HappyScribe vs Otter.ai

HappyScribe

• Teams that need subtitles and translation as well as meeting notes
• Multilingual meetings and recordings in less common languages
• People who occasionally want a human to proofread a transcript

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

HappyScribe

• The Free plan caps each meeting recording at 45 minutes, includes only a 10-minute trial of AI transcription and watermarks MP4 exports.
• Paid plans are metered: 120 AI minutes a month on Basic, 600 on Pro and 6,000 on Business. Extra minutes are listed at $0.20 each.
• Basic includes one seat and limits recordings to 90 minutes. Pro includes 3 seats and Business 5.
• No desktop app is available yet: the homepage describes a Mac app as coming soon. The mobile apps are for iPhone and Android.

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.

HappyScribe

AI Notetaker for online meetings

Connect Google or Outlook calendar and a notetaker joins Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams calls, then returns a transcript with speakers identified, a summary and action items.

In-person recording on a phone

The iPhone and Android apps record a conversation in the room with one tap and upload it for transcription. Recording works offline and syncs when the phone is back online.

Transcription, subtitles and translation

Uploaded audio and video are transcribed in more than 150 languages, and the same files can be subtitled and translated. Each paid plan includes a monthly allowance of AI minutes.

Human proofreading

Transcripts can be sent for human proofreading at a per-minute rate, listed from $2.00 a minute, on top of the AI subscription.

AI Chat on your files

Ask questions of a transcript and generate recaps or briefs from it. The Free plan covers 3 files a month and Basic 10, and it is unlimited from Pro.

Exports, imports and API

Exports include DOCX, TXT, SRT and MP4, and files can be imported from YouTube, Vimeo, Google Drive, Box and Dropbox. Zapier and an API connect it to other tools.

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.

HappyScribe

• Free$0

  Unlimited meeting recordings of up to 45 minutes each, a 10-minute trial of AI transcription, limited recording history and AI Chat on 3 files a month.

• Basic$8.50

  per month, billed annually; $17 billed monthly

  120 minutes of AI transcription, subtitling and translation a month, recordings of up to 90 minutes, AI Chat on 10 files a month and 1 user seat.

• Pro$19

  per month, billed annually; $29 billed monthly

  600 minutes of AI transcription, subtitling and translation a month, unlimited recording length, unlimited AI Chat and 3 user seats.

• Business$59

  per month, billed annually; $89 billed monthly

  6,000 minutes of AI transcription, subtitling and translation a month, unlimited recording length, unlimited AI Chat and 5 user seats.

• EnterpriseCustom

  Everything in Business, sold through the sales team at a negotiated price.

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.

HappyScribe

• Annual discount

  Save 34% to 50% with annual billing

  On annual billing Basic is $8.50 a month instead of $17, labeled Save 50%. Pro is $19 instead of $29 and Business $59 instead of $89, each labeled Save 34%.

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.