For most small businesses, Fathom is the best Otter alternative: its free plan includes unlimited recordings and transcriptions with instant AI summaries. Fireflies is the best low cost paid option at $10 per seat a month billed yearly, with 100+ languages. Granola suits people who want notes without a bot joining the call.
- The best free planFathomFree plan; Premium starts at $20/month, or $16 billed yearly [4]
- Low cost paid plan and many languagesFireflies.aiFree plan; Pro starts at $10/seat/month billed yearly [5]
- Notes without a bot joining the callGranolaFree plan; Business starts at $14/user/month [7]
- Teams that want meeting reports and analyticsRead AIFree plan; Pro starts at $15/user/month billed yearly [8]
Why people look for alternatives to Otter.ai
Otter's free Basic plan includes 300 transcription minutes per user a month, a 30 minute limit per conversation, three lifetime file imports and only your 25 most recent conversations Otter pricing ↗. Otter Pro costs $16.99 a month billed monthly or $8.33 billed yearly, and still caps meetings at 90 minutes Otter pricing ↗. People look for alternatives when they hit those limits, when they want unlimited free recordings, when their meetings are in languages other than English, or when clients object to a bot joining the call. Others already pay for Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace and want to use the AI that comes with it Copilot business pricing ↗ Workspace pricing ↗.
The best Otter.ai alternatives
- 1Free plan; Premium starts at $20/month, or $16 billed yearly [4]
Fathom
The best free plan
Fathom's free plan includes unlimited recordings and transcriptions, instant AI call summaries, and a choice of bot free capture in beta or a meeting bot Fathom pricing ↗. Paid plans add AI action items, CRM sync and team features, and every plan shows a 90 day guarantee Fathom pricing ↗.
- 2Free plan; Pro starts at $10/seat/month billed yearly [5]
Fireflies.ai
Low cost paid plan and many languages
Fireflies Free includes unlimited transcription, 400 minutes of storage per team and 20 AI credits Fireflies pricing ↗. Pro is $10 per seat billed yearly with 8,000 minutes of storage per seat, and Fireflies lists 100+ transcription languages Fireflies pricing ↗ Fireflies features ↗.
- 3Free plan; Business starts at $14/user/month [7]
Granola
Notes without a bot joining the call
Granola captures device audio without a bot on every plan, including the free Basic plan, which keeps 30 days of meeting history Granola pricing ↗. Business adds integrations with Notion, HubSpot, Attio, Affinity and Zapier Granola pricing ↗.
- 4Free plan; Pro starts at $15/user/month billed yearly [8]
Read AI
Teams that want meeting reports and analytics
Read AI works with Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and Zoom and connects to HubSpot, Salesforce, Notion, Asana and Slack Read AI pricing ↗. Its free plan includes five meeting transcripts a month, up to one hour each Read AI pricing ↗.
- 5Copilot Business add on from $18/user/month billed yearly, promotional [2]
Microsoft 365 Copilot
Businesses that meet in Microsoft Teams
Microsoft's business plans with Copilot include Copilot in Teams, Outlook and Word, and the Copilot Business add on includes a Facilitator agent among its prebuilt agents Copilot business pricing ↗. If you already pay for Microsoft 365, it avoids another vendor.
- 6Included with eligible Google Workspace plans [3]
Google Gemini
Businesses that meet in Google Meet
On Google Workspace Business Standard and Plus, Gemini is available in Meet as well as Gmail, Docs, Sheets and Drive Workspace pricing ↗. Business Starter has limited Gemini access that does not include Meet Workspace pricing ↗.
At a glance
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fathom | The best free plan | Free plan; Premium starts at $20/month, or $16 billed yearly [4] | Yes |
| Fireflies.ai | Low cost paid plan and many languages | Free plan; Pro starts at $10/seat/month billed yearly [5] | Yes |
| Granola | Notes without a bot joining the call | Free plan; Business starts at $14/user/month [7] | Yes |
| Read AI | Teams that want meeting reports and analytics | Free plan; Pro starts at $15/user/month billed yearly [8] | Yes |
| Microsoft 365 Copilot | Businesses that meet in Microsoft Teams | Copilot Business add on from $18/user/month billed yearly, promotional [2] | No |
| Google Gemini | Businesses that meet in Google Meet | Included with eligible Google Workspace plans [3] | Yes |
Prices checked Oct 9, 2026. See the full price index.
How to choose an Otter alternative
Start with the limit that bothers you. If it is minutes or meeting length on the free plan, Fathom's free plan offers unlimited recordings and transcriptions Fathom pricing ↗, and Fireflies Free offers unlimited transcription with a storage cap Fireflies pricing ↗. If it is cost per seat, Fireflies Pro at $10 per seat billed yearly is among the cheapest paid plans Fireflies pricing ↗.
Next, think about the bot. Many notetakers join a call as a visible participant. Some clients dislike that. Granola captures audio from your own device with no bot on every plan Granola pricing ↗, and Fathom offers bot free capture in beta Fathom pricing ↗. Otter's own desktop app can also record without a bot Otter features ↗.
Then check languages and integrations. Fireflies lists 100+ languages Fireflies features ↗. If notes need to land in a CRM, compare which plan unlocks it: Fathom puts CRM field sync on Business Fathom pricing ↗, Read AI includes HubSpot and Salesforce on Pro Read AI pricing ↗, and Granola includes HubSpot on Business Granola pricing ↗.
