AI notetaker that records, transcribes, summarizes and searches meetings across Zoom, Meet and Teams.
Otter.ai vs Sonix
Features, pricing, strengths and trade-offs — and which one fits your situation.
The verdict
Summary
Otter.ai is best for english-first live transcription for meetings, lectures and in-person conversations, while Sonix is best for transcribing and translating uploaded recordings with pay-per-hour pricing. Otter.ai has a free plan, while Sonix offers a free trial.
Which should you choose?
Choose Otter.ai if…
- You need english-first live transcription for meetings, lectures and in-person conversations
- You're one of: students and educators, journalists, sales and account teams
- You want a free plan (Sonix only has a trial)
- Mature live transcript with editable speaker tags
Choose Sonix if…
- You need transcribing and translating uploaded recordings with pay-per-hour pricing
- You're one of: podcasters and video producers, researchers transcribing interviews, media and legal teams
- Pay-as-you-go option suits occasional users
At a glance
| Otter.ai | Sonix | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | English-first live transcription for meetings, lectures and in-person conversations | Transcribing and translating uploaded recordings with pay-per-hour pricing |
| Free plan | Yes | Trial only |
| Starting price | From $8.33/user/mo | From $10/hr |
| Learning curve | Low | Low |
| Platforms | Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Chrome extension | Web, API |
| Ideal for | Students and educators, Journalists, Sales and account teams, English-speaking remote teams | Podcasters and video producers, Researchers transcribing interviews, Media and legal teams, Developers needing a transcription API |
Feature comparison
| Otter.ai | Sonix | |
|---|---|---|
| Records without a bot joining | Yes | Limited |
| Meeting platforms | Zoom, Meet, Teams | Imports from Zoom, Meet, Teams, Webex |
| Transcription languages | 6 languages | 54+ languages |
| CRM sync | Paid plans only | No |
| Ask AI across meetings | Yes | Limited |
| Speaker identification | Yes | Yes |
| In-person / mobile recording | Yes | Web recorder only |
| Transcribe uploaded files | Yes | Yes |
| Translation | — | Yes |
IncludedLimited / higher plansNot available— Not confirmed
Security & enterprise
| Otter.ai | Sonix | |
|---|---|---|
| Business / enterprise plan | Yes | Yes |
| SSO (SAML / OIDC) | Enterprise plan | Enterprise plan |
| SCIM user provisioning | Enterprise plan | — |
| SOC 2 | Type II | Type II |
| ISO 27001 | — | Yes |
| HIPAA (BAA available) | Enterprise plan | BAA available |
| GDPR DPA | — | Yes |
| Data residency options | — | — |
| No training on your data | De-identified data only | — |
| Audit logs | — | — |
| Admin controls | Enterprise plan | Yes |
| Deployment | Cloud | Cloud |
From each vendor's security documentation. "—" = not confirmed. What to ask vendors · Compare all tools
What each tool does
Otter.ai
Otter.ai transcribes meetings in real time through its OtterPilot bot on Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams, via a bot-free desktop app, or through its mobile apps for in-person conversations. It generates summaries and action items, and Otter AI Chat answers questions within and across meetings. Higher tiers add CRM syncing and admin controls.
Key features- Live transcription with speaker identification by name
- OtterPilot bot for Zoom, Meet and Teams
- Bot-free recording via Mac and Windows desktop app
- Otter AI Chat within and across meetings
- Salesforce and HubSpot note syncing
- Import of audio and video files
Sonix
Sonix is an automated transcription service where you upload audio or video and receive a timestamped, speaker-labelled transcript you can edit in the browser. It supports transcription and translation in 50+ languages, subtitle generation and AI analysis such as summaries, chapters and sentiment. It does not send a bot to join live meetings.
Key features- Automated transcription in 54+ languages
- Machine translation into 54+ languages
- In-browser transcript editor with speaker labels and timestamps
- AI summaries, chapters and sentiment analysis
- Subtitle generation and burn-in
- API, webhooks and Zapier automation
Pricing
Otter.ai
Free Basic plan (300 min/mo); Pro $8.33/user/mo annual ($16.99 monthly)
Sonix
30-min free trial; Pay-as-you-go $10/hr; Core subscription $25/mo
Prices last checked September 2026. Plans change often — confirm on each vendor's site.
Pros and cons
Otter.ai
Strengths- Mature live transcript with editable speaker tags
- Works for online meetings, in-person recordings and imports
- Mobile apps suited to lectures and interviews
- Cross-meeting AI chat included on paid plans
- Transcribes only six languages
- Free plan limits file imports to three in total
- AI Chat queries are capped per month on lower tiers
- No built-in translation of transcripts
Not ideal for: Teams that hold meetings in languages beyond English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese or Chinese should choose a tool with wider language support.
Sonix
Strengths- Pay-as-you-go option suits occasional users
- Good editor for correcting and exporting transcripts
- Translation built into the same workflow
- Developer API and compliance options (SOC 2, HIPAA)
- No meeting bot to auto-join scheduled calls
- No dedicated mobile app
- No CRM integrations
- Per-hour transcription charges on top of subscriptions add up for heavy use
Not ideal for: Anyone who wants meetings recorded and summarized automatically without uploading files should use a meeting notetaker instead.
Integrations
Otter.ai
Sonix
FAQ
What is the main difference between Otter.ai and Sonix?
Otter.ai is built for english-first live transcription for meetings, lectures and in-person conversations; Sonix is built for transcribing and translating uploaded recordings with pay-per-hour pricing.
Is Otter.ai or Sonix cheaper?
Otter.ai starts from $8.33/user/mo and Sonix starts from $10/hr (as of September 2026). On entry price, Otter.ai is cheaper — but compare what each plan includes, since limits differ. Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site.
Do Otter.ai and Sonix have free plans?
Otter.ai has a free plan, while Sonix offers a free trial.
Which is easier to use, Otter.ai or Sonix?
Both have a low learning curve.
What are good alternatives to Otter.ai and Sonix?
Other meetings tools worth comparing include Fireflies.ai, Fathom and tl;dv.
