2026 Guide

Best Otter.ai Alternatives

Between the bot, the billing, and the lawsuit — there are good reasons to look elsewhere. We compared 13 AI meeting note tools on privacy, accuracy, pricing, and features.

The three big reasons.

The bot problem

OtterPilot joins every call as a visible participant. Clients notice. Candidates clam up. Partners ask questions. The bot changes the dynamic of every conversation it touches.

The billing problem

Users report extreme difficulty canceling Otter subscriptions, with some contacting their credit card company directly. The free plan cuts off at 30 minutes mid-meeting.

The privacy problem

A class-action lawsuit (Aug 2025) alleges ECPA, CFAA, and CIPA violations. Otter uses recordings to train ASR models and auto-sends transcripts to calendar invitees.

Our honest assessment.

#1

Keptivo

Commitment tracking, no bot, works anywhere
Our pick

The only AI meeting tool that tracks specific commitments — not just action items — with persistent voice ID and on-device recording. Works on phone, smartwatch, and desktop for both virtual and in-person meetings.

Pros

  • No bot joins calls
  • Commitment tracking (not just action items)
  • Persistent voice ID across meetings
  • In-person + virtual meeting support
  • Auto calendar events and email drafts
  • Data never used for AI training

Cons

  • Launching 2026 (waitlist)
  • Newer product
#2

Granola

Desktop-only, no audio, but no bot

Granola captures system audio from virtual meetings on desktop without joining as a bot. Clean interface, decent summaries. But it has significant limitations that keep it from being a complete solution.

Pros

  • No meeting bot
  • Clean, minimal interface
  • Good meeting summaries

Cons

  • No audio playback
  • "Me" and "Them" speaker labels only
  • Desktop only — no mobile, no Android
  • 25 meetings total on free plan
  • No in-person meeting support
#3

Fathom

Generous free tier, but bot visible as participant

Fathom offers a strong free plan with unlimited recording and AI summaries for Zoom, Teams, and Meet. The bot joins as a visible participant but is less intrusive than Otter or Fireflies.

Pros

  • Generous free tier
  • Good Zoom integration
  • Clip and share meeting moments
  • Less intrusive bot than competitors

Cons

  • Bot still visible as participant
  • Virtual meetings only
  • No commitment tracking
  • No persistent speaker ID
#4

Fireflies.ai

Feature-rich but hidden credits, intrusive bot

Fireflies has extensive features including CRM integrations and conversation intelligence. But the hidden AI credit system and aggressive auto-joining behavior have earned it bans from universities.

Pros

  • Extensive CRM integrations
  • Conversation intelligence analytics
  • Wide platform support

Cons

  • Hidden AI credits ($5-$600/mo on top of subscription)
  • "Worm-like" auto-joining — banned at Cornell, Tufts, Oxford
  • Class-action lawsuit (Dec 2025)
  • Semantic transcription errors reported
  • Confusing pricing tiers
#5

tl;dv

Good for Zoom/Meet, but export issues on free plan

tl;dv offers recording and transcription for Google Meet and Zoom with a clean interface. Good for clipping meeting highlights, but the free plan limits exports significantly.

Pros

  • Clean interface
  • Good highlight/clip feature
  • Zoom and Meet support

Cons

  • Bot joins calls
  • Export limitations on free plan
  • No in-person support
  • No commitment tracking
#6

Recall.ai

API-focused, not for end users

Recall.ai provides meeting bot infrastructure as an API for developers to build their own meeting recording products. Not a consumer tool — it's the plumbing behind other products.

Pros

  • Robust API
  • Multi-platform bot support
  • Good for building custom solutions

Cons

  • Not a consumer product
  • Requires engineering team to implement
  • API-only — no end-user interface
#7

Krisp

Noise cancellation focus, basic notes

Krisp started as AI noise cancellation and added meeting notes as a secondary feature. The noise cancellation is excellent; the notes are basic.

