Introducing G2.ai, the future of software buying.Try now
Share your insights with Otter.ai

Thousands of people like you come to G2 to find out whether solutions like Otter.ai are the right fit for them. Share your real experiences with Otter.ai and the G2 community and help someone make the right decision about their software.

Otter.ai Pros and Cons: Top Advantages and Disadvantages

Quick AI Summary Based on G2 Reviews

Generated from real user reviews

Users value the ease of use of Otter.ai for recording and accessing detailed meeting summaries effortlessly. (180 mentions)
Users find Otter.ai's helpful features essential for summarizing meetings and tracking important actions effortlessly. (139 mentions)
Users love the accurate meeting summaries of Otter.ai, making note-taking and information retrieval effortless. (125 mentions)
Users appreciate the easy transcription and summarization features of Otter.ai, enhancing note-taking during meetings and podcasts. (124 mentions)
Users praise the high accuracy of Otter.ai's real-time transcription, enhancing productivity and ease of reviewing meetings. (122 mentions)
Users face recording issues with multiple speakers and background noise, impacting effectiveness and usability. (77 mentions)
Users report accuracy issues with Otter.ai, citing poor transcription and inconsistent performance in capturing conversations. (52 mentions)
Users express frustration over the missing features needed for reliable transcription and usability in Otter.ai. (47 mentions)
Users report significant issues with AI inaccuracy, leading to trust problems in the transcriptions and summaries. (46 mentions)
Users experience difficulties with inaccuracy in speaker separation and transcription quality, especially with accents and background noise. (41 mentions)
Users find that the recommended post-meeting next steps can be inaccurate, impacting their overall meeting management experience. (35 mentions)

Top Pros or Advantages of Otter.ai

1. Ease of Use
Users value the ease of use of Otter.ai for recording and accessing detailed meeting summaries effortlessly.
See 180 mentions

See Related User Reviews

David S. L.
DL

David S. L.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

4.5/5

"A better-than-average AI notetaking and recording assistant"

What do you like about Otter.ai?

I use Otter.ai mostly for transcribing and gaining summary notes from podcast interviews. It is easy to import files and have them automatically trans

PQ

Paul Q.

Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

4.0/5

"Otter enhances teamwork"

What do you like about Otter.ai?

The meeting summaries are spot on and the detail is easily accessible. Meeting actions are very valuable enhancing the formal minutes and becoming in

2. Helpful
Users find Otter.ai's helpful features essential for summarizing meetings and tracking important actions effortlessly.
See 139 mentions

See Related User Reviews

Verified User
U

Verified User

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5.0/5

"Otter Review"

What do you like about Otter.ai?

I never have to take notes for a meeting ever again! I also love searching the summary after a meeting if I need to double check what someone said.

DB

Darby B.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5.0/5

"Best notetaker I've used"

What do you like about Otter.ai?

This is the best notetaker I've used. Otter will summarise important elements of your meeting, any actions to take away. What I love the most is the c

3. AI Summary
Users love the accurate meeting summaries of Otter.ai, making note-taking and information retrieval effortless.
See 125 mentions

See Related User Reviews

Verified User
U

Verified User

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5.0/5

"Otter Review"

What do you like about Otter.ai?

I never have to take notes for a meeting ever again! I also love searching the summary after a meeting if I need to double check what someone said.

Verified User
U

Verified User

Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

5.0/5

"Save a lot of time in reviewing and briefing"

What do you like about Otter.ai?

Otter.ai knows what we talked and knows every speaker. It converts our speech into texts with very few errors. The most useful function is that it can

4. Transcription
Users appreciate the easy transcription and summarization features of Otter.ai, enhancing note-taking during meetings and podcasts.
See 124 mentions

See Related User Reviews

Jeffrey W.
JW

Jeffrey W.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

4.5/5

"Great notetaker for more than just meetings"

What do you like about Otter.ai?

Otter has helped me take and process notes in real time and share them immediately after meetings. I also like that I can use it to record in-person m

Verified User
U

Verified User

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5.0/5

"OtterAI bot is a great tool for staying organized"

What do you like about Otter.ai?

I appreciate the transcripting and that you can edit what may have been picked up incorrectly. What I value most is the summary and action item tools.

5. Accuracy
Users praise the high accuracy of Otter.ai's real-time transcription, enhancing productivity and ease of reviewing meetings.
See 122 mentions

See Related User Reviews

Saif M.
SM

Saif M.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5.0/5

"Otter.ai is a highly recommended AI tool for automating meeting note-taking and boosting productivit"

What do you like about Otter.ai?

