# Otter Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra

> Is Otter the right Transcription solution for you? Explore 101 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice.

Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/202799/Otter/reviews

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Otter

4.4 (101)

[View alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/202799/Otter/alternatives/)

Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/)

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Last updated March 13th, 2026

# Reviews of Otter

Ease of use

4.6

Customer Service

4.0

## Pros and Cons in Reviews

BP

Brad P

CMOMarketing and Advertising, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: 6-12 months.

“Mobile App for In-Person Recording – Being able to use the Otter app to capture live, in-person conversations on the go was incredibly convenient for meetings outside the office.“

May 28, 2025

BP

Brad P

CMOMarketing and Advertising, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: 6-12 months.

“Weak Action Item Detection – Otter rarely captured the real “next steps” or key takeaways from meetings, which meant we still had to manually review everything.“

May 28, 2025

BP

Brad P

CMOMarketing and Advertising, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: 6-12 months.

“Audio Uploads – The option to upload pre-recorded audio for transcription was helpful, especially when we needed to process recordings after the fact.“

May 28, 2025

KM

Kaitlin M

Content StrategistMarketing and Advertising, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: Less than 6 months.

“I can't figure out how to uninvite Otter to some of my events that are offline and don't have a conference call, even if I toggle the app off in specific events in the dashboard.“

December 10, 2024

KW

Katherine W

Project ManagerDesign, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: I used a free trial.

“The new feature of recording and getting transcripts and a summary without having it in your meeting is great.“

April 10, 2026

MA

Mohamad A

Team LeaderHigher Education, Self-employedUsed the software for: More than 2 years.

“Because of accents and background noise, the system often makes mistakes and fails to recognize speech correctly "Speaker", thus impacting the accuracy.“

April 5, 2025

KM

Kaitlin M

Content StrategistMarketing and Advertising, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: Less than 6 months.

“I love the instant transcription feature and the fact that you can 'set and forget' Otter with your meetings -- the app will ask to join your calls and take notes, summarize your conversations, and can even take screenshots so you don't forget details.“

December 10, 2024

ML

Melanie L

Editor-in-ChiefPublishing, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: Less than 6 months.

“It was inexpensive but required a lot of time double-checkin the transcriptions which was very frustrating. If you have audio that is clear and concise, it would work fine but if there's background noise or accents, it often wouldn't pick up correctly.“

December 15, 2024

## Showing most helpful reviews

Showing 1-25 of 101 Reviews

Sort by:

Most Helpful

Rating

Company Size

Reviewer's Role

Length of Use

Frequency of Use

Jennifer Y.  
Insurance Agent  
Insurance  
Used the software for: 1-2 years

### "Otter Helps Me Keep Track of Meeting Chaos"

May 23, 2022

4.0

Using Otter for recording and transcriptions of online meetings has made my workload a little smaller and made it easier for me to be fully there when I am leading the meeting, instead of having to worry about running the meeting and taking notes, I can focus on the discussions happening in the moment.

Pros

I love that instead of having to rely on handwritten notes through out a meeting I can actually focus on what is happening, knowing that I will have both a recording of the meeting and a transcription to use for the after-meeting minutes.

Cons

The 30-minute recording upload limit is a bummer but I can work around it. I do wish I could use the allotted time each month in whatever amount I needed.

Reason for choosing Otter

Otter was recommended to me by a mentor, and it has free option that, so far, is sufficient for me. The paid versions are also quite reasonable, should I need to upgrade in the future.

Review Source

VR

Verified Reviewer  
Secretary  
Entertainment  
Used the software for: 6-12 months

### "Otter is great for large meetings "

July 31, 2025

5.0

Useful when it works, can sometimes become overwhelmed with transcriptions and can't differentiate between speakers, time codes not always accurate. But still does save time from manual note taking.

Pros

Otter is great for meeting integration and note taking, transcripts and especially for annotation and autmated summarys.

Cons

Notes that are emailed to members after meetings are only accessible with an account. This is not always suitable when meeting with those outside the organisations.

