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MBox AI meet 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. MBox AI meet starts at $4.99, Otter.ai at $8.33. Both have a free tier. Both ship a public API.

Side by side

FactMBox AI meetOtter.ai
CategoryMeeting AssistantsMeeting Assistants
Pricing modelFreemiumFreemium
Starts at$4.99 month$8.33 month
Public APIYesYes
PlatformsWeb, Chrome Ext, APIWeb, iOS, Android, Chrome Ext, API
CompanyMBox AI MeetOtter.ai
Launched2016
Last verifiedSep 1, 2026Sep 6, 2026

What our research says

MBox AI meet

MBox AI Meet is a narrow, cheap tool for one job: real-time Google Meet transcription with an emailed summary, and it says it does not keep the audio afterward. The tradeoff is that it only works on Google Meet, so anyone mixing meeting platforms needs a second tool for Zoom or Teams.

Pros

  • Real-time transcription with speaker identification directly inside Google Meet
  • States it does not store audio or video, only the resulting transcript/summary
  • Pro tier is priced at $4.99/month, well under most meeting-summary competitors

Cons

  • Google Meet is the only supported platform; other platforms are only 'under consideration'
  • As a Chrome extension, it's unavailable on mobile or on browsers without Chrome extension support
  • Free tier's exact summary/transcription limits aren't spelled out on the page

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 MBox AI meet if you need

  • Individuals or small teams who meet exclusively on Google Meet
  • Anyone wanting a low-cost, install-and-go transcription extension

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

All MBox AI meet alternatives →All Otter.ai alternatives →Browse all Meeting Assistants