📊 Monthly Limit Details
📅 Current Monthly Allowance
300
Minutes Per Month
Reduced from 600 in late 2022
- Reset Schedule: Anniversary of signup date
- Usage Tracking: Real-time dashboard counter
- Rollover Policy: No unused minutes carried over
⏱️ Per-Session Limits
30
Minutes Per Conversation
Hard cutoff, then new session required
- Auto-stop: Recording ends at 30 minutes
- Continuation: Must start new conversation
- Multiple Sessions: Each uses monthly allowance
🚨 What Happens When You Hit 300 Minutes
Immediate Restrictions:
- • No new recordings - Cannot start live transcription
- • Import blocked - Cannot upload audio/video files
- • Live meetings disabled - Meeting bot won't join
- • API access suspended - Third-party integrations stop
What Still Works:
- • Access existing transcripts - Read previous recordings
- • Search conversations - Find past meeting content
- • Edit transcripts - Modify existing text
- • Export data - Download your content
🔄 How Monthly Resets Work
📅 Anniversary-Based Reset Schedule
Unlike calendar months, Otter.ai resets your usage on the same date you signed up. This means your monthly cycle is personal to your account.
Example Reset Cycles:
- Signed up: January 15th → Resets on 15th of each month
- Signed up: March 3rd → Resets on 3rd of each month
- Signed up: December 28th → Resets on 28th of each month
⏰ Reset Time & Tracking
Reset Timing:
- Time Zone: Based on your account settings
- Reset Hour: Typically midnight local time
- Immediate Effect: Minutes available instantly
- Dashboard Update: Real-time counter resets
Usage Monitoring:
- Live Counter: Check remaining minutes anytime
- Email Notifications: Alerts when approaching limit
- Pre-meeting Check: Verify minutes before recording
- Historical Data: Previous month usage visible
🎯 Monthly Usage Planning
📊 Weekly Breakdown
Week 1:75 min
Week 2:75 min
Week 3:75 min
Week 4:75 min
Total:300 min
📈 Daily Average
10
Minutes Per Day
(300 ÷ 30 days)
- • One 10-min daily meeting
- • Two 5-min check-ins
- • Three 3-min updates
- • Six 1.5-min calls
🎪 Meeting Types
10x 30-min meetings:300 min
20x 15-min meetings:300 min
60x 5-min calls:300 min
1x 5-hour session:Not possible
💡 Smart Monthly Management
✅ Best Practices:
- 🎯 Prioritize: Record only critical meetings
- 📊 Monitor: Check usage weekly
- ⏰ Schedule: Plan around reset date
- ✂️ Optimize: Stop recording during breaks
- 📝 Prepare: Have backup note-taking ready
❌ Usage Killers:
- 🔴 Long recordings: Back-to-back 30-min sessions
- 📱 Personal calls: Non-business conversations
- 🔂 Re-recordings: Multiple attempts same meeting
- 🎙️ Testing: Practice sessions using real minutes
- 🔊 Background recording: Leaving it running idle
🚨 When You're Running Low on Minutes
⚠️ Low Minutes Strategies
📱 Alternative Recording Methods:
- • Use phone voice recorder app
- • Try platform's built-in recording
- • Record locally with OBS/Audacity
- • Use Google Meet's native recording
👥 Team Collaboration:
- • Share recording duties among team
- • Use colleague's Otter account
- • Create dedicated team account
- • Rotate who handles transcription
🔄 Reset Date Optimization
📅 Plan Around Reset:
- • Schedule important meetings after reset
- • Save critical recordings for new cycle
- • Use last days for quick calls only
- • Set calendar reminders for reset date
⏰ Emergency Options:
- • Wait for monthly reset (if close)
- • Upgrade temporarily to Pro plan
- • Use free trial of alternative tools
- • Manual note-taking for remainder
⚖️ Monthly Limits vs Competitors
| Platform | Monthly Minutes | Per Session Limit | Reset Schedule | File Imports |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Otter.ai | 300 | 30 min | Anniversary | 3 lifetime |
| Fireflies.ai | 800 | No limit | Calendar | Unlimited |
| Sembly AI | 450 | 40 min | Calendar | 5/month |
| Notta | 120 | 5 min | Calendar | Unlimited |
| Tldv | 1,000 | No limit | Calendar | 20/month |
📊 Monthly Value Analysis:
- Best Free Minutes: Tldv (1,000), Fireflies (800), Sembly (450)
- Most Restrictive: Notta (120 minutes), Otter.ai (300)
- Unique Reset: Only Otter.ai uses anniversary-based cycles
- Session Limits: Otter.ai and Notta have strict per-conversation caps
⬆️ When to Upgrade vs Switch
💰 Upgrade to Otter Pro ($10/month)
What You Get:
- • 1,200 minutes/month (4x increase)
- • 90 minutes per session (3x longer)
- • 10 imports/month (vs 3 lifetime)
- • Advanced features & integrations
~$0.008
per minute
🔄 Switch to Fireflies (Free)
What You Get:
- • 800 minutes/month (2.6x more than Otter)
- • No session limits (vs 30 min max)
- • Unlimited imports (vs 3 lifetime)
- • Calendar-based monthly resets
$0
completely free