Quick Summary 💡
Fireflies.aioffers the most generous free transcription with unlimited meetings (limited by 800 minutes storage).Otter.aihas the most restrictive free plan at 300 minutes/month.Supernormalprovides 1,000 minutes storage with unlimited meetings.Grainoffers unlimited recordings in paid plans only.
💡 Pro Tip:Consider both monthly minute limits AND storage limits when choosing - some platforms count against storage, others against monthly quotas!
🔍 Platform-by-Platform Breakdown
🦦 Otter.ai
Free Plan
- • 300 minutes/month- Most restrictive
- • 30-minute conversation limit
- • Only 3 file uploads (lifetime)
Pro Plan ($8.33/month annual)
- • 1,200 minutes/month
- • 90-minute conversation limit
- • 10 file uploads/month
Business Plan ($20/month annual)
- • 6,000 minutes/month
- • 4-hour conversation limit
- • Unlimited file imports
🔥 Fireflies.ai
Free Plan
- • Unlimited transcriptions 🎉
- • 800 minutes storage limit
- • 20 AI credits/month
Pro Plan ($10/month annual)
- • Unlimited transcriptions
- • 8,000 minutes storage
- • 20 AI credits/month
Business Plan ($19/month annual)
- • Unlimited everything
- • Unlimited storage
- • Enhanced AI credits
🦸 Supernormal
Free Plan (Starter)
- • Unlimited meetings
- • 1,000 minutes storage
- • All major platforms supported
Pro Plan ($18/month)
- • 1,000 minutes/month
- • Enhanced features
- • Priority support
Business Plan ($29/month)
- • Advanced integrations
- • Team collaboration tools
- • Enhanced storage options
🌾 Grain
Free Plan
- • Very limited- Only 1 transcription
- • 20 meeting recordings max
- • Basic features only
Starter Plan ($15/month)
- • Unlimited recordings
- • Unlimited transcriptions
- • Full feature access
Higher Tiers
- • Unlimited everything
- • Advanced team features
- • Enterprise integrations
🤔 Understanding Different Limit Types
📅 Monthly Minute Limits
Platforms likeOtter.aiuse monthly quotas that reset each billing cycle. Once you hit your limit, you can't transcribe more until next month.
- • Predictable usage patterns
- • Clear reset dates
- • May leave you stuck mid-month
💾 Storage-Based Limits
Platforms likeFireflies.ailet you transcribe unlimitedly but cap your storage space. Old recordings get deleted when storage fills up.
- • Flexibility in usage timing
- • Need to manage storage manually
- • Risk losing old recordings
💰 Best Value Analysis by Usage Type
🆓 Best Free Plans
Winner: Fireflies.ai
Unlimited transcriptions with 800 minutes storage beats Otter's 300-minute monthly limit
Runner-up: Supernormal
Unlimited meetings with 1,000 minutes storage, great for consistent usage
💼 Best for Small Teams (1-5 people)
Winner: Fireflies.ai Pro ($10/month)
8,000 minutes storage + unlimited transcriptions = unbeatable value
Alternative: Grain Starter ($15/month)
Unlimited everything if you need consistent high-volume usage
🏢 Best for Large Teams (10+ people)
Winner: Fireflies.ai Business ($19/month)
Unlimited storage + transcriptions + team features
Alternative: Otter.ai Business ($20/month)
6,000 minutes/user might be sufficient with better enterprise features
⚠️ Hidden Costs & Gotchas
🚨 Watch Out For These Limits
Per-Conversation Limits
- • Otter.ai: 30 min (free), 90 min (pro), 4 hours (business)
- • Long meetings may get cut off
- • Workaround: Split recordings manually
File Upload Restrictions
- • Otter.ai free: Only 3 uploads EVER
- • Many platforms charge extra for file transcription
- • Live meeting limits differ from file limits
AI Feature Credits
- • Fireflies.ai: Only 20 AI credits on all plans
- • Summaries and insights consume credits
- • May need higher tiers for full AI features
Storage Auto-Deletion
- • Storage-based platforms delete old recordings
- • No warning when approaching limits
- • Important meetings might disappear
🔄 Smart Migration Strategies
🎯 Start with Free Plans
Test multiple platforms simultaneously to understand your actual usage patterns before committing to paid plans.
- 1. Sign up for Fireflies.ai (unlimited transcriptions)
- 2. Try Supernormal (1,000 min storage)
- 3. Test Otter.ai (300 min quota)
- 4. Track usage for 1-2 months
- 5. Upgrade based on real data
📊 Calculate Your Needs
Use this simple formula to determine your monthly requirements:
Monthly Minutes =
Meetings/week × Meeting length × 4.3 weeks
Example: 10 meetings × 60 min × 4.3 =2,580 minutes/month
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Do limits reset every month?
Monthly minute limits (like Otter.ai) reset on your billing cycle date. Storage limits don't reset - they require manual cleanup or auto-deletion of old recordings.
What happens when I hit my limit?
Monthly limit platforms stop transcribing new meetings. Storage-based platforms either stop accepting new recordings or auto-delete oldest recordings to make space.
Can I combine multiple free plans?
Yes! Many teams use Fireflies.ai for unlimited live meeting transcription and Otter.ai for file uploads, maximizing free tier benefits across platforms.
Which platforms count uploaded files differently?
Otter.ai severely limits file uploads (3 lifetime on free), while Fireflies.ai and Grain treat uploaded files the same as live meetings for transcription purposes.
🔗 Related Comparisons
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