Otter.ai offers free and paid plans. They differ a lot in transcription quotas and file limits. The free (Basic) plan is for light, personal use. The paid tiers like Pro, Business, and Enterprise are for heavier or team usage. Below, we break down the key limits for each plan so you can choose the right tier for your needs.
For more guidance, see SummarizeMeeting's "Is Otter AI Free?" and our Tool Finder quiz to match you with the perfect AI meeting assistant.
Free Plan Limits (Basic – $0)
- Monthly transcription minutes: 300 minutes (no rollover). If you hit the limit, Otter will block new recordings or imports until your next billing cycle.
- Per-session (meeting/file) cap: 30 minutes. Meetings or imported recordings over 30 minutes will receive only a 30-minute transcript. The recording continues, but you won't transcribe the extra audio unless you upgrade.
- File imports: Up to 3 total audio/video files (lifetime, not per month). After 3 imports, you must upgrade to import more. Each imported file counts toward your 300 min monthly quota.
- Conversation history: The system keeps the last 25 transcripts of conversation history. It archives older notes and hides them. Paid plans lift this limit to allow unlimited history.
- Supported features: Live meeting capture (via the Otter app or integrations) and basic AI features (transcription in English, speaker ID, simple keyword search). Advanced features like AI summaries, custom vocabulary, or team collaboration are not available.
On the free plan, three 30-minute Zoom calls (90 minutes total) use 90 of your 300 monthly minutes. A transcription would reduce a single 45-minute recording to only 30 minutes.
Paid Plans: Pro and Business (per user)
Upgrading to a paid plan raises Otter's limits to a considerable extent. The Pro plan costs about $8.33 a month when billed annually. It's for individuals. The Business plan is around $19.99 per user each month, also billed annually. It's designed for teams. Key limits:
Monthly transcription minutes:
- 1,200 min per month per user.
- Unlimited minutes for meetings/recordings (no cap). (Business still enforces imported-file minutes at 6,000 per month.)
Per-session cap:
- Up to 90 minutes transcribed per meeting or file.
- Up to 4 hours (240 minutes) per session. (Enterprise allows a minimum of 4 hours.)
Imported-file limits:
- Up to 10 audio/video file uploads per month, subject to the 1,200 min import quota.
- Unlimited file imports (no limit on per-user counts), up to 6,000 import minutes per month.
Additional features:
- Conversation history: Unlimited (all past transcripts retained).
- Concurrent meetings: Pro users can join 2 Otter captions at once, Business users up to 3 (Free users can join only 1).
- Advanced features: Paid plans offer custom vocabularies, advanced search, and exports. You also get integrations with tools like Zapier and Slack, plus team workspaces and more.
Key Otter.ai Plan Limits
| Limit / Feature | Free (Basic) | Pro (Individual) | Business |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly transcription minutes | 300 min | 1,200 min | Unlimited (meetings) / 6,000 min (imports) |
| Max per-meeting/file transcript | 30 min | 90 min | 4 hours (240 min) |
| Imported file minutes/month | 300 min (shares with above) | 1,200 min | 6,000 min |
| File import count | 3 files (lifetime) | 10 files/month | Unlimited |
| Concurrent meetings (live) | 1 at a time | 2 at a time | 3 at a time |
| Conversation history | 25 most recent | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Monthly Reset and Rollover
Otter's limits are on a monthly cycle. Minutes and imports reset each month on your billing date. Unused minutes don't roll over, so plan your usage. Pro users get 14,400 minutes a year (12×1,200). If you pay annually, the same monthly limits apply; you make one payment that covers 12 months. See Otter's pricing page for details.
File Upload Size and Format Limits
Regardless of the plan, Otter imposes a 5 GB file size limit on uploads. Supported formats include most common audio and video types: MP3, M4A, WAV, WMA, OGG (audio), and MP4, MOV, AVI, WMV, MPEG, MKV, etc. (video). You can upload videos as long as your plan allows. For example, a 5-hour video is fine. But on free or Pro plans, only the first 30 or 90 minutes will be transcribed. Business plans can transcribe up to 4 hours.
Other Notable Restrictions
- Speaker languages: Otter currently supports transcription in English, French, and Spanish across all plans. (If you need other languages, consider alternatives.)
- Real-time recording: All plans allow unlimited live recording via the Otter app (these count against your minutes).
- Storage retention: Beyond conversation history, Otter retains your transcripts indefinitely (unless you delete them).
- Support and advanced tools: Free users get community support only; paid tiers add priority support and admin features. Student discounts are available on the Pro plan for .edu users.
Practical Example
Suppose you are a solo professional who records a 1-hour meeting every week. With the Free plan, you can transcribe three meetings each month (3×60=180 min) and have 120 minutes left. However, each meeting will be limited to 30 minutes of transcript. On Pro, those same meetings would use 240 of your 1,200 min, with each full 1-hour captured (since 60 min < 90 min cap). A Business plan would handle this easily with its unlimited meeting minutes.
In summary, Otter's free plan is ideal for short, occasional recordings. Professionals and teams with higher demands likely need the Pro or Business plans. Check whether you hit the 300 min/month or 30 min/session barriers.
For more guidance on choosing the right tool, try SummarizeMeeting's Find Your Perfect AI Meeting Assistant quiz or read our overview of the best free transcription software – Otter is featured among the top options. If Otter fits your needs and you stay within the limits, the free plan is a good deal. But if you need more, a paid plan gives you higher limits and extra tools.
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