8 Best Otter AI Alternatives for Meeting Transcription You Should Try in 2026

Otter.ai put AI meeting transcription on the map. Millions of professionals rely on it to capture conversations, generate summaries, and search through meeting archives. But as the AI meeting assistant space has exploded in 2026, Otter.ai is no longer the only game in town — and it may not even be the best fit for your workflow. For the full picture on Otter.ai itself, read our in-depth Otter.ai review.

Whether you are hitting Otter’s minute caps, frustrated by its pricing structure, or simply need features it does not offer, there are powerful Otter AI alternatives worth exploring. In this guide, we compare 8 of the best options available right now, with up-to-date pricing and honest assessments of each tool’s strengths and weaknesses. We also cover this topic in our guide to Otter AI alternatives.

What Otter.ai Does Well — and Where It Falls Short

Before diving into alternatives, it helps to understand what makes Otter.ai popular and where its limitations push users to look elsewhere. We also cover this in our roundup of AI for podcasting.

Otter.ai Strengths

• Real-time transcription with solid accuracy for English-language meetings
• OtterPilot auto-joins Zoom, Google Meet, and Teams to capture notes
• AI chat lets you ask questions about your meeting transcripts
• Collaboration features including shared highlights, comments, and action items
• Generous free tier with 300 minutes per month for individuals

Common Reasons People Switch

• Strict minute caps: The free plan limits you to 300 minutes/month and 30 minutes per conversation. Even the Pro plan caps at 1,200 minutes. When you hit the limit, transcription stops — there is no overage option.
• Pricing jumps: Moving from Pro ($8.33/month annual) to Business ($20/month annual) is a steep jump, and Business is required for features like admin controls and larger minute pools.
• Limited language support: Otter.ai focuses heavily on English, which is a dealbreaker for global teams.
• No video recording on lower tiers: Some competitors offer video recording even on free plans.
• CRM integrations are limited: Sales teams often need deeper Salesforce or HubSpot integrations than Otter provides.

Now, let us look at the alternatives that address these gaps.

1. Fireflies.ai — Best for Team Collaboration and Integrations

Fireflies.ai is one of the most popular Otter AI alternatives, particularly for teams that need robust search, collaboration, and integration capabilities. It transcribes meetings across Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, and other platforms, and offers a powerful AI assistant called AskFred. We also cover this in our roundup of AI voice generators.

Fireflies.ai Pricing (2026)

• Free: $0 — 800 minutes of storage, limited AI summaries
• Pro: $10/user/month (annual) or $18/month (monthly) — unlimited transcription, 8,000 min storage
• Business: $19/user/month (annual) or $29/month (monthly) — video recording, conversation intelligence, unlimited storage
• Enterprise: $39/user/month — SSO, HIPAA compliance, custom retention

Pros

• Unlimited transcription on paid plans (no minute caps like Otter)
• 100+ language support
• Real-time note generation during calls (new in 2026)
• Extensive integrations with CRMs, project management tools, and Slack
• Conversation intelligence features for sales teams

Cons

• AI credits system can be confusing and may require purchasing extra credits ($5 for 50 credits)
• 3-hour cap per meeting recording even on Business plan
• Free plan is very limited compared to some competitors

Best for: Teams that want unlimited transcription with deep integrations across their existing tool stack.

2. tl;dv — Best Free Plan for Unlimited Recording

tl;dv stands out for its remarkably generous free tier and its dual identity as both a productivity tool and a sales intelligence platform. The name stands for “too long; didn’t view,” and the tool delivers on that promise by generating concise, actionable meeting summaries.

tl;dv Pricing (2026)

• Free: $0 — unlimited meetings, unlimited transcription in 30+ languages, 10 AI meeting notes
• Pro: $18/user/month (annual) — unlimited AI notes, multi-meeting reports, 5,000+ integrations
• Business: $59/user/month (annual) — full sales intelligence, conversation analytics, deal insights
• Enterprise: Custom pricing — private AI hosting, advanced admin controls

Pros

• Best free plan in the category — unlimited meetings and transcription
• 30+ language transcription included on all plans
• Business plan competes with Gong at a fraction of the price
• Clip and share meeting moments easily

Cons

• Free plan AI summaries limited to 10 total (lifetime, not monthly)
• Large price gap between Pro ($18) and Business ($59)
• Sales intelligence features locked behind expensive Business tier

Best for: Users who want unlimited free recording and transcription, or sales teams seeking an affordable Gong alternative.

3. Fathom — Best Free AI Summaries for Individuals

Fathom gained rapid popularity by offering unlimited free recording and transcription with a clean, intuitive interface. It is particularly strong for individual users who want AI-powered meeting notes without paying a subscription.

