Does Otter.ai or Zoom have a free plan?

Both do. Otter.ai and Zoom each offer a free tier, so you can try either without paying.

Otter.ai vs Zoom

A side-by-side look at Otter.ai and Zoom: 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 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

Visit Otter.ai

Choose Zoom if

Teams that host external meetings, sales calls or classes with guests
Organizations that need webinars and large events on the same platform
Companies wanting AI meeting summaries without a third-party notetaker

Visit Zoom

Cheapest to start

Not confirmed

Free plan

Otter.ai, Zoom

Highest editor rating

Zoom · 4.4

Comparison of Otter.ai and Zoom
Compare	Otter.ai Visit site	Zoom Visit site
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Free trial	No	No
Starting price	From $16.99/mo	From $15.99/mo
Editor rating	4.0	4.4
Ease of use	Very easy (5/5)	Very easy (5/5)
Category	Writing	Communication
Pricing model	Free Basic plan with 300 minutes per month; Pro is $16.99 per month (approximately $8.33 per month billed annually), Business $30 per user per month ($20 annually) and Enterprise custom.	Free Basic plan with a 40-minute cap on group meetings; Pro is $15.99 per user per month ($13.33 billed annually), Business $21.99 ($18.33 annually); Business Plus costs more and Enterprise is custom.
Plans	Basic — Free Pro — $16.99/mo Business — $30/user/mo Enterprise — Custom	Basic — Free Pro — $15.99/user/mo Business — $21.99/user/mo Enterprise — Custom
Platforms	Web, iOS, Android, Browser extension	Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Browser extension, API
Integrations	Google Meet, Google Workspace, HubSpot, Microsoft 365, Microsoft Teams, Salesforce, Slack, Zapier, Zoom	Calendly, Google Workspace, HubSpot, Microsoft 365, Microsoft Teams, Outlook, Salesforce, Slack, Zapier
Best for	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	Teams that host external meetings, sales calls or classes with guests Organizations that need webinars and large events on the same platform Companies wanting AI meeting summaries without a third-party notetaker
Pros	Auto-joins Zoom, Google Meet and Teams from the calendar and records without the host Live transcript with speaker identification and post-meeting summaries Usable free tier for light use Mobile apps for recording in-person conversations Salesforce and HubSpot integrations for sales teams	Reliable audio and video quality, including on weak connections Clients for every major platform plus browser joining for guests AI Companion meeting summaries and recordings included on paid plans Team Chat, Whiteboard and Notes bundled with meetings First-party calendar add-ins and Slack, Teams and CRM integrations
Cons	Transcription supports only English, Spanish and French Free plan caps conversations at 30 minutes and 300 minutes per month Accuracy drops with accents, technical vocabulary and overlapping speech OtterPilot can join meetings uninvited unless auto-join settings are managed	Free plan ends group meetings after 40 minutes Webinars, large meetings, Phone and Rooms are paid add-ons or separate products Admin settings are extensive and can be hard to navigate Bundled chat and whiteboard are lighter than dedicated tools
AI agents	Yes	No
AI assistant	Yes	Yes
API access	No	Yes
Browser extension	Yes	No
Channels & threads	No	Yes
Comments & mentions	Yes	No
Desktop app	No	Yes
Import & export	Yes	No
Meeting recording & transcripts	Yes	Yes
Mobile app	Yes	Yes
Multi-language support	Yes	No
Real-time collaboration	Yes	No
Roles & permissions	Yes	No
Screen sharing	No	Yes
SSO / SAML	Yes	Yes
Transcription	Yes	No
Two-factor authentication	No	Yes
Video calls	No	Yes
Webhooks	No	Yes
Webinars	No	Yes

Common questions

Does Otter.ai or Zoom have a free plan?: Both do. Otter.ai and Zoom each offer a free tier, so you can try either without paying.

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