Finally, see what you already pay for. If your team meets in Teams or Google Meet and you have the right Microsoft 365 or Workspace plan, the built in AI may cover basic summaries without another subscription Copilot business pricing ↗ Workspace pricing ↗.
- Best free plan: Fathom
- Cheapest paid seat: Fireflies Pro
- No bot on the call: Granola
- Meeting analytics: Read AI
- Already on Microsoft 365: Copilot
- Already on Google Workspace: Gemini
Free plans compared
Free plans differ more than paid ones. Fathom Free includes unlimited recordings, transcriptions and instant summaries Fathom pricing ↗. Fireflies Free includes unlimited transcription but limits storage to 400 minutes per team and gives limited AI summaries Fireflies pricing ↗. Granola Basic keeps 30 days of meeting history and connects to Slack only Granola pricing ↗. Read AI Free allows five transcripts a month and one hour meetings Read AI pricing ↗. Otter Basic gives 300 minutes a month with 30 minute meetings Otter pricing ↗.
For a small business that has a few client calls a week, Fathom's or Fireflies' free plan may be all you ever need, at least until the team grows or clients ask for shared notes. If you need to keep a searchable archive of every meeting, check storage and history limits before relying on a free plan.
Paid plans compared
On yearly billing, Otter Pro costs $8.33 a month and Otter Business $19.99 per user Otter pricing ↗. Fireflies Pro is $10 per seat and Business $19 Fireflies pricing ↗. Fathom Premium is $16 a month billed yearly for individuals, Team is $15 per user and Business $25, both with a two user minimum Fathom pricing ↗. Granola Business is $14 per user a month and Enterprise $35 Granola pricing ↗. Read AI Pro is $15 per user billed yearly or $19.75 monthly Read AI pricing ↗.
Prices are close, so choose on features first. A sales team may value CRM sync and coaching tools, while a consultant may only need clean summaries and action items.
Look closely at what each paid tier unlocks. Fathom saves AI action items and its meeting assistant for Premium, global search and shared playlists for Team, and CRM field sync, deal views and coaching scorecards for Business Fathom pricing ↗. Fireflies adds video recording and downloads on Pro and conversation intelligence on Business Fireflies pricing ↗. Read AI adds unlimited transcripts and premium integrations on Pro, and video playback on Enterprise Read AI pricing ↗. Granola adds pre meeting briefs, follow up emails and advanced integrations on Business Granola pricing ↗.
A simple test: list the three things you want after every meeting, such as a summary emailed to the client, tasks in your project tool and notes in your CRM. Then pick the cheapest plan that does all three without copying and pasting.
Recording, consent and privacy
Every notetaker records people, so tell participants and follow the recording laws where you and they are. Bot free tools still record; they are just less visible, which makes telling people even more important.
If you discuss health information on calls, you need a plan built for it. Fireflies lists HIPAA compliance on Enterprise Fireflies pricing ↗, Read AI lists it on Enterprise+ Read AI pricing ↗ and Otter offers it as an Enterprise add on Otter pricing ↗. Fireflies says customer data is never used for AI training Fireflies features ↗; ask each vendor the same question in writing.
Check retention too. Granola's free plan keeps 30 days of history Granola pricing ↗, and Fathom's Enterprise plan adds custom data retention Fathom pricing ↗. Delete recordings you no longer need, and make sure former staff lose access to the team workspace when they leave.
How we picked
We looked for meeting notetakers a small business could use instead of Otter, focusing on free plan limits, price per seat, bot free options, languages, integrations and privacy features. We used each vendor's pricing and product pages, checked October 9, 2026 Otter pricing ↗ Fathom pricing ↗ Fireflies pricing ↗ Granola pricing ↗ Read AI pricing ↗. We have not tested these tools hands on for this page yet. Hands on testing is in progress; we'll update this page with results.
Questions people ask
What is the best free alternative to Otter?
Fathom, whose free plan includes unlimited recordings, transcriptions and instant AI summaries Fathom pricing ↗.
Is Fireflies better than Otter?
Fireflies is cheaper per seat on yearly billing and lists 100+ languages Fireflies pricing ↗ Fireflies features ↗. Otter offers live transcription and bot free desktop recording Otter features ↗.
Is there a meeting notetaker that does not join as a bot?
Yes. Granola captures device audio without a bot on every plan Granola pricing ↗, and Fathom offers bot free capture in beta Fathom pricing ↗.
Do Microsoft Teams and Google Meet have built in AI notes?
Microsoft's business plans with Copilot include Copilot in Teams Copilot business pricing ↗, and Google Workspace Business Standard and Plus include Gemini in Meet Workspace pricing ↗.
Which Otter alternative is cheapest?
Among paid plans, Fireflies Pro at $10 per seat a month billed yearly is one of the lowest Fireflies pricing ↗. Fathom and Fireflies both have free plans that many small teams never outgrow Fathom pricing ↗ Fireflies pricing ↗.
What does Otter's free plan include?
300 minutes per user a month, a 30 minute limit per conversation and three lifetime file imports Otter pricing ↗.
Where this comes from
Checked Oct 9, 2026. Vendor pages describe their own products; independent sources add outside views. We have not tested these tools hands on yet.
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