Our take: Best for sales teams and professionals in frequent video meetings who need automatic meeting transcription, speaker identification, and AI-powered summaries with CRM integration.
Main limitation: Free plan limited to 3 lifetime file imports and 300 monthly transcription minutes; Pro plan capped at 1,200 minutes monthly and 90 minutes per meeting
By the AI Tool Atlas editors.
Based on the vendor's official documentation; we have not tested this product hands-on. What “documented overview” means
Who should use Otter.ai
Best for sales teams and professionals in frequent video meetings who need automatic meeting transcription, speaker identification, and AI-powered summaries with CRM integration. Based on the vendor's documentation, not on a hands-on test.
Best for: Professionals in frequent video meetings
Also a good fit for
Sales teams
Students and media professionals transcribing recordings
Consider another tool if free plan limited to 3 lifetime file imports
Or if
Pro caps meetings at 90 minutes and 1,200 recording minutes
API access only on Enterprise
Otter.ai in the news
Headlines from US outlets, selected automatically — not endorsements. Updated Oct 2, 2026
For: Large enterprises requiring custom integrations, API access, and compliance controls
Limits
Unlimited custom AI workflows
Unlimited concurrent meetings
1 more
Custom retention and data controls
Includes
Everything in Business
API and Webhooks
2 more
SSO, SCIM, Domain Capture
HIPAA compliance (add-on)
API included
Usage caps, credits and extra costs
HIPAA compliance available as Enterprise add-on; RTMP stream input requires additional fees on Enterprise
What is Otter.ai, and how does it work?
Otter.ai is an AI meeting notetaker that joins Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet calls to produce live transcripts with speaker identification, summaries and follow-ups. AI Chat lets users ask questions within and across meetings.
Otter offers desktop apps for Mac and Windows, iOS and Android apps and a Chrome extension, plus CRM integrations, an MCP server and, on Enterprise, an API and webhooks. Specialized agents cover sales and recruiting workflows.
What you provide and what you get back
What you give Otter.ai and what comes back, from its documentation
You provide
Live Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet calls via bot join
Audio and video files uploaded for transcription
Desktop or mobile device recordings
RTMP stream input (Enterprise with additional fees)
You get back
Searchable transcripts with speaker identification in 6+ languages
Automated summaries with action items and decisions
Meeting-specific AI Chat responses and cross-meeting search
Exportable text, PDF, DOCX, MP3, SRT formats
Where you can use it
Platforms
Web, Desktop (Mac, Windows), Mobile (iOS, Android), API (Enterprise only)
Account
Required
6: English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Chinese
MP3, TXT, PDF, DOCX, SRT
Yes, for live meeting calls; imported files processed within 1-2 minutes
Web, Mac desktop, Windows desktop, iOS app, Android app, Chrome extension
Basic/Pro: 5 max members; Business: 25 billed users; Enterprise: unlimited
Available as add-on on Enterprise plans only
Where Otter.ai is most useful
Scenarios are worked out by our editors from the documentation; the actual result depends on your input and plan.
