People usually leave Otter.ai over one specific limit: 300 transcription minutes a month on Basic, three lifetime file imports, six transcription languages, or SSO that needs a 100 user license. This comparison covers six alternatives and which one fixes which problem. Otter.ai keeps a real price advantage, so the picks also say when staying put makes sense.
What is the best Otter.ai alternative?
Circleback is the best Otter.ai alternative for teams that want unlimited meetings on Free, notes sent to Slack, one Linear issue per action item, and notes sent to a CRM on Pro and up. The right pick changes with the problem you are leaving behind, so each tool below is matched to one.
- Pick Circleback if you want unlimited meetings and members on Free, with notes sent to Slack and one Linear issue per action item on Free, and notes sent to a CRM on Pro and up.
- Pick Fireflies.ai if you want app and CRM integrations on paid plans and a Pro price of $10 per user per month billed annually.
- Pick Fathom if you want the simplest free plan for one person, with unlimited recordings and transcriptions.
- Pick Granola if you want lightweight notes with no bot.
- Pick tl;dv if you want free unlimited recordings with EU hosting.
- Pick Read AI if five meetings a month with summaries, transcription and search is enough.
Why people look for an Otter alternative
Otter.ai's limits show up on Basic and in its admin tiers:
- Basic includes 300 monthly transcription minutes and 3 lifetime audio or video file imports. Pro allows 10 file imports a month, and Business has unlimited imports.
- Transcription covers six languages: English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese and Chinese.
- SSO and SCIM require a minimum 100 user license.
- API and Webhooks sit on the Enterprise card.
Otter.ai also has real strengths. Pro costs $8.33 per user per month billed annually or $16.99 monthly, the lowest annual price in this comparison. It records without a bot on desktop or Chrome.
The alternatives, one by one
1. Circleback
Circleback turns conversations into speaker-labeled transcripts, notes, assigned action items, automations and searchable context.
Key features:
- A bot for Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and Webex with calendar auto-join, plus a bot-free desktop app on every plan (macOS 14.2+ to record, Windows).
- In-person capture on iPhone, Android and Apple Watch, file upload up to 2 GB on any plan, and phone calls through an imported recording.
- Audio and video recordings are saved, but desktop window video is saved by default only for recordings started from a detected-meeting notification.
Pros:
- Unlimited meetings and members on Free. Free automations send notes to Slack, create one Linear issue per action item, and include a Share meeting step, and Pro and up add Attio, HubSpot, Salesforce, Notion, monday.com, Zoho, Zapier, Webhook and Insight steps.
- API, MCP and CLI access on every plan, where Otter.ai places API and Webhooks on Enterprise.
- 100+ languages against Otter.ai's six.
Cons:
- Meetings older than 30 days are locked on Free (upgrading unlocks them), and Free recording media is deleted after 365 days.
- CRM steps start on Pro, and paid plans cost more than Otter.ai Pro.
- No call scoring, though each meeting shows a speaking-time bar for each participant, and the Sales feedback template, a custom AI insight on Pro and up, gives written coaching.
- Desktop recordings stop at 5 hours, and desktop and mobile speakers can stay "Participant N".
- SSO, SCIM and HIPAA are Enterprise only.
Pricing: Free. Pro is $15 per user per month billed annually or $18 monthly. Business is $25 annually or $29 monthly. Enterprise is $35 billed annually, with lower rates in volume bands above the first 50 users.
Best for: teams that want unlimited meetings on Free, notes sent to Slack, one Linear issue per action item and, on Pro and up, notes sent to a CRM.
2. Fireflies.ai
Fireflies.ai records on Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and more, with a Chrome extension that records without a Fireflies bot, a desktop app and mobile apps.
Key features:
- Integrations include Salesforce, HubSpot and Pipedrive, and Zapier starts on Pro.
- Free includes file upload and API access limited to 30 per minute and 500 per day.
Pros:
- Pro costs $10 per user per month billed annually, below Circleback Pro at $15, and integrations are included on Pro, Business and Enterprise.
Cons:
- Free has no integrations, limited AI summaries and 400 minutes of storage per team.
Pricing: Free is $0. Pro is $10 billed annually or $18 monthly. Business is $19 annually or $29 monthly. Enterprise is $39 billed annually.
Best for: teams that want paid integrations and CRM connections at a lower Pro price.
3. Fathom
Fathom records live Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams meetings, with a choice of bot capture or bot-free capture, a beta feature for Mac.
Key features:
- Free includes unlimited recordings and transcriptions.
- Integrations include Claude and ChatGPT, Zapier, Make and a public API and MCP, with Slack, Salesforce, HubSpot, Notion and Asana sync. CRM field sync starts on Business.
Pros:
- The simplest free plan for one person, with no recording cap.
Cons:
- No file uploads, since Fathom does not support uploaded calls.
- Team and Business have a 2 user minimum.
Pricing: Free is $0. Premium is $16 billed annually or $20 monthly. Team is $15 annually or $19 monthly. Business is $25 annually or $34 monthly. Enterprise goes through sales.
Best for: one person who wants a free plan with no recording cap.
