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Bluedot vs Otter.ai

Two fact sheets from our own research, side by side — pricing, platforms, API access and status re-checked by us rather than quoted from the vendors. Bluedot starts at $14, Otter.ai at $8.33. Both have a free tier. Both ship a public API.

BluedotBot-free meeting recorder that transcribes calls from device audio and syncs notes to CRM and docs toolsOtter.aiMeeting transcription with per-plan minute and length caps

Side by side

FactBluedotOtter.ai
CategoryMeeting Recording & NotesMeeting Assistants
Pricing modelFreemiumFreemium
Starts at$14 month$8.33 month
Public APIYesYes
PlatformsWeb, Chrome Ext, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, APIWeb, iOS, Android, Chrome Ext, API
Company—Otter.ai
Launched—2016
Last verifiedSep 6, 2026Sep 6, 2026

What our research says

Bluedot

A good pick when you want meeting notes without a visible bot participant joining every call, and its billing only charges people who actually record. The catch is a nearly unusable free tier (five meetings ever) and audio-only capture until you pay for Pro.

Pros

  • Device-level capture means no bot joins the call
  • Apps across Chrome, desktop and mobile plus an API and MCP endpoint for automation
  • Per-recorder billing avoids paying for passive teammates
  • Webhooks and integrations arrive at the $14 Basic tier

Cons

  • Free tier is a 5-meeting lifetime demo, not a plan
  • Video capture and unlimited duration require the $20 Pro tier
  • Cancelling permanently deletes your data after 30 days

Otter.ai

Still the default for English-language meeting notes, and the free tier is unusually usable. What determines the right plan is not features but the per-conversation ceiling: 30 minutes on Basic and 90 on Pro means a standard hour-long review truncates on the free tier and a workshop truncates on Pro. Pick the tier by your longest recurring meeting.

Pros

  • 300 free minutes a month makes evaluation real rather than token
  • Annual Pro at $8.33 is roughly half the month-to-month rate
  • An MCP server is exposed from the free tier, so assistants can query transcripts without the paid API
  • Business removes the minute cap entirely rather than raising it

Cons

  • The API and webhooks require Enterprise, which is quote-only
  • Per-conversation ceilings (30 min free, 90 min Pro) cut recordings mid-meeting
  • Basic allows three file imports in total, not per month
  • Month-to-month pricing is roughly double annual at both self-serve tiers

Which one fits

Choose Bluedot if you need

  • Sales and recruiting teams that need transcripts pushed into CRM or ATS records
  • Companies whose clients dislike bot participants appearing in meetings
  • Multilingual teams needing transcription across 100+ languages

Choose Otter.ai if you need

  • Teams that live in Zoom, Meet or Teams and want notes without a note-taker
  • Accessibility use, where live captions matter as much as the transcript
  • Recruiters and researchers who need searchable interview records across a workspace

More comparisons

All Bluedot alternatives →All Otter.ai alternatives →Browse all Meeting Recording & Notes →