Otter.ai Review: Is It a Reliable AI Tool for Transcriptions [2025]
Otter.ai is a transcription tool that records conversations, converts to text, and summarizes the transcripts. However, the software transcribes only in 3 languages, which makes it less ideal for global teams. Its accuracy rate falls below 85%, and you will haveedit a lot to get a clean transcript.
Product Overview
Otter.ai is a meeting assistant designed for people whose calendars are full of meetings. It can record, transcribe, and summarize meetings so you can get the important information and action items discussed. You can access the AI tool online via Chrome extension, Android, or iOS apps. While Otter lets you share meeting recordings painlessly, you may not be able to share recordings with someone outside the organization.
The accuracy of Otter.ai is not perfect and lies anywhere between 75% and 85%, which means the transcripts will require a lot of cleaning. Some users have reported that Otter.ai breaks up the sentence from the same speaker into different sections. It also has a hard time identifying the names, acronyms, and proper nouns. Besides accuracy, the transcription languages of Otter.ai are limited to only three languages, English, Spanish, and French. That is where the need for an Otter alternative arises.
Transkriptor is an Otter.ai alternative that can record and transcribe with a high accuracy rate of 99%, eliminating the need to manually edit the transcripts later. Unlike Otter.ai, which supports only three transcription languages, Transkriptor is known to transcribe and translate content in over 100 languages, such as English, Portuguese, Arabic, etc. Another feature where Transkriptor outshines Otter.ai is the ability to translate the transcripts into 100+ languages.
Key Features
Otter is a speech-to-text transcription tool that uses AI. It picks up the voice in the audio feed and converts speech to text. While transcription is the core of the app, it offers other features like voice recording and Otter bot. Here, we will explain the key features of Otter.ai briefly:
Voice Recording
Otter.ai offers a mobile app for Android or iOS that automatically records your thoughts. The words will start appearing as you speak, and you can even mark important ideas using the Highlight icon. If you want, you can open the camera to add pictures to the transcripts.
Otter Bot
You can connect Otter.ai with your calendar (Google or Microsoft), and the bot will automatically join scheduled meetings to record and transcribe conversations. This sounds helpful if you are running late or not attending the meeting at all. However, many users have reported that Otter Bot joins a few minutes late, which can lead to missed information.
Generate Action Items
Once the transcripts are generated, Otter.ai lets you create a collection of key takeaways, suggestions, and a summary. You can invite the team members to collaborate on transcriptions so they can highlight important parts and work together.
Pros and Cons
The value of Otter.ai heavily depends on how many meetings you attend and wish to record. If you feel constantly booked up with meetings, the Otter Bot can be a great way to lower the workload and save some time.
Otter.ai is pretty easy to use and has an intuitive interface
It syncs with calendars and can auto-join meetings on Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams
It offers a Chrome extension and mobile apps for Android and iOS to transcribe content anywhere
Otter.ai only transcribes in English, Spanish, and French, which makes it pretty limited for teams where members speak different languages
Its accuracy level is around 75-85%, which is lower than that of its alternatives, like Transkriptor
Many users have reported that the speaker identification feature is not up to the mark
Pricing Plans
Otter.ai offers many pricing and plan options designed to suit people with different needs and budgets. Its free basic plan has limited features, so you can test out everything before investing the money. You can then upgrade to a paid plan like Pro, Business, or Enterprise.
Basic ($0/month)
The free plan includes 300 transcription minutes/month with a limit of 30 minutes per conversation. You can transcribe only three audio or video files once in a lifetime and even chat with Otter to get answers to the questions.
Pro ($8.33/month)
If you are a small team, the Pro plan sounds like an ideal option. It includes 1200 monthly transcriptions with a limit of 90 minutes per conversation. It also includes advanced team features like custom vocabulary, tag speakers, and action items.
Business ($20/month)
Large teams can consider the Business plan, which includes everything the Pro plan has along with the team and admin features. It allows you to transcribe around 6000 minutes/month, with a limit of 4 hours per recording.
Enterprise (Custom)
Otter.ai offers a custom Enterprise plan for large enterprises looking for additional security and support. It includes advanced features like Single Sign-On (SSO), domain capture, OtterPilot for Sales, and organization-wide deployment.
User Reviews
While Otter.ai does a good job when recording and converting voice to text, it comes with its own set of limitations. Many users have said that Otter.ai is easy to use and has useful features such as transcription and summarization.
I like how Otter handles transcripts very well by assigning each section to the speaker. This makes it so much easier when using Otter AI capability to answer questions when you ask about a certain speaker and anything they mentioned at a meeting.
Jose C. (Review on G2)
Quick and easy to use, fairly accurate collection of notes and grouping of thoughts by the AI - and the new AI chat is easy to use and makes pulling out quotes, quick thoughts, and ideas easy to find and highlight.
Kathleen M. (Review on G2)
On the other hand, many users have pointed out the inaccuracies in the Otter.ai transcripts. Otter.ai struggles while transcribing technical jargon or complex phrases, and here are some reviews from the users:
Sometimes the notes are inaccurate, and I have not yet found a way in their platform to flat or correct an inaccurate comment. Also, it starts recording and transcribing as soon as you enter the room, so if you are the presenter waiting for others to join, you have to remember to mute yourself. Otherwise, if others receive the transcript, they may see your conversation prior to them joining the meeting.
Angela M. (Review on G2)
It is very easy to accidentally leave Otter.ai on after the end of your conversation, which means it continues to record and transcribe everything it hears. That means if you are using it in your office, it may record and transcribe sensitive conversations, private HR matters, or highly confidential information without you realizing it. The big problem is there is no way to edit that out after you realize you have accidentally left it on. They have no capability to edit the audio afterward, cut out sensitive parts, etc.
Jim R. (Review on G2)