Switched from

[Trint](https://www.capterra.com/p/179896/Trint/)

Testing various ai transcription programs and found Otter to be must easier to deal with

Review Source

BP

Brad P.  
CMO  
Marketing and Advertising  
Used the software for: 6-12 months

### "Solid Tool, But We Outgrew It"

May 28, 2025

3.0

We used Otter.ai for a long time and appreciated its reliable transcription and note-taking capabilities. It served us well for basic meeting capture, and we liked the ability to upload audio and use the mobile app for in-person recordings. That said, as our workflow became more complex, we needed a tool that didn’t just transcribe but also understood the context of conversations and helped us take action. We recently switched to Fathom, and the difference was immediate—full video recording on Google Meet, smarter summaries, and better action item tracking really leveled up our post-meeting process. Otter is a great starting point, especially for simple transcription needs. But if you’re looking for deeper insight and follow-through from your meetings, you may eventually find yourself looking for more.

Pros

•Mobile App for In-Person Recording – Being able to use the Otter app to capture live, in-person conversations on the go was incredibly convenient for meetings outside the office. (Note we are in a single consent state and are not required to inform the other party of the recording). •Audio Uploads – The option to upload pre-recorded audio for transcription was helpful, especially when we needed to process recordings after the fact. •Simple and Straightforward – The interface was easy to use, and it got the job done for basic transcription needs. That said, both the mobile recording and upload features had limitations, restricted durations, less context awareness, and occasional accuracy issues with action items or complex conversations.

Cons

•Limited Monthly Minutes – Having to track usage and stay within a set number of transcription minutes added unnecessary stress to our workflow. •Transcription Accuracy Was Hit or Miss – Even in clean audio environments, transcripts often topped out around 85% accuracy, requiring frequent edits. •Weak Action Item Detection – Otter rarely captured the real “next steps” or key takeaways from meetings, which meant we still had to manually review everything. •Shallow Context Understanding – It transcribed what was said, but lacked the ability to understand the why or how, which limited its usefulness for deeper meeting insights. •Limited Value for Complex Conversations – In meetings with layered topics or fast-paced discussion, Otter often lost the thread and produced generic summaries.

Review Source

MA

Mohamad A.  
Team Leader  
Higher Education  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "Otter Can Not Only Write Your Words. Yet explain them"

April 5, 2025

5.0

Otter excels at fast, accurate transcription. Perfect for meetings and interviews, provided the audio is clear. Some errors need manual correction.

Pros

Otter produces impressively accurate transcripts, especially for clear audio recordings. Using the search function saves me time. Fast processing is a significant benefit.

Cons

Because of accents and background noise, the system often makes mistakes and fails to recognize speech correctly "Speaker", thus impacting the accuracy. The editing tools are super basic, so fixing things is a pain. It can be pricey.

Switched from

[Dragon Professional Individual](https://www.capterra.com/p/251641/Dragon-Professional-Individual/)

The prior dragon version lacked interactivity and accessibility; therefore, a cloud-based alternative was necessary.

Review Source

KM

Kaitlin M.  
Content Strategist  
Marketing and Advertising  
Used the software for: Less than 6 months

### "Easy transcription and recording "

December 10, 2024

5.0

I can login to my Otter dashboard and see at a glance which calls are upcoming, past recordings and transcriptions, and available features. It's fairly user-friendly. Otter is now my go-to for recording and transcribing calls. Otter timestamps, generates notes, and identifies action items and highlights from my meetings.

Pros

I love the instant transcription feature and the fact that you can 'set and forget' Otter with your meetings -- the app will ask to join your calls and take notes, summarize your conversations, and can even take screenshots so you don't forget details.

Cons

I can't figure out how to uninvite Otter to some of my events that are offline and don't have a conference call, even if I toggle the app off in specific events in the dashboard. Otter still tries to attend the event in my calendar reminding me when my kid's kindergarten starts and stops. :) I've toggled it 'off' for this event in the dashboard, but that hasn't resolved the issue. I consider this to be a minor problem given how powerful the app is for my workflow. By the way, I haven't had an issue removing or uninviting Otter from a video conference call, JUST in-person events, which Otter can't 'attend' anyway! LOL.

