Otter.ai Alternatives 2026: 5 Options, 4 Free

Verdict:Otter is a transcription service for meetings with a free Basic plan, and people leave it for a bigger free allowance, per-seat billing, or a different notetaker. Otter's free cap is 300 transcription minutes a month and 30 minutes per conversation, so a single long meeting hits the second limit first. Fathom's free plan has unlimited recordings and call summaries, though some features are limited, which makes it the strongest free swap for long or frequent calls. Fireflies also has a free plan, but its prices did not load for us, so compare its tiers on its own pricing page. Read AI's free plan covers five transcripts a month and meetings up to one hour, a tight budget that suits a few calls a week. tl;dv Pro is $18 per seat on annual billing, which fits a team that records many calls and needs a fixed seat count. Avoma has no free plan and starts after a 14-day trial at $19 per recorder seat. Choose by the limit you hit first: minutes, meeting length, or seats. If only the 30-minute cap is the problem, Otter Pro at $8.33 a month on annual billing is the cheapest step before switching.

Tool	Price	Platforms	Best for	Tested
Fathom	Free (unlimited recordings and call summaries; some features limited); paid from $15 per user/month, billed annually (Team, 2-user minimum)	Web browser	Long or frequent calls on a free plan	Docs only
Fireflies.ai	Free	Web browser	A second notetaker to compare against	Docs only
Read AI	Free (5 meeting transcripts per month, meetings up to 1 hour)	Web browser	A few calls a week	Docs only
tl;dv	Free; paid from EUR 18 per seat/month, billed annually (Pro; EUR 29 billed monthly)	Web browser	Team recording with highlights	Docs only
Avoma	Paid from $19 per recorder seat/month, billed annually (Startup; $29 monthly)	Web browser	Paid teams that want seat-based billing	Docs only
Granola	Free (Basic plan at $0 with limited meeting history (30 days per the comparison table)); paid from $14 per user/month, Business; billing term not stated	macOS, Windows, iOS	Meeting notes	Docs only
Circleback	Free (Free plan: 30-day meeting and recording history, limited automations, 2 teams); paid from $15 per user/month, billed annually (Pro; Business $25, Enterprise $35)	Web browser	AI meeting notes	Docs only

Otter.ai today: Free (Basic: 300 monthly transcription minutes, 30 minutes per conversation); paid from $8.33 per user/month, billed annually (Pro; $16.99 monthly) (Otter.ai pricing, checked 2026-10-22).

Why people look for Otter.ai alternatives

Otter's free Basic plan gives 300 transcription minutes a month, capped at 30 minutes per conversation, with only 3 lifetime imports and the 25 most recent conversations visible. Pro raises that to 1,200 minutes and 90 minutes per conversation at $16.99 a month ($8.33 annually), with 10 imports a month. Unlimited transcription needs Business at $30 per user ($19.99 annually). Basic exports are limited to MP3 and TXT.

Fathom

Compared with Otter.ai: Free plan gives unlimited recordings and call summaries, with some features limited. Against Otter's 300 free minutes a month you gain volume and lose the features the free tier withholds. Team is $15 per user a month on annual billing.

Price: Free (unlimited recordings and call summaries; some features limited); paid from $15 per user/month, billed annually (Team, 2-user minimum) (Fathom pricing, checked 2026-10-22).