Otter.ai Pricing 2026: Plans, Free Tier, and Alternatives
Otter Pro is $16.99 per user per month, or $99.96 per year on annual billing. The free tier caps at 300 minutes per month. Spokenly offers a free alternative for dictation and file transcription with no minute caps.
Updated May 2026
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- Otter.ai has a free Basic tier capped at 300 monthly transcription minutes and 90 minutes per meeting.
- Pro runs $16.99 per user per month, or $8.33 per user per month on annual billing (51% off, $99.96 per year).
- Business runs $30 per user per month, or $19.99 per user per month annual ($239.88 per year), with unlimited meetings.
- Enterprise is custom and adds SSO, SCIM, HIPAA add-on, and Otter API access.
Otter.ai pricing tiers
Otter ships four tiers: free Basic, Pro for individuals, Business for small teams, and Enterprise for large organizations. Annual billing cuts Pro by 51 percent and Business by 33 percent versus monthly rates.
| Plan | Monthly | Annual | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic (Free) | $0 | $0 | 300 monthly transcription minutes, 90 mins per meeting, 3 lifetime file imports, Zoom/MS Teams/Google Meet integration, live transcription, multi-language support, iOS and Android apps, Otter MCP server |
| Pro (Monthly) | $16.99/user/mo | n/a | 1,200 in-app recording minutes, 90 mins per meeting, 10 monthly audio/video file imports, advanced AI workflows, meeting templates, search/export/playback |
| Pro (Annual) | n/a | $99.96/yr (~$8.33/mo) | Same as Pro Monthly, 51% off vs monthly billing |
| Business (Monthly) | $30/user/mo | n/a | Unlimited meetings and in-app recordings, custom AI workflows, unlimited file imports, 4 hours per meeting, prioritized support, join 3 concurrent meetings |
| Business (Annual) | n/a | $239.88/yr (~$19.99/mo) | Same as Business Monthly, 33% off vs monthly |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | SSO, SCIM, Domain Capture, Enterprise security, HIPAA add-on, Otter API and webhooks, video replay for Zoom and Google Meet, custom integrations |
What the Otter subscription covers
Otter Pro includes 1,200 in-app recording minutes per month, 10 monthly audio or video file imports, advanced AI workflows, and meeting templates. The free tier caps usage at 300 minutes per month.
A note on category fit: Spokenly has no live meeting bot. The article compares pricing because both products are commonly evaluated together, but the use cases differ. Spokenly fits users focused on system-wide dictation and file transcription, while Otter is built for live meeting recording with bots joining Zoom, MS Teams, and Google Meet calls.
Business removes the meeting cap entirely, extends per-meeting limit to 4 hours, supports joining 3 concurrent meetings, and includes prioritized support. Teams running back-to-back calls typically need Business rather than Pro.
Enterprise adds SSO, SCIM provisioning, Domain Capture, the Otter API and webhooks, video replay for Zoom and Google Meet, custom integrations, and enterprise-grade security. The HIPAA compliance add-on is also enterprise-only, which matters for healthcare and legal teams.
3-year cost math
Three years of Pro at full monthly price totals more than $600 per user. The table below shows each Otter plan across three years, with Spokenly Free and Spokenly Pro included for comparison. The math assumes one seat, no team multipliers, and no price increases.
| Plan | Formula | 3-year total | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Otter Pro (Monthly) | $16.99 × 36 months | $611.64 | Highest individual cost |
| Otter Pro (Annual) | $99.96 × 3 years | $299.88 | Cheapest individual paid path |
| Otter Business (Annual) | $239.88 × 3 years | $719.64 | Required for unlimited meetings |
| Spokenly Free | $0 forever | $0 | Local models or BYOK cloud, no caps |
| Spokenly Pro | $9.99 × 36 months | $359.64 | Managed cloud, no API keys needed |
Cost comparison
Calculate your 3-year savings
Based on Otter Pro at $16.99 per month.