Alternatives considered

[Descript](https://www.capterra.com/p/230702/Descript/)

Reason for choosing Otter

I considered a few transcription apps and services, and Otter is the most intuitive to me and runs with very little input and control. Otter also has a great free tier.

Switched from

[Descript](https://www.capterra.com/p/230702/Descript/)

Rev charges per minute even for occasional transcription, whether human or AI generated. Descript had paid plans, also. Otter has a robust free tier and that covers most of my needs. When I need more, I'll upgrade to a paid plan.

Review Source

KM

Kelly M.  
Founder  
E-Learning  
Used the software for: 6-12 months

### "Inconsistent Results and Limited Usability"

July 7, 2025

2.0

My experience with Otter has been underwhelming. While it offers basic note capture, it often misses the mark on structure, clarity, and delivering usable summaries. I’ve found more value using other AI-powered notetakers that do a better job identifying action items, segmenting conversations, and maintaining formatting that’s ready to share with teams.

Pros

Otter does a decent job at capturing general meeting notes, especially when conversations are clear and well-paced. It can be helpful in keeping a record of discussions for later reference, and the automatic syncing is convenient across devices.

Cons

The biggest issue is the inconsistency in transcription accuracy and the lack of clarity around action items. Notes often feel disorganized or overly generalized, which makes it harder to pull key insights or next steps. Compared to other AI notetakers on the market, Otter lacks structure and context-aware features that help users make sense of what was discussed.

Alternatives considered

[Fireflies](https://www.capterra.com/p/197037/Fireflies/)

Reason for choosing Otter

Need to see other Ai note takers and do a comparison

Switched from

[Fathom](https://www.capterra.com/p/276054/Fathom/)

meets requirements and needs for my company

Review Source

SK

Steven K.  
Principal  
Capital Markets  
Used the software for: Less than 6 months

### "Otter is awesome"

January 16, 2025

5.0

my experience hinges more on the partners reactions and they were great.

Pros

I love the overview I received after the calls were done and the automated mail system.

Cons

I think the breakdown could have been more detailed

Switched from

[Fathom](https://www.capterra.com/p/276054/Fathom/)

Referal from a friend who was using it in a call.

Review Source

DD

Dennis D.  
Business Owner  
Information Technology and Services  
Used the software for: Less than 6 months

### "Very good and useful AI tool"

July 4, 2025

5.0

So far my experience has been pretty good. It was very accurate and created very good transcripts of multiple recordings and meetings for me.

Pros

I like how easily Otter takes a recording of a meeting, podcast, etc and is able to quickly produce a transcript that is very accurate and correct.

Cons

The list of apps that it integrates with is relatively low. I am sure this will increase with time but right now I could see that being an issue for some.

Review Source

DA

Drew A.  
Founder  
E-Learning  
Used the software for: 1-2 years

### "A Must-Have Tool for Productivity"

January 7, 2025

5.0

Using Otter has been a game-changer for my productivity. Its ability to transcribe meetings and notes accurately has saved me countless hours.

Pros

Otter is incredibly user-friendly and intuitive. It has streamlined my workflow significantly.

Cons

While Otter is excellent, it occasionally struggles with accurately transcribing complex technical terms. However, this is a minor issue compared to its overall utility.

Review Source

BD

Benjamin D.  
Owner CEO  
Hospital & Health Care  
Used the software for: 1-2 years

### "Powerful AI transcribing platform"

February 16, 2025

5.0

It has been excellent overall once I figured out all its capabilities, which took some time.

Pros

for a relatively low-cost point, it does so much with regards to transcribing calls and online meetings as well as uses AI to generate summaries, and inquiries can be made as well.

Cons

Lack of initial training and onboarding were lacking, which could have been helpful in utilizing the product more fully from the get-go.

Review Source

JP

Johnny P.  
UX Designer II  
Computer Software  
Used the software for: 6-12 months

### "Your transcription assistant is here to help"

April 16, 2025

5.0

Great experience overall. My experience is a no-frills AI and transcription tool that does what it says on the box.

Pros

Simple and easy transcription service. Easy to search through past interviews and notes with AI.

Cons

It is a pretty solid app, no complaints. It didn't have a wide range of functionality.

