The best Otter.ai alternatives in 2026
The best Otter.ai alternatives are Caddie (no bot, and every promise becomes a task on your Mac's calendar), Granola (a polished no-bot notepad), Fathom (unlimited free recordings), Fireflies (integrations and task creation), Jamie (bot-free in 99+ languages), tl;dv (unlimited free recording) and Read.ai (meeting analytics). If Otter's 30-minute free limit or its bot is the problem, start with Caddie, Granola or Fathom.
The 7 picks at a glance
| App | Best for | Platforms | Free plan | Paid from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Caddie | Best for no-bot notes that become tasks, on a Mac | Mac (Apple silicon); notes, tasks and calendar in any browser; iPhone in beta | Everything, while in beta | Free while in beta, then $10 a month for everything |
| 2. Granola | Best no-bot notepad on Mac and Windows | Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android | Unlimited meetings; only the last 30 days of notes visible | Business $14 per user a month |
| 3. Fathom | Best free plan | Zoom, Meet, Teams on Mac and Windows; iPhone for in person | Unlimited recordings, transcripts and summaries | Premium $20 a month, or $16 a month billed yearly |
| 4. Fireflies.ai | Best integrations | Web, Mac, Windows | Unlimited transcription, 400 minutes of storage per team | Pro $18 a month, or $10 a month billed yearly |
| 5. Jamie | Best for many languages | Mac, Windows, iPhone, web | 10 AI notes a month, 30 minutes each | Plus €21 a month |
| 6. tl;dv | Best for unlimited free recording | Web and Chrome extension | Unlimited recordings; AI notes for 10 meetings; kept 3 months | Pro €29 a month, or €18 a month billed yearly |
| 7. Read.ai | Best for meeting analytics | Zoom, Teams, Meet; Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android, Chrome | 5 meetings a month, 1 hour each | Pro $19.75 a month, or $15 a month billed yearly |
Why people look for a Otter alternative
Otter's free plan stops at 30 minutes a conversation and 300 minutes a month, keeps only your last 25 conversations, and its Notetaker joins calls as a bot, which some guests don't like.
How we picked
We compared recording method (bot or not), free limits, the cheapest paid plan and what each does with action items. Prices are from each product's pricing page on 31 October 2026.
1. Caddie
Best for no-bot notes that become tasks, on a Mac
Records any call your Mac plays (Zoom, Meet, Teams, Slack) with no bot, writes the notes when it ends, and puts every promise on your day as a task. Notes, calendar, booking links and dictation are in the same app.
- Platforms
- Mac (Apple silicon); notes, tasks and calendar in any browser; iPhone in beta
- Free plan
- Everything, while in beta
- Paid from
- Free while in beta, then $10 a month for everything
- Watch out for
- Mac only for meetings and dictation (Apple silicon; macOS 26 to record and dictate). No Windows or Android app.
- Source
- usecaddie.app
2. Granola
Best no-bot notepad on Mac and Windows
A polished notepad: your own notes during the call, filled in by AI after. No bot.
- Platforms
- Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android
- Free plan
- Unlimited meetings; only the last 30 days of notes visible
- Paid from
- Business $14 per user a month
- Watch out for
- The free plan hides notes after 30 days, and there's no task list.
- Source
- www.granola.ai/pricing
3. Fathom
Best free plan
The most generous free plan of the meeting note takers.
- Platforms
- Zoom, Meet, Teams on Mac and Windows; iPhone for in person
- Free plan
- Unlimited recordings, transcripts and summaries
- Paid from
- Premium $20 a month, or $16 a month billed yearly
- Watch out for
- A bot by default; bot-free recording is Mac-only and in beta.
- Source
- fathom.ai/pricing
4. Fireflies.ai
Best integrations
Wide integrations, and it can create tasks in Asana and Jira.
- Platforms
- Web, Mac, Windows
- Free plan
- Unlimited transcription, 400 minutes of storage per team
- Paid from
- Pro $18 a month, or $10 a month billed yearly
- Watch out for
- A bot by default; recording without one is a paid feature.
- Source
- fireflies.ai/pricing
5. Jamie
Best for many languages
Bot-free, works with any meeting app or in person, in 99+ languages.
- Platforms
- Mac, Windows, iPhone, web
- Free plan
- 10 AI notes a month, 30 minutes each
- Paid from
- Plus €21 a month
- Watch out for
- A small free plan, and Asana sync needs the €39 Pro plan.
- Source
- www.meetjamie.ai/pricing
6. tl;dv
Best for unlimited free recording
Unlimited recording on the free plan.
- Platforms
- Web and Chrome extension
- Free plan
- Unlimited recordings; AI notes for 10 meetings; kept 3 months
- Paid from
- Pro €29 a month, or €18 a month billed yearly
- Watch out for
- Free recordings are deleted after 3 months.
- Source
- tldv.io/pricing
7. Read.ai
Best for meeting analytics
Meeting analytics (talk time, engagement) on top of the notes.
- Platforms
- Zoom, Teams, Meet; Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android, Chrome
- Free plan
- 5 meetings a month, 1 hour each
- Paid from
- Pro $19.75 a month, or $15 a month billed yearly
- Watch out for
- Joins as a bot, and the free plan covers only 5 meetings a month.
- Source
- www.read.ai/plans-pricing
How to choose
- No bot on the call: Caddie, Granola or Jamie.
- Longer free meetings: Fathom, or Caddie while in beta.
- Your CRM or Jira needs the notes: Fireflies.
- You want talk-time and engagement stats: Read.ai.
Questions people ask
What's better than Otter.ai for meeting notes?
It depends on what bothers you about Otter. For no bot and tasks on your calendar, Caddie. For a polished notepad on Windows too, Granola. For a bigger free plan, Fathom.
Is there a free Otter alternative without minute limits?
Fathom's free plan has unlimited recordings. Caddie doesn't meter recording minutes while in beta.
Can I record meetings on a Mac without a bot?
Yes. Caddie, Granola and Jamie record your Mac's audio, so no bot joins the call.