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Otter.ai vs Sembly 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. Otter.ai starts at $8.33, Sembly AI at $17. Only Otter.ai has a free tier. Only Otter.ai ships a public API.

Otter.aiMeeting transcription with per-plan minute and length capsSembly AIMeeting recorder producing summaries, tasks and searchable transcripts

Side by side

FactOtter.aiSembly AI
CategoryMeeting AssistantsMeeting Assistants
Pricing modelFreemiumPaid
Starts at$8.33 month$17 month
Public APIYesNo
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, Chrome Ext, APIWeb
CompanyOtter.aiSembly AI, Inc.
Launched20162019
Last verifiedSep 6, 2026Sep 6, 2026

What our research says

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

Sembly AI

Worth the premium when you need meetings turned into structured commitments — tasks, risks, decisions — rather than a searchable transcript. If a transcript plus a summary paragraph is all you want, this is priced well above what you need.

Pros

  • Extracts risks, decisions and tasks as separate items rather than one summary blob
  • Multi-meeting chat, AI-generated documents and insights from the Pro tier upward
  • Captures Zoom, Teams, Meet and Webex rather than a single platform
  • MCP access on Pro and MAX lets external agent clients reach the meeting data

Cons

  • No standing free tier — every plan's free option is a time-limited trial
  • Single-user Basic at $17/month sits above several competitors' entry price
  • The differentiating features all start at Pro, so Basic is a weak comparison point
  • No public developer API; the /api path resolves to a sales demo form

Which one fits

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

Choose Sembly AI if you need

  • PMOs and consultancies tracking commitments across dozens of calls
  • Teams that need to interrogate several meetings at once, not one at a time
  • Regulated environments needing HIPAA handling, custom SSO and audit logs
  • Recruiters and sales teams reviewing call sentiment at volume

More comparisons

All Otter.ai alternatives →All Sembly AI alternatives →Browse all Meeting Assistants →