Otter AI Free Plan Features Breakdown

In the busy world of digital communication, tracking every detail from meetings can seem like a full-time job. No matter if you're a student, freelancer, or in a busy startup, it's easy to worry about missing an important task. Enter Otter.ai, a tool that has become synonymous with automated note-taking. But do you really need to pay for a subscription to unlock its power?

Today, we are diving deep into the Otter AI Free Plan (Basic Plan). We'll cut through the marketing hype to show you what you get for free. We'll compare it to the competition and help you decide if it's the right productivity partner for you.

What Do You Actually Get for Free?

The Otter AI Basic plan offers a "forever free" entry point, rather than a limited-time trial. It is surprisingly robust for individual users who need assistance with occasional meetings. Here is a clear breakdown of the features:

1. Monthly Transcription Limits

The most critical numbers to know are 300 and 30.

• 300 Minutes Per Month: You get a recurring allowance of 300 minutes of transcription every month. That covers about five hours of meetings, enough for a weekly team sync or a few client interviews.
• 30 Minutes Per Conversation: This is the main catch. The free plan caps each recording session at 30 minutes. If your meetings last an hour, you'll need to stop and restart the recording halfway. This can disrupt your workflow.

2. Real-Time Transcription and Collaboration

Otter shines in its ability to transcribe live. Otter can join your call on Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams. It generates a scrolling transcript in real-time. This lets you highlight key points and add comments during the meeting. Other software usually saves this feature for paid tiers.

3. The "OtterPilot" and AI Chat

Even on the free plan, you can use OtterPilot. It's an automated assistant that joins your meetings and takes notes for you. Also, the Otter AI Chat feature lets you ask about your meeting history. For example, you can ask, "What deadlines were mentioned in Tuesday's meeting?" and the AI will scan the transcript to find the answer.

4. File Imports

If you have a pre-recorded audio file you need to transcribe, Otter can help, but with strict limits. The free plan allows for 3 lifetime file imports. After using these three "credits," you can't upload more audio files unless you upgrade. However, you can still record unlimited live sessions within the time limits.

How Does It Compare to Competitors?

While Otter is a household name, it isn't the only player in the game. Depending on your specific needs, like language support or CRM integration, you might find other tools more suitable.

Otter.ai vs. Fireflies.ai

Fireflies is a heavyweight when it comes to integrations and data handling. While Otter excels at the real-time visual experience, Fireflies is often preferred by sales teams for its deep integration with CRMs like HubSpot and Salesforce. Fireflies also supports over 60 languages, whereas the Otter free plan currently focuses on English, French, and Spanish.

If you are trying to decide between the two, it often comes down to whether you want a live transcript during the call (Otter) or powerful post-meeting analytics (Fireflies). You can see a detailed head-to-head analysis in this comparison of Fireflies vs Otter AI.

Otter.ai vs. Supernormal

If you are looking for cleaner, more formatted notes without a bot joining your call visibly, Supernormal might be the alternative you need. Supernormal is known for its privacy-first approach and excellent meeting templates. However, Otter still holds the edge if you need that raw, searchable, word-for-word record of exactly what was said.

For a deeper look at how their features stack up, check out this comparison of Supernormal and Otter.

Conclusion

The Otter AI Free Plan is a great starting point for anyone wanting to try AI transcription. Its real-time features and smart "Chat" option are very helpful for students, journalists, and freelancers. The 30-minute chat limit is a big challenge for corporate users who need longer meeting times.

If Otter's limits seem too tight, or if you need features like multi-language support and CRM syncing, there are many great alternatives. To explore a wider range of tools, I highly recommend reading this guide on the 12 best meeting notes app options for teams in 2026.

Ultimately, the best tool is the one that fits seamlessly into your workflow. Give Otter's free plan a spin, it might just be the productivity boost you have been looking for.