Paid plans from
    Pro: $12 a month, or $96 a year billed yearly[74][76]
    Callbox vs Tactiq

Which Otter.ai alternatives record without a bot?

Four of the eight record with no bot by default: Callbox and Tactiq from a Chrome extension, Granola from its desktop app, and Bluedot from its extension, which adds nothing to the participant list. They keep different things. Callbox saves the audio to your own Google Drive, Bluedot keeps audio in its own cloud, Granola keeps notes and Tactiq keeps a text transcript.[73][21][45][48]

The other four send a bot by default, and each has a bot-free mode with limits. Fireflies.ai records without its bot on Google Meet and in its desktop app, tl;dv and Read AI in their desktop apps, and Fathom in its Mac app, which is still rolling out.[15][83][84][8]

Which Otter.ai alternative costs least for a team?

Callbox, because it bills only the owner; Otter and most alternatives bill every member. Five people on Otter Pro pay 5 × $8.33 = $41.65 a month billed yearly, on Fireflies.ai Pro 5 × $10 = $50, and on Granola Business 5 × $14 = $70.[85][4][13][24]

One Callbox Pro plan, $290 a year ($24.17 a month), covers the whole team with 100 hours of transcription a month to share, and Business, $990 a year ($82.50 a month), with 500. For one person, Otter Pro, Fireflies.ai Pro, Granola and Tactiq Pro all cost less than Callbox Pro.[85][13][24][74]

Which Otter.ai alternatives record the Zoom and Teams desktop apps?

Granola and Bluedot do, with no bot: Granola captures your computer's sound from its Mac or Windows app, and Bluedot's Mac and Windows apps record the Zoom and Teams apps. Fireflies.ai, tl;dv and Read AI record them with their bots or their desktop apps.[21][46][15][83][84]

Callbox does not. It records calls in a Chrome tab, so a call you take in the Zoom or Teams desktop app needs one of these instead.

Questions

What is the best Otter.ai alternative?

For calls in a browser, Callbox: no bot, recordings in your own Google Drive, and team members who pay nothing. For a free plan with no cap on minutes, Fathom. For the Zoom and Teams desktop apps with no bot, Granola.

What is the best free Otter.ai alternative?

Fathom's free plan has unlimited recordings and transcription for one user, with a bot that joins the call. Callbox Free records as many calls as you want to your Google Drive with no bot, and transcribes 5 hours a month, subject to availability. Otter Basic transcribes up to 300 minutes a month.

Which Otter.ai alternative transcribes the most languages?

Fireflies.ai lists over 100 languages, with English primary and the rest in beta, and Bluedot over 100, auto-detected. Callbox transcribes 25 European languages on its own engine and 99 with your own key. Otter transcribes six.

Which Otter.ai alternative costs least for one person?

Tactiq Pro, at $96 a year, if a text transcript is enough. Fireflies.ai Pro is $10 a month billed yearly, with a bot, and Fathom's free plan costs nothing. Callbox Pro is $290 a year; it costs less only for a team, because its members pay nothing.

Which Otter.ai alternatives keep the recording?

Callbox saves the audio to your own Google Drive on every plan, and tl;dv's bot records video. Read AI plays recordings back only on its Enterprise plans. Granola and Tactiq keep no audio: Granola keeps notes, and Tactiq a transcript built from the call's captions.

Record your next call to your Drive

Callbox records Meet, Zoom and Teams calls from your own Chrome tab, with no bot in the call, and saves each one to your Google Drive. Start on Free in a minute.

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Sources

  1. Otter.ai Help: Limits on the Basic free planhelp.otter.ai
  2. Otter.ai Help: Supported languageshelp.otter.ai
  3. Otter.ai Help: Otter Notetaker overviewhelp.otter.ai
  4. Otter.ai Help: Purchase additional licenses for your Otter workspacehelp.otter.ai
  5. Fathom pricingwww.fathom.ai
  6. Fathom Help: supported languageshelp.fathom.video
  7. Fathom Help: recording and Notetaker settingshelp.fathom.video
  8. Fathom Help: Fathom 3.0 bot-free recordinghelp.fathom.video
  9. Fathom Help: security, compliance and datahelp.fathom.video
  10. Fathom integrationswww.fathom.ai
  11. Fathom Help: Free vs Premiumhelp.fathom.video
  12. Fireflies.ai Help: How Fireflies joins and records your meetingsguide.fireflies.ai
  13. Fireflies.ai pricingfireflies.ai
  14. Fireflies.ai Help: Supported languagesguide.fireflies.ai
  15. Fireflies.ai Help: Record meetings without a bot on the desktop appguide.fireflies.ai
  16. Fireflies.ai Help: Transcription credits, storage and rate limitsguide.fireflies.ai
  17. Fireflies.ai Help: Integrate Fireflies with Google Driveguide.fireflies.ai
  18. Fireflies.ai Help: Unlimited meeting transcripts on the Free planguide.fireflies.ai
  19. Fireflies.ai Help: Free plan featuresguide.fireflies.ai
  20. Fireflies.ai Help: AI creditsguide.fireflies.ai
  21. Granola Help: Transcriptiondocs.granola.ai
  22. Granola Help: AI-enhanced notesdocs.granola.ai
  23. Granola Help: Subscriptions and billingdocs.granola.ai
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  25. Granola Help: Security, privacy and data FAQsdocs.granola.ai
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  28. Granola Help: Zapierdocs.granola.ai
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  30. Granola Help: Speaker attributiondocs.granola.ai
  31. Granola Help: MCPdocs.granola.ai
  32. Granola API: Webhooksdocs.granola.ai
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  38. tl;dv Help: Updating your profileintercom.help
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  67. Read AI Help: How consent works on web mode vs desktop modesupport.read.ai
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  69. Read AI Help: Do all meeting participants need a license to Read?support.read.ai
  70. Read AI Help: What does Max Recording Duration mean?support.read.ai
  71. Read AI Help: I'm downgrading my plan. Will I still have access to past meeting reports?support.read.ai
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  81. Tactiq Help: What are meeting credits?help.tactiq.io
  82. Tactiq Help: How AI credits workhelp.tactiq.io
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  85. Otter.ai pricingotter.ai