AI notetaker that records, transcribes, summarizes and searches meetings across Zoom, Meet and Teams.
Otter.ai vs tl;dv
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 tl;dv is best for teams that want free unlimited video recordings with multi-language notes and CRM updates. Both Otter.ai and tl;dv offer a free plan, so you can try each before paying.
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
- Mature live transcript with editable speaker tags
Choose tl;dv if…
- You need teams that want free unlimited video recordings with multi-language notes and CRM updates
- You're one of: sales teams, customer success and account managers, user researchers
- Generous free plan for video recording
At a glance
| Otter.ai | tl;dv | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | English-first live transcription for meetings, lectures and in-person conversations | Teams that want free unlimited video recordings with multi-language notes and CRM updates |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Starting price | From $8.33/user/mo | From €18/seat/mo |
| Learning curve | Low | Low |
| Platforms | Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Chrome extension | Web, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Chrome extension |
| Ideal for | Students and educators, Journalists, Sales and account teams, English-speaking remote teams | Sales teams, Customer success and account managers, User researchers, Remote-first startups |
Feature comparison
| Otter.ai | tl;dv | |
|---|---|---|
| Records without a bot joining | Yes | Yes |
| Meeting platforms | Zoom, Meet, Teams | Meet, Zoom, Teams, any via desktop |
| Transcription languages | 6 languages | 30+ languages |
| CRM sync | Paid plans only | Paid plans only |
| Ask AI across meetings | Yes | Business plan only |
| Speaker identification | Yes | Yes |
| In-person / mobile recording | Yes | Yes |
| Transcribe uploaded files | Yes | Yes |
| Translation | — | Yes |
IncludedLimited / higher plansNot available— Not confirmed
Security & enterprise
| Otter.ai | tl;dv | |
|---|---|---|
| Business / enterprise plan | Yes | Yes |
| SSO (SAML / OIDC) | Enterprise plan | Enterprise plan |
| SCIM user provisioning | Enterprise plan | Enterprise plan |
| SOC 2 | Type II | Type II |
| ISO 27001 | — | — |
| HIPAA (BAA available) | Enterprise plan | — |
| GDPR DPA | — | Yes |
| Data residency options | — | EU |
| No training on your data | De-identified data only | Yes |
| Audit logs | — | Enterprise plan |
| Admin controls | Enterprise plan | Yes |
| Deployment | Cloud | Cloud, private AI hosting |
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
tl;dv
tl;dv records Google Meet, Zoom and Microsoft Teams meetings as video, transcribes them and generates AI notes, either through a bot or bot-free via its desktop app. Its free plan includes unlimited recordings, and paid tiers add CRM syncing, unlimited AI notes and team-wide meeting intelligence that answers questions across calls.
Key features- Unlimited video recording and transcription on the free plan
- Bot or bot-free capture via desktop app for any platform
- Transcription and notes in 30+ languages
- HubSpot, Salesforce and Pipedrive syncing
- Ask AI within a meeting; multi-meeting AI reports on Business
- Mobile app for in-person meetings
Pricing
Otter.ai
Free Basic plan (300 min/mo); Pro $8.33/user/mo annual ($16.99 monthly)
tl;dv
Free plan; Pro EUR 18/seat/mo annual (EUR 29 monthly)
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.
tl;dv
Strengths- Generous free plan for video recording
- Good multi-language support for European teams
- Timestamped highlights and clips for sharing
- Records any desktop meeting app bot-free
- Free plan caps AI notes at 10 meetings and limits Ask AI queries
- Cross-meeting AI search and coaching require the top tier
- Free plan allows only 5 file uploads
- Fewer languages than tools advertising 100+
Not ideal for: Small teams that need cross-meeting AI search on a budget may find it locked behind the most expensive plan.
Integrations
Otter.ai
tl;dv
FAQ
What is the main difference between Otter.ai and tl;dv?
Otter.ai is built for english-first live transcription for meetings, lectures and in-person conversations; tl;dv is built for teams that want free unlimited video recordings with multi-language notes and CRM updates.
Is Otter.ai or tl;dv cheaper?
Otter.ai starts from $8.33/user/mo and tl;dv starts from €18/seat/mo (as of September 2026). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site.
Do Otter.ai and tl;dv have free plans?
Both Otter.ai and tl;dv offer a free plan, so you can try each before paying.
Which is easier to use, Otter.ai or tl;dv?
Both have a low learning curve.
What are good alternatives to Otter.ai and tl;dv?
Other meetings tools worth comparing include Fireflies.ai, Fathom and Granola.