Automatic meeting notes and summaries
Who
Professionals in all industries
You provide
Live meeting recording via Zoom, Teams, or Google Meet
Expected result
Real-time transcript with speaker names, automated summary with action items and key decisions
Plan needed
Basic (free) to Business
Limitation
Basic limited to 300 min/month and 30 min/meeting; Pro limited to 1,200 min/month and 90 min/meeting source (opens in a new tab)
Sales call capture with CRM sync
Who
Sales teams and revenue operations
You provide
Sales calls via Zoom, Teams, Meet, or desktop recording
Expected result
Call transcript synced to Salesforce or HubSpot with extracted deal details, next steps, and insights
Plan needed
Pro and Business
Limitation
CRM sync to Salesforce and HubSpot available on Pro and higher; custom integrations only on Enterprise source (opens in a new tab)
Lecture transcription
Who
Students, educators, and media professionals
You provide
Lecture recordings, podcasts, interviews, or production meetings
Expected result
Searchable transcripts with timestamps and speaker tags for easy note-taking and content creation
Live transcription in multiple languages with speaker recognition
Converts live meeting audio to text in English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Chinese with automatic speaker identification by name Enables real-time note-taking without manual transcription; improves accessibility and searchability of meetings
Access: Available on all plans (Basic and higher)Limit: Some advanced speaker customization (team vocabulary) limited to Pro and Business planssource (opens in a new tab)
AI Chat within and across meetings
Allows users to ask questions about meeting content across single or multiple meetings using natural language Accelerates information retrieval and enables cross-meeting analysis without manual search
Access: All plans; query limits: Basic 20 per user/month (3 per conversation), Pro 50/month, Business/Enterprise 200/monthLimit: Query limits vary by plan; requires documented meeting historysource (opens in a new tab)
AI meeting workflows and templates
Provides pre-built templates for sales, recruiting, and other workflows; custom workflows on Business/Enterprise Standardizes meeting follow-ups and automates action item capture for team consistency
Access: Basic includes standard templates; Pro/Business/Enterprise include advanced templates with usage limits: Pro 15/user, Business 30/user, Enterprise unlimitedLimit: Custom workflows only on Business and Enterprise; template usage is per-usersource (opens in a new tab)
Salesforce, HubSpot and Zapier integrations
Automatically syncs meeting transcripts, summaries, and extracted insights to CRM systems and workflow automation Eliminates manual data entry; keeps customer records current with latest call details
Access: Salesforce and HubSpot on Pro+ with user limits; Zapier available on all plansLimit: Subject to user limits on Salesforce/HubSpot; custom integrations only on Enterprisesource (opens in a new tab)
Pros, cons and deal-breakers
Where Otter.ai is strong
Free Basic plan with 300 monthly transcription minutes No credit card required to start; lowest barrier to entry for individualsdocumentedsource (opens in a new tab)
Apps for Mac, Windows, iOS, Android and Chrome Flexible recording options across all major platforms and devices without browser extension dependencydocumentedsource (opens in a new tab)
Prices listed in USD with clear per-user-per-month billing Transparent, simple pricing without hidden costs or currency conversion surprisesdocumentedsource (opens in a new tab)
HIPAA compliance available as Enterprise add-on Enables use in healthcare and regulated industries with audit trails and encryption controlsdocumentedsource (opens in a new tab)
Limitations to check before paying
Free plan limited to 3 lifetime file imports Free tier unsuitable for workflows requiring frequent file uploads; forces upgrade or work-arounddocumentedsource (opens in a new tab)
Pro caps meetings at 90 minutes and 1,200 recording minutes monthly Pro plan insufficient for teams with long meetings or high meeting volume; requires Business plan ($30+/user/month)documentedsource (opens in a new tab)
API access only on Enterprise Custom integrations and programmatic access require enterprise contract; blocks use cases requiring direct API accessdocumentedsource (opens in a new tab)
SSO/SCIM require Enterprise Mid-market teams managing 5-25 users on Business plan must use manual user provisioningdocumentedsource (opens in a new tab)
How to use Otter.ai for recording and transcribing a Zoom meeting with automatic summaries
Set up Otter.ai
Create free Otter.ai account on https://otter.ai/ using email or sign-in
Download desktop app for Mac/Windows or install Chrome extension, or use web app
Connect Zoom account or enable calendar integration for automatic meeting invites
Grant Otter permission to join your Zoom, Teams, or Google Meet calls
Start your meeting; Otter bot joins automatically and begins recording
Example: recording and transcribing a Zoom meeting with automatic summaries
Invite Otter bot to a scheduled Zoom call or manually add during live meeting
Let Otter record the full conversation (up to plan limits)
After meeting ends, review live transcript with speaker names and timestamps
Ask Otter AI Chat questions like 'What were the action items?' or 'Who said X?'
Export transcript as PDF, DOCX, or MP3 for sharing or archival
Review and export the result
Confirm Otter joined your call by checking participant list in Zoom
Verify transcript appears in Otter.ai dashboard within 1-2 minutes post-meeting
Test AI Chat by asking a question about the meeting content and reviewing accuracy
Example prompt suggested by our editors (not a recorded output of the product)
What were the top 3 decisions made in this meeting and who is responsible for follow-up?
