now recording vs otter.ai

The structural difference: cloud service vs on-device app

Otter.ai is a cloud transcription service. Whether its OtterPilot bot joins your call, you record from the desktop app, or you import a file, the audio travels to Otter's servers, where it is transcribed, stored, and made available across your devices. That architecture is what enables Otter's strengths: team workspaces, cross-device audio playback, and integrations with Zoom and Salesforce.

now recording inverts this. The Whisper speech-recognition model runs inside your browser on WebGPU (or inside the iOS app), so transcription happens on your own hardware. There is no bot, no upload, and no server-side copy of your audio. Because it captures whatever audio your device hears, it works identically with Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, or an in-person conversation — there is nothing to integrate and no calendar access to grant.

Neither architecture is universally better. Cloud processing buys convenience and team features at the cost of holding your audio; on-device processing buys privacy and unlimited usage at the cost of some of that convenience. The rest of this page maps those trade-offs concretely.

Privacy: where does your audio actually go?

With Otter, your meeting audio is uploaded to and stored on Otter's servers — that is how the product works, and it is the standard model for nearly every meeting transcription tool. Your recordings exist as files on infrastructure you don't control, governed by Otter's retention and security policies. For many teams that is an acceptable trade; for conversations covered by NDAs, legal privilege, patient confidentiality, or strict company policy, it can be a dealbreaker.

With now recording, audio never leaves your device. Recording, live transcription, speaker identification, and the high-accuracy polish pass all run locally. This is not a policy promise you have to trust — it is verifiable: open your browser's DevTools network tab while recording and you will see no audio leaving the page.

Two scoped exceptions, stated plainly. First, AI summaries: when you request one, the transcript text (never audio) is sent to an LLM API. If you skip summaries, nothing leaves the device at all. Second, Pro's cloud backup and cross-device sync covers transcript text only — now recording's servers never store audio, on any plan.

Pricing as of June 2026

Otter.ai (per otter.ai/pricing, June 2026): the free Basic plan includes 300 transcription minutes per month, 30 minutes per conversation, 20 AI Chat queries per month, and 3 lifetime file imports. Pro costs $16.99/month, or $8.33/month billed annually, and raises limits to 1,200 minutes per month and 90 minutes per conversation. Business costs $30/month, or $19.99/month billed annually, with unlimited meeting transcription and conversations up to 4 hours.

now recording (June 2026): the free tier includes unlimited recording, unlimited live transcription in 29 languages, on-device speaker identification, the high-accuracy polish pass, Markdown export, and 10 AI summaries per month signed in (3 without an account). Pro costs $8/month, or $5/month billed annually, with a 7-day free trial, and adds unlimited AI summaries, cloud text backup and cross-device sync, full-text search across meetings, and public share links.

The notable difference is what the free tiers gate. Otter meters transcription itself, so a single one-hour weekly meeting exceeds the free plan's 30-minute-per-conversation cap. now recording never meters transcription — only AI summaries — so you can transcribe every meeting you have without paying, and without creating an account.

Where Otter.ai is stronger

Integrations: Otter connects to Zoom, Salesforce, and calendar systems, can auto-join scheduled meetings, and pushes notes into existing workflows. now recording deliberately has no integrations — local capture means it needs none, but it also means no automation around your calendar or CRM.

Mobile and platform maturity: Otter ships mature iOS and Android apps with years of refinement. now recording offers a browser app and an iOS app; there is no Android app, though the web app runs on capable Android browsers.

Team and collaboration features: Otter's Business plan offers shared workspaces, channels, and admin controls built for organizations. now recording is currently a single-user product whose collaboration story is limited to public read-only share links on Pro.

Cloud audio playback and AI Chat today: because Otter stores your audio, you can replay any recording from any device — now recording syncs transcript text only, so audio stays on the device that recorded it. Otter's AI Chat also lets you ask questions across your meetings today; now recording's equivalent ("Ask your meetings") is announced but not yet available. Otter additionally captures meeting slides during virtual calls, which now recording does not do.

Where now recording is stronger

Privacy: audio is processed and stored on your device only, with no server-side copy to secure, subpoena, or breach. The claim is verifiable in your browser's network tab rather than asserted in a policy document.

No bot, no setup: nothing joins your meeting as a visible participant, nothing needs calendar access, and the web version requires no installation and no account for the free tier. Open the page, press record.

Unlimited free transcription: no monthly minute caps and no per-conversation caps, in 29 languages, with on-device speaker identification included free. Otter's free plan stops a one-hour meeting at the 30-minute mark.

Price: at $8/month ($5/month annual), Pro costs roughly half of Otter Pro's $16.99/month ($8.33/month annual) as of June 2026, and its free tier covers unmetered transcription that Otter only offers on the $30/month Business plan.

frequently asked questions

Does now recording really never upload my meeting audio?

Yes. Recording, transcription, speaker identification, and the accuracy polish pass all run on your device — in the browser via WebGPU or in the iOS app. You can verify this yourself by opening your browser's DevTools network tab while recording. The one exception is AI summaries: requesting one sends the transcript text (never audio) to an LLM API. Pro's cloud sync stores transcript text only; no audio touches now recording's servers on any plan.

Will the other people in my meeting know I'm transcribing?

With now recording, no bot or visible participant joins the call — it captures audio locally on your device. With Otter's default OtterPilot mode, a bot joins the meeting and is visible to participants (Otter also offers a botless desktop-capture mode, though audio still uploads to its cloud). Either way, recording-consent laws in your jurisdiction apply regardless of which tool you use, and informing participants is your responsibility.

Does now recording work with Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams?

Yes — with all of them, plus in-person conversations. Because it transcribes whatever audio your device captures, it works with any meeting app without integrations, plugins, or calendar access. The flip side: it cannot auto-join scheduled meetings the way Otter's bot can.

Is Otter.ai's free plan enough for regular meetings?

It depends on your meeting length. As of June 2026, Otter's free plan allows 300 transcription minutes per month with a 30-minute cap per conversation, so a one-hour meeting gets cut off halfway. now recording's free tier has no transcription limits; it only caps AI summaries (10 per month signed in, 3 without an account).

Can I access my now recording transcripts from multiple devices?

On the free tier, transcripts live on the device that recorded them. Pro ($8/month, or $5/month billed annually as of June 2026) adds cloud backup and cross-device sync of transcript text, plus full-text search across all your meetings. Audio itself never syncs — if you need cloud audio playback from any device, Otter is the better fit.

Which one is cheaper?

As of June 2026, now recording Pro costs $8/month or $5/month billed annually with a 7-day free trial; Otter Pro costs $16.99/month or $8.33/month billed annually, and Otter Business costs $30/month or $19.99/month billed annually. For unmetered transcription specifically, now recording includes it free, while Otter requires the Business plan.