otter.ai alternative · for files, not meetings

An Otter alternative for files you already have.

Otter is built to sit in your meetings. If you just need recordings turned into text, you're paying for a lot you don't use.

// short answer

Otter.ai is a meeting assistant: it joins Zoom, Teams and Google Meet and takes notes live. Otter Pro costs $16.99/month billed monthly, includes 1,200 minutes, and allows 10 file imports a month. audiotranscribe.app is $9/month for 30 hours of uploaded audio, with no import count and ~99 languages. Pick Otter for live meetings. Pick this for files.

Updated 2026-09-17

Otter.ai vs audiotranscribe.app

Otter.aiaudiotranscribe.app
Price, billed monthly$16.99/user/month (Pro)$9/month
Included on paid plan1,200 minutes a month, up to 90 min per meeting1800 minutes (30 h) a month, files up to 2 h
File uploads (paid)10 imports a monthNo count limit
Free tier300 min/month, 30 min per conversation, 3 file imports total3 files a day, up to 15 min on screen (30 min by email), 15 MB
LanguagesEnglish, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Chinese~99 (Whisper large-v3)
Joins live meetingsYes: Zoom, Teams, Google MeetNo

Otter.ai figures are their own, from their pricing page. Prices checked 2026-09-13, all figures re-checked 2026-09-17. Vendors change plans often; check before you buy.

// pick Otter.ai if

  • You want a bot to join Zoom, Teams or Google Meet and write notes as the meeting happens.
  • Your team shares and comments on meeting notes in one workspace.
  • Most of your audio is live meetings in English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese or Chinese.

// pick audiotranscribe.app if

  • Your audio is already recorded: interviews, lectures, voice memos, podcast episodes.
  • You upload more than 10 files a month. Otter Pro caps file imports at 10.
  • The recording is in a language Otter doesn't list, like Turkish, Hindi, Portuguese or Arabic.
  • You want to pay $9, not $16.99. Free use needs no account at all.

Switching

Export the recordings you care about, drop them in here one at a time, and download .txt or .srt. There's no workspace to set up. If you still record meetings live, use your meeting tool's own recording and upload the file afterwards.

Free vs Unlimited

FreeUnlimited
Price$0$9/month, cancel anytime
Files per day3No daily limit
Longest file15 min on screen, 30 min by email2 hours
Upload size15 MB50 MB
Audio per month30 hours
Speaker labelsNoYes
AccountNoneNone, Stripe checkout

FAQ

Can audiotranscribe.app join my Zoom meeting?+

No. It transcribes files. Record the meeting in Zoom, Teams or Meet, then upload the recording. For Zoom, the audio-only .m4a file uploads fastest.

Is Otter's free plan enough for uploaded files?+

Otter Basic allows 3 file imports in total, not per month (as of 2026-09-17). audiotranscribe.app's free tier allows 3 files every day, up to 30 minutes each.

Which is cheaper for transcribing recordings?+

For uploaded files, audiotranscribe.app: $9/month for 30 hours with no import limit, against Otter Pro's $16.99 billed monthly for 1,200 minutes and 10 imports.