Core Transcription Limits
Hard Limits & Enforcement
Monthly Minute Cap
Core Limitations:
- • Total monthly minutes: 300 minutes maximum
- • Reset schedule: Monthly on account anniversary date
- • Counting method: Actual speech time (silence excluded)
- • Rollover policy: None - unused minutes expire
- • Grace period: None - hard cutoff at limit
- • Overage option: Not available - upgrade required
Enforcement Mechanisms:
- • Real-time tracking: Continuous minute consumption monitoring
- • Warning system: Alerts at 250, 280, 295 minutes
- • Hard stop: Recording terminates at 300 minutes
- • Mid-session cutoff: Can interrupt ongoing meetings
- • Account lock: No new recordings until reset
- • Partial transcripts: Saved up to cutoff point
Session Duration Caps
Per-Session Limits:
- • Maximum length: 30 minutes per continuous session
- • Warning alerts: 5, 2, 1 minute countdown notifications
- • Recording stops at 30-minute mark
- • Restart capability: Can begin new session immediately
- • Daily sessions: Unlimited number of 30-minute sessions
- • Counts as continuous time
Extension Options:
- • Daily extension: One 10-minute bonus per day
- • Extension reset: Available every 24 hours at midnight
- • Prompts appear at 30-minute mark
- • Manual request: Can request extension via notification
- • Total session time: 40 minutes maximum with extension
- • Minute deduction: Extension counts toward monthly cap
Daily & Weekly Distribution
Recommended Allocation:
- • Daily average: 10 minutes (300÷30 days)
- • Weekly budget: 70 minutes per week
- • Workday allocation: 15 minutes per business day
- • Heavy usage days: 20-25 minutes maximum
- • Buffer reserve: Keep 30 minutes for emergencies
- • Conserve final 50 minutes carefully
Usage Strategy:
- • Priority meetings: Record most important sessions first
- • Strategic timing: Front-load important meetings monthly
- • Meeting selection: Choose high-value recordings only
- • Break optimization: Pause during breaks/discussions
- • Segment recording: Split long meetings into key portions
File Upload & Storage Limitations
Upload Restrictions
File Size & Quantity Limits
Upload Quotas:
- • Monthly uploads: 3 files maximum per month
- • File size limit: 100MB maximum per file
- • Total upload size: 300MB maximum monthly
- • Queue limit: 1 file processing at a time
- • Retry attempts: 3 failed uploads count toward quota
- • Quota reset: Monthly on billing cycle anniversary
Format Restrictions:
- • Supported audio: MP3, WAV, M4A, FLAC only
- • Video formats: MP4, MOV (audio extracted)
- • Quality requirements: 16kHz minimum sample rate
- • Duration limits: Apply 300-minute monthly cap
- • Automatic but may reduce quality
- • Metadata limits: Basic file info only
Processing & Quality Caps
Processing Limitations:
- • Processing speed: Lower priority than paid plans
- • Queue position: Behind paid users in processing queue
- • Processing timeout: 6 hours maximum processing time
- • Concurrent files: 1 file at a time only
- • Peak hour delays: Slower processing during high demand
- • Failed processing: Counts toward file quota even if failed
Quality Restrictions:
- • AI model access: Basic models only, no advanced features
- • Accuracy levels: 85-88% vs 90%+ for paid plans
- • Speaker identification: Limited accuracy and capability
- • Custom vocabulary: Not available on free plan
- • Language support: English only for uploads
- • Basic transcription, no advanced AI
Storage & Retention Caps
Storage Limitations:
- • Retention period: 30 days maximum storage
- • Files deleted after 30 days automatically
- • Storage capacity: No overall storage limit beyond time
- • Download window: Must download within 30 days
- • Backup responsibility: User must backup important files
- • Recovery options: None after 30-day expiration
Export Restrictions:
- • Export formats: TXT, PDF only (no advanced formats)
- • Bulk export: Not available - individual file export only
- • API access: Not available for data export
- • Integration export: Limited to basic sharing only
- • Formatting options: Basic formatting, no customization
- • Metadata export: Limited speaker and timestamp info
Feature & Quality Limitations
AI & Feature Caps
AI Capability Restrictions
AI Model Limitations:
- • Basic models only: No access to advanced AI features
- • Lower accuracy: 85-88% vs 90%+ for paid plans
- • No custom training: Cannot adapt to specific vocabularies
- • Limited speaker ID: Basic speaker separation only
- • No sentiment analysis: Emotion and tone detection unavailable
- • Basic summaries: Simple highlights, no advanced insights
Unavailable AI Features:
- • Action item detection: Manual identification required
- • Topic categorization: No automatic topic grouping
- • Custom vocabularies: Cannot add specialized terms
