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HyNote 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. HyNote starts at $6.66, Otter.ai at $8.33. Both have a free tier. Only Otter.ai ships a public API.

HyNoteCaptures meetings, calls, PDFs, videos, images and web pages into one notebook with transcripts and summaries.Otter.aiMeeting transcription with per-plan minute and length caps

Side by side

FactHyNoteOtter.ai
CategoryNote-taking & Second BrainMeeting Assistants
Pricing modelFreemiumFreemium
Starts at$6.66 month$8.33 month
Public APINoYes
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, macOS, Chrome ExtWeb, iOS, Android, Chrome Ext, API
CompanyTuring Intelligence LLCOtter.ai
Launched—2016
Last verifiedSep 6, 2026Sep 6, 2026

What our research says

HyNote

Unusually wide input coverage for the price: audio, phone calls, PDFs, images, YouTube and web pages all land in the same notebook, and the free tier records two hours per session without a card. The paid meter is minutes of transcription, so heavy recorders climb tiers quickly. Speaker identification and real-time transcription are held back to the second tier.

Pros

  • Ingests audio, phone calls, PDFs, images (OCR), YouTube and web pages into one note store
  • Free tier allows 120-minute recording sessions with no card
  • Syncs across web, iOS, Android, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac and a Chrome extension
  • Mac app offers free unlimited local transcription
  • 30+ output templates and exports to Google Docs and Notion on higher tiers

Cons

  • Speaker identification and real-time transcription require the $10.83 tier, not the entry plan
  • All advertised monthly prices are annual-billing rates
  • No public API

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 HyNote if you need

  • Students and consultants capturing lectures, calls and reading in one place
  • People who record on a phone and edit on a laptop
  • Anyone needing local Mac transcription for privacy

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 HyNote alternatives →All Otter.ai alternatives →Browse all Note-taking & Second Brain →