Otter's ability to transcribe conversations as they happen is a major selling point. Users can follow along with the transcript during a meeting, and

Haroon C.
HC

Haroon C.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

4.5/5

"Time-Saving & Accurate – A Must-Have for Meetings!"

What do you like about Otter.ai?

The real-time transcription is highly accurate, and AI summaries save time. Searchable transcripts make reviewing meetings effortless, boosting produc

Top Cons or Disadvantages of Otter.ai

1. Recording Issues
Users face recording issues with multiple speakers and background noise, impacting effectiveness and usability.
See 77 mentions

See Related User Reviews

Verified User
U

Verified User

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5.0/5

"Otter Review"

What do you dislike about Otter.ai?

When Otter doesn't automatically join the call for some odd reason I am disappointed that I don't have my note taker there.

Fernando C.
FC

Fernando C.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

4.5/5

"It's worth trying it"

What do you dislike about Otter.ai?

The home dashboard should display all recording titles in an easy-to-view home page, especially when you have several recordings.

2. Accuracy Issues
Users report accuracy issues with Otter.ai, citing poor transcription and inconsistent performance in capturing conversations.
See 52 mentions

See Related User Reviews

Verified User
U

Verified User

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

0.0/5

"Disappointment piled on disappointment"

What do you dislike about Otter.ai?

There is nothing redeeming at all about this product when compared to the others out there. The transcription was poor. I had no confidence in the su

Akhili Veera S.
AS

Akhili Veera S.

Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)

5.0/5

"Positive experience"

What do you dislike about Otter.ai?

Inconsistent Accuracy and Limited Usability & Not Yet Reliable for Professional Use

3. Missing Features
Users express frustration over the missing features needed for reliable transcription and usability in Otter.ai.
See 47 mentions

See Related User Reviews

Verified User
U

Verified User

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

0.0/5

"Disappointment piled on disappointment"

What do you dislike about Otter.ai?

There is nothing redeeming at all about this product when compared to the others out there. The transcription was poor. I had no confidence in the su

Akhili Veera S.
AS

Akhili Veera S.

Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)

5.0/5

"Positive experience"

What do you dislike about Otter.ai?

Inconsistent Accuracy and Limited Usability & Not Yet Reliable for Professional Use

4. AI Inaccuracy
Users report significant issues with AI inaccuracy, leading to trust problems in the transcriptions and summaries.
See 46 mentions

See Related User Reviews

Verified User
U

Verified User

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

0.0/5

"Disappointment piled on disappointment"

What do you dislike about Otter.ai?

There is nothing redeeming at all about this product when compared to the others out there. The transcription was poor. I had no confidence in the su

Akhili Veera S.
AS

Akhili Veera S.

Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)

5.0/5

"Positive experience"

What do you dislike about Otter.ai?

Inconsistent Accuracy and Limited Usability & Not Yet Reliable for Professional Use

5. Inaccuracy
Users experience difficulties with inaccuracy in speaker separation and transcription quality, especially with accents and background noise.
See 41 mentions

See Related User Reviews

IH

Ildi H.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5.0/5

"The best transcription tool I've used"

What do you dislike about Otter.ai?

Otter sometimes struggles with acronyms and product names, even if added to the custom vocabulary. Certain, thicker accents (e.g., Scottish) can also

Jaunius K.
JK

Jaunius K.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

4.0/5

"Big time saver"

What do you dislike about Otter.ai?

it often fails to seperate speakers and requirers manual input to select right speakers.

6. Meeting Management
Users find that the recommended post-meeting next steps can be inaccurate, impacting their overall meeting management experience.
See 35 mentions

See Related User Reviews

Erin M.
EM

Erin M.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

4.5/5

"My must have meeting attendee"

What do you dislike about Otter.ai?

I find myself using some other AI writing platforms to create more longer form follow ups from meetings like SOWs. I also don't like the feature where

Verified User
U

Verified User

Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

0.0/5

"Very sketchy with account data, deletion, support, and dark patterns"

What do you dislike about Otter.ai?