Otter.ai integrations and API
Plan comparison on the official pricing page. otter.ai, captured Oct 1, 2026
Native integrations and export formats
Export: MP3 (audio), TXT (plain text), PDF (formatted), DOCX (editable), SRT (subtitles), Bulk export available on Business+
API access and separate billing
Otter.ai has no public API in its official documentation. API and webhooks require Enterprise plan; no separate API-only tier
Privacy, data use and commercial rights
Summarized from the vendor's current policies; this is not legal advice and a vendor's badge is not an independent audit.
How your inputs and outputs are handled
User audio recordings, meeting transcripts, and uploaded files are processed and stored; speaker information and meeting metadata are retained according to plan
Policy effective June 16, 2026 does not explicitly permit training on user content; audio and transcripts treated as user data subject to user controls
Custom retention settings available on Business and Enterprise plans; default retention not specified in available documentation
Commercial use and plan restrictions
User retains rights to transcribed content; Otter retains right to use data for service improvement and analytics
Business and Enterprise plans include custom data retention and centralized management controls
Can I switch my account from Basic to a paid plan?
Yes. Log in to your Otter account, go to Settings, and select 'Upgrade to Business' or choose a plan. Follow the prompts to complete the upgrade. You can also upgrade to Pro from the Basic plan using the same method. source (opens in a new tab)
Do you offer student discounts?
Yes. Students and teachers using .edu email addresses receive a 20% discount on Otter Pro plans. Pro Annual discounted price is $6.67/month (billed $79.99 annually); Pro Monthly is $13.59/month. Sign up with your .edu email, then access the Student & Teacher Discount link from the upgrade page. source (opens in a new tab)
What payment methods are accepted?
Otter accepts credit and debit cards on the website and in-app purchases via Apple App Store or Google Play. PayPal is not currently accepted but is under consideration for future support. source (opens in a new tab)
Is there a maximum meeting length?
Yes. Basic plan supports up to 30 minutes per meeting; Pro supports 90 minutes; Business and Enterprise support up to 4 hours per meeting. Monthly transcription minute limits also apply per plan. source (opens in a new tab)
Can I use Otter with my CRM?
Yes. Pro and Business plans include native integrations with Salesforce and HubSpot that automatically sync meeting notes and extracted insights. Custom integrations are available on Enterprise plans. source (opens in a new tab)
Pricing | Otter.aipricing · checked Oct 1, 2026 · Basic plan features and limits, Pro plan pricing ($16.99/mo, $8.49/mo annual) and limits, Business plan pricing ($30/mo, $19.99/mo annual) and limits, Enterprise plan features, File import limits by plan, Meeting duration limits, Concurrent meeting limits, Custom vocabulary limits, Integration availability, FAQ on student discounts, payment methods, plan upgrades
Otter Meeting Agent - AI Notetaker, Transcription, Insightshomepage · checked Oct 1, 2026 · Product overview and use cases, Platform availability (Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, Chrome), Integration partners (Zoom, Teams, Google Meet, Slack, Salesforce, HubSpot, Zapier, Notion, Jira, Google Drive, Asana, Glean), Core features (transcription, AI Chat, summaries, CRM sync), Testimonials and trust indicators
Otter.ai Privacy Policy | Otter.aipolicy · checked Oct 1, 2026 · Personal information collection practices, Data retention and usage, Commercial use of user data, Third-party data sharing (Stripe for payments), User rights and data controls
Not verified: Business plan annual pricing not explicitly stated; inferred from pattern ($19.99/month when billed annually based on pricing page table); Custom data retention limits and default retention period for each plan; API documentation URL (docs not available; only mentioned as Enterprise feature); Specific SLA/uptime guarantees; Data center locations and geographic restrictions; Whether Business plan includes email support or phone support availability.
How we documented and maintain this page
Every fact about Otter.ai above comes from the 3 official pages listed here, last compared on Oct 1, 2026; we have not run Otter.ai ourselves, so it has no editorial score. How we check and re-check pages.
Article updated Oct 2, 2026; prices checked Oct 1, 2026. Outbound links to vendors are plain links; we do not earn commissions. How we review · Report an error