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Heynds 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. Heynds starts at $3.99, Otter.ai at $8.33. Only Otter.ai has a free tier. Only Otter.ai ships a public API.

HeyndsmacOS dictation app: hold a shortcut, speak, and cleaned-up text lands in whatever app is focusedOtter.aiMeeting transcription with per-plan minute and length caps

Side by side

FactHeyndsOtter.ai
CategorySpeech-to-Text & TranscriptionMeeting Assistants
Pricing modelPaidFreemium
Starts at$3.99 month$8.33 month
Public APINoYes
PlatformsmacOSWeb, iOS, Android, Chrome Ext, API
CompanyHeynds (Pierre Mouchan)Otter.ai
Launched—2016
Last verifiedSep 6, 2026Sep 6, 2026

What our research says

Heynds

A cheap, single-purpose dictation layer for the Mac that does the one thing well: shortcut, speak, get usable text in the current app. It is a one-person project with no company entity published and no Windows or mobile build, so treat it as a personal tool rather than something to standardise a team on.

Pros

  • Works system-wide from a keyboard shortcut instead of inside one editor
  • Cleans up spoken filler into finished text rather than dumping a raw transcript
  • Vendor states it uses zero-data-retention endpoints via OpenRouter
  • $3.99/month with a free first month is at the low end for dictation tools

Cons

  • macOS only, with no timeline given for other platforms
  • No company name, address or terms of service is published anywhere on the site
  • Depends on OpenRouter as an intermediary you cannot swap out

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 Heynds if you need

  • Mac users who draft faster by talking than typing
  • People writing in several languages across Slack, Notion and email
  • Anyone who wants dictation without a per-minute transcription bill

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 Otter.ai alternatives →Browse all Speech-to-Text & Transcription →