I tried to delete my account after I learned that several people in my company, who were part of a large meeting I was an attendee of, were "invited b

Otter.ai Reviews (426)

View 1 Video Reviews
Reviews

Otter.ai Reviews (426)

View 1 Video Reviews
4.4
426 reviews
Search reviews
View Filters
Filter Reviews
Clear Results
G2 reviews are authentic and verified.
Niraj Y.
NY
Co-founder & CTO at Anatech Consultancy
Consulting
Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
"Accurate Meeting Notes, Speaker Recognition Could Improve"
What do you like best about Otter.ai?

Otter consistently joins meetings on time and reliably, making it a dependable tool for our team. Its ability to capture clear and accurate summaries allows us to revisit important points without needing to watch the whole recording again. I also find the screenshot feature particularly helpful, as it automatically captures key moments and makes sharing highlights with attendees simple. This has greatly improved our team's organization and saves us time after each call. Additionally, Otter integrates smoothly with Google Calendar, so meetings are joined automatically without any manual effort. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Otter.ai?

If you deny the bot access to a meeting, it still keeps trying to join for a while, which can be distracting. Also, it shows generic labels like Speaker 1 and Speaker 2 instead of recognizing actual names from the meeting, even when the names are visible in the chat or participant list. Adding that capability would make the summaries more readable and personal. Support for Indian languages like Hindi would also be a great upgrade and make it much more inclusive for global users. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

MW
Director of Professional Services
Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
"Otter.ai Transforms My Workflows, But Meeting Controls Could Use Clarity"
What do you like best about Otter.ai?

Otter allows me to not only be in two places at once, it allows me to share parts of discussions, trend issue, and enable a better service delivered to my end-customers. Rarely has a platform fundamentally changed the way I work - Otter.ai has. I have over 2 years of archived customer discussions I can reference and use in myriad ways. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Otter.ai?

Most common compliant I hear across my team is the agent joining calls as a participant. Controlling which meetings it joins always confuses people and sharing of meetings can be hit or miss when left to the platform. For this reason I manually record all calls and transcribe them post-hoc. That way I never have to deal with platform instability or confusion. I also have a large archive of recordings should I wish to retranscribe the meetings. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Shane .
S
Sr. Customer Support and onboarding Executive
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
"Great Meeting Summaries, but Duplicate Notes for Group Users"
What do you like best about Otter.ai?

Whenever we start a meeting it automatically joins in or at least requests to join in the session. Takes notes and then gives an email as well after the meeting ends. summary 's are good and to the point. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Otter.ai?

Nothing in particular, but we as a group all have otter so when we are joining all the user's otter joins as well and then each and everyone gets each others session notes which basically are the same. So that could be something that could we worked on. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Jesher V.
JV
Office Manager
Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
"LOVE IT!"
What do you like best about Otter.ai?

It has definitely been a game-changer for me both academically and in my profession. During my business capstone project for school, Otter made it so easy to keep track of long discussions, brainstorming sessions, and presentations by automatically generating clear and accurate transcripts. Instead of stressing about capturing every detail by hand, I could focus on the conversation, knowing Otter was taking care of the notes. It has really simplified things for me! I will be using it more often! Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Otter.ai?

I still believe Otter is a great tool, but I feel that its accuracy with different accents and its ability to identify who is speaking could use some improvement. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Lisa W.
LW
Senior Litigation Reporter
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
Business partner of the seller or seller's competitor, not included in G2 scores.
"Otter is my new best friend."
What do you like best about Otter.ai?

I was introduced to Otter.ai by a colleague on my first day on the job as a journalist at a legal publication. I interview attorneys and judges every day, all day. I can't live without it at this point. The new AI summaries are really helping me get through the LONG interviews quicker. I love it. It's so easy to use as fast to get going when I am in a hurry. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Otter.ai?

Word recognition requires some improvement in translation. Example: Judge says "and I found myself on a ski slope needing help" and Otter may write "I found myself on a tease hope for help" or something like that. You can't lift with the transcribed words with 100% certainty, but it's getting very close. Accents throw off Otter sometimes. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

IH
Business Analyst
Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
"The best transcription tool I've used"
What do you like best about Otter.ai?

I've tried a few transcription tools, but so far Otter is the best when it comes to recognising speech. Otter captures spoken words very well. Now that it has AI functions as well, it's even easier to keep on top of long calls. I use it every time I have a call longer than 15-20 minutes, or if it's an important one. It's really easy to use as well. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Otter.ai?

Otter sometimes struggles with acronyms and product names, even if added to the custom vocabulary. Certain, thicker accents (e.g., Scottish) can also be a bit problematic. The AI function is good, but perhaps could be improved a bit when it comes to creating summaries and searching for content. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Jeffrey W.
JW
Currently between roles. My last role when using Otter was program director
Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
"Great notetaker for more than just meetings"
What do you like best about Otter.ai?