4. Granola
Granola captures device audio with no meeting bot and works with Zoom, Google Meet, Teams and every other meeting app, through desktop, iOS, Android and Apple Watch apps.
Key features:
- Slack on all plans, Attio, Notion, HubSpot, Affinity and Zapier on Business, and Salesforce on Enterprise.
- MCP on every plan, with Basic limited to the last 30 days of personal notes without transcripts.
Pros:
- Lightweight notes with no bot on the call.
Cons:
- Basic keeps 30 days of history, and Granola does not import uploaded audio files.
- It does not record or save audio or video, and transcription needs the desktop or mobile app.
Pricing: Basic is $0. Business is $14 per user per month, billed monthly. Enterprise is $35 per user per month.
Best for: lightweight notes with no bot.
5. tl;dv
tl;dv says no bot is required and works with Google Meet, Zoom and Microsoft Teams.
Key features:
- Free includes unlimited recordings, transcripts and manually timestamped notes.
- 30+ transcription languages, data hosted and stored in the EU, and uploads in beta for videos of 3 hours or less.
Pros:
- Unlimited recordings on Free, with EU hosting.
Cons:
- Free recordings are stored for 3 months, and Free automatic AI notes cover the first 10 meetings, then only the first 10 minutes of each meeting.
Pricing: Free is $0. Pro is $18 billed annually or $29 monthly. Business is $29 annually or $39 monthly. Enterprise is custom.
Best for: free recordings with EU hosting.
6. Read AI
Read AI offers a Free plan with 5 meetings per month, including summaries, transcription and search.
Key features:
- Free covers 5 meeting transcripts per month.
Pros:
- Summaries, transcription and search are included on Free.
Cons:
- Audio and video playback starts at Enterprise, so Free and Pro have none.
Pricing: Free. Pro is $15 billed annually or $19.75 monthly. Enterprise is $22.50 annually or $29.75 monthly. Enterprise+ is $29.75 annually or $39.75 monthly. All prices are per user per month.
Best for: people with a few meetings a month.
Side by side
| Tool | Bot-free | Free plan limit | Paid from | Imports files |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Otter.ai | Desktop or Chrome | 300 monthly transcription minutes | $8.33 annual | 3 lifetime on Basic |
| Circleback | Yes, desktop app on every plan | Older meetings lock after 30 days | $15 annual | Yes, up to 2 GB |
| Fireflies.ai | Chrome extension and desktop app | 400 minutes of storage per team | $10 annual | Yes, audio or video |
| Fathom | Beta on Mac | Unlimited recordings | $15 annual, 2 user minimum | No |
| Granola | Yes, no bot | 30 days of history | $14 monthly billing | No |
| tl;dv | No bot required | AI notes on first 10 meetings | $18 annual | Beta, up to 3 hours |
| Read AI | Yes, desktop app, audio only | 5 meetings per month | $15 annual | Yes, credits included from Pro, none included on Free |
How to choose
- If minute caps or lifetime imports are the problem, pick Circleback or Fireflies.ai, which both accept uploaded files, or Fathom or tl;dv for unlimited free recordings.
- If the 100 user minimum for SSO and SCIM is the problem, Circleback Enterprise prices the first 50 users at $35 per user per month billed annually.
- If API access is the problem, Circleback includes it on every plan and Fireflies.ai includes rate limited API access on Free.
- If you want no bot, Granola has none, tl;dv says none is required, and Circleback's desktop app records without one on every plan.
- If EU hosting is required, pick tl;dv. Circleback processes data in the United States and does not offer EU hosting.
- If price decides, Otter.ai Pro at $8.33 and Fireflies.ai Pro at $10 are the two lowest annual prices.
FAQ
What is the best free alternative to Otter.ai?
Circleback Free and Fathom Free are the strongest options. Circleback Free has unlimited meetings and members, with notes sent to Slack and one Linear issue per action item, though meetings older than 30 days lock. Fathom Free has unlimited recordings and transcriptions for one person.
Can I move my Otter recordings to another tool?
Yes, by exporting your files from Otter.ai and uploading them. Circleback has no direct Otter import, but accepts audio and video uploads up to 2 GB on any plan. Fireflies.ai Free includes file upload, and tl;dv uploads are in beta. Fathom and Granola do not accept uploaded recordings.
Which Otter.ai alternative records without a bot?
Granola, tl;dv, Circleback, Fireflies.ai and Fathom all have a bot-free option. Granola has no meeting bot at all, and tl;dv says no bot is required. Circleback's desktop app records without a bot on every plan, Fireflies.ai offers a Chrome extension and desktop app, and Fathom's bot-free capture is in beta for Mac.
Which Otter.ai alternative supports more than six languages?
Circleback lists 100+ languages, against six on Otter.ai. tl;dv lists 30+ transcription languages. Fireflies.ai is English primary, with Spanish, French, Portuguese and Italian, and 100+ languages in beta.
Which Otter.ai alternative includes API access without Enterprise?
Circleback includes API, MCP and CLI access on every plan, and Fireflies.ai Free includes API access at 30 per minute and 500 per day. Otter.ai places API and Webhooks on its Enterprise card.