Otter vs Notta: which free plan is actually usable
Quick answer
Otter's free plan is the more usable one. You get 300 transcription minutes a month with recordings up to 30 minutes. Notta's free plan gives 120 minutes and cuts every recording at 3 minutes.
- Otter free: 300 minutes a month, 30 minutes per conversation, 25 recent conversations, 3 imported files for life.
- Notta free: 120 minutes a month, 3 minutes per conversation, 50 file uploads a month, 10 AI summaries.
- Otter Pro: $8.33 a month billed annually, 1,200 minutes.
- Notta Pro: $8.17 a month billed annually, 1,800 minutes.
- The catch: Otter's free allowance is shared across live recordings and imported files, and minutes do not roll over.
Both tools list a paid plan at roughly eight dollars a month, and both have a free plan. On paper they look identical. The free tiers are not.
The free plans, side by side
| Free-plan limit | Otter | Notta |
|---|---|---|
| Transcription minutes a month | 300 per user | 120 |
| Maximum length per conversation | 30 minutes | 3 minutes |
| File uploads | 3 for life | 50 a month |
| AI summaries | via chat, 20 queries | 10 a month |
| Conversation history | 25 most recent | limited |
The three-minute cap is what decides this. Almost no meeting, interview or client call fits inside three minutes. On Notta's free plan you can record a voice note, not a conversation. Otter's 30 minutes is short for a long workshop, but it covers a normal client call, so the free tier stays useful for real work.
Otter's counter-trade is that the 300 minutes are shared across live recordings and imported files, and you keep only the 25 most recent conversations. Three imported files for life is a hard stop if you work from recordings rather than live calls.
Before and after: free to paid
| What changes when you pay | Otter Pro | Notta Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Minutes a month | 300 to 1,200 | 120 to 1,800 |
| Max per recording | 30 to 90 minutes | 3 minutes to 5 hours |
| Price billed annually | $8.33 a month | $8.17 a month |
| Exports | mp3, txt, pdf, docx, srt | transcript export unlocked |
| Integrations | Zoom, Meet, Zapier, Salesforce | Zoom, Meet, Notion, Zapier, CRMs |
The paid plans compared
| Plan | Annual | Allowance |
|---|---|---|
| Otter Pro | $8.33 a month | 1,200 minutes |
| Otter Business | $19.99 a month | unlimited minutes |
| Notta Pro | $8.17 a month | 1,800 minutes |
| Notta Business | $16.67 a month | unlimited minutes |
Notta gives more minutes for the same price and adds translation and bilingual transcription. Otter is stronger for live English meetings and team collaboration. If you switch languages mid-call, Notta is the one to try first.
Where these numbers come from
The catch
Neither free plan rolls minutes over. Both are month-by-month allowances, so a busy month is paid for and a quiet month is wasted. And on both, the free tier is a reason to stay until your first long meeting, then a reason to pay. If your work is English meetings, start on Otter free. If it is multilingual or long recordings, Notta's free plan will frustrate you inside a week, so go straight to its paid tier or pick Otter.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better free, Otter or Notta?
Otter, for almost everyone. Its free plan allows 300 transcription minutes a month with recordings up to 30 minutes. Notta's free plan allows 120 minutes and cuts every recording at 3 minutes, which rules out meetings and interviews.
Is Notta's free plan usable?
Only for short voice notes. The 3-minute cap per recording is the limitation. It is fine for testing the app, not for transcribing a call.
How much do Otter and Notta cost?
Otter Pro is $8.33 a month billed annually and Notta Pro is $8.17 a month billed annually. Business tiers are $19.99 (Otter) and $16.67 (Notta) a month for unlimited transcription.
Do free-plan minutes roll over?
No. Both tools reset the monthly allowance and none of it carries into the next month, so size any paid plan for your busiest month.
Does Otter or Notta support other languages?
Notta is the stronger choice for multilingual work, with bilingual transcription and translation. Otter is built around English first.