Head to head · Audio · updated Oct 26, 2026
AssemblyAI vs Otter.ai
AssemblyAI scores 40 to Otter.ai's 27 on public evidence for speech-to-text transcription, and they rank #2 and #3 there. Both are free to start. Numbers below are the same public signals the ranking uses, recomputed nightly — nothing here is sponsored.
AssemblyAI
A speech-to-text API with diarization, sentiment, chapters and an LLM layer for summarizing transcripts.
+ Strong accuracy plus built-in audio intelligence (speaker labels, chapters, PII redaction) and LeMUR for asking questions of a transcript.
− No consumer app, and per-hour pricing adds up on high volumes compared with self-hosted Whisper.
Otter.ai
A meeting transcriber that joins Zoom, Meet and Teams calls, records live transcripts and writes summaries and action items.
+ Live transcript you can read during the call, with a generous free tier for individuals.
− The OtterPilot bot auto-joins meetings and emails attendees unless you turn it off, which annoys other participants.
Side by side
public evidence| AssemblyAI | Otter.ai | |
|---|---|---|
| Evidence score / 100 | 40 | 27 |
| GitHub stars | closed source | closed source |
| Hacker News stories, 30d | 5 | 0 |
| Release-feed mentions, 30d | 0 | 0 |
| Last activity | – | – |
| Pricing | Free tier · Free credits; then per hour of audio | Free tier · Pro from $8.33/mo billed annually |
| Platforms | api | web, ios, android, chrome-extension |
| Maker | AssemblyAI | Otter.ai |
Which one?
Pick AssemblyAI if
- you want the stronger public evidence (40 vs 27)
- you need it on api
Best for developers building transcript analysis.
Pick Otter.ai if
- you need it on android, chrome-extension, ios
Best for live transcripts during calls.