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Source-backed analysis13

Review basis

Research-based review: the AppDuo Editorial Team compiled it from official pages, documentation, app stores, press and user feedback, without hands-on testing. Every claim links to a source with the date it was checked.

13 reference sources

Information updated Nov 11, 2026

How we review
Otter.ai logo

Otter.ai Review

AI meeting transcription and summaries, facing a privacy class action

Editorial Team7.1/10Write the first review

By Official AppDuo editorial team · Updated

  • Web
  • iOS
  • Android
  • Windows
  • macOS
  • Browser extension
Freemium · $16.99/mo
Visit Otter.ai
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Decide at a glance

Our verdict

Otter.ai suits people who want quick meeting transcripts and summaries, with a free tier and broad integrations. Before paying, weigh the class action alleging it records without all-party consent, its use of data for AI training and its short list of transcription languages.

Best for: Professionals in online meetings held in English, Spanish or French

Skip it if: Anyone needing transcription in Vietnamese or most Asian languages: Google Play lists English, Spanish and French only

Pros

  • Free Basic plan with 300 minutes/month
  • Integrates with Zoom, Teams, Google Meet, Slack, Salesforce and HubSpot
  • Apps for iOS, Android, Mac and Windows plus a Chrome extension

Cons

  • Faces a consolidated class action alleging recording without all-party consent; the court let the core claims proceed (no final ruling)
  • Trains its AI on de-identified recordings and transcriptions, with no separate opt-out described
All pros and cons · Who is it for?

More pros

  • Rated 4.8/5 on both the App Store and Google Play

More cons

  • English-only interface and few transcription languages (English, Spanish, French per Google Play)
  • Some Trustpilot reviewers report unexpected charges after members were added to their account

Best for

  • Students, reporters and writers recording lectures or interviews

Skip it if

  • Organisations with strict rules on sensitive data or recording consent

Experience & key features

Otter.ai is an AI transcription and meeting-notes service from Otter.ai, Inc. (US); its app debuted in 2018, when the company was still called AISense. It records online and in-person meetings, transcribes in real time, labels speakers and produces summaries with action items.

Per the homepage, Otter runs on the web, Mac, Windows, iOS, Android and as a Chrome extension, and connects to Zoom, Teams, Google Meet, Slack, Salesforce, HubSpot, Jira and Notion. The OtterPilot assistant (launched 2023) joins calendar meetings automatically. The Basic plan exports TXT only.

Basic is free with 300 minutes a month. Pro is $16.99/month, or $8.33/month billed yearly ($99.99/year on the App Store). Business is $30 per user per month, or $19.99 per user per month billed yearly. Pro is for individuals and Business for teams, so the two prices are not like for like. Otter publishes no VND pricing.

The main caution is privacy. In re Otter.AI Privacy Litigation is ongoing and the court has made no findings on the allegations. Otter's policy also permits training on de-identified recordings and transcriptions. The transcription language list is short, so anyone meeting in other languages should check before paying, and may want to look at Fireflies.ai or Fathom as well.

Screenshots

Promotional image on the Google Play listing
Promotional image on the Google Play listing
Second promotional image on the Google Play listing
Second promotional image on the Google Play listing
Third promotional image on the Google Play listing
Third promotional image on the Google Play listing

Plans & pricing

Prices last verified Nov 11, 2026

Basic

Personal

Free

300 minutes/month, 30 minutes per conversation, 3 lifetime file imports, 20 AI Chat queries/month, only the 25 most recent conversations kept.

Pro

Personal

$16.99/mo/user

$8.33/mo billed yearly

1,200 minutes/month, 90 minutes per conversation, 10 file imports/month, 50 AI Chat queries/month, 2 concurrent meetings.

Business

Business

$30/mo/user

$19.99/mo billed yearly

Unlimited meeting minutes, 4 hours per conversation, 200 AI Chat queries/month, 3 concurrent meetings, up to 25 seats.

Enterprise

Business

Contact sales

Custom pricing, unlimited seats.

Free plan limits
Basic plan: 300 minutes/month, 30 minutes per conversation.
Free trial
No free trial
Cancellation & refunds

The pricing page does not mention a refund policy. Some Trustpilot reviewers say they were refunded after contacting support.

Privacy

The privacy policy (effective 16 June 2026) says Otter uses de-identified audio recordings and transcriptions to train its own AI, citing consent or legitimate interests, and describes no separate opt-out for this. Deletion requests go to [email protected], an online form or a phone line. Otter says it complies with the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework. The policy does not mention encryption or give specific retention periods.

Official pricing page

Otter.ai alternatives

Fireflies.ai logo7.6/10

Fireflies.ai

AI meeting notetaker with a free-forever plan

Freemium

Controversies & incidents

Issues documented by the press, regulators, courts or the vendor itself. Every item is sourced; unproven claims are labelled as allegations. Last researched: Nov 11, 2026

  • High impactAllegedLawsuit ·

    Class action alleges meetings recorded without all-party consent

    The complaint alleges Otter Notetaker records people, including non-users, without consent and uses the data for AI training. In August 2026 the court let wiretap, California privacy and BIPA claims proceed.