Review Source

BR

Ben R.  
HR Manager  
Legal Services  
Used the software for: Less than 6 months

### "Integrates well"

December 23, 2024

5.0

Pros

Integrates well with MS products. Provides great summary reports.

Cons

Need to manually select which meetings to attend.

Review Source

MK

Mark K.  
Manager  
Online Media  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "Generally accurate transcription and easy to use service"

August 20, 2021

4.0

Overall, I'm happy with Otter. It has sped up my work tenfold - instead of having to sight and transcribe interviews for an hour and a half I'm able to get it automatically transcribed in no time and then just spend 10-15 minutes cleaning it up. Excellent product - accuracy is good, speed is good and usability is excellent.

Pros

Otter is incredibly easy to use, where in 'live transcription' or recorded transcription. The transcription itself is generally accurate. There are mistakes (I'd be astounded if there weren't) but it gets the transcription generally correct and then it is a pretty easy process to skim through it and edit the text as appropriate (editing is an absolute breeze!)

Cons

The payment tiers are a little restrictive - you don't get much for free with the service.

Review Source

CJ

Courtney J.  
Consultant  
Professional Training & Coaching  
Used the software for: 2+ years

### "Speak Your Piece and Let Otter Do the Heavy Lifting"

October 20, 2023

5.0

Overall, Otter has been one of my favorite tools in my daily routine. The ease of use and ability to seamlessly go from my desktop, to phone and back without missing a beat is testament to the app. The speech recognition is amazing and transcription is the most accurate I've used.

Pros

It's ease of use and flexibility. I use it for everything. After being a writer for more than 30yrs, I had a stroke that left me struggling for a bit to write for long periods of time like I used to. When I found Otter a few years ago, it immediately allowed me to speak exactly what I wanted to say, and having it transcribed and ready to edit and share was incredible. I tell everyone I know about Otter.

Cons

Can't do a good search for older files, or much with video, on the lower tier plans.

Reason for choosing Otter

Better speech recognition and Transcription

Review Source

CM

Cynthia M.  
Missioner for Stewardship  
Religious Institutions  
Used the software for: 6-12 months

### "The Power of Being "Present""

July 10, 2023

5.0

My overall experience has been smooth and eye-opening. As noted, using Otter frees up my own creativity and ability to be fully "present" in a meeting.

Pros

Otter is an easy, accessible service. It is like having a personal assistant at your elbow who takes the best meeting notes ever, thus freeing you up to be more "present" in meetings. Otter can also be used with Zoom (and it is transparent, so people know that it's providing a transcription, which is good), with the result, again, that I don't have to worry about capturing all the ideas, thoughts, etc. that happen in a Zoom.

Cons

Early on, I was concerned that Otter would not figure out industry-specific jargon, but that has not been an issue.

Review Source

VR

Verified Reviewer  
Consultant  
Computer Software  
Used the software for: 1-2 years

### "Great App for Capturing Meeting and Training Details."

February 16, 2022

5.0

It's been an exceptional tool. I can actually listen and engage in meetings and trainings instead of being overly concerned about writing/typing every word.

Pros

I love the ease of use. It has more features than I need. Just having the recording, the transcript, and the ability to search on keywords is so helpful.

Cons

What do I like the least? It WILL transcribe words incorrectly. But having the recording and being able to go to that exact place in the conversation, allows me to know what the word really is and I can edit.

Review Source

KH

Kayla H.  
Peer Support  
Human Resources  
Used the software for: 6-12 months

### "Otter "

June 9, 2023

5.0

Accurate on point note taking so I’m not missing important information during state and supervisory meetings.

Pros

The feature that I found to be most impactful for this software was the fact that you won’t miss any key points during the meeting. Any important details shared you’ve got.

Cons

I don’t like that it automatically invites itself to all my zoom meetings once its synced to my calendar

Review Source

VR

Verified Reviewer  
owner  
Photography  
Used the software for: 6-12 months

### "Otter.ai – the time saver"

October 3, 2023

5.0

Brilliant. The ease of transcribing my voice notes into text is outstanding.