- • Advanced punctuation: Basic punctuation only
- • Conversation analytics: No speaking time or engagement metrics
- • AI-powered search: Basic text search only
Integration & Collaboration Caps
Platform Restrictions:
- • Limited integrations: Zoom personal, Google Meet only
- • No Teams support: Microsoft Teams integration unavailable
- • Basic calendar: Simple calendar sync only
- • No CRM integration: Salesforce, HubSpot unavailable
- • Limited Slack: Basic sharing only, no advanced features
- • No API access: Custom integrations not available
Collaboration Limits:
- • Individual use only: No team sharing or collaboration
- • No shared workspaces: Private transcripts only
- • Basic sharing: Public links only, no permission controls
- • No comments: Cannot add notes or annotations
- • No version control: No edit tracking or history
- • Limited notifications: Basic alerts only
Support & Service Caps
Support Limitations:
- • Community support only: No direct customer support
- • Help center access: Self-service documentation only
- • No phone support: Email and chat unavailable
- • Response time: Community-dependent, no SLA
- • No priority handling: Issues not prioritized
- • Limited troubleshooting: Basic help resources only
Service Level Caps:
- • No SLA guarantee: No uptime or performance commitments
- • Lower priority: Service prioritizes paid users
- • Basic infrastructure: Shared resources, possible slowdowns
- • No customization: Cannot modify interface or features
- • Standard updates: No beta features or early access
- • Basic analytics: Limited usage insights
Cap Optimization Strategies
Maximum Value Strategies
Smart Recording Techniques
Time Optimization:
- • Strategic pausing: Pause during breaks and off-topic discussions
- • Late start: Begin recording when actual content starts
- • Early stop: End recording when meeting wraps up
- • Segment recording: Focus on decision-making portions only
- • Key moment focus: Record critical discussion points
- • Skip social time: Avoid recording casual conversation
Meeting Prioritization:
- • High-stakes meetings: Client calls, performance reviews
- • Complex discussions: Technical sessions requiring accuracy
- • Action-heavy meetings: Planning and decision-making sessions
- • Knowledge transfer: Training and onboarding meetings
- • Important stakeholders: Leadership and key client interactions
- • Meetings requiring official records
Alternative & Hybrid Approaches
Platform Rotation:
- • Multi-platform strategy: Use multiple free tools monthly
- • Fireflies backup: 800 minutes/month as secondary option
- • tldv supplement: 1,000 minutes/month for video calls
- • Sembly alternative: 40 hours/month for heavy usage
- • Notta uploads: File transcription when live limits hit
- • Calendar coordination: Rotate platforms by meeting importance
Manual Supplements:
- • Note-taking backup: Manual notes during non-recorded portions
- • Voice memos: Personal recordings for key takeaways
- • Summary techniques: Structured note templates
- • Action item tracking: Separate task management systems
- • Follow-up emails: Written summaries to participants
- • Collaborative notes: Shared documents with meeting attendees
File Upload Optimization
File Management:
- • Quality optimization: Use highest quality within 100MB limit
- • Compression techniques: Audio editing to remove silence
- • Segment uploading: Split large files into 3 monthly uploads
- • Format selection: MP3 for best size-to-quality ratio
- • Priority uploads: Most important recordings first
- • Timing strategy: Upload early in monthly cycle
Processing Optimization:
- • Off-peak uploading: Upload during low-demand hours
- • Quality preparation: Clean audio before uploading
- • Backup planning: Download immediately after processing
- • Retry strategy: Save retry attempts for important files
- • Track processing status regularly
- • Alternative tools: Backup processing with other platforms
Upgrade Decision Framework
Upgrade Indicators:
- • Consistent overuse: Hit 300-minute cap 3+ months running
- • Business dependency: Critical meetings being cut off
- • Time value: Time saved worth more than $10/month
- • Quality needs: Require better transcription accuracy
- • Team growth: Need collaboration and sharing features
- • Integration requirements: Need CRM or advanced platforms
ROI Calculation:
- • Pro plan value: $10/month for 6,000 minutes
- • Cost per minute: $0.0017 vs manual transcription cost
- • Time savings: 15-30 minutes saved per meeting
- • Break-even point: ~8-10 meetings monthly at $50/hour
- • Quality premium: 90%+ accuracy vs 85% free plan
- • Feature value: Advanced AI and integration benefits
Related Otter AI Resources
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