Circleback vs Otter.ai

Circleback

• Individuals who want unlimited meetings on a free plan
• Teams that update a CRM or issue tracker automatically after calls
• People who meet in person as well as online
• Developers giving AI agents meeting context through the API or MCP

Otter.ai

• Reading a live transcript while a meeting or lecture is still going
• Students and teachers, who get a discount on Pro with a .edu address
• People who want the same notes on web, desktop and phone

Circleback

• The Free plan keeps only 30 days of meeting and recording history and has limited automations.
• Recordings are stored for 1 year on Pro and 2 years on Business. Unlimited recording storage needs Enterprise.
• Single sign-on, SCIM and HIPAA compliance are on Enterprise, which is billed yearly only.
• Desktop apps are offered for macOS and Windows; no Linux app or browser extension is listed.

Otter.ai

• Basic is capped at 300 minutes a month and 30 minutes per conversation, and only the 25 most recent conversations stay accessible.
• Pro is still metered: 1,200 minutes a month and 90 minutes per meeting. Unlimited meetings start on Business.
• AI Chat queries are capped on every plan, at most 200 per user per month.
• SSO, SCIM, the API and webhooks are Enterprise only, and HIPAA compliance is an add-on.

Circleback

Notes and action items

Notes are written automatically after each meeting, and action items are captured, assigned to people and organized without manual entry.

Bot or bot-free capture

A bot can join online meetings, or the desktop app for macOS and Windows records any call on the computer without one, including Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, Webex and Discord.

In-person meetings

Mobile apps for iOS and Android and an Apple Watch app record conversations that happen away from a computer.

Ask Circleback

An assistant that answers questions using every conversation in the account. It is included on the Free plan and can also be used from Slack.

Automations

Rules run after meetings to update other apps, for example Notion pages, HubSpot or Salesforce records and Linear issues. Free has limited automations; Pro opens all integrations.

API, MCP and CLI

Every plan, including Free, lists API, MCP and command-line access, and webhooks can send meeting data to custom integrations.

Otter.ai

Meeting agent or bot-free recording

The notetaker can auto-join Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet meetings from your calendar. The desktop app for Mac and Windows records without a bot joining the call.

Live transcription with speaker ID

Transcribes as people speak, labels speakers and syncs the text to audio playback. Custom vocabulary covers 5 terms on Basic and up to 800 names and 800 terms on Business.

Automated summaries

Each conversation gets an automated summary on every plan, so the main points are available without reading the full transcript.

AI Chat

Ask questions about your conversations in a chat. Monthly queries are capped per user: 20 on Basic, 50 on Pro and 200 on Business and Enterprise.

File imports and exports

Import audio or video files for transcription and export notes. Basic allows 3 imports in total and mp3 or txt export; paid plans add pdf, docx and srt.

Integrations and MCP server

Salesforce, HubSpot and Zapier integrations start on Pro. An MCP server is listed on every plan, while the Otter API and webhooks are Enterprise only.

Circleback

• Free$0

  AI notes and action items, Ask Circleback, desktop and mobile apps, and API, MCP and CLI access, with 30-day history, limited automations and 2 teams.

• Pro$15

  per user / month, billed yearly ($18 billed monthly)

  Unlimited meeting history, 1 year of recording storage, automations with all integrations, custom AI insights and 5 teams.

• Business$25

  per user / month, billed yearly ($29 billed monthly)

  Admin and member roles, unlimited free viewers, custom data retention, enforceable settings, 2 years of recording storage and unlimited teams.

• Enterprise$35

  per user / month, yearly billing only

  SAML or OIDC single sign-on, SCIM, invoice billing, unlimited recording storage and HIPAA compliance. The per-user rate falls above 50 users.

Otter.ai

• Basic$0

  300 transcription minutes a month, 30 minutes per conversation, 3 lifetime file imports and the 25 most recent conversations.

• Pro$8.33

  per user / month, billed annually ($16.99 billed monthly)

  1,200 minutes a month, 90 minutes per meeting, 10 file imports a month, unlimited history and extra export formats.

• Business$19.99

  per user / month, billed annually ($30 billed monthly)

  Unlimited meetings and file imports, up to 4 hours per meeting, 3 concurrent meetings, activity logs and usage analytics.

• EnterpriseCustom

  Adds SSO, SCIM, domain capture, the Otter API and webhooks, video replay and a HIPAA compliance add-on.

Circleback

• Annual discount

  Lower per-user price on yearly billing

  At listed prices Pro costs $180 a year ($15 a month) instead of $18 a month, and Business $300 a year ($25 a month) instead of $29 a month, per user.

• Education

  50% education discount for students

  Circleback's pricing FAQ offers students 50% off. It applies automatically when signing up with a school email, or through support with proof of student status.

• Nonprofit

  30% non-profit discount

  The pricing FAQ states a 30% discount for non-profits: sign up with a non-profit email and contact support to have it applied.

• Startups

  Deals for startups of partner firms

  Circleback's startups page says startups affiliated with its partners can get special deals and discounts. The amounts are not published.

Otter.ai

• Annual discount

  Save 51% on Pro and 33% on Business annually

  Otter's pricing page shows Pro at $8.33 per user per month on annual billing against $16.99 monthly (labeled save 51%), and Business at $19.99 against $30 (save 33%).

• Education

  20% off Pro for students and teachers

  Individual students and teachers with an email address ending in .edu get 20% off Otter Pro: $6.67 per month billed annually ($79.99) or $13.59 month to month.