The Otio Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Otio in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Otio
The Insider’s Guide
AI research workspace for chatting across many sources
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among AI research tools, read from Otio’s own pages.
Made by Frontdoor Labs Limited · checked Oct 5, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Otio’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Otio’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 5, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.8
GPA, above 21 of the 27 other AI research tools we grade
Otio is an AI research workspace for collecting sources and asking questions across all of them. It takes PDFs, web pages, YouTube videos, podcasts, audio and spreadsheets, and answers with citations to the exact page or timestamp. Every plan, including the free one, can use models from several providers and run Deep Research across your sources and the web; paid plans differ mainly in volume. It has web, desktop and iPhone apps and a Chrome extension.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Otio, taken from its own pages and our grades.
No store rating on record, so B is the ceiling.
- 1
Best for asking across PDFs, videos and podcasts
Otio is a workspace for piling up PDFs, web pages, YouTube videos, podcasts and spreadsheets and asking one question across them, with answers cited to the page or timestamp.
- 2
Paid plans start at $7 a month
As its pricing page puts it: $7 per month (Lite), billed monthly or $84 per year.
- 3
There is a free plan
Limited AI usage with every model, 10 uploads a day, 25 MB per file and 50 MB in total, 1 space and 2 parallel chats.
- 4
It runs on 5 platforms
Web, macOS, Windows, Linux and iOS, with a browser extension too.
- 5
Chat across your sources
Ask one question across everything in a workspace and get an answer cited to the exact page or timestamp. Sources include PDFs, web pages, YouTube videos, podcasts, audio and spreadsheets.
- 6
Many AI models on every plan
ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, Llama, DeepSeek and Moonshot models are available on all plans, with an Auto router and a side-by-side comparison of two models.
- 7
Deep Research
Multi-step research across your own sources and the open web, with each step of the reasoning visible. It is included on the Free plan within its usage limits.
- 8
A 2.8 GPA, above 21 of 27
That is against the other AI research tools we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
To replace Otio you would be making a library of papers and sources to search. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
Otio at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan, from $7 per month (Lite), billed monthly or $84 per year
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Browser extension
- Made by
- Frontdoor Labs Limited
- Category
- AI Research Tools
- Our grade
- 2.8 GPA, good
The report card
Best for asking across PDFs, videos and podcasts
Otio is a workspace for piling up PDFs, web pages, YouTube videos, podcasts and spreadsheets and asking one question across them, with answers cited to the page or timestamp. Every AI model is on every plan, so what you pay for is volume, and free is tight at 50 MB in total and 1 space. It has no paper database of its own, there's no Android app, and Pro costs $90 month to month.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | B | Lite is $7 a month, the same billed monthly or yearly, where this category starts around $10 and most plans sit between $12 and $20. Nothing is held back by plan either: every AI model and Deep Research are on all of them, Free included. What you buy is volume. |
| Free plan and trial | C | Every model and Deep Research are on the free plan, but the room is small: 25 MB per file, 50 MB in total, 1 space and 2 parallel chats, which the FAQ puts at roughly 1 to 2 deep searches or 10 premium-model chats a day. A real project hits that on the first afternoon. |
| Features | B | PDFs, web pages, YouTube videos, podcasts, audio and spreadsheets all go in, and answers come back cited to the exact page or timestamp. Add two models side by side, notes that export as Markdown and results sent out by email or Telegram. It works from what you bring, mind: there's no paper database of its own. |
| Ease of use | B | No store rating on record, so B is the ceiling. There's nothing to set up, though: install the app, drop your sources into a space and ask. The plans differ in volume rather than in which features you get. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | Web, Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and a Chrome extension, with Zotero, Mendeley, Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive and Box hooked up and results sent out by email or Telegram. Computer and phone, then, but not both phones: no Android app is listed. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Otio is for
- Fits if your sources are a mix of PDFs, videos and podcasts and you want one place to ask about them
- Works for people who want ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini models under one subscription
Who it is not for
- Skip it if you're on Android, as the pricing page lists web, desktop and iPhone apps only
- Tight if you're staying free, with 50 MB of storage in total, 25 MB a file, 1 space and 10 uploads a day
- Pricey if you need Go or Pro month to month, at $36 and $90 against $18 and $45 on annual billing
- Too light for finding papers, as it works from what you bring and has no paper database of its own
- Watch out: Team at $25 a seat is arranged through sales, and Lite gets no discount for paying yearly
Good to know
Good for
- Researchers synthesizing dozens of papers into a literature review
- Consultants, lawyers and analysts working across many client documents
- People who want several AI models under one subscription
- Learning from videos and podcasts as well as PDFs
Worth knowing
- The Free plan allows 10 uploads a day, 25 MB per file and 50 MB in total, with 1 space and 2 parallel chats.
