All Limitations Explained
300 Monthly Minutes
The 300-minute monthly cap is the primary limitation. For context:
- Six 50-minute meetings = 300 minutes
- Ten 30-minute standups = 300 minutes
- Four 75-minute team meetings = 300 minutes
Reality: Most active professionals hit this limit within 2 weeks.
30-Minute Meeting Cap
Even if you have minutes remaining, any meeting over 30 minutes is cut off mid-sentence. This makes Otter Basic unusable for standard 60-minute team meetings, client calls, or workshops.
3 Lifetime File Imports
Not monthly. Not yearly. Lifetime. You get exactly 3 file uploads total. Want to transcribe old recordings or podcasts? Choose wisely.
25 Recent Conversations Only
Otter permanently deletes older transcripts. If you need to reference a meeting from last month, it is likely gone. This is a data retention limit, not a storage limit.
Basic Exports Only
MP3 and TXT only. No PDF. No Word document. No SRT subtitles. If you need shareable formats, you will need to upgrade or use external tools.
Limited AI Chat
20 queries per month, max 3 per conversation. Ask too many questions about your transcript? You will hit the wall fast.
Impact Summary
| Limitation | Impact Level | Who It Affects |
|---|---|---|
| 300 monthly minutes | High | Anyone with regular meetings |
| 30-min meeting cap | Critical | Teams with standard meetings |
| 3 file imports | Medium | Users with backlog to transcribe |
| 25 conversations kept | High | Anyone needing meeting history |