Otter.ai vs Shadow

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.

The short answer

Entry price: Otter.ai from $8.33/seat/mo, Shadow from $8/mo — different billing units, so no direct winner
Free plan: Both have one
Public API: Otter.ai has one; not confirmed by us for Shadow
Higher Trust score: Otter.ai — 94 vs 81 for Shadow
Best fit: Otter.ai: Teams that live in Zoom, Meet or Teams and want notes without a note-taker · Shadow: Mac users wanting meeting notes without a visible bot joining the call

From our own records as of each tool's last check. Anything we have not confirmed is left out rather than guessed. How we verify

Otter.aiMeeting transcription with per-plan minute and length caps

ShadowMac app that records meetings without a bot and runs custom AI Skills to draft notes, emails, or summaries.

Side by side

Fact	Otter.ai	Shadow
Category	Meeting Assistants	Meeting Assistants
Pricing model	Freemium	Freemium
Starts at	$8.33/seat/mo	$8/mo
Public API	Yes	Not confirmed
Trust score	94 / 100	81 / 100
Platforms	Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Chrome extension, API	macOS
Company	Otter.ai	Taper Labs, Inc.
Launched	2016	—
Last verified	Oct 15, 2026	Oct 15, 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

Shadow

Shadow's bot-free recording and on-device transcription solve two real complaints about meeting-notetaker tools: awkward bot participants and audio leaving your machine. Skills give it more range than a plain transcription tool, but the whole product is Mac-only, so it's not an option for Windows-based teams.

Pros

Free tier includes unlimited transcription and recording, not just a trial
No bot joins the call, capture happens locally on the Mac
Custom Skills extend beyond notes into emails and structured summaries
On-device processing keeps audio off external servers

Cons

Mac only, no Windows or Linux client
Not joining as a visible bot could raise meeting-recording consent questions depending on jurisdiction

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 Shadow if you need

Mac users wanting meeting notes without a visible bot joining the call
Privacy-conscious teams wanting on-device transcription
Sales teams wanting BANT or similar structured meeting breakdowns automatically