Top 5 Otter alternatives & competitors for Business Transcription

Transcription services have become a valuable asset for companies looking to improve communication and productivity. It’s become less of a “nice-to-have” and more of a “why don’t we have this?”

One of the most popular transcription tools, Otter, has gained recognition for its ability to transcribe meetings and conversations with impressive accuracy. 

However, no tool is one-size-fits-all, and there are times when you might be looking for Otter alternatives that offer unique features, affordability, or specialized functionalities to suit your needs.

5 Biggest Problems with Otter

Otter is undoubtedly a powerful transcription tool, but it's essential to recognize some of its limitations and challenges that might prompt you to seek alternatives:

• Limited Meeting Recording: Otter primarily focuses on transcriptions and may not provide the comprehensive meeting recording features you need, leaving you with only text records.
• No Automated Transcripts: While it does transcribe audio accurately, it doesn't automate the transcription process for recorded meetings, which can be time-consuming.
• Lack of AI Meeting Summaries: Otter may not offer AI-generated summaries of meetings, making it harder to quickly grasp key points and action items.
• Minimal Collaboration Tools: Collaborative features are limited in Otter, making it less suitable for teams looking to work together efficiently.
• Pricing Concerns: For some businesses, the pricing structure of Otter might not align with their budget or the value they receive. Prices can grow exponentially. Meaning Otter’s plans aren’t the best fit for businesses that want to grow every year.

Now that we've outlined the challenges, let's dive into the top Otter competitors and alternatives that address these issues.

• Best Overall Alternative: Claap
• Best Free Alternative: Fireflies
• Best Business Meeting Alternative: Vowel
• Best Enterprise Alternative: BlueJeans
• Best Zoom or Google Meet Add-on: Tactiq

Best Overall Alternative: Claap

Alright, let's set the record straight, perhaps with a touch of enthusiasm 🙃.

Fast-growing unicorns like Revolut and cutting-edge startups like Figures are making the leap from Loom to Claap. This migration is not limited to corporations; even individual contributors within diverse enterprises are flocking to Claap.

Let’s delve into what makes Claap the prime alternative to Otter for fulfilling your business transcription requirements.

Claap vs Otter

‍

‍

Claap emerges as the supreme alternative to Otter for business transcription due to several compelling reasons:

• It seamlessly combines both screen recording and meeting recording functionalities into one coherent platform.
• Claap goes a step further by automatically generating transcripts and AI-powered meeting notes, eliminating tedious manual tasks.
• Comes with both audio transcription and video transcription.
• Collecting feedback on your video records is a breeze with Claap's intuitive interface and advanced collaboration features.
• Organization becomes effortless as Claap empowers you to efficiently manage your archives.
• The integration capabilities of Claap span across a myriad of tools, ensuring a smooth workflow across your preferred applications.

Claap offers a comprehensive range of use cases that surpass the capabilities of Otter, all while providing an enriched user experience and a cost-effective premium plan.

But, don't just take my word for it; put Claap to the test yourself. Get started with our free plan, explore the benefits of the free trial, and rest assured that no credit card is required.

Claap's Key Features

Claap isn't confined to being a mere Otter competitor; it's a multifaceted enterprise video platform. Even on our free plan, Claap serves as a top-tier screen recorder and meeting recorder, catering to your diverse needs.

Beyond screen and meeting recording, Claap boasts an array of essential features, including:

• Automated transcription in over 99 languages, enhancing accessibility and reach.
• AI-powered templates that efficiently summarize video content, saving you valuable time.
• The ability to add video annotations for enhanced clarity and context.
• A collaborative team workspace, fostering real-time communication and productivity.
• Engage in collaborative discussions with ease through comments, including polls and threads.

Claap Pricing

For those ready to explore the advanced features, Claap's paid plans start at just $10 per month, billed on a monthly basis. These plans offer unlimited video recording and extended recording durations, providing access to automated meeting recording and summaries.

There is even an Enterprise option so you can get limitless recordings with Claap.

However, they also acknowledge the need for flexibility in pricing and offer a free plan that packs a punch:

• Store up to 10 videos, ensuring that your important content remains accessible.
• Record up to 10 minutes per video, accommodating a variety of use cases.
• Invite an unlimited number of contributors to your workspace, promoting collaboration and inclusivity.

Try it yourself (free plan, free trial, and no credit card required).

Best Free Alternative: Fireflies

When searching for Otter alternatives, budget-conscious people and businesses might appreciate a free transcription solution that offers robust features. Fireflies is an excellent choice for those looking for a reliable and cost-effective option.

Fireflies vs Otter

While Otter specializes in small teams, Fireflies is aiming for the small to medium sized business market. That means if you’re looking to be a growing business and move category, Fireflies could be a better fit.

The price of Fireflies is slightly higher, however this is also reflected in the price. It comes with Soundbite options and CRM integrations, which is something Otter doesn’t. Overall, Fireflies is a more complete product, even using its free version.