- The site's FAQ puts daily Free usage at about 1 to 2 deep searches, 10 premium-model chats or 50 standard chats.
- Lite costs the same on monthly and annual billing; the 50% annual saving applies to Go and Pro.
- The pricing page lists web, desktop and iPhone apps; no Android app is listed.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$7
A month to start. There is a free plan too
Otio has a free plan. Paid plans start at $7 per month (Lite), billed monthly or $84 per year.
Nothing is held back by plan either: every AI model and Deep Research are on all of them, Free included.
Free
$0
Limited AI usage with every model and Deep Research, 10 uploads a day, 50 MB of storage, 1 space and 2 parallel chats.
Lite
$7
per month, billed monthly; or $84 billed annually
50 uploads a day, PDFs of up to 500 pages, 250 MB of storage, 2 spaces and 5 parallel chats.
Go
$18
per month, billed annually ($216); $36 billed monthly
3 times the chats, research and uploads of Lite: 250 uploads a day, 500 MB, PDFs of up to 1,000 pages, 5 spaces and 10 parallel chats.
Pro
$45
per month, billed annually ($540); $90 billed monthly
10 times the chats, research and uploads of Lite: 500 uploads a day, 1 GB of storage and PDFs of up to 2,000 pages.
Team
$25
per seat / month, billed yearly; $30 billed monthly
Everything in Pro with a shared workspace, central billing and user management, admin controls and priority support. Arranged through sales.
The free plan
Limited AI usage with every model, 10 uploads a day, 25 MB per file and 50 MB in total, 1 space and 2 parallel chats.
Read from otio.ai on Oct 5, 2026.
Ways to pay less
Annual discount
Yearly billing halves the price of Go and Pro
Go is $18 a month billed annually against $36 billed monthly, and Pro is $45 against $90. The pricing page labels yearly billing as saving 50%.
Stated on otio.ai
What the app costs elsewhere
Each country’s App Store price for “Otio Lite Monthly”, against $7.00 in the United States, in dollars at the day’s rate. The four cheapest and the four dearest of 11.
| Country | Price there | In dollars | Against the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | $9.00 | $6.33 | 10% less |
| Indonesia | Rp 119ribu | $6.66 | about the same |
| Philippines | ₱ 449.00 | $7.15 | about the same |
| India | ₹ 699 | $7.23 | about the same |
| Australia | $12.00 | $8.38 | 20% more |
| South Africa | R149.99 | $9.07 | 30% more |
| United Kingdom | £7.00 | $9.25 | 32% more |
| Brazil | R$ 49,90 | $9.97 | 42% more |
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
6
Places it runs: Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Browser extension
AI research workspace for chatting across many sources. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: chat assistant, AI search, notes, AI agents, research, citations.
PDFs, web pages, YouTube videos, podcasts, audio and spreadsheets all go in, and answers come back cited to the exact page or timestamp.
- Chat across your sources
- Ask one question across everything in a workspace and get an answer cited to the exact page or timestamp. Sources include PDFs, web pages, YouTube videos, podcasts, audio and spreadsheets.
- Many AI models on every plan
- ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, Llama, DeepSeek and Moonshot models are available on all plans, with an Auto router and a side-by-side comparison of two models.
- Deep Research
- Multi-step research across your own sources and the open web, with each step of the reasoning visible. It is included on the Free plan within its usage limits.
- Reader and notes
- A reader view lets you highlight a passage in a source and ask about it. Notes made from a PDF or video are editable and export as Markdown.
- Spaces
- Separate workspaces keep each project's sources, chats and outputs apart: 1 on Free, 2 on Lite and 5 on Go.
- Outputs and delivery
- Generates documents, charts from spreadsheets and images, and can deliver results by email, Google Drive or Telegram.
Where it runs
- Web
- macOS
- Windows
- Linux
- iOS
- Browser extension
What it works with
- Zotero
- Mendeley
- Google Drive
- Dropbox
- OneDrive
- Box
- Telegram
Otio is made by Frontdoor Labs Limited.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
21/27
Other AI research tools it is graded above
Otio's GPA of 2.8 is higher than 21 of the 27 other AI research tools we grade, and level with 4.
It stands best on value for money (B, above 18 of 27) and worst on free plan and trial (C, above 1).
