Top 5 Otter.ai Alternatives: Comparing AI Transcription Software

Looking for a transcription tool Have you come across the name Otter.ai and are now wondering which alternatives the market for automatic meeting notes still has to offer, and whether they are even better suited for your company? Then you've come to the right place.

Here we show five powerful AI assistants for automatic transcription that don't go by the name Otter.ai.

What is Otter.ai?

Before we move on to alternative transcription tools, let's first clarify what Otter.ai actually is. Otter is voice recognition software that transcribes audio from virtual meetings in real time.

The software is primarily used by journalists, media teams and universities, but is less suitable for remote, hybrid or asynchronous corporate teams.

German companies in particular quickly become disillusioned when researching Otter.ai: The platform only supports English texts. Otter is therefore not a suitable solution for meetings in German or other languages. There is also the problem that transcripts at Otter are very limited: In the Pro version ($16.99/month), only 1200 minutes per month and in the Business package ($30/month) 6000 minutes.

Top 5 Otter.ai Alternatives

There is a range of different AI tools for transcriptions on the market. But which is the best? How far do they stand out from otters? And which tool is best suited to my specific needs?

Let's get started.

1st Sally

Sally is a complete AI assistant for online meetings and tasks. What makes Sally special are the tailor-made transcriptions, which are adapted depending on the type of meeting. Sally automatically recognizes tasks and assigns them to the responsible employees. Customer objections, next steps and decisions are reliably recorded and thus enable consistent and seamless data maintenance.

Top features of Sally:

• Individual transcriptions: Sally adapts the transcriptions to different types of meetings (e.g. sales calls, brainstorming sessions or team meetings) and thus provides exactly the information that is relevant to the respective situation, making follow-up more efficient and targeted.
• Unlimited transcripts: Starting with the starter package, you get with Sally unlimited meeting transcription. This means that even the longest meetings can be easily written down and noted down.‍
• Automatic task management: Sally automatically recognizes tasks and forwards them to responsible employees to enable efficient tracking and processing.‍
• Cross-team dashboards: Managers and team leads benefit from dashboards that provide insight into common customer objections and sales potential, making planning and decision-making easier.‍
• Versatile integrations: Sally can be seamlessly integrated with online meetings (MS Teams, Zoom, Google Meet), email inboxes (Gmail, Outlook) and CRM systems (Dynamics 365, Salesforce, HubSpot, +30 CRM systems).‍
• Multilanguage transcriptions: With support for 10 languages, Sally can be used by a global audience.

Potential for improvement:

• Sally doesn't offer real-time transcription and instead focuses on the accuracy and features of post-meeting transcription.
• Sally is not yet compatible with WebEx and BlueJeans, but this will be expanded in the future.

Sally vs. Otter.ai

When it comes to comparing Sally and Otter.ai, it quickly becomes apparent that both tools take different approaches. While Otter.ai scores points with its real-time transcription and enables quick log creation, Sally impresses with its in-depth functionality, which is specifically tailored to the needs of small to large medium-sized companies. Otter.ai is ideal for companies that primarily hold English-language meetings and need quick text presentations. Sally, on the other hand, offers more comprehensive features such as automated task management, tailored transcriptions, and cross-team dashboards, making it a more robust choice for companies with complex requirements. Both tools have their strengths, but the choice ultimately depends on your company's specific requirements.

2. Read.ai

Read.ai is a platform focused on analysis and Optimizing online meetings concentrated. Through advanced AI technology, it provides valuable insights into the dynamics and effectiveness of meetings, which significantly improves communication and collaboration within teams.

Benefits of Read.ai:

• Insights into office hours and engagement: Read.ai analyses participants' office hours to see who is dominating the meeting or who barely speaks.
• Comprehensive reports and visual dashboards: The platform provides detailed reports and dashboards that summarize the most important information at a glance.
• Compatibility with popular meeting platforms: Read.ai works seamlessly with Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet.

Drawbacks of Read.ai:

• Language specialization: The transcription is specialized in English, which can lead to inaccuracies in other languages.
• No meeting bot management: There are no clear ways to manage Read.ai during appointments (kick it out, stop recording, etc.).
• Technical issues: Some users report bugs and technical issues that may affect usage.

3. Fireflies.ai

Fireflies.ai is an AI-based platform focused on automatic transcription and Analyzing meetings and specializes in conferences. The tool helps teams increase the efficiency and productivity of their meetings.

Benefits of Fireflies.ai:

• Accurate transcriptions: Fireflies.ai is known for its accuracy in transcribing meeting content.
• Integration with various platforms: The tool integrates with Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and Slack.
• Analysis features: Fireflies.ai provides features to evaluate meeting efficiency and identify areas for improvement.

Drawbacks of Fireflies.ai:

• Management of rights: Managing and removing access rights is complex, which can pose security risks.
• No telephone customer support: Users report a lack of customer support that only takes place via email and is delayed (and in English).
• Common bugs: Fireflies currently has frequent bugs, such as not attending meetings

4. tl; dv

tl; dv, which stands for “too long; didn't view,” is a tool that automated summaries of meetings provides. It helps users focus on the important points without having to review the entire meeting.

Benefits of tl; dv:

• Timestamped highlights: Users can quickly jump to the most important parts of a meeting.
• Support for multiple languages: tl; dv supports over 25 languages, making it a good choice for international teams.
• Compatibility with popular platforms: The tool works with Zoom, Google Meet, and MS Teams calls.

Disadvantages of tl; dv:

• German transcription: The quality of summaries in German could be improved.
• Lack of analysis tools: There are no functions for analyzing the conversation tone, the mood or potential for the future.
• Immobile: The mobile application is limited.
• No custom vocabulary: tl; dv could not recognize special terms because there is no function to add user-defined vocabulary or technical terms.

5. Bliro.io

Bliro is a tool that streamlines virtual meetings and task management in a collaborative work environment. It offers features to improve communication, automated logging, and project tracking.

Benefits of Bliro:

• Easy installation: Bliro is easy to set up and use.
• Interactive notes: Users can create and share notes in real time.
• Integration with Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Google Workspace: Bliro is compatible with several popular platforms.
• German tool: Bliro is a German platform that specializes in the German language.

Disadvantages of Bliro:

• Weakening summary: The meeting summaries are sometimes imprecise and inaccurate.
• No automatic start of recording: There is no connection to the calendar, which requires the manual start and end of recordings.
• Imprecise speaker assignment: Sometimes the statements are attributed to the wrong speakers.

conclusion

Otter.ai: Yes or no? Of course, it is not that easy to answer the question, as it depends on the specific requirements and wishes. If you're looking for a German transcription tool If you support unlimited notes, then the answer is no.

Each of the alternatives presented here offers unique features that can be useful as needed. While Read.ai and Fireflies.ai score points with their analysis and integration capabilities, tl; dv provides a quick overview of meetings, and Bliro offers interactive features to improve communication.

However, if you're looking for a complete solution for online meetings and tasks, we definitely recommend Sally. Sally stands out due to comprehensive functionality and the ability to automate task and meeting management. With Sally, you not only get a tool, but a real AI assistant that supports your daily work and makes online meetings more efficient.