Otter.ai vs Sonix

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

Sonix

Pick Sonix when the transcript is a working document you will correct, subtitle and hand off — the editor is the product, not the ASR. If you mainly want live meeting notes, Otter is cheaper and better suited; if the recording is legally critical, Rev's human tier is the safer route.

Pros

• +The word-locked editor makes correcting a long transcript far faster than re-typing
• +50+ languages for both transcription and translation, priced at the same hourly rate
• +REST API with batch processing and custom vocabulary is included with subscriptions
• +SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA posture and a stated no-training policy on customer files

Cons

• −Per-seat pricing at $25/mo each punishes small teams sharing one library
• −Hour allowances are the real constraint; Core's 5 hrs/mo goes fast on video
• −The 99% accuracy claim is vendor marketing — independent tests put it near peers, around the mid-90s
• −No free plan, only a 30-minute trial

Is Otter.ai cheaper than Sonix?

They charge in different units, so there is no like-for-like answer: Otter.ai starts at $8.33/seat/mo, Sonix at $25/mo. Entry price is the lowest paid plan as we last verified it.

Does Otter.ai or Sonix have a free tier?

Otter.ai has a free tier; Sonix has paid plans only.

Which has a public API, Otter.ai or Sonix?

Both ship a public API, so either can be built on; the fact table above shows the platforms each one runs on.