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Otter.ai vs Verli

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, Verli at $7.99. Both have a free tier. Only Otter.ai ships a public API.

Otter.aiMeeting transcription with per-plan minute and length capsVerliReal-time speech translation and transcription for meetings, videos, and lectures across 60+ languages.

Side by side

FactOtter.aiVerli
CategoryMeeting AssistantsSpeech-to-Text & Transcription
Pricing modelFreemiumFreemium
Starts at$8.33 month$7.99 month
Public APIYesNo
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, Chrome Ext, APIWeb, macOS, Windows
CompanyOtter.aiVerli
Launched2016—
Last verifiedSep 6, 2026Sep 1, 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

Verli

Verli is a solid pick when you need captions in a language you don't speak without asking anyone in the meeting to install anything. The catch is the free tier's 60-minute monthly cap, which barely covers one meeting, and accuracy on accented or overlapping speech will vary like any live speech-recognition tool.

Pros

  • Works without installing a bot into the call
  • Covers 60+ languages
  • Desktop apps for macOS and Windows plus a browser option
  • Low-cost entry tier for occasional use

Cons

  • Free tier's 60 minutes a month is easy to burn through in one meeting
  • No published information on the team or company behind it
  • Real-time translation accuracy depends heavily on audio quality and accents

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 Verli if you need

  • Attending meetings in a language you don't speak
  • Watching foreign-language YouTube videos with captions
  • Following lectures or webinars in real time

More comparisons

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