Otter has helped me take and process notes in real time and share them immediately after meetings. I also like that I can use it to record in-person meetings from my phone and then process them in Otter or another LLM like ChatGPT to develop next steps or prototypes of policies or programs based on the meeting. Another use is the recording of podcasts or webinars to develop learning modules to deepen my ability to recall key concepts and applications of what was covered. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Otter.ai?

I had issues adding Otter in meetings that are already in progress, ending up with just a recording from my own mic. This is certainly my fumble, but I would like to see a simpler way to do this. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Jamie C.
JC
Professional Speaker and Trainer
Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
"Back to human connection with AI"
What do you like best about Otter.ai?

It allows me to have face-to-face conversations without worrying about remembering what was said. I start on my phone and then put my phone down and enjoy the session.

THen the POWER is in the AI chat. It's nice you get a summary and action items listed from the session, but what do you do WITH IT? That's where the AI chat comes in - you can ask questions and more about what was said to take the conversation to the next step. Super easy! Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Otter.ai?

Probably the space - I use it so much I need to upgrade to keep up with my conversations. But isn't that a testament to how good it actually is? Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Chinesa R.
CR
Tutor
Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
"Incredibly Useful and Versatile for Note-Taking"
What do you like best about Otter.ai?

I appreciate Otter.ai's seamless integration with tools like Zoom and Google, which simplifies my workflow immensely. The setup process was very user-friendly, allowing me to create an account within minutes. The ability to take notes during meetings lets me focus on the discussion, which is invaluable given my memory issues. I love that it captures both transcripts and summaries, offering critical details in an accessible format. Otter.ai's versatility across platforms makes it an essential tool, and the reminder feature through my calendar ensures I'm always prepared for meetings. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Otter.ai?

I feel somewhat restricted by the free version of Otter.ai. While I appreciate the functionality it offers, I am aware that there are additional features accessible only through a paid subscription. Unfortunately, as someone who is self-employed, affording the subscription isn't feasible for me at the moment. I wish I could access those additional features without financial burden. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Kasey C.
KC
Facilitator
Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
"From Creative Passion to Purpose to Profit"
What do you like best about Otter.ai?

I am a master life coach and seminar facilitator. I have always wanted a software program that could transcribe my mp3 recordings onto a Word Document. I searched and searched and searched. And, in the vernacular of the younger generation, "Say less." My search is over. I found Otter.ai while taking an AI course online. And I have found it to be everything I was looking for and more. In my personal opinion, it is the best transcription software on the market. I promise you it has become my personal assistant and a best friend, all in one.

What I like most about Otter.ai is what it gives me the power to do with my recorded sessions, videos and mp3. It gives me an overview, action items, an outline, a transcript that I can edit, a number of workplace templates to choose from, from general to sales to user research interview. It's remarkable. I use it every day to build my online presence as a master life coach and speaker. It is easy to integrate with all of my Zoom meetings, and I love that. I can upload the URL of my YouTube videos and Otter.ai transcribes them. And it does the same with my Facebook Live Closed Groups sessions.

The things you can ask Otter.ai is endless. The things you can ask it to generate from your document is ingenious. IT IS MORE THAN A TRANSCRIPTION SOFTWARE. It is the future of how I do everything as a life coach and a speaker. It is easy to use and it is so much fun to use a creative person.

Otter.ai has helped me to craft my creative passion as a life coach and a speaker into an all-powerful passion that generates an incredible profit for me. The value that I now bring to the market as a master life coach and seminar facilitator is astronomical, and with Otter.ai I was able to increase the value that I bring to the market really fast. When it comes to my documents, if I can think it, Otter.ai can help me create it. I have yet to use customer support, but I can only imagine that customer support is just as fantastic.

Otter.ai is worth every penny I invest in using it. It is quite inexpensive to be honest. I started out with the PRO plan and I soon upgraded to the BUSINESS plan. I was using it so much that I did not want to run of out of transcription minutes.

All I can say is, "Thank you, Otter.ai! You have taken my work to another level of greatness! Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Otter.ai?

What I like least about Otter.ai is that sometimes it does not always begin recording my sessions on time. It lags sometimes and that is okay. However, it is 97% true to being on time, all the time. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Product Avatar Image
Product Avatar Image