Fathom Pricing (2026)

• Free: $0 — unlimited recordings and transcriptions, 5 AI summaries/month
• Premium: $15/month (annual) or $19/month (monthly) — unlimited AI summaries, custom bot, no branding
• Team Edition: $19/month (annual) or $29/month (monthly) — shared libraries, comments, keyword alerts
• Team Edition Pro: $29/month (annual) or $39/month (monthly) — coaching, deal views, advanced sales features

Pros

• Unlimited free recording and transcription (no minute caps)
• Clean, distraction-free interface
• SOC2 Type 2 compliance and end-to-end encryption
• Works with Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams

Cons

• AI summaries limited to 5/month on the free plan
• No team collaboration on Free or Premium plans
• Occasional compatibility issues with Microsoft Teams

Best for: Individuals who need reliable, unlimited transcription with a straightforward interface and strong privacy practices.

4. Krisp — Best for Noise Cancellation Plus Transcription

Krisp started as a noise cancellation tool and has evolved into a full AI meeting assistant. What sets it apart is its device-level noise cancellation that works with any conferencing app — not just Zoom, Meet, and Teams. If you work from noisy environments, Krisp is uniquely positioned among Otter AI alternatives.

Krisp Pricing (2026)

• Free: $0 — 60 min/day noise cancellation, 2 AI meeting notes/day, English only
• Pro: $8/user/month (annual) or $12/month (monthly) — unlimited noise cancellation, 19+ languages, HIPAA compliant
• Business: $10/user/month (annual) or $15/month (monthly) — admin panel, SSO, SCIM, centralized settings
• Enterprise: Custom pricing — API access, custom MSA, 24/7 premium support

Pros

• Industry-leading noise cancellation built into every plan
• Works with any communication app, not just major platforms
• Very affordable Pro plan at $8/month
• HIPAA compliant on Pro and above

Cons

• Free plan limited to 60 minutes of noise cancellation per day
• Limited storage (5GB on Pro, 30GB on Business)
• Transcription and AI features are less mature than dedicated transcription tools
• Free plan restricted to English only

Best for: Remote workers in noisy environments who want noise cancellation and meeting transcription in a single tool.

5. Rev — Best for Human-Accuracy Transcription

Rev is the go-to choice when you need transcription accuracy that AI alone cannot match. While most tools on this list are AI-only, Rev offers both AI and human transcription services, making it the preferred option for legal, medical, and media professionals who need near-perfect transcripts.

Rev Pricing (2026)

• Free Plan: 45 minutes/month of AI transcription
• AI Transcription: $0.25 per audio minute
• Human Transcription: $1.99 per audio minute — delivered within 12 hours
• English Captions: $1.99 per video minute
• Subscription discounts: 3–15% off human transcription depending on plan tier

Pros

• Human transcription option for situations demanding high accuracy
• Pay-per-minute model — no monthly commitment required
• No extra charges for multiple speakers, accents, or difficult audio
• Fast turnaround (5 minutes for AI, 12 hours for human)

Cons

• Human transcription is expensive at $1.99/minute (~$120/hour of audio)
• Not designed as a live meeting assistant — best for post-meeting transcription
• No AI meeting bot that auto-joins calls
• Limited collaboration and team features compared to dedicated meeting tools

Best for: Legal, medical, and media professionals who need guaranteed transcription accuracy and are willing to pay a premium for human review.

6. Notta — Best for Multilingual Teams

Notta is a versatile transcription tool that works across live meetings, uploaded files, and even in-person conversations via its mobile app. Its real-time translation capabilities make it especially valuable for multilingual teams.

Notta Pricing (2026)

• Free: $0 — 120 minutes/month, 3 min per file, AI summary included
• Pro: $8.17/user/month (annual) or $15/month (monthly) — 1,800 minutes, transcript translation, custom AI templates
• Business: $16.67/user/month (annual) — video recording, role-based permissions, team dashboards
• Enterprise: Custom pricing — unlimited transcription, advanced security

Pros

• Real-time translation and multilingual transcription
• Mobile app for recording in-person meetings
• Affordable Pro plan with generous 1,800 minutes
• SOC2 Type II and ISO 27001 certified
• 3-day free trial on all premium plans

Cons

• Free plan heavily restricted (120 min/month, 3 min per file)
• Cannot download transcripts on the free plan
• Video recording locked behind Business tier
• Smaller integration ecosystem compared to Fireflies or tl;dv

Best for: Multilingual teams that need real-time translation alongside transcription, or users who frequently record in-person conversations.