Its paid plans start at $7 a month, against a middle price of $10 for the category: 2 of the 20 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 3.0 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 28 AI research tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. Otio’s own letter is outlined.
- BValue for moneyAbove 18 of 27
- CFree plan and trialAbove 1 of 27
- BFeaturesAbove 15 of 27
- BEase of useAbove 13 of 27
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 8 of 27
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 25 AI research tools. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Otio is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace Otio you would be making a library of papers and sources to search. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 2.8 is higher than 21 of the 27 other AI research tools we grade. It costs $84 a year.
What you could make
- Notes: an app builder makes this well.
What you could not
- A library of papers and sources to search.
- An AI model, which you can rent by the request but not make.
- A search engine with an AI model behind it.
- An AI agent, with the models and the safeguards behind it.
- Citation records for millions of papers.
- Apps for macOS, Windows, Linux and iOS that stay in step with each other.
- It plugs into other products, Zotero, Mendeley and Google Drive among them.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Otio’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Gemini Notebook, Anara, Humata, ChatPDF and SciSpace
The 5 tools Otio is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 3.4GPA
Gemini Notebook
Free plan · from $4.99/mo
Google's AI research assistant that answers from your own sources.
- Only Otio lists macOS, Windows and Linux apps.
- Only Otio lists a browser extension.
- Only Gemini Notebook lists an Android app.
- 2.4GPA
Anara
Free plan · from $8/mo
AI research assistant that cites the exact source passage.
- Only Otio lists Windows and Linux apps.
- Otio also covers notes.
- Anara also covers web clipper.
- 2.2GPA
Humata
Free plan · from $9.99/mo
Document Q&A with cited answers across your uploaded files.
- Only Otio lists macOS, Windows, Linux and iOS apps.
- Only Otio lists a browser extension.
- Otio also covers AI search, notes and AI agents.
- 2.8GPA
ChatPDF
Free plan · from $89.99/yr
Ask questions about PDFs and get answers with citations.
- Only Otio lists a Linux app.
- Only Otio lists a browser extension.
- Only ChatPDF lists an Android app.
- 2.4GPA
SciSpace
Free plan · from $12/mo
AI research platform for literature review and reading papers.
- Only Otio lists macOS, Windows and Linux apps.
- Otio also covers notes.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
12
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Otio free?
Otio has a free plan. Limited AI usage with every model, 10 uploads a day, 25 MB per file and 50 MB in total, 1 space and 2 parallel chats.
How much does Otio cost?
Otio lists 5 plans. Free: $0.
What platforms does Otio work on?
Otio is available on Web, macOS, Windows, Linux and iOS. It also has a browser extension.
Does Otio offer any discounts?
Otio publicly lists the following: Yearly billing halves the price of Go and Pro.
Does Otio have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 5, 2026. Otio is listed for Web, macOS, Windows, Linux and iOS.
Is Otio open source?
Otio is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 5, 2026.
What does Otio integrate with?
Otio's listing names Zotero, Mendeley, Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, Box and Telegram.
Who makes Otio?
Otio is made by Frontdoor Labs Limited.
What are the alternatives to Otio?
The closest alternatives to Otio in our directory are Gemini Notebook, Anara, Humata, ChatPDF and SciSpace.
How does Otio compare with other AI research tools?
Otio's GPA of 2.8 is higher than 21 of the 27 other AI research tools we grade, and level with 4.
Is Otio good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Otio B for value for money. Its paid plans start at $7 a month, against a middle price of $10 for the category: 2 of the 20 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of Otio?
To replace Otio you would be making a library of papers and sources to search.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Otio’s own pages on Oct 5, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 10, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Otio's own pages on 5 October 2026. Also tested with a demo account on 2026-07-09.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Frontdoor Labs Limited. Prices change, so check otio.ai before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
3,189
Tools graded, in 94 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
3,189
tools graded
94
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Otio, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/otio
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Otio: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 5, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/otio
Know someone choosing between AI research tools?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/otio/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded AI research tools after Otio, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- AI Research Tools Insider's GuideEvery one of the 28 AI research tools we grade, compared
- Ai2 Asta Insider's GuideAI research assistant for finding papers and analyzing data3.2 GPA
- Semantic Scholar Insider's GuideFree AI-powered search engine for scientific literature3.2 GPA
- ChatPDF Insider's GuideAsk questions about PDFs and get answers with citations2.8 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Otio’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Otio is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Frontdoor Labs Limited. Prices and plans change: check otio.ai before you buy.