Otter.ai review

Updated September 28, 2026 · CompanionCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 26, 2026

We earn a commission when you sign up through links on this site. Partner status can affect where a brand appears in our rankings. Partners with a live offer in your country come first, then every other brand by score.

Our verdict

Otter.ai suits adults who want meeting and interview notes rather than image or video generation, and its cost score of 5.6 out of ten reflects where it sits against the alternatives below. The free plan carries Free Basic plan with 300 monthly transcription minutes, and the paid tier runs at $16.99.

Key facts

Best for
Adults who mostly need transcripts and meeting notes on a budget.
Monthly price
$16.99↗
What is free
Free Basic plan with 300 monthly transcription minutes↗
Legal entity
Otter.ai, Inc.↗
Headquarters
United States↗
Founded
2016↗
Support channels
Help-centre↗
Pricing model
Free, Premium
Official website
otter.ai

Facts checked September 26, 2026, 5 sources

Apps and profiles

Get the app
Google Play

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Free Basic plan with 300 monthly transcription minutes
  • Paid monthly price of $16.99
  • Two plan tiers: free and premium
  • Founded in 2016 and run by Otter.ai, Inc.

Cons

  • Support runs on help centre only
  • Monthly price of $16.99 sits above $7.99, $9.99 and $9.99
  • Nothing in its plans covers the image or video output these categories compare on
Otter.ai

Ready to try Otter.ai?

Scored 9.0 / 10 by CompanionCue.

Who it suits

  • Adults who transcribe meetings, lectures and interviews
  • Budget-first readers who can start on the free tier
  • Readers who want a stated legal entity and headquarters country

Who should look elsewhere

  • SecretDesires.ai at $7.99 a month if adult image generation is the reason for subscribing
  • DeepSwap at $9.99 a month if video output matters more than transcripts
  • Wordtune at $9.99 a month if rewriting and drafting matter more than notes

Pricing and free tier

The paid tier is $16.99 per month, and the plans themselves come in free and premium forms. Free access is real rather than a trial: Free Basic plan with 300 monthly transcription minutes is included at no charge, so the entry point costs nothing to start. For context, the site median sits at €13.15 a month, which puts Otter.ai above the midpoint. The alternatives listed here are all cheaper, at $7.99, $9.99 and $9.99 a month.

Who runs it

Otter.ai is run by Otter.ai, Inc., which is based in the US and has been operating since 2016. Support is offered through a help centre, so help is self-serve documentation rather than live chat, email or phone. No licence is listed, and the company does not name a regulator in the terms of service. The billing side is straightforward: one monthly price and two plan tiers.

How Otter.ai compares

Frequently asked questions

How much does Otter.ai cost a month?+

The paid tier is $16.99 per month. The site median for this kind of plan is €13.15, and Otter.ai ranks 55 of 94 brands on monthly price. The overall score on this site is 5.6 out of ten, with cost making up the same 5.6.

Is there a free plan?+

Yes, and it is not a short trial. Free Basic plan with 300 monthly transcription minutes is part of the free tier, so you can transcribe on it without paying. The plans themselves come in free and premium forms, which is how the free tier and the paid tier are set out on the pricing page.

Which plan tiers are there?+

Two forms are listed: free and premium. The paid one is priced at $16.99 a month, while the free one covers Free Basic plan with 300 monthly transcription minutes. Nothing in the listed plan details mentions image or video generation, so if that output is what you need, look at the alternatives instead.

Who runs Otter.ai and where are they based?+

The company behind it is Otter.ai, Inc., headquartered in the US. It has been operating since 2016, which makes it an established name rather than a recent entry into the market. A named legal entity and home country are useful details when you weigh who handles your data.

How do I get help if something goes wrong?+

Support runs through a help centre, meaning you look answers up yourself rather than waiting for a reply. Live chat, email and phone are not listed among the support channels. On the sites compared here, a help centre is available at 59.5%, so documentation is the common pattern.

Are there any licences or regulators?+

No licence is listed for this brand, and no regulator is named in the terms of service. Nothing in the listed facts points to a payment regulator or a formal certification scheme, so there is no licence to check before you sign up. The details that are published are the legal entity and the headquarters country.

How does Otter.ai compare on price with the other options?+

It is the most expensive of the set here. Otter.ai charges $16.99 a month against $7.99 for SecretDesires.ai, $9.99 for DeepSwap and $9.99 for Wordtune. The spread in this category runs from €0 up to €973.43 a month across 180 brands.

Who is this service for?+

Adults who want accurate written records of meetings, interviews and lectures will find the most use in it, particularly on the free tier. If you are shopping for adult image or video generation, these categories cover a different product, and the free transcription minutes will not help. Read the plan details against what you actually need to create.

Sources

  • en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otter.ai checked September 26, 2026

    Backs: Founded

    “Otter.ai, Inc. ... Founded 2016”

  • otter.ai checked September 26, 2026

    Backs: Support channels

    “Help Center Find FAQs, troubleshooting tips, and setup guides.”

  • otter.ai/pricing checked September 26, 2026

    Backs: What is free, Pricing model, Monthly price

    “Basic For those who want to give it a try Free”

  • otter.ai/terms-of-service checked September 26, 2026

    Backs: Legal entity

    “thank you for your interest in Otter.ai, Inc.”

  • cbinsights.com/company/buildbetter/financials checked September 26, 2026

    Backs: Headquarters

    “based in Mountain View, California”

Compiled from 5 source pages, checked September 26, 2026. We did not open an account.

Not confirmed yet: Credits per image, Adult content policy.

Otter.ai

Otter.ai

Adults who mostly need transcripts and meeting notes on a budget.

9.0/10See alternatives