Otter is a good product, and for many people it’s the right one. It has a free plan, apps on almost every device, live transcription, and integrations with Salesforce, HubSpot, and Zapier. But people go looking for alternatives for a few common reasons:
- The bot. Otter’s notetaker joins Zoom, Teams, and Google Meet as a participant. Some people would rather nobody on the call sees a tool.
- The free plan’s limits. As of November 2026, per Otter’s pricing page, Basic includes 300 minutes a month and caps each conversation at 30 minutes.
- Timing. Notes after the call don’t help when you’re stuck on a question during it.
Here are five alternatives, what each is best at, and what you give up.
How to choose: two questions
1. Is a bot in the call OK? Bots are simple and reliable, but visible. Device-audio tools run on your computer and nothing joins the meeting, but the app has to be running where you take the call.
2. Do you need help after the call, or during it? Notetakers give you a record afterward. Copilots help you while you talk. We wrote a longer guide on AI meeting copilots vs AI notetakers.
| Feature | Telmi | Granola | Fathom | Fireflies | Cluely |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bot joins the call | No | No | Optional | Yes; extension without | No |
| Help during the call | Live answers | Notes only | Not described | Live notes | Live answers |
| Free plan | 5 calls | Yes, 30 days history | Unlimited recordings | Yes | Limited |
| Paid from | $20/month | $14/user/month | About $16/user/month | See pricing page | $19.99/month |
| Platforms | Mac | Mac, Windows, mobile | Bot-free mode on Mac | Desktop, mobile, Chrome | See their site |
| SOC 2 | Not yet | Type II | Not on pricing page | Type II | Not claimed |
1. Telmi: for help during the call, without a bot
Best for: people on a Mac who take calls where answering well matters, like founders doing sales, account executives, consultants, and job candidates.
Telmi listens on your Mac and shows a short answer you can say while the other person is still asking. Answers come from a knowledge pack built from your own docs and pricing, and saved answer cards match on your Mac instantly, in your exact words. It nudges you if you’ve talked for 90 seconds or left a question open. After the call it writes a summary, decisions, action items, a follow-up email, and coaching. Before the call it reads your Google Calendar and gives each meeting a prep page.
Tradeoffs: Mac only, on macOS 26 or later. No mobile app, team workspace, CRM integrations, SSO, or SOC 2 yet. The free plan is 5 calls.
Pricing: free for 5 calls, then $20 a month for unlimited calls (daily fair-use cap of 3,000 AI requests). No annual plan yet. Telmi vs Otter, in detail.
2. Granola: for great notes without a bot
Best for: people with back-to-back meetings who want excellent notes and no bot, on any device.
Granola calls itself an AI notepad. You jot rough notes and it fills them out from the transcript, using device audio so nothing joins the call. It runs on macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, and Apple Watch. Shared folders and custom templates are on the free plan, and Business adds integrations with Attio, Notion, HubSpot, Affinity, and Zapier. Granola has SOC 2 Type II.
Tradeoffs: it’s for notes, not suggestions during the call. The free plan keeps 30 days of history.
Pricing: as of November 2026, per Granola’s pricing page, Basic is free, Business is $14 per user per month, and Enterprise is $35 per user per month. Telmi vs Granola, in detail.
3. Fathom: for the most generous free plan
Best for: anyone who wants unlimited free recordings and summaries, and sales teams that want follow-ups and CRM sync.
Fathom’s free plan includes unlimited recordings and transcriptions and instant AI summaries. You can use a bot or a bot-free mode in beta on Mac. It also offers follow-up emails, sales templates like BANT and Sandler, trackers, and Ask Fathom, with CRM sync on the Business plan. HIPAA with a BAA is available on Team and above, and SSO and SCIM on Enterprise.
Tradeoffs: it’s focused on after the call. Bot-free capture is still in beta and Mac only.
Pricing: as of November 2026, per Fathom’s pricing page, free forever, with Premium from about $16 per user per month and Team, Business, and Enterprise tiers above it. Telmi vs Fathom, in detail.
4. Fireflies.ai: for teams that need analytics and compliance
Best for: companies rolling out meeting recording across teams, with security reviews to pass.
Fireflies’ notetaker joins Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, and more than ten other platforms, and a Chrome extension captures without the bot. It has real-time notes, live transcription, the AskFred assistant, topic trackers, sentiment, talk-time analytics, CRM integrations on paid tiers, and an API. Its compliance list is long: SOC 2 Type II, GDPR, ISO 42001, HIPAA on Enterprise, SSO, SCIM, audit logs, and zero data retention.
Tradeoffs: the default capture is still a bot, and it’s built more for teams and managers than for live help to one person.
Pricing: Free, Pro, Business, and Enterprise plans, per seat. We couldn’t confirm current prices, so see Fireflies’ pricing page. Telmi vs Fireflies, in detail.
5. Cluely: for a general live assistant
Best for: people who want live AI answers during calls at a low annual price, or in many languages.
Cluely says it captures audio on your device, with no bot, and gives real-time answers. Its homepage claims 12 or more languages and a 300 millisecond response time. Plans include meeting notes and asking AI about past meetings.
Tradeoffs: the free Starter plan limits AI responses and notes, and allows up to 3 files. Hiding from screen share is a separate $149.99 a month tier. No enterprise tier, SSO, or compliance claims on its site.
Pricing: as of November 2026, per Cluely’s pricing page, Starter is free and Pro is $19.99 a month, with Pro from $11.99 a month on annual billing. Telmi vs Cluely, in detail.
When to stay with Otter
If your main need is a searchable record of every meeting, across Mac, Windows, phone, and web, with CRM sync and team plans, Otter still does that well. Its Business plan is $19.99 per user per month on annual billing, and it offers SSO and SCIM for teams of 100 or more. Switching only makes sense if one of the problems above is the one you actually have.
Our honest pick
- No bot, great notes, any device: Granola.
- Free and unlimited: Fathom.
- A whole company with a security review: Fireflies.
- Live help during calls, built on your own answers, on a Mac: Telmi.
- Live help at the lowest yearly price: Cluely.