36 months total
Otter Pro total
$611.64
over 3 years
Spokenly Free
$0
Local models, BYOK cloud
Spokenly Pro
$359.64
$9.99/mo, managed cloud
Switch to Spokenly Free and you save
$611.64
Otter vs Spokenly, different use cases
Otter and Spokenly target different workflows. Otter is built around live meeting transcription, with a bot that joins Zoom, MS Teams, and Google Meet calls in real time. Spokenly is built around system-wide dictation and file transcription on Mac, iOS, and Windows.
Meeting-heavy users who need a transcript bot joining their calls will get more from Otter. Users who dictate into emails, documents, and chat throughout the day, or who upload audio and video files for transcription, will cover that workflow with Spokenly at no recurring cost.
Otter handles
- Real-time live transcription during Zoom, MS Teams, or Google Meet calls
- Built-in meeting bot that joins calls automatically
- Team collaboration features for shared meeting notes
- Speaker identification and meeting summaries
- AI workflows tuned for meeting and sales call analysis
- Mobile-first transcription for in-person interviews and lectures
Spokenly handles
- System-wide dictation in any Mac, iOS, or Windows app
- File transcription with subtitle export (TXT, SRT, VTT, Markdown)
- Free local Whisper Large V3 Turbo and Parakeet V3 models
- BYOK cloud (OpenAI, Deepgram, Groq) billed directly by the provider
- Custom AI prompts that rewrite, translate, or summarize transcripts
- Works offline, audio never leaves the device on local mode
Side-by-side feature breakdown is available on the Spokenly vs Otter comparison page, and the Otter alternative landing covers migration questions in detail.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Otter.ai cost in 2026?
Otter Pro costs $16.99 per user per month on monthly billing, or $99.96 per user per year on annual billing (about $8.33 per month, 51 percent off). Business runs $30 per user per month, or $239.88 per year annual (about $19.99 per month, 33 percent off). Enterprise pricing is custom and requires contacting sales.
Is Otter.ai free?
Otter has a free Basic tier with 300 monthly transcription minutes, a 90-minute per-meeting cap, and 3 lifetime audio/video file imports. The free tier includes integrations with Zoom, MS Teams, and Google Meet, plus the Otter MCP server. Heavy users hit the 300-minute monthly cap quickly and upgrade to Pro.
Does Otter have a lifetime plan?
No. Otter offers monthly and annual subscriptions only, plus enterprise. There is no one-time lifetime license, which is common in the meeting transcription category but rare in the Mac dictation category.
What is a free alternative to Otter.ai?
For dictation and file transcription, Spokenly is a free app for macOS, iOS, and Windows. It runs local Whisper Large V3 Turbo and Parakeet V3 models with no transcription minute caps, and supports bring-your-own-key cloud transcription with OpenAI, Deepgram, and Groq billed directly by the provider. Spokenly does not include the live meeting bot that Otter ships, so it fits users focused on dictation and file transcription rather than meeting recording.
Is Otter Pro worth $16.99 per month?
Whether Pro is worth $16.99 per month depends on meeting volume. Users averaging more than five hours of meetings per month will exceed the free 300-minute cap and benefit from Pro's higher limits. Annual billing drops the effective monthly rate to $8.33. For pure dictation or one-off file transcription, a free app like Spokenly may cover the same workflow without the recurring cost.
What is the difference between Otter Pro and Business?
Pro caps recording at 1,200 minutes per month and 90 minutes per meeting, with 10 monthly file imports. Business removes the recording cap (unlimited meetings), extends per-meeting limit to 4 hours, removes the file import cap, adds custom AI workflows, prioritized support, and the ability to join 3 concurrent meetings. Business is for teams running back-to-back calls.
For dictation and file transcription
Spokenly is free for macOS, iOS, and Windows. Local models work offline, no account required. Not a replacement for Otter's meeting bot.
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