Otter.ai pioneered AI meeting notes — but its bot-first approach, billing practices, and privacy record have users looking for alternatives. Here's how Keptivo compares.
Otter's "OtterPilot" joins as a visible participant, alerting everyone on the call that the conversation is being recorded. Clients, candidates, and partners notice — and change their behavior.
Users report extreme difficulty canceling subscriptions, with some resorting to contacting their credit card company directly. Complaints about surprise charges after "free trials" are widespread across review sites.
Otter's free tier hard-caps at 30 minutes per conversation. If your meeting runs long, the transcript simply stops — mid-sentence, mid-thought, mid-commitment.
In August 2025, Otter faced a class-action lawsuit alleging violations of ECPA, CFAA, and CIPA — federal and state wiretapping and computer fraud laws — over its recording practices.
Otter uses customer recordings to train its automatic speech recognition models. Your private conversations, client calls, and confidential meetings become training data for Otter's products.
Otter's bot can automatically send transcripts to all attendees on the calendar invite — including external clients and partners who never consented to being recorded.
| Keptivo | Otter.ai | |
|---|---|---|
| Recording method | On-device, invisible | Bot joins call |
| In-person meetings | ✓ | ✗ |
| Commitment tracking | ✓ | ✗ (basic action items only) |
| Persistent voice ID | ✓ | ✗ (per-meeting labels) |
| Smartwatch support | ✓ | ✗ |
| Auto calendar events | ✓ | ✗ |
| Auto email drafts | ✓ | ✗ |
| Data used for training | Never | Yes (ASR training) |
| Transparent pricing | ✓ | Complaints widespread |
| Recording consent | User-controlled | Class-action lawsuit (2025) |
Keptivo records directly on your phone, watch, or desktop. Nobody joins your call. Nobody gets notified. The conversation stays natural because nobody knows a tool is listening.
Free during beta. No credit card required to start. No surprise charges. No dark patterns to prevent cancellation. When we do charge, you'll know exactly what you're paying for.
Otter gives you a transcript and some action items. Keptivo tracks who specifically promised what, when it's due, and follows up automatically. The difference between "we should do this" and "Sarah will deliver this by Friday."
Audio is processed and discarded. Never stored long-term. Never used to train AI models. You control what gets saved and who sees it. No transcripts auto-sent to anyone.
Yes. Keptivo records on-device and never sends a bot to your calls. No participants are notified, no transcripts are shared without your control, and your recordings are never used to train AI models. Otter sends a visible bot that alerts all participants and has faced class-action lawsuits over recording consent.
No. Keptivo has straightforward pricing with no hidden fees. Otter users have reported difficulty canceling subscriptions, with some needing to contact their credit card company. Keptivo is free during beta with no credit card required.
Keptivo actually goes beyond Otter here. Otter is designed for virtual meetings only. Keptivo records from your phone or smartwatch, so it works in conference rooms, coffee shops, hallways — anywhere you have a conversation.
Keptivo goes further. Otter extracts basic action items. Keptivo distinguishes between generic tasks and specific commitments — promises a person made with a deadline. It then follows up automatically to ensure those commitments are kept.
Otter identifies speakers per-meeting with basic labels. Keptivo uses persistent voice ID — once someone is enrolled, they are recognized across every future meeting. No more "Speaker 1" and "Speaker 2."
Join the waitlist for early access to Keptivo.
Free during beta. No credit card required.