otter.ai alternative

The private, no-bot Otter.ai alternative

Otter.ai is a capable meeting notetaker, but its free plan is heavily capped (300 minutes a month, 30 minutes per conversation, only the 25 most recent conversations, 20 AI chat queries) and everything is processed in Otter's cloud. By default OtterPilot joins your call as a visible bot; the newer desktop app can skip it, but your audio still goes to their servers.

Dimmy keeps the whole thing on your device. No bot ever joins, nothing is uploaded, and there are no minute or conversation caps. It records both sides of the call locally, writes a structured recap on your machine, and the same native app also does dictation and a voice command mode.

No botOn-deviceNo minute caps
Download Dimmy freeBack to Dimmy
side by side

Dimmy vs Otter.ai

FeatureDimmyOtter.ai
Does a bot join the call?
No, never. Records locally with no extra participant.
OtterPilot bot joins by default; a desktop app can skip it.
Where audio is processed
On your device, fully offline.
Cloud. Even the bot-free desktop app uploads audio to Otter's servers.
Free plan caps
No caps. Every feature, unlimited, on the free build.
300 min/month, 30 min/conversation, only 25 recent conversations, 20 AI chat queries/month.
Offline / on-device
Yes. Recording, transcription and recap run locally.
No. Cloud SaaS, needs a connection.
Open source
Open-core, AGPL.
Proprietary, closed source.
Dictation + command mode
Yes. System-wide dictation and a voice command mode in the same app.
Meetings only. No system-wide dictation.
History
Full searchable history kept locally, no cap.
Free keeps only 25 recent conversations; unlimited needs Pro ($16.99/mo).
Multilingual
99 languages with auto-detection.
About 6 languages (EN, ES, FR, DE, JA, ZH).
Price
Free from source. Pro €4.99/mo. Lifetime €99. Not per-seat.
Free (capped). Pro $16.99/mo, Business $30/user, Enterprise custom.
Platforms
Native macOS + Windows.
Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Chrome extension.
included limited paid plan only not available
Competitor details verified on vendor sites in 2026 and may change. Recheck before relying on them.
why switch

Why switch to Dimmy

No bot, no cloud: Dimmy records both sides on your device, so your meeting stays a normal meeting and your audio never leaves your machine.
No minute or conversation caps. Otter free stops at 300 minutes a month and keeps only your 25 most recent conversations.
Full searchable history kept locally, with no time wall and no per-seat billing.
Open-core and AGPL, so you can verify exactly what it does with your data.
Three tools in one: meetings plus system-wide dictation and a voice command mode. Otter is meetings only.
Structured recaps with decisions, action items, open questions and timestamps, exportable to Notion, a folder, or Claude.
works with your stack

Send your text and recaps where you work

NotionObsidianGoogle DriveClaude DesktopClaude CLICodex CLIMCP server
Every integration is included free, no add-on tier.
frequently asked

Meeting notes without a bot, a cap, or the cloud.

Yes. Dimmy never sends a bot into your call. It records your microphone and system audio locally, so no extra participant appears. OtterPilot joins as a visible bot by default; Otter's desktop app can skip the bot but still uploads your audio to the cloud.
Otter's free Basic plan is capped at 300 transcription minutes per month, 30 minutes per conversation, only the 25 most recent conversations, and 20 AI chat queries a month. Dimmy has no such caps on its free build.
With Otter, yes: it is a cloud service and even the bot-free desktop app processes audio on Otter's servers. With Dimmy, your audio stays on your device and is transcribed and summarized locally.
Dimmy does more: besides meeting recaps it offers system-wide dictation into any app and a voice command mode. Otter is a meeting notetaker and does not do system-wide dictation.
Dimmy is free from source, or Pro at €4.99/month or €99 lifetime, not per-seat. Otter charges $16.99/user a month for Pro and $30/user for Business to lift the free caps.
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