Pros

using the mobile app I can transcribe notes on the go. I do this often when I'm on the mountain walking the dogs. :-)

Cons

The transcribed text sometimes gets bunched together. This is by no means a serious issue as it takes little time to reformat the text.

Review Source

KS

Kiefer S.  
Board Game Designer  
Design  
Used the software for: 1-2 years

### "Otter is the best app for people who are bad at taking notes"

October 13, 2020

4.0

I use Otter whenever I am playtesting my board games. I open the app, set it down, push record, and then I’m able to be involved with the people sitting at the table and give them my full attention. I never have to worry about writing down notes that I don’t understand or can’t read later on because Otter has taken care of it all for me.

Pros

Being able to set my phone down and hold a conversation without having to pause and write stuff down. I love being able to replay the recording while reading what Otter typed up and edit it if there were any errors. I also loved how it somehow recognizes who is speaking and assigns colors and separates their dialogue in the transcript automatically.

Cons

Since this is an AI assistant that responds to voice, there are bound to be problems. Otter is not perfect. People with accents and people that sound a lot alike don’t always register right on the transcript. However, it is so simple to edit your transcript afterwards, this issue becomes a non-issue.

Review Source

VR

Verified Reviewer  
Associate Professor  
Higher Education  
Used the software for: 1-2 years

### "Support is so lacking it is not worth your time and money"

June 12, 2023

1.0

Awful. If they cannot fix your problem, they ghost you.

Pros

What they say they can do is great. Unfortunately, the support is horrific.

Cons

I purchased Otter a year ago. I was able to transcribe a few videos. Then in early spring I tried to transcribe the rest of my videos. They would not upload. I went back and forth with support trying to get this fixed. The issue was not fixed and I was told it was being forwarded to someone else. No one ever got back to me and it has been a month. I sent another email and still no response. At this point my subscription will be up soon and I will not renew.

Review Source

JL

Julian L.  
Director  
Management Consulting  
Used the software for: 1-2 years

### "Has its limitations, but a valuable tool!"

July 20, 2021

3.0

Efficient back-up to call/meeting notes. Works well on mobile (for recording & playback; you may want something bigger for interrogating recordings).

Pros

Combines audio recording with transcription. This is useful as it enables you to search your recording for phrases or keywords. Being able to click on any section of the transcription text & hear that part of the recording is also helpful.

Cons

Transcription quality is mixed. Do not use if you're expecting perfection & are unwilling to replay sections...

Review Source

JM

Joy M.  
Strategic Event and Marketing Director  
Events Services  
Used the software for: 1-2 years

### "Great product for reviewing meeting info"

January 25, 2023

4.0

It's been outstanding as in meetings it's sometimes hard to get all the information needed.

Pros

I like the option for both text and voice for review. It has been very easy to navigate through the notes and helps with reporting.

Cons

There haven't been any cons to the software. Nothing at this point that I can say I dislike. It's a click of a button and your ready to go.

Review Source

TD

Taylor D.  
Student  
Higher Education  
Used the software for: 6-12 months

### "Great software"

January 2, 2023

5.0

Pros

I really like this software for note taking and captioning.

Cons

There is nothing I dislike about this software.

Review Source

SD

Sufal D.  
CoFounder/CEO  
Media Production  
Used the software for: 6-12 months

### "Run a Podcast? Seriously think about using Otter"

July 23, 2021

5.0

Pros

Great for use in various situations, much more than just an automatic transcriber. The interface and bubble style interface for identifying speakers are super useful. Being able to train the software to recognize your own or other voices is also quite useful.

Cons

File upload system could be cleaner. It definitely has a learning curve to overcome.

Review Source

JH

Julian H.  
UX Consultant  
Design  
Used the software for: 1-2 years

### "Otter AI is fantastic for automatic transcription"

March 27, 2023

5.0

Highly recommended - Otter AI can save so much time and is a great backup if you don't have a second person available to take notes. Allows you to focus on the meeting or discussion, and worry about detailed notes later on.

Pros

This is a life-saver when a transcription of an interview or discussion is needed. It allows cross-checking of notes after a meeting, and even splits audio by speaker.

Cons

Nothing really negative about Otter AI - it has a great set of features and covers everything we need.

Review Source

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