Fireflies Features

Fireflies offers an array of features that make it a worthy competitor to Otter:

• Accurate Transcriptions: Just like Otter, Fireflies provides highly accurate transcriptions of your meetings and conversations.
• Meeting Recording: Unlike Otter, Fireflies includes comprehensive meeting recording capabilities, allowing you to review discussions in their entirety.
• AI-Powered Insights: Fireflies uses AI to provide insights and summaries of your meetings, making it easier to extract actionable information.
• Integrations: Seamlessly integrate Fireflies with other business tools, enhancing your overall workflow.

Fireflies Pricing

The best part? Fireflies offers a free plan with many essential features. For more advanced functionalities and increased usage, they offer competitive pricing options too.

Best Business Meeting Alternative: Vowel

For businesses that prioritize efficient and productive meetings, Vowel emerges as a strong Otter competitor. Vowel is designed to help teams make the most out of their meetings and collaborate effectively.

Vowel vs Otter

Otter is one of the biggest players in the speech to text category. However, Vowel is fresh on the scene and offers a more unique UI that is a generally more pleasing experience.

If you're focusing on sticking to your regular meeting tools, Otter has integrations for that. If you don’t mind moving where you host your meetings, Vowel is a holistic solution that offers the full experience through their tool.

Vowel Features

Vowel boasts several features that cater specifically to businesses:

• Meeting Enhancement: Vowel enhances meetings with automated transcriptions, highlights, and action items, ensuring nothing gets lost in translation.
• No Add-Ons Required: Vowel offers a holistic tool that allows you to host, summarize, search, and share video meetings.
• Collaborative Workspace: Vowel offers a collaborative workspace where teams can work on meeting notes and action items in real-time.
• Customization: Tailor Vowel to your specific needs with customizable templates and settings.

Vowel Pricing

Vowel's pricing is structured to accommodate businesses of all sizes, with flexible plans to match your requirements.

A free plan with no time limit offers unlimited meeting recording up to 40 minutes per meeting and 12 people per meeting. However, each recording will delete itself after 7 days have passed.

They also offer a Business plan at a price of $16.49 per month which offers an unlimited version of this with a bunch of extra features.

Best Enterprise Alternative: BlueJeans

For larger enterprises with diverse communication needs, BlueJeans is a robust Otter competitor. BlueJeans offers a comprehensive suite of tools for video conferencing and communication.

BlueJeans vs Otter

Bluejeans is primarily a video conferencing tool, and therefore offers a significantly more complete service to Otter. 

However, this is reflected in the price. Enterprise products of course means Enterprise prices, you probably already knew that.

No business wants to pay more when they don’t have to, however when you’re looking into transcribing thousands of meetings a week, you need a robust tool that won’t fail. 

BlueJeans Features

BlueJeans offers a wide range of features, including:

• Enterprise-Grade Video Conferencing: BlueJeans is renowned for its high-quality video conferencing capabilities, ideal for large-scale meetings.
• Meeting Recordings: Capture and transcribe meetings effortlessly, ensuring that important discussions are documented.
• Security and Compliance: BlueJeans prioritizes data security and compliance, making it a trusted choice for enterprises.
• Integration Ecosystem: Seamlessly integrate BlueJeans with your existing software stack to enhance your communication workflow.

BlueJeans Pricing

BlueJeans offers flexible pricing tailored to enterprise needs. Contact their sales team to get a customized quote.

Best Zoom or Google Meet Add-On Alternative: Tactiq

If you frequently use Zoom or Google Meet for your meetings and are looking for a transcription and note-taking add-on, Tactiq could be the solution you've been searching for.

Tactiq vs Otter

Well, Tactiq and Otter compete quite heavily as add-ons for Google Meet, Zoom and MS Teams. While both claim to be the #1 audio transcription tool in the world, they are actually very similar in what they can offer.

Tactiq Features

Tactiq's features cater to users who want to enhance their Zoom or Google Meet experience:

• Real-Time Transcription: Tactiq provides real-time transcription during your Zoom or Google Meet calls, helping participants stay on the same page.
• Automated Notes: It generates automated meeting notes, summarizing key points and action items discussed during your virtual meetings.
• Searchable Recordings: Easily search and reference past meetings with Tactiq's organized recordings.
• Integration: Tactiq seamlessly integrates with Zoom and Google Meet, making it a valuable addition to your video conferencing setup.

Tactiq Pricing

Tactiq offers competitive pricing, with options suitable for both individuals and teams.

A free version includes 10 meetings per month, 5 AI credits, as well as basic integrations and features.

Their Team plan costs $16.7 per month and includes unlimited meetings, 200 AI GPT credits, up to 1000 AI credits as well as all their features and integrations.

Conclusion: Which tool is the best alternative to Otter?

In conclusion, while Otter is undoubtedly a popular choice for transcription and meeting recording, it's essential to evaluate your specific needs and explore alternatives that might better align with your business objectives and budget. 

That’s why we think (of course) Claap is the most well, rounded, powerful, and affordable options for business transcriptions.

Wanna see Claap in action? Try it yourself (free plan, free trial, and no credit card required).

Whether you prioritize affordability, comprehensive meeting recording, collaborative features, or enterprise-level solutions, there's a suitable Otter alternative on this list to help you transcribe, record, and organize your business conversations more effectively.

‍