Otter.ai
Automatic meeting notes with speaker identification — never manually transcribe a meeting again.
Quick Specs
| Developer | AISense Inc. |
| Headquarters | Mountain View, USA |
| Category | Productivity |
| Pricing | Freemium |
| Free Tier | 300 minutes/month transcription |
| Auth Method | Email / Google / Microsoft |
| API Available | ❌ No |
| Format | Web app / Mobile / Zoom/Meet integration |
| China Access | 🚫 Blocked in China |
| Last checked | July 2026 |
What Is Otter.ai?
Otter.ai is the leading AI meeting transcription tool. It records, transcribes, and summarizes meetings in real time, with speaker identification that labels who said what. The AI summary includes key decisions, action items, and a condensed overview — so you can review a 1-hour meeting in 5 minutes. Otter integrates directly with Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams as a bot participant.
The free tier provides 300 minutes/month of transcription — enough for roughly 5-6 hour-long meetings per month. Otter Pro ($16.99/month) removes limits and adds advanced search, custom vocabulary, and export options.
Key Features
Otter.ai Pricing (2026)
Free
$0/mo- ✓ 300 min/month transcription
- ✓ 30-min max single recording
- ✓ Basic AI summary
- ✓ Zoom/Meet/Teams bot
Best for: Occasional meeting notes
Pro
$16.99/mo- ✓ 1,200 min/month
- ✓ 90-min max recording
- ✓ Advanced AI features
- ✓ Custom vocabulary
- ✓ Export to PDF/DOCX
Best for: Regular meeting participants
Business
$30/user/mo- ✓ 6,000 min/month
- ✓ 4-hour recordings
- ✓ Admin panel
- ✓ SSO
Best for: Teams
Otter.ai: Pros & Cons
+ Pros
- ✓Best speaker identification accuracy
- ✓Real-time transcription during meetings
- ✓Native Zoom/Meet/Teams bot
- ✓Action item extraction
− Cons
- ✗Blocked in China
- ✗Free tier limits (300 min/mo)
- ✗Less accurate on heavy accents
- ✗Privacy concerns with meeting recording
Best Use Cases for Otter.ai
Sales Call Recording
Transcribe and summarize sales calls → extract action items → share with CRM.
Interview Transcription
Record user research or job interviews → search transcripts by keyword.
How to Get Started with Otter.ai
- 1
Go to otter.ai
- 2
Sign up with Google or Microsoft
- 3
Connect Zoom/Google Meet via calendar integration
- 4
Otter bot joins meetings automatically
🚫 Blocked in China: Otter.ai in China
Otter.ai is blocked in mainland China by the Great Firewall. DNS-level and IP-level blocks prevent direct access.
Solution: A VPN with obfuscation support is required. NordVPN (94% success rate) and ExpressVPN (91%) are the most reliable options for accessing Otter.ai from China.
Full China Access Guide →