    Read the full account

    On 15 August 2025, Justin Brewer filed a proposed class action (No. 5:25-cv-06911) in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. According to Fisher Phillips, the complaint alleges Otter records without the consent of all participants, keeps data indefinitely, uses it to refine speech recognition and shifts responsibility for permissions to customers. Per UC Today, four suits filed in August and September 2025 were consolidated as In re Otter.AI Privacy Litigation before Judge Eumi K. Lee; none of the named plaintiffs were Otter customers. In a 13 August 2026 order, the court rejected Otter's arguments that it is not a third-party interceptor and that plaintiffs lack concrete injury; federal wiretap, California privacy and Illinois BIPA claims survived while others were dismissed, mostly with leave to amend. The case is at an early stage with no findings of fact.

    Vendor response

    In court, Otter argued it is a tool used at the direction of a meeting host or account holder, not a third-party interceptor, and that plaintiffs lack concrete injury. Per UC Today, an Otter spokesperson declined to comment on the ruling.

    Sources:Fisher Phillips: new lawsuit highlights concerns about AI notetakersUC Today: Otter.ai fails to dismiss core privacy claims (2026-08-18)UC Today: the Otter.ai lawsuit and the meeting bot that kept recording (2026-04-30)OECD.AI incident record

  • Medium impactAllegedPrivacy ·

    Emailed transcript included a private post-meeting conversation

    Engineer Alex Bilzerian said that after a Zoom call with a venture firm, Otter emailed him a transcript that included the investors' private conversation after he left. Otter said account holders fully control sharing settings.

    Read the full account

    Per Fortune (6 October 2024), the venture firm used Otter to record the call. After Bilzerian logged off, recording continued and Otter emailed a transcript in which the investors discussed "strategic failures and cooked metrics". He alerted them; they apologised, but he ended the deal. Per UC Today, his 26 September 2024 post on X drew more than five million views, and the email went to everyone on the invite. It is unclear whether the firm failed to end the call or to switch off recording. No authority has found Otter at fault, but the episode shows the risk of letting an assistant record and share transcripts automatically.

    Vendor response

    An Otter spokesperson told Fortune that users have full control over their settings, that the app has built-in notifications, and urged users to keep asking for consent.

    Sources:Fortune: AI assistants and leaked post-meeting chatter (2024-10-06)UC Today: the Otter.ai lawsuit and the meeting bot that kept recording (2026-04-30)

Frequently asked questions

Does Otter.ai support Vietnamese?

No official source lists Vietnamese. Google Play says "English, Spanish, French only"; the App Store description adds Japanese.

Is Otter.ai free?

Yes. The Basic plan is free with 300 minutes/month, 30 minutes per conversation and 3 lifetime file imports.

Does Otter use my data to train AI?

Yes. The policy says Otter uses de-identified recordings and transcriptions to train its own AI and describes no separate opt-out.

Does the Otter bot join meetings by itself?

Yes, once the account holder links a calendar. This is a point in the lawsuit, where plaintiffs allege other participants are not asked for consent.

Review evidence & sources13

Scores

Ease of use
7.5
Why this score

Apps on every major platform and an assistant that joins calendar meetings, but the interface is English-only and Google Play lists transcription in English, Spanish and French only (the App Store adds Japanese).

Features
8.0
Why this score

Per the homepage: live transcription, summaries, AI Chat, automatic CRM sync of sales notes and an MCP server that lets ChatGPT or Claude query meeting content.

Value for money
7.5
Why this score

A usable free tier and Pro at $8.33/month billed yearly; marked down because some Trustpilot reviewers report unexpected charges and the pricing page states no refund policy.

Performance
7.5
Why this score

High store ratings (4.8/5), but none of the sources reviewed includes an independent accuracy measurement.

Support
7.0
Why this score

Help center, email and chat. Trustpilot sits at 4.4/5 (894 reviews), with many reviewers praising quick help on billing issues, though some say it took a while to reach a human.

Privacy & security
5.0
Why this score

Wiretap and privacy claims in the class action have survived dismissal (no findings yet); a 2024 incident saw a transcript of a private post-meeting conversation emailed to an outside attendee; the policy permits AI training on user data and does not mention encryption.

What users say

Sources

Specs & compatibility
Developer
Otter.ai, Inc.
Headquarters
United States
Launched
2018
Category
AI

Capabilities

  • AI features
  • Real-time collaboration
  • Integrations
  • Mobile app
  • Public API

Platforms

  • Web
  • iOS
  • Android
  • Windows
  • macOS
  • Browser extension

Interface languages

  • English

Integrations

  • Zoom
  • Microsoft Teams
  • Google Meet
  • Google Calendar
  • Slack
  • Salesforce
  • HubSpot
  • Jira
  • Notion
  • Asana
  • Dropbox

Support

  • Email
  • Help center
  • Live chat

Change history

  1. Update.The court declines to dismiss the core claims in In re Otter.AI Privacy Litigation.
  2. Update.Justin Brewer files a proposed class action against Otter.ai in the Northern District of California.
  3. Feature.OtterPilot launches, an AI assistant that joins calendar meetings.
Full change history (7)
  1. Company.The company takes the Otter.ai name and raises $10 million in a round led by Docomo Ventures.
  2. Feature.Otter for Teams launches for enterprises.
  3. Launch.Otter app debuts at Mobile World Congress, free on iOS and Android.
  4. Company.Sam Liang and Yun Fu found AISense.
About the author

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