Cluely vs Otter.ai
We give Cluely a 3.2 GPA and Otter.ai a 3.6, out of 4.0. Otter.ai grades higher on value for money and platforms. They get the same grade on the free plan, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Cluely
Live AI answers and bot-free notes in a desktop meeting overlay
Otter.ai
Live meeting transcription with summaries and AI chat
How we grade them
| 3.2GPACluelyVery good | 3.6GPAOtter.aiExcellent | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CPro is $11.99 a month billed yearly, or $19.99 monthly, a bit above what notetakers usually start at. The iPhone app is a separate subscription, at $8 a week or $144 a year. And hiding the overlay from screen shares means $44.99 a month billed yearly, or $149.99 monthly. | BPro is $8.33 a month if you pay for the year, a little under what meeting notetakers usually start at. Pay monthly and it's $16.99, about double. And Pro is still metered, at 1,200 minutes a month and 90 minutes a meeting. Unlimited meetings wait for Business at $19.99. |
| Free plan and trial | BStarter is free, with AI responses and meeting notes capped each day and reset every 24 hours, plus custom instructions and up to 3 files. Cluely doesn't publish the caps, so we can't say how far a day gets you. | BBasic gives you 300 transcription minutes a month for nothing. But a conversation stops at 30 minutes, you get 3 file imports ever, and only your 25 most recent conversations stay open. Fine for short calls, tight for anything longer. |
| Features | AIt follows the conversation and can read your screen, then offers what to say next, follow-up questions or a recap on a keypress. After the call you get notes, the transcript and a drafted follow-up email. You can feed it your own instructions and files. Live transcription covers 12+ languages. | ALive transcription with the speakers labelled, a summary of every conversation on every plan, and AI Chat for asking what was said. The notetaker joins Zoom, Teams and Meet from your calendar, or the desktop app records with no bot in the call. |
| Ease of use | A4.7 from about 560 App Store ratings. There's no bot to invite: it sits on your own screen, and Cmd or Ctrl + Enter asks for help. | A4.8 from about 83,000 App Store ratings. Connect your calendar and the notetaker turns up to your meetings by itself. |
| Platforms and integrations | BMac, Windows and iPhone, working alongside Zoom, Meet, Teams, Webex and Slack. But the mobile app is iPhone only, no web version is listed, Windows 10 isn't supported, and the Mac needs macOS Ventura 13 or later. | AWeb, Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android and a browser extension. It works with Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, Slack and Notion, and with Salesforce, HubSpot and Zapier from Pro. An MCP server is on every plan, though the API and webhooks are Enterprise only. |
| Best for | AI help while the call is still going | reading the transcript while the meeting's on |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Cluely and Otter.ai. How we grade
Where they differ
- Cluely starts at $11.99 per month, billed annually ($143.88 per year). Otter.ai starts at $8.33 per user / month, billed annually.
- Only Otter.ai lists a web app.
- Only Otter.ai lists an Android app.
- Only Otter.ai lists a browser extension.
At a glance
| Cluely | Otter.ai | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $11.99 per month, billed annually ($143.88 per year) | $8.33 per user / month, billed annually |
| Free plan | Starter plan: a limited number of AI responses and meeting notes, with the limit resetting every 24 hours, plus custom instructions and up to 3 uploaded files. | Basic plan: 300 transcription minutes a month, 30 minutes per conversation, 3 lifetime file imports, 20 AI Chat queries a month and access to the 25 most recent conversations. |
| Free trial | None listed | 7-day free trial of Otter Business. |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Cluely, Inc. | Otter.ai Inc |
| Price read from | cluely.com | otter.ai |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 4, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Cluely
- People who want AI help during a call, not only a recap afterward
- Mac and Windows users who want notes without a bot joining
- Sales and support calls where quick answers are needed mid-conversation
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
Worth knowing
Cluely
- The free plan caps AI responses and meeting notes per day; Cluely does not publish the exact numbers.
- Hiding the overlay from screen sharing costs $149.99 a month, or $44.99 a month billed annually.
- It needs macOS Ventura 13 or later or Windows 11. Windows 10 is not supported, and the mobile app is iPhone only.
- Cluely lists live transcription in 12+ languages. Refunds are limited to 24 hours and to cases where it will not run on your computer.
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.
Key features
Cluely
- Real-time answers during a call
- Cluely follows the conversation and can read the screen. Pressing Cmd or Ctrl + Enter asks for help, with shortcuts for what to say next, follow-up questions and a recap.
- Meeting notes and transcripts
- Records meeting audio, transcribes it and produces shareable notes and drafted follow-up emails. The full transcript can be copied from the dashboard.
- No bot in the meeting
- It runs as an overlay on your own computer and never joins the call, so nothing is added to the guest list. It works alongside Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, Webex and Slack.
- Hidden from screen share
- On Pro + Undetectability the overlay does not appear in shared screens or meeting recordings. The standard Pro plan does not include this.
- Custom instructions and files
- Give Cluely your own prompts and upload reference files to shape its answers. Starter allows up to 3 files and Pro is unlimited. Cluely lists custom keybinds among its Pro features.
- iPhone app
- Takes meeting notes and gives live answers from a phone, with notes synced online. The app is currently for Apple devices only, and the pricing page lists a separate Mobile subscription.
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.
Plans
Cluely
Starter$0
Limited AI responses and limited meeting notetaking each day, custom instructions with up to 3 files, and AI questions about past meetings.
Pro$11.99
per month, billed annually ($143.88); $19.99 billed monthly
Unlimited AI responses, unlimited meeting notetaking, unlimited files and customization, access to the latest AI models and priority support.
Mobile$8
per week, or $144 billed annually
Subscription for the iPhone app: real-time meeting insights, AI responses on mobile and sync across devices.
Pro + Undetectability$44.99
per month, billed annually ($539.88); $149.99 billed monthly
Everything in Pro, plus an overlay that is hidden from meeting screen-sharing software. It is the only current plan with that feature.
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.
Ways to pay less
Cluely
- Annual discount
Lower monthly rate on annual billing
At listed prices Pro drops from $19.99 to $11.99 a month and Pro + Undetectability from $149.99 to $44.99 a month when billed annually.
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.
