How Transcription Limits Work
Monthly Minutes Pool
Your transcription minutes are pooled across all activities: live meetings, imported files, and recorded sessions. Once you hit your plan limit, transcription stops until the next billing cycle.
Unused minutes do not roll over. If you use 200 of your 300 minutes, you still only get 300 next month, not 400.
Per-Meeting Duration Cap
Even if you have monthly minutes remaining, individual meetings cannot exceed your plan maximum:
- 30 minutes max (cuts off mid-sentence)
- 90 minutes max
- 4 hours max
Transcription Limits by Plan
| Limit Type | Basic | Pro | Business |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly transcription | 300 minutes | 1,200 minutes | Unlimited |
| Max per meeting | 30 minutes | 90 minutes | 4 hours |
| File import minutes | 300 minutes/month | 1,200 minutes/month | 6,000 minutes/month |
| Rollover allowed | No | No | No |
Data source: Otter.ai Pricing
Real-World Usage Scenarios
The Weekly Standup Problem
You have four 30-minute standups per week. That is 120 minutes weekly, 480 minutes monthly. On Otter Basic, you run out in 2.5 weeks.
The Client Call Issue
You have two 45-minute client calls weekly. Otter Basic cuts off each call at 30 minutes. You miss 15 minutes of every client conversation.
The All-Hands Dilemma
Your monthly all-hands is 90 minutes. On Basic, you cannot record it. On Pro, it consumes 1/13th of your monthly allowance.
What Counts Against Your Limit
Counts toward limit:
- •Live meeting transcription
- •Imported audio/video files
- •In-app recordings
- •Otter Assistant joining meetings
Does not count:
- •Viewing existing transcripts
- •AI chat queries (separate limit)
- •Editing or highlighting
- •Exporting (if within plan)