Otter.ai vs Sigmise

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, Sigmise from $14.40/mo — different billing units, so no direct winner
Free plan: Both have one
Public API: Otter.ai has one; not confirmed by us for Sigmise
Higher Trust score: Otter.ai — 94 vs 82 for Sigmise
Best fit: Otter.ai: Teams that live in Zoom, Meet or Teams and want notes without a note-taker · Sigmise: Non-native English speakers attending English meetings regularly

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

SigmiseDesktop app that live-translates English meetings into 31 languages with AI summaries, no bot joining the call.

Side by side

Fact	Otter.ai	Sigmise
Category	Meeting Assistants	Meeting Recording & Notes
Pricing model	Freemium	Freemium
Starts at	$8.33/seat/mo	$14.40/mo
Public API	Yes	Not confirmed
Trust score	94 / 100	82 / 100
Platforms	Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Chrome extension, API	macOS, Windows
Company	Otter.ai	Sigmise
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

Sigmise

Sigmise is aimed squarely at non-native English speakers sitting in English-language meetings, translating what's said into their language as it happens rather than only after the fact. Capturing audio locally without a bot joining the call is a real point of difference from meeting-bot competitors, but it also means it only works on a device where the desktop app is installed and running.

Pros

No bot joins the call — audio capture happens locally on the device
Translates into 31 languages, not just one or two
Free plan is usable on its own (120 minutes/month) before paying
Produces AI summaries with speaker identification, not just a transcript

Cons

Desktop-only (Mac and Windows); no mobile or browser-based option
Source language appears limited to English
No company name or headquarters disclosed beyond Australian-law terms

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 Sigmise if you need

Non-native English speakers attending English meetings regularly
Teams who don't want a visible bot participant joining their calls
Anyone needing meeting summaries with speaker identification