Microsoft Teams vs Otter.ai
A side-by-side look at Microsoft Teams and Otter.ai: what each costs to start, whether there is a free plan, how easy they are to pick up, and which features and integrations they cover.
Which should you choose?
Choose Microsoft Teams if
- Organisations already paying for Microsoft 365
- Teams that want chat, meetings and files under one licence and one administrator
- Companies that need guest and external-user collaboration inside the same tool
Choose Otter.ai if
- Individuals who want automatic notes for back-to-back video calls
- Students and journalists recording lectures and interviews
- Sales and customer teams that need call summaries in the CRM
Cheapest to start
Not confirmed
Free plan
Microsoft Teams, Otter.ai
Highest editor rating
Microsoft Teams · 4.1
| Compare | Microsoft Teams |
|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes |
| Free trial | No |
| Starting price | From $4/mo |
| Editor rating | 4.1 |
| Ease of use | Moderate (3/5) |
| Category | Communication |
| Pricing model | Microsoft Teams Free is available at no cost. Teams Essentials, the standalone small-business plan, is listed at $4.00 per user per month paid yearly, and Microsoft 365 plans that include Teams start around $7.00 per user per month paid yearly for Business Basic. Microsoft sells its Business and Enterprise suites in separate versions with and without Teams. List prices for annual billing; they vary by region and billing term. |
| Plans |
|
| Platforms | Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, API |
| Integrations | Microsoft 365, Outlook |
| Best for |
|
| Pros |
|
| Cons |
|
| AI agents | No |
| AI assistant | No |
| API access | Yes |
| Browser extension | No |
| Channels & threads | Yes |
| Comments & mentions | No |
| Desktop app | Yes |
| Guest & client access | Yes |
| Import & export | No |
| Meeting recording & transcripts | Yes |
| Mobile app | Yes |
| Multi-language support | No |
| Real-time collaboration | Yes |
| Roles & permissions | Yes |
| Screen sharing | Yes |
| SSO / SAML | Yes |
| Transcription | No |
| Video calls | Yes |
| Webinars | Yes |
Common questions
- Does Microsoft Teams or Otter.ai have a free plan?
- Both do. Microsoft Teams and Otter.ai each offer a free tier, so you can try either without paying.
- Which is easier to use, Microsoft Teams or Otter.ai?
- In VERILO's editorial assessment Otter.ai is the easier of the two, scoring 5 out of 5 against 3 for Microsoft Teams. That is a judgement about how quickly a new team gets productive, not a measured benchmark.