Best Otter.ai Alternatives

This list is for remote workers, students, freelancers, journalists and teams who need meetings and recordings turned into accurate notes and transcripts, and want options besides Otter.ai. Some tools join your calls as a notetaker, some work without a meeting bot, and others transcribe uploaded audio or video files. When choosing, check which meeting apps are supported, language coverage, how summaries and action items are shared, and privacy controls. Free and freemium tools are marked, including free transcription options you can use in the browser.

Quick picks: Fireflies · Fathom · tl;dv
Free to start: Fireflies, Fathom, tl;dv, Read AI, Granola
  1. 1 Fireflies logo

    Fireflies

    Productivity · Freemium

    Why it's here: Takes meeting notes automatically, manages tasks and builds a searchable knowledge base across meetings and tools.

    An AI teammate that takes meeting notes, manages tasks and automates workflows across meetings, email, chat and CRM.

    Free plan Best for: Sales, support and remote teams
  2. 2 Fathom logo

    Fathom

    Productivity · Freemium

    Why it's here: Records, transcribes and summarises Zoom, Google Meet and Teams calls, with bot-free note capture.

    An AI notetaker that records, transcribes and summarises Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams calls automatically.

    Free plan Best for: Sales teams, managers and remote professionals
  3. 3 tl;dv logo

    tl;dv

    Productivity · Freemium

    Why it's here: A notetaker for Zoom, Meet and Teams that summarises each call and sends insights to other apps.

    An AI meeting notetaker that records, transcribes and summarises Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams calls for busy teams.

    Free plan Best for: Remote teams and managers with many meetings
  4. 4 Read AI logo

    Read AI

    Productivity · Freemium

    Why it's here: Transcribes meetings in real time and also summarises emails and messages, with search across your work content.

    An AI meeting assistant that transcribes calls and summarises meetings, emails and messages with search across your work content.

    Free plan Best for: Busy professionals and teams handling many meetings
  5. 5 G

    Granola

    Productivity · Freemium

    Why it's here: Captures meeting audio from your device and turns it into notes and action items without a meeting bot.

    AI notepad that captures meeting audio from your device and turns it into notes and action items without a meeting bot.

    Free plan Best for: Professionals with many back-to-back meetings
  6. 6 MeetGeek logo

    MeetGeek

    Productivity · Freemium

    Why it's here: Records and summarises calls, then helps automate follow-up work, with a free plan to get started.

    An AI meeting assistant that records, transcribes and summarizes your calls, then helps automate the follow-up work afterwards.

    Free plan Best for: Busy teams that sit through many online meetings
  7. 7 SpinachAI logo

    SpinachAI

    Productivity · Freemium

    Why it's here: Transcribes and summarises meetings in many languages, then automates follow-up tasks in your existing tools.

    An AI meeting assistant that records, transcribes and summarises meetings, then automates follow-up tasks in your tools.

    Free plan Best for: Teams with frequent meetings
  8. 8 Fellow logo

    Fellow

    Productivity · Freemium

    Why it's here: A secure meeting assistant with action items and enterprise compliance controls, and no AI training on your data.

    A secure AI meeting assistant that records, transcribes and summarizes meetings and pulls out action items for teams.

    Free plan Best for: Enterprise and regulated teams with strict data rules
  9. 9 Krisp logo

    Krisp

    Voice & audio · Freemium

    Why it's here: Removes background noise and echo on calls and adds AI notes, transcription and accent conversion.

    Voice AI for calls that removes background noise and adds an AI note taker, transcription and accent conversion.

    Free plan Best for: Remote workers, call centres and online teams
  10. 10 H

    HappyScribe

    Voice & audio · Freemium

    Why it's here: Turns audio and video recordings into text and translations, suited to journalists, researchers and creators.

    An AI transcription and translation service that turns audio and video recordings into text and translations for teams and creators.

    Free plan Best for: Journalists, researchers and content creators
  11. 11 Riverside Audio Transcription logo

    Riverside Audio Transcription

    Voice & audio · Free

    Why it's here: A free transcription tool for audio and video files in many languages, supporting common formats like MP3 and MP4.

    A free AI transcription tool that converts audio and video files into text in more than 100 languages.

    Free plan Best for: Podcasters, journalists and video creators
  12. 12 Whisper Web Text-to-Speech logo

    Whisper Web Text-to-Speech

    Voice & audio · Free

    Why it's here: A free browser tool that transcribes audio and video privately on your device using OpenAI Whisper.

    A free browser-based speech recognition tool that transcribes audio and video privately on your device using OpenAI Whisper, across 99+ languages.

    Free plan Best for: Students, journalists and podcasters needing private tran...

Frequently asked questions

Is there a free alternative to Otter.ai?

Yes. Riverside Audio Transcription and Whisper Web are free, and Fireflies, Fathom, tl;dv, MeetGeek and others offer free plans. Free plans may limit recording time, storage or advanced summaries.

Do I need to tell people I am recording a meeting?

Yes, you should always inform participants and get consent before recording. Rules differ by country and organisation. Many notetakers announce themselves, but it is still good practice to mention it at the start.

Can AI transcribe meetings in languages other than English?

Many tools support multiple languages, and some mention very wide language coverage. Accuracy varies with accents, audio quality and mixed-language speech, so test with a real recording before relying on it.

Which tool is best if I do not want a bot joining my calls?

Granola captures audio from your device without a meeting bot, and Fathom mentions bot-free note capture. Whisper Web works on files you already have, entirely in your browser.

More lists

Plans and features change often; confirm on each tool's official website. Last updated September 24, 2026.