7. MeetGeek — Best for Automated Meeting Insights

MeetGeek focuses on turning meetings into actionable intelligence. It automatically records, transcribes, and summarizes meetings, then surfaces key insights, action items, and follow-ups. Its analytics dashboard helps teams understand meeting patterns and improve productivity.

MeetGeek Pricing (2026)

• Free: $0 — 2 hours of transcription/month, unlimited AI summaries, 2-month transcript storage
• Pro: $15.99/user/month — 20 hours/month, HD video recording, 1-year storage
• Business: $39/user/month — unlimited hours, unlimited storage, custom bot name, team analytics
• Enterprise: Custom pricing — branded emails, organization-wide settings

Pros

• Unlimited AI summaries even on the free plan
• Strong meeting analytics and productivity insights
• Pay-as-you-go add-on ($0.50/extra hour) prevents hitting hard caps
• 100+ language support
• Mix-and-match plans let teams combine free and paid seats

Cons

• Free plan limited to only 2 hours/month of transcription
• Short storage duration on free tier (2 months for transcripts, 1 month for audio)
• Business plan at $39/month is on the expensive side

Best for: Teams that want rich meeting analytics and the flexibility to mix free and paid seats across their organization.

8. Tactiq — Best Chrome Extension for Live Transcription

Tactiq takes a different approach from most Otter AI alternatives. Instead of deploying a bot that joins your meeting, Tactiq runs as a lightweight Chrome extension that captures transcription directly from your browser tab. This means no bot awkwardly joining your call and no meeting participants being notified.

Tactiq Pricing (2026)

• Free: $0 — 10 transcripts/month, 5 AI credits/month
• Pro: $8/month (annual) or $12/month (monthly) — unlimited transcripts, 10 AI credits/month
• Team: $20/user/month (annual) — unlimited AI credits, auto-share, priority support
• Enterprise: Custom pricing — SSO, retention rules, centralized billing

Pros

• No meeting bot required — runs discreetly as a Chrome extension
• Affordable Pro plan at $8/month
• SOC-2 Type II compliant
• Works with Google Meet, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams
• Special pricing for educators and students

Cons

• AI credits are severely limited on Free (5/month) and Pro (10/month) plans
• Chrome extension approach means it only works in the browser
• No mobile app for recording in-person meetings
• Unlimited AI credits require the $20/month Team plan

Best for: Users who prefer discreet transcription without a bot joining the meeting, and who primarily use browser-based conferencing tools.

Otter AI Alternatives: Pricing Comparison Table

How to Choose the Right Otter AI Alternative

With so many strong options available, the best choice depends on your specific needs. Here is a framework to help you decide:

Consider Your Budget

If you want the most generous free plan, tl;dv and Fathom offer unlimited recording and transcription at no cost. For the cheapest paid plans, Krisp, Tactiq, and Notta all start at around $8/month.

Consider Your Team Size

Solo users will do well with Fathom or Tactiq. Small teams should look at Fireflies.ai or MeetGeek for their collaboration features. Enterprise teams with compliance needs should evaluate Fireflies (HIPAA) or Krisp (HIPAA) on their higher-tier plans.

Consider Your Use Case

• Sales teams: tl;dv Business or Fireflies Business for conversation intelligence
• Noisy environments: Krisp is the clear winner with built-in noise cancellation
• Legal/medical transcription: Rev’s human transcription option for guaranteed accuracy
• Global teams: Notta or Fireflies for multilingual support and real-time translation
• Discreet recording: Tactiq’s Chrome extension approach requires no bot

Consider Integration Needs

If your workflow depends on CRM tools like Salesforce or HubSpot, Fireflies.ai and tl;dv offer the deepest integrations. For Slack-heavy teams, most tools on this list integrate well, but Fireflies and MeetGeek stand out.

Consider Privacy and Compliance

For HIPAA compliance, Krisp and Fireflies Enterprise are your best options. For SOC2 compliance, Fathom, Notta, and Tactiq all hold current certifications. If data sovereignty matters, tl;dv Enterprise offers private AI hosting.

Final Thoughts

Otter.ai remains a solid tool, but the meeting transcription landscape in 2026 offers far more choice than ever before. Whether you need unlimited free recording, human-level accuracy, noise cancellation, or enterprise-grade sales intelligence, there is an Otter AI alternative tailored to your needs.

Our top recommendation for most users is Fireflies.ai for its balance of features, pricing, and integrations. For budget-conscious users, Fathom and tl;dv offer the best free tiers. And for specialized needs, Krisp (noise cancellation), Rev (human transcription), and Notta (multilingual) each lead their respective niches.

Looking for more ways to boost your meeting productivity? Check out our guides on the best AI meeting assistants, top AI productivity tools, and best AI tools for business to find the perfect combination for your workflow.