Pros

  • Excellent noise cancellation
  • No meeting bot
  • Works across platforms

Cons

  • Notes are a secondary feature
  • Basic transcription quality
  • No commitment tracking
  • No in-person support
#8

Tactiq

Chrome extension, limited to virtual

Tactiq runs as a Chrome extension that captures meeting transcripts from Google Meet, Zoom (web), and MS Teams. Lightweight approach but limited to browser-based meetings.

Pros

  • Lightweight Chrome extension
  • No separate app to install
  • Real-time transcript view

Cons

  • Chrome only
  • Browser-based meetings only
  • No mobile support
  • No in-person support
  • Basic speaker identification
#9

Avoma

Enterprise-focused, expensive

Avoma targets enterprise revenue teams with conversation intelligence, coaching, and CRM integration. Full-featured but priced accordingly.

Pros

  • Comprehensive conversation intelligence
  • Revenue team features
  • CRM integration
  • Coaching tools

Cons

  • Expensive ($49-$129/user/mo)
  • Bot joins calls
  • Enterprise-focused — overkill for most
  • No in-person support
#10

Sonnet

Newer entrant, limited features

Sonnet is a newer AI meeting notes tool focused on simplicity. Clean interface but still building out its feature set.

Pros

  • Clean, simple interface
  • Lightweight

Cons

  • Limited feature set
  • Newer product with less track record
  • No in-person support
  • No commitment tracking
#11

MeetGeek

Decent features but bot-based

MeetGeek offers meeting recording, transcription, and summaries with integrations for popular platforms. Solid mid-range option but relies on a meeting bot.

Pros

  • Good integrations
  • Meeting analytics
  • Automatic highlights

Cons

  • Bot joins calls
  • No in-person support
  • No commitment tracking
  • Basic speaker identification
#12

Supernormal

Basic transcription and summaries

Supernormal provides straightforward meeting transcription and summaries. No-frills approach that does the basics without advanced features.

Pros

  • Simple and straightforward
  • Good basic summaries
  • Affordable

Cons

  • Basic feature set
  • No in-person support
  • No commitment tracking
  • Limited integrations
#13

Plaud

Hardware device, no software-only option

Plaud offers a dedicated hardware recording device with AI transcription. Good for in-person meetings but requires carrying an additional device.

Pros

  • Works in-person
  • Dedicated hardware for quality audio
  • No phone battery drain

Cons

  • Requires purchasing hardware ($159+)
  • No software-only option
  • Extra device to carry
  • No real-time processing
  • No commitment tracking

At a glance.

Tool No Bot In-Person Commitments Voice ID Mobile
Keptivo
Granola
Fathom
Fireflies
tl;dv
Krisp
Tactiq
Plaud

Common questions.

What is the best free alternative to Otter.ai?

Keptivo offers full access during beta at no cost and no credit card required. Fathom also has a generous free tier for virtual meetings, though it uses a visible meeting bot. Granola offers 25 free meetings total (not monthly). For a truly free, full-featured option, Keptivo is the strongest choice right now.

Which Otter.ai alternative has no meeting bot?

Keptivo, Granola, and Krisp all work without a bot joining your calls. Among these, Keptivo is the only one that also supports in-person meetings and has persistent voice ID across conversations.

Can I use an Otter.ai alternative for in-person meetings?

Most AI meeting tools are designed for virtual calls only. Keptivo is the primary option that works for in-person meetings — recording from your phone or smartwatch. Plaud offers a hardware device option but requires separate hardware. No other tool on this list supports in-person capture natively.

Which Otter.ai alternative is best for teams?

For teams that need shared accountability, Keptivo is the best fit because it tracks commitments — who promised what and when. For enterprise teams focused on CRM integration and call analytics, Avoma or Fireflies may be better fits, though both use meeting bots.

Why are people leaving Otter.ai in 2026?

The main reasons users switch from Otter: the visible meeting bot that alerts participants, difficulty canceling subscriptions, free plan cutting off at 30 minutes, Otter using recordings to train AI, auto-sharing transcripts with all calendar invitees, and a class-action lawsuit filed in August 2025 over recording consent.

Try the best alternative.

Join the waitlist for early access to Keptivo.

Free during beta. No credit card required.